The Necessity of Sin
Why sin is necessary
“Nor is it possible that there be no sinners: So long as the name “the Ever-Forgiving” shineth resplendent above the horizon of existence, there will be sinners in the world of creation, for the latter cannot appear without the former and the former cannot exist without the latter.” 1
In this world we recognize things by the contrast of opposites – light from darkness, heat from cold, good from evil. Baha’u’llah emphasizes that this principle applies to the signs of God in this world: “For the letters of negation, no matter how far they may be removed from the holy fragrances of Thy knowledge, and however forgetful they may become of the wondrous splendors of the dawning light of Thy beauty, which are shed from the heaven of Thy majesty, must needs exist in Thy realm, so that the words which affirm Thee may thereby be exalted.” 2 One might say that when God created virtue sin was also created as a by-product.
And again:
My God, my God! If none be found to stray from Thy path, how, then, can the ensign of Thy mercy be unfurled, or the banner of Thy bountiful favor be hoisted? And if iniquity be not committed, what is it that can proclaim Thee to be the Concealer of men’s sins, the Ever-Forgiving, the Omniscient, the All-Wise? May my soul be a sacrifice to the trespasses of them that trespass against Thee, for upon such trespasses are wafted the sweet savors of the tender mercies of Thy Name, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. May my life be laid down for the transgressions of such as transgress against Thee, for through them the breath of Thy grace and the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness are made known and diffused amongst men. May my inmost being be offered up for the sins of them that have sinned against Thee, for it is as a result of such sins that the Daystar of Thy manifold favors revealeth itself above the horizon of Thy bounty, and the clouds of Thy never-failing providence rain down their gifts upon the realities of all created things. 3
When confronted with sin, we are told to have a sin-covering eye:
O Son of Being!
How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.
O Son of Man!
Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness. 4
The nature of sin
It is important to have a definition of sin. In both the Qur’an and the Baha’i Writings sin is comparatively free from the connotations of condemnation and perpetual guilt that plague, to lesser and greater degrees, the manifold denominations of Christianity and the overall Christian cultures of the West. In contrast, in both the Qur’an and the Baha’i Revelation sin is seen as the inevitable consequences of our having material bodies, of our animal nature. We do not have the double burden of the capacity to err itself being sinful – we are encouraged to move forward rather than wallow in guilt. `Abdu’l-Baha reminds us that,
In this material world, man is subject to the force of instinctual desires, of which sin is the inevitable consequence, for these desires are not bound by the laws of justice and righteousness. The body of man is a prisoner of nature and will act in accordance with whatsoever nature dictates. It follows that sins—such as wrathfulness, envy, contentiousness, greed, avarice, ignorance, rancour, corruption, pride, and cruelty—must exist in the material world. All these bestial attributes exist in the nature of man…. the material world of man is a world of sin, and that on this plane man is indistinguishable from the animal. All sin is prompted by the dictates of nature. These dictates of nature, which are among the hallmarks of corporeal existence, are not sins with respect to the animal but are sins with regard to man. The animal is the source of imperfections such as anger, lust, envy, greed, cruelty, and pride. All these blameworthy qualities are found in the nature of the animal, and do not constitute sins with regard to the animal, whereas they are sins with regard to man. 4
In short, sin is something to overcome by turning to God.
Sin is necessary that we might have free will and spiritual growth
When designing creation, it seems that God decided that a universe populated by autonomous moral agents is preferable to one populated by mindless automatons only. An autonomous moral agent by definition has the power to freely choose between alternatives, therefore it is necessary to have alternatives to choose from. In the moral sphere, the alternative is between good and evil. That alternative can take various forms in its particulars, but in its fundamental essence it is good versus evil, light versus darkness, moving towards or away from God. The ability to make those choices is called “free will”. Some philosophers and psychologists deny that we have free will because we live in a deterministic universe, but Abdu’l-Baha refutes that viewpoint, asserting that we have free will: “Certain matters are subject to the free will of man, such as acting with justice and fairness, or injustice and iniquity—in other words, the choice of good or evil actions. It is clear and evident that the will of man figures greatly in these actions…. he is free in the choice of good and evil actions, and it is of his own accord that he performs them.” 6 Only man bears the burden of free will. Other levels of creation are free from it:
Say, verily God hath caused all created things to enter beneath the shade of the tree of affirmation, except those who are endowed with the faculty of understanding. Theirs is the choice either to believe in God their Lord, and put their whole trust in Him, or to shut themselves out from Him and refuse to believe with certitude in His signs. These two groups sail upon two seas: the sea of affirmation and the sea of negation. 6
Sin is an unavoidable consequence of our having bodies, which are necessary for our life in this world.
