The Apostle Paul, in a letter to Timothy, implied the timeless and provable nature of real intelligence. He wrote, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (II Tim. 1:7). In other words, intelligence comes from God, the one Mind, or Love, and it is given to us unclouded by any mortal emotion of fear.

Christian Science states logically that since there is only one God, one Mind, all real intelligence must proceed from this one Mind. The real man is created, as the Bible states, in God's image and likeness. Then it necessarily follows that man, through the divine process of reflection, possesses all the qualities of his creator, including the quality of unlimited intelligence.

How can a young Christian Scientist actively prove in his everyday experience, and specifically in his schoolwork, this soundness of mind which is the divine intelligence of God? First of all, the individual must ponder deeply the nature of God as Mind and of infinite, unerring, unlimited intelligence as proceeding from perfect Mind. This intelligence is freely available to each individual child of God. One actively demonstrates in his human experience the presence of divine intelligence as he accepts and utilizes his relationship to God as His reflection.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, explains intelligence as referring both to Mind and to an attribute of Mind. She gives this definition in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 588): "Intelligence. Substance; self-existent and eternal Mind; that which is never unconscious nor limited." Elsewhere, she says of intelligence, "It is the primal and eternal quality of infinite Mind, of the triune Principle,—Life, Truth, and Love,—named God" (ibid., p. 469).

When Paul stated that God does not give us "the spirit of fear," he pointed out one of the errors that would claim to obstruct the natural flow of unlimited intelligence from God to His idea, man. Fear, if allowed to take root in human consciousness, would attempt to separate the individual from the harmonious expression of God's intelligence, which is always available. Fear is an error that must be seen for what it is, namely a would-be deceiver in regard to man's real nature and ability. Then it cannot separate the alert Christian Scientist, even momentarily, from his steadfast knowledge of his unity with God.

At times of school tests or college examinations, a suggestion of fear sometimes comes to the entire class. This suggestion needs to be seen as unreal. Such mass fear rises from a belief in many minds. By holding to the truth of the presence of the one Mind, God, a Christian Scientist in such a group will not be swayed or undermined by any fearful influence. He will not only heal himself but help to alleviate the mental atmosphere for his classmates as well.

In the same definition, Mrs. Eddy states that intelligence "is never unconscious nor limited." The student's clear apprehension of this fact destroys the suggestion of forgetfulness, of either momentary or prolonged lapses of memory.

The truth that real intelligence is never limited can be used to offset the present-day tendency of the human mind to set well-defined limits on the amount of intelligence that each individual is supposed to possess. Can God's intelligence be measured or charted or placed within statistical limitations? The answer is an obvious No.

Is not the same answer just as obvious in relation to the man of God's creating? The student of Christian Science need not accept such labels as "a student of average intelligence" or "a student of marked ability in some areas but limited in others." By applying the scientific truth that intelligence is unlimited, the student can see annihilated in his experience any limitations that he might be tempted to accept as true about himself or that others might be accepting as true about him.

Jesus demonstrated to an unusual degree the truth of his teachings that God is the only source of ability and intelligence. He proved that age is no limitation to intelligence when at the age of twelve he conversed with the learned men in the temple; nor was he limited by lack of experience or educational background in his brief public ministry. He talked easily and freely with the educated people of the times.

The Jews marveled at his intellectual prowess and asked, "How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" (John 7:15.) Jesus promptly disclaimed any ability of himself, replying, "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." His entire life was a proof of the unlimited intelligence which the Father is always bestowing upon His children.

The prophet Isaiah glimpsed the nature of the intelligence which God bestows when he wrote (26:3, 4): "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."