Healing Our Concept of Man

In the definition of Adam in the Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the author states in part that Adam is a “material belief”.

What is the material belief here? The belief that man (used here as defining all mankind) has ever been separated from God; that man has ever been anything but God’s spiritual, perfect creation, His image and likeness.

So often it is these two concepts that need healing – our concept of who or what God is and what man is.

I’ve helped to see through a couple healings recently by using the definition of man on page 475 of the book previously mentioned. This definition starts out by saying what man is not and proceeds to say what is. The definition proceeds in this denial and affirming method.

We must realize that there never has been an imperfect man. Therefore we can not accept any lie that is whispered into our thought by error or the carnal mind as the Bible calls it about our imperfection, inability, or limitation. We can see ourselves and know ourselves only as God sees and knows us since He created us.

And then we take it another step and see and know everyone around us as that perfect man. My teacher once told me that if we are seeing or accepting something imperfect about someone else we are automatically accepted it for ourselves. Because that person is God’s creation just as we are.

Further in this definition of man it is stated:

Jesus beheld in Science the per‐
fect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal
man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour
saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man
healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom
of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy.
Man is not a material habitation for Soul; he is himself
spiritual. Soul, being Spirit, is seen in nothing imperfect
nor material.

So therefore we have to look up and see that perfect man all around us everywhere and that automatically frees us right up from any limitation. We can’t see ourselves or others in anyway than what God sees us and we don’t have to accept any suggestions coming to us either mentally, verbally, subtly, or aggressively that we are anything but God’s perfect reflection, forever one with God and forever like God.

This can be challenging at times but it is cause for great spiritual growth by which comes our freedom from challenge or limitation.

As a side note, great freedom has also come from reading that definition from the feminine perspective and substituting the word woman for man. Healing has resulted from this true, spiritual, and perfect view of woman.