Knowing the real from the counterfeit

Those most skilled at identifying counterfeit money are thoroughly familiar with all aspects of authentic bills. They aren’t required to know all the forms counterfeit money might take, but they do need to be keenly aware of the attributes of true currency in order to recognize that which is fake. 

This concept is sometimes used as an analogy in the practice of spiritual healing in Christian Science. The Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, states, “The real man is spiritual and immortal, but the mortal and imperfect so-called ‘children of men’ are counterfeits from the beginning, to be laid aside for the pure reality” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 409).

The real man—the true identity of each individual—is already perfect, reflecting perfect God. The Bible tells us that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). Therefore, anything that is unlike God that seems to be part of us or our experience is the counterfeit. Like those trained to recognize authentic money, we don’t need to know all the forms the counterfeit might take. Instead, we need to know the true nature of God’s creation, so we can naturally discern and reject the counterfeit.