The Corrupting Influence of Sin in Dreams and Visions
The Bible indicates that sin can corrupt dreams and visions, transforming them from potential avenues of divine communication into sources of fear, delusion, or even expressions of human depravity. While dreams and visions are sometimes depicted as means through which God communicates [1, 4, 12], they can also be influenced by human sinfulness.
Nebuchadnezzar's dream in the book of Daniel serves as an example of a dream that caused great distress, troubling him with its "conceptions on my bed" and "visions of my head" [2, 5]. The prophet Daniel later counseled Nebuchadnezzar to "break off thy sins by righteousness," implying that the king's sins, which likely included pride and intemperance, were connected to the troubling nature of his experience [14]. Similarly, Job laments, "then you scare me with dreams, and terrify me through visions" [3]. This suggests that even when dreams or visions are not directly sinful, they can become instruments of fear or anxiety, possibly due to a person's spiritual state.
The New Testament, particularly in 1 Corinthians, distinguishes between dreams and prophetic visions, noting that in dreams "the understanding is asleep," placing them below prophetic visions where the understanding is active [1]. Under the Christian dispensation, dreams are not referred to as vehicles of divine revelation, though trances and visions are mentioned [1]. This distinction highlights a potential vulnerability of dreams to human corruption, as the absence of active understanding could make them less reliable for divine communication and more susceptible to other influences.
The corrupting influence of sin is a pervasive theme in biblical theology. All human beings are born with a sinful nature, and while the godly strive against it, the wicked indulge it [6]. Sin is described as "filthiness" that renders individuals "odious and vile" in God's sight [13]. The apostle John states that "He that committeth sin is of the devil," contrasting this with those who do righteousness [7]. This inherent human sinfulness can manifest in various ways, including in one's thoughts and experiences during sleep.
The nonconformist commentator Matthew Henry describes certain deceivers as "filthy dreamers," asserting that "delusion is a dream, and the beginning of, and inlet to, all manner of filthiness" [13]. This perspective suggests that dreams can be a medium through which delusion and sin can take root or be expressed. Sin is not merely an action but can also be a state of being, a "corrupt old nature" that adheres to individuals even after conversion [11]. This pervasive nature of sin means that no aspect of human experience, including dreams and visions, is entirely immune to its influence.
The Bible consistently teaches that God's anger is a necessary response to sin [10]. Sin is characterized by rebellion and an insolent attitude [9]. The first sin, committed by Adam and Eve, was not merely eating forbidden fruit but involved self-love, dishonor to God, ingratitude, and disobedience [8]. This deep-seated human tendency toward sin can affect the subconscious mind, potentially leading to dreams and visions that are troubling, delusive, or reflective of one's sinful nature rather than divine revelation.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Dreams — The Scripture declares that the influence of the Spirit of God upon the soul extends to its sleeping as well as its waking thoughts. But, in accordance with the principle enunciated by St. Paul in (1 Corinthians 14:15) dreams, in which the understanding is asleep, are placed below the visions of prophecy, in which the understanding plays its part. Under the Christian dispensation, while we read frequently of trances and vision, dreams are never referred to as vehicles of divine revelation. In exact accordance with this principle are the actual records of the ”
- Daniel “Daniel 4:5 (YLT) — a dream I have seen, and it maketh me afraid, and the conceptions on my bed, and the visions of my head, do trouble me.”
- Job “then you scare me with dreams, and terrify me through visions: -- Job 7:14”
- Job “In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed; -- Job 33:15”
- Daniel “Daniel 4:2 (DRC) — I saw a dream that affrighted me: and my thoughts in my bed, and the visions of my head, troubled me.”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil--in contrast to "He that doeth righteousness," Jo1 3:7. He is a son of the devil (Jo1 3:10; Joh 8:44). John does not, however, say, "born of the devil." as he does "born of God," for "the devil begets none, nor does he create any; but whoever imitates the devil becomes a child of the devil by imitating him, not by proper birth" [AUGUSTINE, Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Homily 4.10]. From the devil there is not generation, but corruption [BENGEL]. sinneth from the beginning--from the time that any beg”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 3:13: beguiled--cajoled by flattering lies. This sin of the first pair was heinous and aggravated--it was not simply eating an apple, but a love of self, dishonor to God, ingratitude to a benefactor, disobedience to the best of Masters--a preference of the creature to the Creator.”
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 19:13: 19:13 An individual who commits deliberate sins does so with an insolent (86:14) or arrogant (119:21, 69) attitude. • The great sin is rebellion (see 32:1).”
- Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:18: 1:18–3:20 Paul delays exploring the theme of righteousness through faith (see 3:21) until after he first teaches about universal sinfulness. Gentiles (1:18-32) and Jews (2:1–3:8) are equally under sin’s power and cannot find favor with God by any action of their own (3:9-20). 1:18 God’s anger is not a spontaneous emotional outburst, but the holy God’s necessary response to sin. The Old Testament often depicts God’s anger (Exod 32:10-12; Num 11:1; Jer 21:3-7) and predicts a decisive outpouring of God’s wrath on human sin at the end of history. While Paul usually de”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 1:10: Parallel to Jo1 1:8. we have not sinned--referring to the commission of actual sins, even after regeneration and conversion; whereas in Jo1 1:8, "we have no sin," refers to the present GUILT remaining (until cleansed) from the actual sins committed, and to the SIN of our corrupt old nature still adhering to us. The perfect "have . . . sinned" brings down the commission of sins to the present time, not merely sins committed before, but since, conversion. we make him a liar--a gradation; Jo1 1:6, "we lie"; Jo1 1:8, "we deceive ourselves"; worst of al”
- Job (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Job 33:15: I. In a Dream In a Dream - when deep sleep falleth upon men - Many, by such means, have had the most salutary warnings; and to decry all such, because there are many vain dreams, would be nearly as much wisdom as to deny the Bible, because there are many foolish books, the authors of which supposed they were under a Divine influence while composing them. II. In a Vision In a Vision of the night - in slumberings upon the bed - Visions or images presented in the imagination during slumber, when men are betwixt sleeping and waking, or when, awake and in bed, they are wra”
- Jude (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Jude 1:8: The apostle here exhibits a charge against deceivers who were now seducing the disciples of Christ from the profession and practice of his holy religion. He calls them filthy dreamers, forasmuch as delusion is a dream, and the beginning of, and inlet to, all manner of filthiness. Note, Sin is filthiness; it renders men odious and vile in the sight of the most holy God, and makes them (sooner or later, as penitent or as punished to extremity and without resource) vile in their own eyes, and in a while they become vile in the eyes of all about them. These filthy dreame”
- Daniel (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Daniel 4:25: Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee,.... Since this is the true interpretation of the dream, and such evils are like to befall thee according to it, permit me, though thou art a king, and I am thy minister or servant, to give thee some advice; and let it be taken in good part, as done with a good design, and a hearty concern for thy welfare: and break off thy sins by righteousness; this advice carries in it a tacit charge of sins, and a reproof for them; which shows the faithfulness of Daniel: these sins probably, besides pride, intemperance, lux”