Should I Repent of the Sins I Commit in My Dreams?

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Salvation in Christ Alone and the Coming Judgment

The message of Christianity is that salvation is found in Christ alone, and any who reject Christ therefore forfeit any hope of salvation, any hope of heaven.

The issue is that humanity is in sin, and the wrath of almighty God is hanging over our heads.

They will hear his words, they will not act upon them, and when the floods of divine judgment, when the fires of wrath come, they will be consumed and they will perish. God wrapped himself in flesh, condescended and became a man, died on the cross for sin, was resurrected on the third day, has ascended to the right hand of the Father, where he sits now to make intercession for us.

Jesus is saying there is a group of people who will hear his words, they will act upon them, and when the floods of divine judgment come in that final day, their house will stand.

Whether to Repent of Sins Committed in Dreams

All right, Tim, the question for today's episode is, should I repent of the sins I commit in my dreams? Yeah, I think so, man, probably. You know, I'm just sitting here trying to think through, like, what is someone who's just listening to the podcast, listening to this episode thinking when they hear that question?

And I imagine one of the... They're thinking probably some Freudian thing or something like that. Some Freudian thing.

Well, you know, what I imagine is they probably are confused, meaning, like, what do you mean, sins that I've committed in my dreams? Because I think a lot of people, when they think about sin, they don't have a category for, like, the things that you're dreaming actually count morally, right?

Sure. So what is the... So that's the presupposition under the question we're asking. So why is it that we're coming to the conclusion that they are actually sins, the actions that we commit in our dreams?

Is this a biblical case?

Yeah, I mean, so there's a lot of... I mean, there's some dreams that are just, like, literally crazy or ludicrous that you don't really know what to make of. So, I mean, I think I had a dream a couple of nights ago that I was at a wedding.

It was my wedding, but I didn't know who I was marrying. Of course. Like, I literally didn't know who to marry. And then I was trying to... I mean, I didn't know who I was marrying, but it was like, I'm at my wedding, I don't know who I'm marrying, this is bizarre.

It's like, I know I'm dreaming, this is stupid, but, like, why can't I figure out who I'm supposed to be marrying here? And then, you know, I wasn't, like, prepared for the whole thing and it was all a big disaster, you know, and I had, like, certain parts in the ceremony I was supposed to be saying certain things and I couldn't figure out where my notes are.

And it was just a mess, you know. So, now, I mean, you can have some kind of psychological interpretation of what's going on and to where you're trying to, you know, uncover the hidden drives and uncover the hidden motives.

And I think that's where a lot of people kind of check out at that point where it's just like, hey, you know, dreams are weird, you know.

Hey, you just had a weird dream, man.

Don't overthink it, you had a weird dream. And, yeah, I mean, that's just not really what I'm talking about at all. Okay. So, I'm not really talking about just, like, random bizarro dreams that, you know, you can maybe read into them, like, you know, these, you know, psychological hidden unconscious motivations or whatever else.

I'm not so much interested in those kind of things, but there are dreams that people can have where they do reveal certain things about you that are fairly, like, hit you in the head with a brick kind of revelations, if that makes sense.

Dreams as Expressions of the Heart

Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, like, you know, guys who are not yet married and want to be married and they're constantly struggling with, like, you know, temptation and lust and everything else. You can imagine the situation where a guy in his dream is presented with, like, an encounter where he's being offered, you know, sexual immorality.

And he feels, like, internally conflicted by it, right? So you can imagine that kind of dream where, like, there's an offer of fornication or something. And he feels, like, pulled internally towards that.

And then at the same time he feels, like, guilt, like his conscience is operating in the same way it would be operating in real life, so to speak. And then he, like, ignores what his conscience is telling him and he goes ahead in his dream and, like, willfully, like, sins, like, in an intentional way in his dream, you know.

So in situations like that, I mean, you don't really have to overthink what's going on, right? Right. So the Bible says, like, the good man out of a good treasure of a good heart brings forth good. The evil man out of an evil treasure of an evil heart brings forth evil.

Like, what's happening in that dream is that this is just you, like, you doing what you want to do most, right? So, like, there's a lot of dreams that are like that, where it's just you without a filter, right?

