Editorial December 9, 1967 Issue

Man's Character

Helen Wood Bauman

The Scriptural teaching that man is God's likeness implies great truths that need our attention; for if man is God's likeness, His image, he must be Godlike. His character must exhibit all the attributes, or qualities, of his Maker with not a single one left out. The divine character was perfectly expressed by Christ Jesus, who said to his disciple Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father."^{ John 14:9;}

By his example Jesus showed people what the perfect, true man is like. He constantly expressed love, justice, wisdom, purity, joy, intelligence, and every Godlike quality. These elements constituted his human self as the Son of man because he was proving himself to be the Son of God. And he insisted that all men are children of the one Father, Spirit. But Jesus did not claim spiritual qualities as self-created or as his personal virtues. He said plainly, "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."^ 5:19; This is as true of character as it is of deeds.

To follow Jesus in this reasoning is to see that everyone is entitled to reflect the divine character perfectly. But everyone doesn't seem to do this. We have worldwide evidence before us of selfish, unhappy, greedy, dishonest, and often criminal natures. In every instance of this kind it must be seen that the carnal mind, the opposite of Spirit, or divine Mind, is claiming that individuals lack Godlike qualities, that their characters are blemished and their divine, creative source ignored.

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