The spiritual nature of sin
Underlying topic(s):
- By John Eagles, August 29, 2009.
This page is part of an ERW course, Divine Principle.
Many tend to think of sin as 'doing ' something wrong. Doing something wrong can be sinful, but the primary nature of sin is spiritual.
Sins are actions, feelings, thoughts, plans and desires that are done without God. But they aren't done simply without God, they are instigated or controlled by a force that attempts to live without God or that tries to tower above God. This force comes from the spirit world primarily.
In several religions this force is called 'Satan.' Some religions identify Satan as 'Lucifer, the fallen archangel.' In fact, we can be influenced by anything that is bad and against God. This force is primarily spiritual. Note that also people living in the physical world are spiritual beings, so their actions and workings of the heart and mind could be included in this spiritual force of evil.
People may sometimes appear to be robotic, but in fact, no action is done without desire. That desire may be God-centered or maybe self-centered, but we always act from desire, from a motivation that is moving us deep from within. It is in this realm of motivation that we can be affected to become sinful, to desire, think, feel, plan, act without God.
When more people act in a certain way or tradition, this way of doing becomes normal, even if an outsider would find it very strange or even wrong. Traditions, certain ways of thinking, tendencies to be centered on yourself and to forget the reality of God, become normal in groups that collectively hold up such traditions. The power of this is really spiritual, meaning that spiritual realms form which stimulate to sin in a particular way. As certain forms of sin become more widespread among more spirits and people, this energy of sinning influences the awareness of everyone who is moving into or living in that sphere.
When someone lives in such a sphere it becomes very difficult to still feel that something is wrong. What can be wrong essentially is in the realm of motivation, to want to elevate yourself above God and to forget about goodness and happiness for others. A spiritual sphere forms in which such a self-centered motivation becomes the norm and it induces ways of thinking and feeling and acting that perpetuate the fall downwards.
What can be done to come out of such a spiritual fall? Of course, the first to do is stop repeating the wrongful acts. But that alone doesn't solve the deeper and causal problems.
Two major methods can help us. One is to reflect on truth. All sins are accompanied by lies. These lies are often very hidden but reflecting on truth can help to become aware that something is wrong.
The other method is prayer (or meditation). Prayer or meditation can help us to better see what really has been our deepest motivation for doing something. It is necessary to research our motivation because it is in the realm of motivation that our heart is influenced in obscure ways, often without us noticing the gradual changes that may take place.