So this is what you would do if you were put in this kind of situation. So a lot of dreams are just kind of expressing what you want in those moments and what you're pulled to and what you're tempted towards and what you're attracted towards and everything else.

And they're just expressions of what your heart wants. And so, like, in that kind of moment, like, the issue is I don't know why. Like, I mean, that might be, like, kind of disturbing to a person. Like, they have that kind of dream where they commit that kind of sin.

And they might, like, think to themselves, like, man, like, I'm messed up, right? Yeah, yeah. Like, I don't like, I didn't like, would I do this in real life, right? Like, would I do like, is that what I would have done in real life, right?

Like, is that me? Like, is that the real me just acting out what it wants to do in my dreams? And so, like, my impulse to that kind of person is not just to say, oh, it's a dream. It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it.

And I don't understand why people have that kind of reaction to those kind of situations. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't get why they have this kind of reaction to say it's just a dream. Who knows what it means?

It's like, well, I think you know you can know what that means.

It seems like that feels pretty obvious what it means, actually.

I mean, it's about as easy as it gets. You know, I'm not Joseph or whatever, like the interpreter of dreams, right, or Daniel or whatever. Like, I don't have the spiritual gift of dream interpretation.

I don't think you have to overthink that one. I think that's just your heart telling you what you want.

Dude, I think you just yeah, like I think you just want to be with a woman. Right, right.

And maybe too much, like to the point where you're willing to sin, like to get what you want, right? Right. So I think, like, in that kind of way, if you have that dream, you wake up, you remember it, you're shaken by it, you feel guilty.

Like if you feel that guilt, then I don't have some mechanism that comes along to say, hey, get rid of the guilt, right? Like ignore it. Like nothing happened there. Nothing significant happened there.

Like if you feel that guilt, like that's just a sign to say, hey, yeah, maybe this is like a moment where you examine your heart. You say, Lord, my heart is not right before you. Will you please forgive me?

I know that that lust is in there, right? So you may not be, like, asking God to forgive you for fornicating, right, proper in your dream. But you may be saying something like you're confessing the heart issues that are in your heart that are being revealed in this dream.

You say, hey, Lord, my heart is not pure before you. I know that it's filled with lust, right, and that it's so filled with lust that when I go to sleep, that's what comes out, right? Right. Like that's what's coming out.

Like this dream is revealing the state of my heart. My heart is not right before you, and I need you to cleanse my heart, right? So Colossians 3, 5 says, put to death therefore what's earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

I got some evil desires in my heart. I have desires to sin in my heart. I don't want that to be me in real life, right? Like I don't want me in real life, if I were given that opportunity, that I would cave and dishonor you in that way.

I need you to do something in me to change me, right? I need you to help me. So I just I don't see any reason why that wouldn't be exactly the kind of thing that a person might pray, right? Please forgive me of the state of my heart right now.

It's not good. I need you to cleanse it. I just think that's being a Christian, and I think that guilt is real. Like if you feel guilt, you feel shame, you feel condemnation. The Bible says whatever doesn't proceed from faith is sin.

I think guilt is real guilt, and if there's conviction there, just deal with it. I just don't understand why Christians don't have that kind of impulse. I mean it's like Jesus, he died on the cross to forgive us for every sin that we're going to commit, past, present, future.

He's a good God. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I have a heart that's evil. I have a heart that's idol factory, right?

Filled with iniquity. What's the harm in saying, Lord, clean me up? I need your help to clean me up.

Sin as Desire, Not Merely Behavior

Well, I think it's because a lot of people, they think of sin primarily and almost exclusively as actions. Behavior. Yeah, behavior. When the reality is that it's all the way down to the desires of our heart.

Like you just read out of, what was that? Colossians? Colossians 3 .5, yeah. Yeah, Colossians. There are people who just say it just literally isn't desires because of James or something. Right. I think probably the other part of it, too, is most Christians probably just don't think about themselves as evil as they actually are.

Right. If that makes any sense. For a lot of different reasons that I won't go into right now, it seems like the general consensus is, yeah, we've all done some bad things, but then you're all right. You're at least not trying to murder people or something.

