If you dream that you sin, is that a sin?

[Scarlett O.]

I'm not asking that to be flippant or silly. And I don't want to hijack saturneptune's thread on the 24-hour sinless life.

But two people made a comment that caused me to ponder.

I suppose by some miracle of God's grace it might happen (not sinning) if I were asleep.

If'n I were comatose, maybe but I am not sure even then.

I don't dream very often. One of two things usually happen to me. I drop off straight to sleep like the Rock of Gibraltar and never dream or wake until morning or I have insomnia and therefore don't dream.

But, when I do occasionally dream, I dream TERRIBLE things. Not too long ago, I dreamed that I killed someone in my family. It took me several hours after waking up to shake that horrible feeling.

I have dreamed about things inappropriate to talk about here and very frightening things that were always my fault.

I don't believe that I am sinning in merely dreaming these things, but thinking about them during the day and recalling those images over and over for several hours that you are trying NOT to think about is sinful.....in my opinion.

I have never experienced a pleasant dream that I can recall. I'm just GLAD that I don't dream very often.

What do you think about uncontrollable dreaming of bad things? Is the dream itself the sin or is the fretting over it the sin?

 

[Amy.G]

Good question Scarlett. I have wondered the same thing myself. Does a dream involving something sinful reveal our true nature of "sinful man"? Are we held responsible for these dreams in terms of needing forgiveness? Whenever I've had one of these dreams, I've always asked for forgiveness, because even tho I can't help what I dream, I feel bad about it.

 

[Scarlett O.]

:laugh: :laugh: Oh, Amy G., there have been many mornings that I pray for forgiveness before I even open my eyes! :BangHead:

Like you, I don't really know if we are accountable for any terrible dreams, but I ask for forgiveness anyway!!

 

[Amy.G]

:laugh: :laugh: Oh, Amy G., there have been many mornings that I pray for forgiveness before I even open my eyes! :BangHead:

Like you, I don't really know if we are accountable for any terrible dreams, but I ask for forgiveness anyway!!

Me too! :laugh:

 

[Nomad]

I don't think that dreaming about sin is a sin, but it is a manifestation of the sin nature. In other words, if we didn't have a fallen nature we wouldn't sin even in our dreams. I don't usually feel guilty about dreams where I do sinful things, because I have no conscious control over them. (Many of my dreams I don't even clearly remember after I wake up.) However, years ago I dreamed of doing violence to someone I was very angry with at the time. That dream disturbed me because it reflected sinful thoughts I was also having while awake (bitterness, resentment, etc). In that respect, the dream was sinful. I was taking my hateful thoughts with me into slumber. Thankfully, after forgiving that person, the bad dreams stopped. And there was no more guilt or shame to worry about.

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

One cannot control dreams. If one dreams a sinful dream, the only way one would be sinning through that dream is if one awoke and took pleasure in the dream itself.

 

[Alcott]

"I don't dream very often," said Scarlett. That's inevitably untrue because dreaming is a natural part of sleeping. But I assume you are referring to remembering your dreams, and to do that you must awake while a dream is in progress.

As to the question I don't see how it is sinful to dream of doing a sinful act-- unless we couldn't dream about doing such acts unless we have a desire for them. In that case it is not the dream that is evil, of course, but our conscious thoughts being manifest in the more imaginative, and obviously uncensored, part of our minds. If looking at this conversely helps: do we get 'credit' for going good things in our dreams [e.g., feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, et al]? It would seem to be so only if that is a true manifestation of who we really are and what we really do. Of course, scripturally, it isn't identified as a good deed to simply think of doing good things (if one does not follow through), but it is identified as evil to just want to do an evil act. [If God does have a 'double standard' in that way, it won't do us any good to complain.] So that makes the answer to the question far from certain. But I think it is certain that the dream would be a symptom and not itself the 'disease.'

 

[Scarlett O.]

"I don't dream very often," said Scarlett. That's inevitably untrue because dreaming is a natural part of sleeping. But I assume you are referring to remembering your dreams, and to do that you must awake while a dream is in progress.

That's interesting because that terrible dream about me killing someone in my family DID wake me up that morning before the alarm clock. It was such a vivid and realistic dream that it kept me upset for several hours.

