What I believe about sin as a deception vs. sin as a choice

Sin involves choice. This is clear. There can be no sin without choice (or the will) being involved. But sin also involves a deception or a delusion where the sinner believes or perceives something wrong and therefore acts according to that wrong belief or perception. The question is, which comes first? How does it work? 

I believe we would all agree that choice does not create something from nothing. Choice selects from options that are available. I believe we would also all agree that choice has limits. For example, we have no choice for how we were created to function (the mechanics of how we function). We have no choice for what structures we function with (heart, kidneys, liver, brain, etc.). We have no choice for whether we need something or not (food, water, oxygen, love, etc.). We have no choice for how our needs must be brought into ourselves to satisfy our needs (we have no choice to absorb our food through our skin or bring it in through our belly button, etc. We must eat it.). We have no choice to exist without the influence of gravity.

 There are many things that are outside of our capacity to choose. Choice is limited to what is possible and available. There is no choice for the impossible. And there is no choice for something that is unavailable. You can desire something that is unavailable and/or impossible, but you cannot choose it. A prisoner can desire freedom, but they have no choice for freedom. That choice is not available to them. You may desire to fly like superman, but that is impossible. You have no choice for that. Choice has limits. 

Let us expand upon the desire to fly like superman. Is it possible to desire to fly like superman, even though it is impossible to fly like superman? Yes, it is. Is there anything wrong with wanting to fly? No, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that desire. Is it helpful to cherish desires for things that are impossible? No, it isn’t. Do you have the choice to fly like superman? No, you don’t. You have no choice for the impossible. Do you have a choice to tie a red cape around your neck? Yes, you do (if you have one available). Do you have a choice to climb to the peak of your house? Yes, you do (if you have an available ladder or other way to do so). Do you have the choice to jump off of the peak of your house? Yes, you do. Do you have a choice to fly like superman? No, you don’t. And what will be the outcome of making the choices you can make? You will injure or kill yourself. 

Why would you make the choice to jump off of the roof? Is it making the choice to jump off the roof that causes you to become delusional? Or is it the delusion that causes you to make the choice to jump off the roof? Which comes first, and which follows? Clearly, in this example, the delusion must come first. You must somehow believe that the impossible is possible. Only then will you make a choice that will harm or destroy yourself. 

But even in the context of the delusion, you can only make the choices that are possible, even though you are deluded into believing you can make choices that are impossible. You can choose to tie a red cape around your neck. That is possible. You can choose to climb onto the roof with a ladder. That is possible. You can choose to jump. That is possible. But you cannot choose to fly. That is impossible. But, if you believe you can choose the impossible, you will make the other choices that are possible, until you get to the point where you have no more choice, and you will suffer the consequences of the choices you did make. You will fall to the ground and stop very quickly at the bottom (without a choice). 

Now, let’s look at the fall of Lucifer. The Bible says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14. 

Clearly, Lucifer desired something that was impossible—to be like God (to be God). It is impossible for a creature to become God or God to become a creature. Even the Son of God did not become a human. He added humanity to His divinity, but God did not transform into a human. The boundary between creator and creature cannot be crossed. Did Lucifer have a choice to be God? No. That is impossible. Could he desire it? Yes, and he very much did.

Ezekiel 28:17 says, “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.” And Patriarchs and Prophets page 35 says, “Little by little Lucifer came to indulge the desire for self-exaltation…Though all his glory was from God, this mighty angel came to regard it as pertaining to himself. Not content with his position, though honored above the heavenly host, he ventured to covet homage due alone to the Creator. Instead of seeking to make God supreme in the affections and allegiance of all created beings, it was his endeavor to secure their service and loyalty to himself. And coveting the glory with which the infinite Father had invested His Son, this prince of angels aspired to power that was the prerogative of Christ alone.” {PP 35.2}

Here we see that “little by little” something began to change in Lucifer. What was it that began to change? Was it a choice, or a series of choices that began the change that led to his delusion? Or was it the delusion that grew over time that led to a change in his choices? 

I would propose to you that from the available evidence, Lucifer began to believe something about himself that was impossible. First, it was that he believed the qualities and capacities that he possessed, which came from God, actually came from himself. Instead of seeing himself as a steward of God’s resources, he saw himself as the owner of his own resources. 

As ownership only pertains to the one who creates something, only God is the owner. When a creature believes that they own anything, that is a sign that they also believe that they are a creator—an originator—a god. The truth will never give you, the creature, the option of being the creator or originator of anything. We can take what came from and belongs to God and use it, benefit by it, live by it, and act by it to benefit others. But it never came from us. It only came through us to others. In the truth, we can only understand ourselves to be stewards, not owners. We can only understand ourselves to be creatures, not creators. 

That change in belief, perspective, identity, etc. in Lucifer, was the cause of the change in his choices. No reason can be given for this change in belief or perspective. It is a mystery that will forever remain unexplainable. But the effect of this delusion can be explained and should be understood. 