I've done bad things, but I'm not a bad person, right? Yeah, yeah.

And so whenever I personally have these kind of conversations with people about desire is sin, it often feels like what I'm actually doing is, when they're pushing back against that, more often than not, it just feels like I'm talking to a person who isn't ready to admit that they're as bad as they actually are.

And so I guess the dream conversation is just like, well, you can't deny what you dreamt, right? And so you dreamt about whatever it was that was sin, and that happened, which means something. I mean, you were thinking about it in your head.

That's why you dreamed about it. And that probably points, if you're waking up, like you're saying, and feeling guilt and shame or whatever, you're probably on to something there. Deal with that, yeah.

But then if you can get to where you're like, well, it was just a dream, then you can just ignore it. Sure.

I mean, I think there's obviously kind of absurd dreams you might have. Someone, I think, online mentioned that they had a dream that they were a contract killer or something like that. I mean, it's just kind of

I've had plenty of dreams like that where they're just bizarre and you don't know what's going on. And then when you wake up, like your first thought when you wake up is like, that was ridiculous.

Like it was crazy. I had a dream one time that I was being chased by Stanley from the office. You know who I'm talking about? Yes. And I decided to hide next to some bleachers under a pile of newspapers.

And Stanley, he came and he found me. And when he found me, he said, just what I thought. And then he reached down and he grabbed me and pulled me up and handed me a saxophone. And then he and I played Gangster's Paradise on saxophone together.

After, he said, just what I thought. And then he stood me up, gave me the saxophone. And then he said, just another black man who thinks he can change the world with a saxophone. And then we played Gangster's Paradise together on the saxophone.

And that was one of the dreams where I was like, I have no idea where that came from. I told my wife about that dream and she died laughing. So I guess that's probably what you're talking about. I mean, there's some that are random.

I mean, that was pretty random on that one. So I think a lot of, I mean, depending on who you are. I often, when I dream, I know I'm dreaming, which is kind of weird. So I lucid dream or whatever. But I mean, a lot of them are random.

They're weird. They don't make any sense. I don't think people have to overthink them. But then, I mean, I've had dreams that were very much like dreams that made me think. Like in terms of, like maybe there is in my dream, I'm acting out some kind of like yelling at some person and just like irrationally mad at this person, right?

Yeah. In the dream and, you know, like just very short fuse, short temper. And then I wake up and like the first thought that I have is like, man, I'm really bitter at them, you know, about something.

And that's kind of the first thought. And I just think that if you're having those kind of thoughts, you should pay attention to that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Like you should pay attention to that and deal with that.

And there's no harm in just saying, Lord, like, you know, if I have a lot of bitterness in my heart towards this person, I pray that you help me to repent of that and do good to them, right? And like help me to get rid of this, you know.

So I think, you know, most of the time, I don't really think you have to overthink it. Like if you wake up and it's just like that was ridiculous, then move on. You know what I mean? But if you wake up and you think, oh, that was a little close to home, right?

Yeah. That one feels like it's, you know, what's in there coming out kind of dream, you know. Deal with it. Deal with it. You're like, you know, deal with it. I mean, deal with it as like, hey, there's stuff in my heart that needs to be clean.

And Lord, I need you to help clean it up, you know, because I don't want to I don't want this. You know, if that's how I acted in this dream, I don't want to act like that in real life. Okay. Right. And it felt like that was authentic.

You know, when they feel authentic, like that, pay attention, you know. So and so, you know, and I think that's just a matter of like, you know, where's the biblical warrant for that kind of thing? Well, the Bible says put to death what's earthly in you, right?

Evil desire. And those desires can be expressed in a lot of ways. Your heart expresses itself in a lot of ways. Yeah. I think sometimes your dreams are expressing this in your heart and you need to deal with what's in your heart.

Ask God to help you clean it up.

Closing Appeals and Support

Okay. Fair enough. This has been another episode of Bible Bashed. We hope you have been encouraged and blessed through our discussion. We thank you for all your support and ask you to continue to like and subscribe to Bible Bashed and share our podcast with your friends and on social media.

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