And yes, I am talking about remembering dreams. Now that you have said this, I seem to remember learning in college that we do dream alot and that we just don't remember it.

As to the question I don't see how it is sinful to dream of doing a sinful act-- unless we couldn't dream about doing such acts unless we have a desire for them. In that case it is not the dream that is evil, of course, but our conscious thoughts being manifest in the more imaginative, and obviously uncensored, part of our minds.

Hmmm....I know that I did not have a desire to kill someone, but perhaps I was angry or frustrated and my mind played out that dream in response to my emotional state. I just don't remember being angry or frustrated at this particular person.

If looking at this conversely helps: do we get 'credit' for going good things in our dreams [e.g., feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, et al]? It would seem to be so only if that is a true manifestation of who we really are and what we really do. Of course, scripturally, it isn't identified as a good deed to simply think of doing good things (if one does not follow through), but it is identified as evil to just want to do an evil act. [If God does have a 'double standard' in that way, it won't do us any good to complain.] So that makes the answer to the question far from certain. But I think it is certain that the dream would be a symptom and not itself the 'disease.'

Thanks. Let me chew on all of this for a while. :laugh:

 

[Botfield]

No. A thought is not a sin, but acting on that thought (or dream) is.

 

[Bible Believing Bill]

One cannot control dreams. If one dreams a sinful dream, the only way one would be sinning through that dream is if one awoke and took pleasure in the dream itself.

It finally happened, I completly agree with HBSMN. The dream itself is not sinful but if we take pleasure in the sinful nature of our dreams that is a sin.

Perhaps God is using our dreams to show us our sinful nature, and that is why most dreams we remember are of a sinful nature.

Bill

 

[Hardsheller]

My dreams are so vivid it is like living a second life.

I do good things and bad things in my dreams just like I do in real life.

My favorite dreams are when I do something that is connected with my ministry that turns out great.

 

[TC]

I don't know if dreaming about sin is sin. It is a very interesting question that I believe depend on many factors. For example, I see my neighbor has just bought a new car and I say to myself just before going to sleep that I never get anything good like that. Then I dream that I stole the car and crashed it while making my getaway. Under those circumstances, it could be sin, but if I don't have any such thoughts and have the same dream it probably isn't sin.

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

Saying to yourself "I never get anything good like that" is a sure sign of covetousness... which indeed is sinful. If you say that and then dream of stealing the car, your mind is entertaining the very sin that you gave an edge when you made the statement.

 

[MB]

I believe that a dream of a sin we enjoyed in a dream, we also enjoy that sin while awake, or at least have entertained the idea while awake. We can control our thoughts by simply refusing not to think of them. If we desire to sin in our hearts we have sinned already in that desire. Seems we just can't get away from it sometimes. I've found that an earnest repenting prayer every night before bed, gives me peaceful rest.
MB

 

[DQuixote]

Good question Scarlett. I have wondered the same thing myself. Does a dream involving something sinful reveal our true nature of "sinful man"? Are we held responsible for these dreams in terms of needing forgiveness? Whenever I've had one of these dreams, I've always asked for forgiveness, because even tho I can't help what I dream, I feel bad about it.

I'm happy to see that I am not alone. I dream very vivid dreams, logical, sequential. Normally, I am being required to settle an issue, sometimes in charge, sometimes as wise counsel. I usually wake up 2 or 3 times nightly. Each time I do I remember parts of the dream for less than a minute. Then it is gone. If it contained something sinful, I feel bad about it, and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9). I also ask God to help me NOT to have dreams like that. Then I go back to sleep. I can't remember the details of the dream the next day.

 

[HankD]

I'm not surprised when this happens to me. It simply reminds me what a miserable creature I am in my flesh.

Freud had a smattering of truth we can draw upon.
The ID, or the man of the flesh (as we would name him) which we should mortify , lurks in the sub-conscious.

Freud's theory was that the ID supplied the dreaming mind with secret thoughts and unsatisfied desires (good or bad).

Use the Word of God to destroy/mortify this carnal man. Stay in the word, filling your mind with it and eventually spiritual dreams should come.

HankD