Once captivated by the delusion, Lucifer’s choices were now exercised in harmony with his delusion rather than reality. This caused him to make real choices (which were possible and available) that had real consequences (which were real). But the cause of the real choices and real consequences was something that was imaginary—a belief that the impossible is possible—that Lucifer, a creature, could be a god. 

With this belief, he attempted the impossible, thinking it was possible. He eventually purposed to overthrow God and take His throne. Did he attempt this because he thought it was impossible, or because he thought it was possible? Did he attempt this because he thought it was a bad idea, or because he thought it was a good idea? He thought it was a good idea, and he thought it was possible. That is why his choices were exercised in this direction. Lucifer’s delusion determined what choices he did or didn’t exercise. But his delusion never gave him access to the impossible. While he could choose to speak to other angels; while he could rebel and revolt; he could not choose to be God or overcome God. That was not possible. 

Now, let’s look at the fall of Adam and Eve. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Genesis 3:1-6. 

You and I are only created with good needs. We need love, not selfishness. We need acceptance, not rejection. We need belonging, not abandonment. We need truth, not lies. We need justice, not injustice, etc. Every need we have is good, for it was a good Creator that created us with each and every need we have. Not only were we created with good needs, we were also created to pursue the fulfillment of our needs. We pursue understanding, while we flee from misunderstanding. We accept truth, while we discard error^*. We pursue an unselfish love, while we flee being used. And so on. 

Since there was already the existence of the delusion/false perspective of Lucifer, and since he claimed his perspective was correct and God’s was wrong, God placed two trees in the midst of Eden for Adam and Eve. Unlike many believe, the trees were not there to give Adam and Eve a choice between good and evil. If they were, then God would be the creator of the choice for evil, and therefore the author of evil. But God never created any of His creatures with a choice for evil. He only created them with a choice for good, for God is only good. That is why the entrance of sin is a mystery that cannot be explained. If God gave His creatures a choice for evil, then there would be no mystery. It would simply be an option, and choices can be exercised when there are options. But, when there is no option, there is no choice. 

The two trees stood as a warning that Adam and Eve had no choice. There was only one way to live, not two (or more). God told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would die. But if they ate from the tree of life, they would live. Adam and Eve had no need for death. They only had a need for life. They could not pursue death. They could only pursue life. So, the threat of death with eating from tree of the knowledge of good and evil would assure that they would not do that, for it would go against their needs. 

But, as we all know, Adam and Eve did eat from that tree. How? Was it initially by choice that led to their delusion? Or was it initially a delusion that led to their choices? Genesis 3:6 tells us clearly that there was a reason Eve at the fruit. She believed that the tree “was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [her] wise.” Was she pursuing good or evil? Was she pursuing pleasure or suffering? Was she pursuing wisdom or ignorance? She was pursuing good, pleasure, and wisdom, all of which are good, not evil. Why? Because she was created to only pursue her needs, which she was doing.  Was she doing this believing she would die, or believing she would live? She was doing this believing she would live, for the serpent had said, “Ye shall not surely die.” But he also said, “ye shall be as gods.” So, like Lucifer, she desired something impossible—to be god. 

Did she have a choice to be God? No! Did she have a choice to live from something that only brings death? No! Did she have a choice to obtain good from evil? No! Did she have a choice to obtain real pleasure walking contrary to God? No! Did she have a choice to gain wisdom from something that only brings a delusion? No! But she did have a choice to pick or hold the fruit. She did have a choice to eat the fruit. But she had no choice for the consequences that would come from that choice. 

Clearly, Eve’s choices came as a result of an internal delusion, just as Lucifer’s choices came as a result of an internal delusion. Is choice involved in sin? Absolutely! Is delusion involved in sin? Of course it is. Does sin ever manifest without choice? No. Does sin ever exist without delusion? No. It always exists in the context of a delusion. But the delusion always comes first. The delusion then determines what choices an individual believes they have access to. 

The delusion doesn’t determine what choices are actually available or what choices are possible or impossible. That is determined by God/reality. But the delusion will make the individual believe that the impossible is possible. With this belief, they will attempt the impossible but will be unable to accomplish it. In attempting the impossible, but not being able to accomplish it, the deluded one will harm themselves and others, will conduct their lives contrary to God’s will, will commit sin, and will disrupt the Designer’s plan for the function of creation. These are all very real consequences to a delusion. The plan of salvation is designed to free us from this delusion, but it isn’t easy. It is a difficult task to wake someone up from this delusion to see things from the perspective of truth. It takes time, test, trial, suffering, etc., to wake us up to our delusional state. Unfortunately, We Laodiceans don’t believe we are delusional. We believe we are undeceived because we intellectually agree with certain truths or doctrines, while we remain in a delusion as deep as the Jews that crucified the Savior. Unless we wake up to our delusion and see the truth, we are doomed to repeat the history of the Jews. Lord, help us!

^* This is true when we have the correct standard of evaluation. If the standard is correct, we will identify all truth as truth and all error as error. We were created to accept truth and reject error, so, when our standard is correct, we will accept truth and reject error. But, if our standard is wrong, we will falsely identify error as truth and accept it, while falsely identifying truth as error and rejecting it. 

Mark Sandoval