Imagine a hypothetical scenario: A lawyer, who is defending a mistakenly accused client, comes into court carrying an armful of lawbooks. During the trial the lawyer questions no witnesses, presents no evidence, makes no arguments. He does nothing but read those books! At the end of the trial, since no case has been presented for the defense—and all of the evidence and arguments have been on the side of the prosecution—his innocent client is found guilty!

This approach is preposterous, of course. But the illustration teaches an important lesson as it relates to metaphysical healing. In the Bible and in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, there are many wonderful statements about the supremacy, goodness, and allness of God. There are also equally wonderful truths about man's perfection as God's reflection, or image, and the fact that sickness and disease have no place in our true being. In order for healing to take place, though—in order for our inherent innocence, or spiritual perfection, to be demonstrated—we need to do more than merely read these truths. We have to utilize them, put them into practice, so that the truths can transform thought and heal the body.

A false, material concept of man is the source and substance of any physical difficulty. Physical ailments are essentially misconceptions about God and man manifested in the body—misconceptions that we've accepted either consciously or unconsciously. In order to root out these false concepts, we need to correct them with the truth of being.

This takes treatment, in which Truth destroys error. We argue the case for our actual spiritual perfection, completeness, and safety, affirming that harmony is even now the fact and that sickness or disease is a false concept that has no substance or actual existence.

Science and Health often uses vigorous terms in describing Christian Science treatment. For instance: "Banish the belief ..."; "Blot out the images of mortal thought ..."; "... rise in rebellion ..."; "Be firm in your understanding ..." (see pp. 390–393). In another work, entitled Christian Healing, Mrs. Eddy writes: "If you wish to be happy, argue with yourself on the side of happiness;take the side you wish to carry, and be careful not to talk on both sides, or to argue stronger for sorrow than for joy. You are the attorney for the case, and will win or lose according to your plea" (p. 10).

We don't want to molly-coddle the claims of mortal mind, allowing them room in our lives. If we do, we'll find ourselves imprisoned by the very limitation or sickness that we've accepted as real. Like an alert, dutiful attorney, we need to be firm with material beliefs and correct them, and to replace fear with spiritual understanding.

Several years ago I was experiencing internal physical irritation and pain. With the initial help of a Christian Science practitioner, I prayed daily to affirm that in the allness of divine Love, God, there could be nothing unlike Love. I mentally affirmed that God was expressing only goodness and purity in my real being. Therefore I had no affinity with evil of any kind; evil could not touch me or be in me. I also knew that the truth of Love's allness would neutralize any belief of a harmful influence or substance.

I continued praying along these lines, but change didn't come right away. When I was tempted to be worried, I would reaffirm these spiritual truths until I felt the peaceful reassurance that only good could be manifested in me. Persisting in this work brought healing. Spiritual truth, understood, neutralized and destroyed error and its physical manifestation. The problem has never recurred.

We can be assured that ever-present, divine Truth is speaking to us right at the point of our need and showing us the truths that produce health. But we each have our own part to perform—our own work to do. Ongoing, heartfelt study of the Bible and the Science of Christianity are essential to healing and reform, because they reveal spiritual truth and show how truth applies to us in every way. We then need to use what we learn by applying spiritual truth to every aspect of our lives.