Is masturbation a sin?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on January 12, 2010 at 3:44pm

Many people are struggling with addictions to pornography, sex, masturbation, drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, and so on.

Paul tells us in the letters to the Corinthians that we are free to do many things, but not to fall under the power of any of them, become addicted in other words. He also tells us that not all things edify us.

Can a person masturbate and not become addicted to this extremely addicting practice? i am sure there are those out there that would say - yes - am able to do it once a week or once a month or etc... without thinking lustful thoughts, but don't we believe that when we are abiding in Christ, walking in the Spirit, those desires disappear from our mind? And our lives become full of joy and preoccupied only with those things pleasing to the Lord? i believe 100% that as we abide in Christ we can overcome the desires of the flesh, which is what masturbation is. A desire of the flesh.

I am familiar with the argument below by many:

"One reason why this is a false argument against masturbation is because the New Testament never says that "gratifying the flesh" is a sin. For example, when you scratch an itch then you are "gratifying the flesh." When you're hungry and you eat something, you are "gratifying the flesh." In fact, when a husband and wife make love then they are "gratifying the flesh" in a sexual way. These things are not sins, so "gratifying the flesh" is not sinful in itself.

Instead, the sin is in the method that we use to "gratify the flesh" (such as adultery). If we can prove from the Bible that masturbation is a wrong method for "gratifying the flesh," then masturbation would be a sin. But the argument that masturbation is "gratifying the flesh" doesn't mean anything because "gratifying the flesh" is not sinful in itself."

So God did not think that masturbation needed to be addressed in the Bible. As Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family said, "It is my opinion that masturbation is not much of an issue with God." (Preparing for Adolescence, Dr. James Dobson, p.83).

I would say this much in conclusion, if you are able to masturbate without the use of lust (porn etc..) and you have a good relationship with Chrit and yet do not get any conviction from the Spirit of the practice, then that is between you and the Lord. If you battle with sexual immorality issues in the past, including masturbation addiction, and/or God has told you directly to stay away from masturbation, then obey God.Just my thoughts-

As to the comment that this is not a matter of theology, well - theology is the study of God or things pertaining to God and in its strictest form, this is not a theological topic. But I did not want to create a group specifically for the type of issues and just decided to throw it in here. Bear with me you all. Be Blessed Family!

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on January 30, 2010 at 5:17pm

We are in agreement sis!

Permalink Reply by Christopher Kendall on March 1, 2010 at 4:36am

It's not what goes in to a person that makes them unclean it is what comes out of the person, evil thoughts murder indecentcy all these things issues from the heart making it unfruitful, as we focus on Jesus and walk in his ways we are clean by the word inwardly followed outwardly as we walk in His word, the Blood of Jesus washs us as we stay focus on Him.

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on January 17, 2010 at 1:42am

Thank you for sharing sis Sandra,

We incourage everyone to share. So thank you. Be blessed

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on February 5, 2010 at 1:01am

You got it Alan,

"We have to go beyond a list of do's and don'ts." Amen! The commandments are a blessing and not burdensome as some may perceive them.

The commandments ACTUALLY FREE US, but WE MUST GO FROM COMMANDMENTS TO A WALK IN THE SPIRIT.

When we do that, we automatically are in lined with the commandments. :)

