Sin

DEC. 10, 1981, 5:12 AM
FARM, FRONT OF FIRE

This is far from your favorite theme, o son, and it isn’t one of My best ones either, but it is an important perspective that you must understand and consider from time to time. As I speak to you of sin I shall speak somewhat differently than I do to and through My servant Billy. One message is not right and the other wrong. Rather, they are simply different aspects of truth. No person nor no single source can encompass complete truth. That is Mine alone. Enlightenment includes knowing this.

Sin. Because of this concept and the preaching of it lives have been saved, and lives have been lost. (You understand the figurative truth here… lives are never actually lost… only the manifestation in the earth plane.) If the realization and acknowledgement of sin can turn you away from destructive or wasteful behaviors and habits and TOWARD loving, selfless service and productive work, then your life is “saved”. More basically, of course, the preaching needs to build acceptance and faith in Me, for it is from faith and acceptance of My grace and My invitation to be a part of Me that sinless behavior develops and “is”. No behavior is inherently sinful or sinless. Certainly there are some that are much more often one or the other… or that “lean” in the one direction or the other. But, murder can be sinless and prayer can be sinful. That is one of the aspects of this earth plane that is most interesting.

“Separation from Me” is a good descriptor of sin. Yet understand that the sin doesn’t cause or result in the separation. The sin occurs because there is separation. And the behavior may reinforce the sinful separation. The other possibility, of course, is a sinful behavior brings you back to Me for forgiveness, restoring relationship that has been ‘amouldering. What I want most is close relationship. Your almost immediate response this morning in finding that had gotten up and dressed an hour earlier than you thought the time was… the response was a positive feeling that you could enjoy a teaching without the pressure of time… without the feeling of “hurry up”. This reflects good, close relationship, and out of this, sin is unlikely to develop.

I also said that because of the knowledge and preaching of sin lives can be “lost”. Instead of turning a person toward Me, the knowledge of sin may turn her away. Believing that adulterous intercourse is sinful, a person who has such an experience may feel that he or she cannot come to Me, cannot be in communion with Me or with other believers. Because they “know” they have sinned, as defined by someone, they move farther away from Me. Unfortunate.

With some servants I urge the message of sexual purity. It is interesting, however, to note that at the mention of “sin” more people think of adultery than of having other gods before Me, of not keeping the Sabbath holy, or of not loving Me and your fellow persons. My concern for some of these other aspects of relationship is as great, or greater than for abstinence from non-marital sex.

Sin often involves being an instrument of evil to others in the earth. Evil is a force that I don’t really like, but it is useful enough to Me that I allow it. I could eliminate evil, but the earth experience would then be something quite different… not so unique or so useful for the growth of spirit. “Turn away from evil” I may say. I would prefer, however, to say, “Turn toward Me” and the perception of evil and sin diminishes. Turning away from evil is a means to have souls turn toward Me, certainly.

As you are consciously My servant sins do not become sin. It is still appropriate to be sorry for sins and particularly to perform some sort of atonement, but know also that forgiveness comes quickly to the penitent servant. And forgiveness should energize you for deeds of service to Me, directly or through help to others.

You will sin, but there is no reason for you to be in sin.

So say I.
6:39 AM