Do you believe it is possible to sin while you are dreaming, while your body rests and that part of you that we like to call our consciousness rests alongside it, while the “visions of the night” (Job 33:15) are dancing and playing out in your head?
The question could be modified only if you possess the ability to control your dreams, what is called lucid dreaming, and has little different cognizant thought capabilities from that of what we call the waking, or awoke state of mind, save for the surroundings in the dream state, which can be manipulated at will by those proficient in this craft. But for this topic of discussion, we will leave that ability to those who have it, let us speak only of those of the vast majority, those who dream of whatever they dreamt of last evening, with no forethought or preconceived notion of doing so in any form.
You are always you, you are never anyone else, so every dream that you have ever had is either from external sources that were accepted by one of your five senses, or what we could call your imagination, the workings of your mind. If then you cannot control your dreams, are you responsible for their content. “And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.” (Gen. 40:8) “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” (Daniel 7:13)
Many references in the Scripture, all from the Lord, and here is where these, especially in the Charismatic circles err, they cannot interpret their own dreams correctly, and since part of the guarantee, or assurance, if you like, for their walk with the Lord comes from their emotional state, it is important for them to believe that their dreams, in part, can be used to further their faith, if you will. They will convolute and twist them to mean what they want them to mean, for they have taken no time to search out either any serious studies on this subject, or to test the spirits, namely themselves. But back to the subject matter, is it possible to sin in your dreams if you are not intentionally directing your dreams?
The answer of course would be no, you are not sinning if you are not attempting to sin, for sin is a free will choice. Now, if you are unaware of the Scriptures in a particular place, and you inadvertently sin, then that can be as easily forgiven as any man who has spent a life in blatant sin with God, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37) But I would ask you this question, if you happen to mention that last night you had a dream about having sex with the woman down the street to your wife, how do you believe she will interpret that? Not well, I would presume, in fact any dream about such an instance would best be left to dissipate over time, as most of them do, if you were to contemplate it at length, it could begin to unfold itself in your mind, become a temptation, and then the possibility of sin might begin to manifest within your mind, and the words of Christ may become a reality, a sin, within you. “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28)
But here is the real question, and it goes much deeper than dreams, if indeed the hypothesis is correct, that we cannot sin in our dreams, if we are not intentionally directing our dreams, then why would your wife be upset with you over that dream about the neighbor lady, and even more so, why would you? I could of course have used any reference here in this short letter to you, murdering someone in your dream, stealing, berating someone, anything that if done in the conscience, awake mind would definitely be a sin, but I chose this particular reference, or if you prefer, that reference was shown to me by the Holy Spirit, for it is deeply personal.
The entirety of this letter, in case you have missed it, has very little to do with dreams, but instead concerns itself with the perceptions not only of ourselves, but how we view others, and how we believe they perceive us, in other words, what we say matters. You would no more tell a stranger your most intimate, personal thoughts than you would tell your husband about that dream you had last night, for one singular reason, they are yours. They happened to you, and in the contemplation of these deep thoughts of ourselves we come to learn who we are, and by understanding who we are, not only can we better understand others, for we are all created in the image of God, (Gen. 1:27) but it gives us an insight to who God Himself is. “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2:5)
Where our dreams are concerned, as stated, they are always from either external influences upon us, or from our thoughts and the imaginations of our mind, and by being able to interpret them correctly, you will come to learn who you are, you will begin to see yourself as you truly are. The question will then arise, do you want to know that person.
