Sin and Morality
Greeting, brothers and sisters. This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series where we seek to
explore the deeper meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years, the heavenly
Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them with you. This
morning we ponder the meaning of sin and morality.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
Sin and Morality
"Jesus answered them, verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever comitteth sin is the servant of
sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: But the Son abideth ever." John,
Chapter 8, Verses 34 and 35.
Brothers and sisters, our moral sense grows out of the consciousness of our mutual obligation to
others. It is the basic reaction to the realization that a bona fide relationship exists between other
human beings. The exact nature of this relationship varies from age to age. That is, during any given
period of human existence, the moral standards will vary. But always are the moral standards
gradually moving toward higher and higher levels of achievement, even to the level of divine
perfection.
In any given society, the moral standards represent the average consciousness of moral behavior.
Always are there those whose consciousness of moral behavior exceeds the current standard and
those who fall below the current standard. Those who fall below or those who rise above the current
standard are likely to be socially penalized. The concept of morality--of right behavior toward other
moral beings--is a part of the human state and is the basis for the development of the spiritual nature-
-the ability to know God, to choose to be like Him, and eventually to attain Him in person.
Our spiritual nature unvaryingly conserves the present mores, only giving way gradually to the
wisdom urge, the result of experiential living. Experiential living unfailingly reveals the better way
of doing all things, including moral behavior. This ability to recognize relative right and wrong is
the conceptual basis for the bestowal of true righteousness--the spirit gift of the Father. This gift of
the Father in conjunction with our moral minds create our souls, and it is this soul that creates the
awareness of evil, sin, and iniquity. Animals do not have spiritual natures, therefore they do not
make moral judgements.
Sin arises out of the consciousness of the Father's law, the law of love, and may be defined as the
conscious disloyalty towards the law of the Father's love. Until a moral being is born again, he is
unable to discern immorality from sin. To such a one they are one and the same. But it is not strange
that we may be confused over these related but distinct problems.
Until we are born again, we are servants of God. A servant is one who is paid to do a certain job.
Some servants do a good job; others a poor one. In return for these services, the servants receive a
wage. One who is a servant of God will carry out his moral responsibilities as best he can, and as
long as he carries these out, he has a consciousness of self satisfaction, self righteousness. He has
carried out those duties that his conscience dictates that he should comply with.
A servant is not conscious of the spiritual laws of God, the laws of the Father's love, and must learn
these laws by trial and error. Every time he violates one of these laws he suffers the consequence of
doing so. Gradually he learns the law that he has violated and this consciousness raises his moral
standard.
A servant is not aware of the true motive of the laws of God, and he does not share in the true profit
of God from carrying out this work. His joy is limited, and so is his peace and long-suffering. This
is the domain of evil, the unconscious disloyalty toward the Father's love. A servant does not have
true insight into right and wrong. He may know that a thing is right, but he does not know why it is
right, and conversely he may know that a thing is wrong, but he does not know why it is so. And this
was the status of all mankind until the advent of the divine Son, Jesus, who made it possible for the
servant to assume the exalted status of divine sonship with God the Father, through His son, Jesus.
You must be born again in order to "see the kingdom."
Sonship status is the exalted status whereby true insight into right and wrong is gained. And this
insight is not the product of self righteousness but the product of divine righteousness--true morality.
The divine Son, Jesus, gives the Spirit of Truth to all who will wholeheartedly embrace the doing
of the Father's will. This Spirit of Truth causes the soul to be born again, to be conscious of the
Father's law of love, of His truth, beauty, and goodness. The Spirit of Truth makes it possible for us
to become faith sons and daughters of the heavenly Father--to share the unlimited profit of love,
faith, goodness, gentleness, meekness, temperance, long-suffering, peace and joy. It allows us as it
were to "abide in the Father's house forever."
This concludes today's message on the meaning of sin and morality. We hope you find something
in this message to ponder and pray about as you go about your day. Until next time, this is Dr. James
Perry.
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
Sin and Morality
