Incorporeality

Violet Ker Seymer

At every stage of our study of Christian Science our urgent need is to acquire the correct understanding of God, for in no other way can human problems be scientifically solved. On page 13 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy writes, "Because of human ignorance of the divine Principle, Love, the Father of all is represented as a corporeal creator; hence men recognize themselves as merely physical, and are ignorant of man as God's image or reflection and of man's eternal incorporeal existence." The correct sense of God is the first thing to be gained when one needs to demonstrate health and supply, for there can be no separation from either when their incorporeal and universal nature is understood.

Incorporeal divine Love is not represented by finite, physical personality, by selfishness, disease, and fear—all of which center on a physical sense of body. The correct sense of the incorporeality of God and man alone enables us to understand the wholly spiritual nature of individuality, universality, eternality. Because Jesus had this understanding he coped successfully with the sense evidence of a hungry multitude, space to be traversed, sin, disease, or death. The incorporeal sense of existence leads human thought away from the belief in age, failure, perverted aims, immature states or stages—separation from the spiritual ideal.

To Paul came the illumined conviction that it is impossible to believe in God, infinite Spirit, and at the same time believe that one inhabits a physical body. He therefore said, "Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." He knew that there is no choice between God and mammon, for God is All. Thus he declared, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

The only true existence is spiritual, and under the government of spiritual law. Its conditions are invariable and perfect. Our Leader writes in "Retrospection and Introspection" (p. 89), "Corporeal and selfish influence is human, fallible, and temporary; but incorporeal impulsion is divine, infallible, and eternal." How grand it is, then, to apply the divine remedy, the "incorporeal impulsion," to the ills which to material sense seem so big, but which have neither place nor claim in God or man.

As Christian Scientists, we put off the sense of personality by drawing nearer and nearer to the recognition of our incorporeal existence, our true individuality and completeness. Man expresses incorporeal, eternal life. Nowhere in eternal life is there sin, disease, or demise. Life is Spirit, never measured by solar years, never diminishing, never subject to transition or translation. Every idea of Love lives forever, forever beloved and expressing eternal Love. With this unfolding sense of incorporeal existence comes a truer sense of unity in church membership. Even as Church is the incorporeal idea of divine Mind, so is the member of this Church the pure spiritual expression of Christ. We should think of Church and church member as indivisible. Where personality seems to hold sway, with resulting domination and subjection, there, in reality, is the eternal oneness of Mind and all its incorporeal ideas which are embraced in the unity of good.

Every difficulty can be dissolved as we dwell upon purely spiritual existence, in which there is no element of danger, no sin, no poverty or inharmony. Can accident, disease, or sin overtake incorporeal Life? Can sorrow becloud incorporeal, infinite Love?

Outwardly, the Christian Scientist may be living his life much as do others—only with added temperance and simplicity. But there is nothing to prevent him from dwelling in divine Mind through entertaining the eternal thoughts of Mind. Then his thinking is eternal, not temporal, and it may be said that he is living incorporeally, not merely corporeally. Every thought that is spiritual is incorporeal, infinite in scope, potent in practice. The right understanding of God gives us the right understanding of substance, supply, individuality, and eternality.

This true sense is emancipating in every situation in which one may find oneself. Whatever represents God is present everywhere and can be spiritually discerned and brought into our present experience. Health, for instance, is embraced in divine Mind and is forever expressed in Mind's idea. The same applies to joy, peace, loving-kindness, all of which are incorporeal, spiritual, invariable.

Our Leader says in Science and Health (p. 258), "A mortal, corporeal, or finite conception of God cannot embrace the glories of limitless, incorporeal Life and Love."

Violet Ker Seymer

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Admission to The Mother Church

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