How I Used Truth - Lesson 5 - Annotation 3
What is divine substance, and what is its relation to manifest objects?
3. Divine substance is the unformed Mind essence, the spiritual reality out of which every form is produced. In Divine Mind, substance is the idea of perfect form and body. In substance inhere all of the ideas of Divine Mind ready to be called forth into manifest form. (See the Annotations for Lesson Two of Lessons in Truth, which cover the subject of substance.)
The substance of God is our "all-sufficiency in all things." It supplies man and all creation with everything that is required for fulfillment in God's own wonderful way. "In universal God-Mind is a substance that includes the seed of all visible substance. It is the only real substance, because it is unchangeable, while visible substance is in constant transition. God as substance does not mean matter, because matter is formed; God is formless. The substance that God is lies back of all matter and all form. It is that which is the basis of all form, yet enters not into any form as finality" (Keep a True Lent 14-15).
Scientific study has revealed that there is one basic substance out of which everything proceeds, and that the form it takes will depend upon the formation of the atoms. Spiritual observation agrees with science, but goes further by saying that this one basic essence is God as substance, supplying the needs of His creation. Substance is one of the elements of the nature of God as Absolute Good and is, therefore, part of our divine inheritance. We must learn to turn to the God Presence within, through prayer, for the fulfillment of our needs. When we do this we are consciously contacting the ideas of God that inhere in divine substance. God substance is never depleted and forever awaits the demands made upon it by creation.
Substance is related to manifest objects as the raw material out of which every form in creation will take shape. Substance has been termed the "Mother side of God" (TP-39) because it is the passive or receptive nature of Spirit. Let us consider milk as an illustration of substance. Cream, butter, buttermilk, cheese, whey, and the like are derived from milk by means of certain processes. Universal Mind substance contains the elements or ideas that are the origin of all forms, and the initiators of all action in our manifest world. Certain processes are necessary to produce the different products from milk. By the same token, the ideas in substance await certain processes of mind action (the law of right thinking and feeling) in order to come forth in the forms that will supply the needs of every species of creation. We may say, then, that ideas in substance are the causes, and the manifest objects we see are the effects that have been produced by mind action on the ideas.
The highest process of mind action that lays hold of divine ideas inhering in substance is prayer. By true prayer we lift our consciousness above doubt, fear, and anxiety. We put our thinking and feeling into the realm of Truth so that we are able to mold the radiant substance into the needful forms to make life satisfying.
"As you lay hold of that substance with your mind, make it permanent and enduring. Realize your oneness with it. You are unified with the one living substance, which is God, your all-sufficiency. Prom this substance you were created, in it you live and move and have your being, by it you are fed and prospered" (Prosperity 22).
We can have the manifest things in our experiences that go to make up a purposeful and satisfying life. To do so, however, we must make conscious contact with the spiritual patterns that produce the things. These "patterns" are all of the ideas of the kingdom, or realm of divine substance. Jesus expressed it in this way, "Seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt. 6:33).
It is vital that we know what divine substance really is. It is not some mysterious essence beyond the reach of man, but is the reservoir or storehouse of God ideas.
"It is essential that you fix firmly in your mind the value of ideas. Because, if you do not believe . . . that ideas are the gold coin of God's kingdom, you are likely to throw away a fortune. . . . The closer your contact with God is, the more ideas you will receive. . . . Thus the first step in claiming the prosperity of God is seeing ideas for what they are: blueprints that show you how to build success, detailed maps that lead you to all the buried treasure of the ages ' (Magnificent Decision: page 76).
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Preceding Entry: What do we mean when we speak of God "immanent" in man and in the universe?
Following Entry: What is the Holy Spirit? What is the relation of the Holy Spirit to the Father, and to the Son, or the Christ?
