Article November 1, 2013

Spiritual or eternal Life

G. P. Noyes

Originally published in the November 1, 1890 issue of the Christian Science Series (Vol. 2, No. 13)

"For this is Life Eternal that they might know Thee—the only true God—and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent."

We gather from these words of Christ that those who know God are immortal—have everlasting Life. Who then is God, and how are we to know Him? We have the sacred Scriptures to teach us, but they are to the material, and carnal mind, as a sealed book; the Truth which lies hidden there, cannot be discerned through material sense of man. The Truth, and meaning of the word of Christ, comes only through exercise of spiritual sense, or spiritual perceptions, the opposite of the material, or carnal mind. By reversing the meanings apparent to mortal sense, or fleshly mind, we are able to get a glimpse of Truth, which followed leads to understanding of God. In this process lies the secret of Christian Science.

Personal sense tells us, that matter is real, because visible to material sight, and that it possesses qualities defined as shape, color, resistance, etc., and that Spirit is unsubstantial, unreal, because it possesses none of these or other visible qualities. Spiritual sense declares just the contrary—that matter is the unreal, unsubstantial, and changeable the opposite of the Truth.

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