Did I Just Commit Adultery in My Dream?

Sexual dreams happen, even to Christians and even to happily married Christians. Sometimes those dreams include someone other than that Christians spouse. So, is it adultery if you dream about having sexual intercourse with someone other than your spouse?

Why do we have sexual dreams?

First we need to understand the reason we are having the sexual dream. There are a few reasons. Some can indicate sin, but others do not. So, why do we have sexual dreams?

1. The Bodys Natural Rhythms

Our bodies go through sexual cycles. This is not just women and their menstrual cycle. Both men and women will have times of increased sexual desire and decreased sexual desire due to hormonal changes in their bodies. What the body goes through physically can be reflected in our dreams. This is natural and not an indication of sin.

2. The Incubus and the Succubus

Demons are real and they can attack in our dreams. Throughout church history and still today there are records of people being attacked by demons we refer to as an incubus (a demon that takes male form) and succubus (a demon that takes female form). This, as well, is not a sexual sin, but rather a spiritual attack.

3. Symbolism

Not everything in a dream is to be taken literally. In fact, our dreams are filled with symbolism. The Bible has numerous examples of people having symbolic dreams which needed interpretation. Sometimes the sexual nature of our dreams has nothing to do with sex. The sexual nature of the dream is actually a symbol for something, possibly the unification of two things in our lives. In this case, since the sexual imagery is just a symbol, it is not sinful.

4. Sin

Dreams are often influenced by our conscious lives. If we are thinking about adulterous activities during the day, its not surprising that we would dream about them at night as well.

We’ve examined several different reasons a married person may have a sexual dream. Three of those reasons are not sinful, but the fourth reason is. If we are reading or viewing pornography or otherwise fantasizing about illicit sexual encounters, then we are likely to dream about that. However, the truth is that we committed adultery long before we had the dream. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus tells us, But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If that is why you are having sexual dreams, then you need to repent and ask for forgiveness. But there is good news. In 1 John 1:9 we are told, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/did-i-just-commit-adultery-in-my-dream-6386024.html

About the Author

Mark Virkler is with Christian Leadership University. CLU is an Online Bible College offering Christian education and college degrees including a Christian counseling degree and Masters of Divinity. http://www.cluonline.com