In today's world, material possessions and human achievements are widely looked upon as marks of success. But are these, of themselves, substance? To answer this question we first need to understand the nature of true substance.

In Christian Science, substance is understood to be that which is indestructible and eternal. God, Spirit, is substance. God's spiritual creation, man and the universe, reflects the substance of God, good.

Matter, being the opposite or counterfeit of Spirit, is no part of God or His manifestation. Therefore, material things, however real or important they may seem, do not constitute true substance. Only that which is spiritual is substantial.

This understanding of substance as spiritual instead of material does not prevent the fulfillment of human needs but rather helps us in meeting them. Behind every legitimate human need is a spiritual, right idea, the true substance of that which we think we need. When we seem to need more money, better health, or a new job, we can realize our true need to be more understanding of spiritual ideas. Then, as a by-product of this understanding, our human need will find an appropriate adjustment. As Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." ^{Matt. 6:33;}

Suppose, for instance, that you or I should need a place to live. Our primary need would be to better understand the spiritual sense of home, which includes such qualities as beauty, order, stability, spiritual peace, and unselfish love. As we allowed this true idea of home to dwell in our thought and govern our action, it would naturally find expression in our experience in a suitable place to live, because our experience manifests the quality of our thought.

Even if the good we are now enjoying, such as health or supply, should suddenly seem to be taken from us, we need not despair. True substance is not in a material symbol and consequently cannot become lost, stolen, broken, or decayed. A human expression of some vital idea may appear to be destroyed, but the spiritual substance of that idea remains intact in Mind. Our understanding of this fact results in a restoration of what seemed to be lost or in compensation for our loss. The biblical story of Job illustrates this point.

Having lost his health and his earthly possessions, Job sought to know God better. His search ultimately resulted not only in a higher understanding of God, but in a complete return of health and supply. The Bible tells us, "The Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before." Now he was truly a man of substance. He possessed health, plentiful supply, and most important, an understanding of the substance behind these outward signs of God's love. "So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." ^{Job 42:10, 12;}

The Christian Scientist, while grateful for all visible expressions of goodness, realizes that these symbols afford only a hint of true substance. Mrs. Eddy tells us, "Our highest sense of infinite good in this mortal sphere is but the sign and symbol, not the substance of good." ^{Unity of Good, p. 61;}

There is another type of symbol that points to spiritual reality, that serves as a stepping-stone, leading us to a higher understanding of spiritual substance. The Discoverer of Christian Science found this latter type of symbol especially helpful when trying to convey spiritual truths in humanly understandable terms. "Spiritual teaching," writes Mrs. Eddy, "must always be by symbols." ^{Science and Health, p. 575;}

From start to finish the Scriptures abound in symbolic language. The Master, Christ Jesus, often taught in parables and word pictures, making use of familiar objects from nature to describe the kingdom of heaven. References to rock and sand, shepherd and sheep, tares and wheat, seed and sower, leaven and meal, helped his listeners realize the goodness and permanence of spiritual substance as well as the insubstantiality of materialism and evil.

Mrs. Eddy also makes use of symbols from nature to communicate the teachings of divine Science. For instance, she refers to the sun as symbolizing the government of Soul. She sometimes uses the word "rock" to indicate the stability and permanence of Truth. And she speaks of the sphere as representing the goodness of infinite Mind and eternal Life, without beginning or end.

When we use symbols to communicate spiritual concepts, it is important to realize that there are not two realities or substances—the material symbol and the spiritual idea—but just one, the spiritual. Otherwise the use of symbols can lead to misconceptions of true being.

For instance, in using symbols from nature for spiritual teaching, care must be taken not to attach undue significance to worldly things. The pagan sun worshipers made this mistake when they failed to look beyond the symbol and consequently did not see spiritual light. Paul shows us the Christian way of looking "not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." ^{II Cor. 4:18;}

Christian Science makes clear that it is the substance behind the symbol that is of ultimate significance. And as we rise in our understanding of Spirit, material symbols will naturally vanish from sight until we are able finally to dispense with all that is finite in favor of the indispensable, infinite substance of Mind, the only reality. Whittier pointed to the fleeting nature of material symbols and to the eternal substance of Spirit when he wrote,