In this material world, man is subject to the force of instinctual desires, of which sin is the inevitable consequence, for these desires are not bound by the laws of justice and righteousness. The body of man is a prisoner of nature and will act in accordance with whatsoever nature dictates. It follows that sins—such as wrathfulness, envy, contentiousness, greed, avarice, ignorance, rancour, corruption, pride, and cruelty—must exist in the material world. All these bestial attributes exist in the nature of man. A man who has been deprived of spiritual education is even as an animal, like those inhabitants of Africa whose actions, manners, and morals are purely instinctual and who act according to the dictates of nature, to the point of rending and eating one another. Thus it becomes evident that the material world of man is a world of sin, and that on this plane man is indistinguishable from the animal.
All sin is prompted by the dictates of nature. These dictates of nature, which are among the hallmarks of corporeal existence, are not sins with respect to the animal but are sins with regard to man. The animal is the source of imperfections such as anger, lust, envy, greed, cruelty, and pride. All these blameworthy qualities are found in the nature of the animal, and do not constitute sins with regard to the animal, whereas they are sins with regard to man. 7
We grow spiritually by overcoming sin and replacing it with virtue. Baha’is describe this process as “tests”. The purpose of this world is to develop our spiritual qualities: “The Purpose of the one true God, exalted be His glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves….” 9 One might say that this world is a fitness center for the soul.
The consequences of free will and sin
“Behold, the Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth.’ They said: ‘Wilt Thou place therein one who will make Mischief therein and shed blood? – Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?’ He said: ‘I know what ye know not.'” 10
Looking at the world around us now in 2026, at the evils of Hitler and the Holocaust, the purges of Stalin, the atrocities of Pol Pot, the atrocities inflicted on the Prophets and their followers, one can perhaps be excused for acknowledging that the angels did have a point. However, God’s reply indicates that there were greater considerations that outweighed the evil that mans’ free will would bring about. Those considerations include, by means of tests, the development and realization of our spiritual potentials. Abdu’l-Baha explains that “These tests, even as thou didst write, do but cleanse the spotting of self from off the mirror of the heart, till the Sun of Truth can cast its rays thereon; for there is no veil more obstructive than the self, and however tenuous that veil may be, at the last it will completely shut a person out, and deprive him of his portion of eternal grace. 11
Although we have the freedom to choose, we do not have the freedom to evade the consequences of our choices. The Universal House of Justice explains the adverse consequences of choosing to follow our animal nature when we are confronted with tests:
Man’s actions then have both a material and spiritual consequence. While the material effect of his actions is usually clearly perceptible, their spiritual effect can only be determined by reference to spiritual principles revealed by the Manifestation of God. Suffering and trials, sent by God to test and perfect His creatures, are another integral part of life. They contain the potential for man’s progress or retrogression, depending on the individual’s response. 11
The above quote tells us that consequences of spiritual tests, whether beneficial or detrimental, can only be understood by comparing our decision to the guidance of Baha’u’llah, which also tells us what we need to do to pass the test if we choose to do so.
Summary
Sin exists because God’s attribute the Ever-Forgiving requires it: forgiving is impossible unless there is something to forgive. Because in this world we recognize things by their contrasts with their opposites, virtue can only be recognized if there is sin to contrast it with. Sin comes from our animal nature which provides the soul with the resistance needed to overcome our lower nature by exercising our higher nature; paradoxically, sin is thus a vehicle for our spiritual progress.
- Baha’u’llah, The Call of the Divine Beloved, www.bahai.org/r/291291502 ↩︎
- Baha’u’llah, Prayers and Meditations, www.bahai.org/r/980331358 ↩︎
- Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, www.bahai.org/r/733899838 ↩︎
- Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words, www.bahai.org/r/568477331 ↩︎
- Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, www.bahai.org/r/904476525 ↩︎
- Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, www.bahai.org/r/550346255 ↩︎
- the Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Báb, www.bahai.org/r/246964335 ↩︎
- Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, www.bahai.org/r/904476525 ↩︎
- Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh www.bahai.org/r/135526351 ↩︎
- The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an, Surah 2:30, Yusuf `Ali trans. ↩︎
- Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l Baha, www.bahai.org/r/063593709 ↩︎
- The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 662 ↩︎
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