CHAPTER XXXVI
How nothing is contrary to God but Sin only; and what Sin is in
Kind and Act.
Further ye shall mark: when it is said that such a thing or such a deed is
contrary to God, or that such a thing is hateful to God and grieveth His
Spirit, ye must know that no creature is contrary to God, or hateful or
grievous unto Him, in so far as it is, liveth, knoweth, hath power to do, or
produce ought, and so forth, for all this is not contrary to God. That an evil
spirit, or a man is, liveth, and the like, is altogether good and of God; for
God is the Being of all that are, and the Life of all that live, and the Wisdom
of all the wise; for all things have their being more truly in God than in
themselves, and also all their powers, knowledge, life, and the rest; for if it
were not so, God would not be all good; And thus all creatures are good. Now
what is good is agreeable to God, and He will have it. Therefore it cannot be
contrary to Him.
But what then is there which is contrary to
God and hateful to Him? Nothing but Sin. But what is Sin? Mark this: Sin is
nothing else than that the creature willeth otherwise than God willeth, and
contrary to Him. Each of us may see this in himself; for he who willeth
otherwise than I, or whose will is contrary to mine, is my foe; but he who
willeth the same as I, is my friend, and I love him. It is even so with God:
and that is sin, and is contrary to God, and hateful and grievous to Him. And
he who willeth, speaketh, or is silent, doeth or leaveth undone, otherwise than
as I will, is contrary to me, and an offence unto me. So it is also with God:
when a man willeth otherwise than God, or contrary to God, whatever he doeth or
leaveth undone, in short all that proceedeth from him, is contrary to God and
is sin. And whatsoever Will willeth otherwise than God, is against God's will.
As Christ said: "He who is not with Me is against me." Hereby may each man see
plainly whether or not he be without sin, and whether or not he be committing
sin, and what sin is, and how sin ought to be atoned for, and wherewith it may
be healed. And this contradiction to God's will is what we call, and is,
disobedience. And therefore Adam, the I, the Self, Self-will, Sin, or the Old
Man, the turning aside or departing from God, do all mean one and the same
thing.