Permalink Reply by Rodney M Hall on February 15, 2010 at 11:46am

I am not saying that there is a cut and dry answer to this question as I believe that there can be different situations that one might find them selves in .
First I would like to say that if you are controlled by this, then there is a problem and I would say that it has become a sin. But are there other situations that it may not fall into the catagory of sin?
1 Corinthians 7:1&2
Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.
I believe that statement is made because he understood that the human being is weak, unable to control our desires, it is better to have a spouse so that we can be satisfied sexually and not be tempted by satan.
1 Corinthians 7:3-6
The husband should fulfill his his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wifes body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husbands body does not belong to him alone, but also to his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time. so that you may devote yourself to prayer. Then come together again so that satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self control.
So here is where I was going with this as far as the topic goes concerning masturbation. What happens if a spouse decides that for what ever reason, they are no longer interested in following through with their marital duties?
When and if this happens, it leaves the one that still needs this interaction and or release, "wanting." This gives satan the perfect opportunity to tempt that person. And we were all given a strong desire to "be fruitful and multiply." So when you combine that desire and your spouse is not fulfiling the marital responsibilities, over time, this desire can grow to a point that it seems totally out of control. As the desire grows, so does the temptation. And sadly this is where it is easy to fall prey to satan. He tells us things like, "Your spouse isn't doing their job, that gives you the right to go find someone that will." that is just one way that satan will try to convince us that sin is okay. There are many others but I am sure that you get the picture.
So if we fall into this temptation, it can lead us into lustful thoughts or maybe even an affair. Which we all can agree that neither is aceptable.
So what can a person do that might be in this situation? How can they avoid falling into satan's trap.
Some might say that masturbation could calm or reduce the temptation, while others would say that the person needs to totally rely on God to make the situation better.
Not too long ago I read an article on the internet on this very subject. The author stated that no where in the Bible does it come out and say that masturbation is wrong. But it does plainly state that lust and unpure thoughts are sinful. The writer goes on to say that in his opinion, that if you can do this without the help of pornography or having lustful thoughts, then it might help you by keeping your desires at a more managable level. Instead of letting it build up to a point that you lose control and make a mistake that affects more than just you. He goes on to say that one would have to be very careful because it would be very easy to let our carnal nature take over. And he finished by saying that if you are doing this for this reason, it can not be done on a regular basis or become a habit. He said that in a sense it would be much the same as using the restroom. The reason that you are doing it was to take care of a "PHYSICAL" need, not an emotional desire.
So for me, I am not saying that it is okay to do this. The above comments were brought up to give us a broader view of what might cause someone to be dealing with this question. I believe that each person needs to seek God's perspective. But I do know that if you do this in a way that it controls you and or you are using pornography or having lustful thoughs, then there is no question. It is a sin.

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on February 25, 2010 at 12:02am

Rodney,

I would say this much in conclusion, if you are able to masturbate without the use of lust (porn etc..) and you have a good relationship with Chrit and yet do not get any conviction from the Spirit of the practice, then that is between you and the Lord. If you battle with sexual immorality issues in the past, including masturbation addiction, and/or God has told you directly to stay away from masturbation, then obey God.Just my thoughts-

As to the comment that this is not a matter of theology, well - theology is the study of God or things pertaining to God and in its strictest form, this is not a theological topic. But I did not want to create a group specifically for the type of issues and just decided to throw it in here. Bear with me you all. Be Blessed Family!

Permalink Reply by Chas Jones on March 29, 2010 at 10:01am

My answer is as follows: As Christians we are in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit and are eternally in God's presence. Our bodies are God's chosen Temple in this age. I advise brothers and sisters in Christ to do that which they may do, knowing Christ is at that very moment present. Personally, I do not believe I would have any hesitation experiencing marital intimacy with a Christian spouse. However, I am equally confident I could not engage in adultery, fornication, or masturbation in God's presence with a clear conscience or Spirit.

I recommend this practice to others, but they alone must decide and answer for their choices.

In Christ,

Chas

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on March 29, 2010 at 4:37pm

Well said brother - Thank you for sharing!

Permalink Reply by Tia Darling Martin on June 23, 2010 at 9:03pm

In my opinion, first I don't think I was put on this earth to judge these things against others, and second also I think the circumstance and the personal experience of this action would have to be put into account to determine if it is sin or not. One thing I know about my God is he looks into the heart. The act of doing can only be judged by ones intention. So this clears anyone performing the act of masturbation for a practical use, or accidentally; such as sperm donating, itching, accidentally "shaking three times" in the bathroom, don't beat yourself up about it, if your heart is not in a bad place it's NOT a sin. But if your heart is in the wrong place I'm sure you are aware of it, and you wouldn't need a discussion group to find out if it's a sin. A good friend of mine put it well when he said that he views lustful thoughts as a sin against the person he is lusting after, he says she never gave him consent to do the things he would think about, so by mentally violating her in that way, to him, is a sin. And this is a sin he has overcome, but he didn't overcome it himself. he had faith in Jesus to overcome it for him. Jesus did say that "the law used to say if anyone commits the act of adultery, he is guilty of sinning, but I say if you look at a woman and lust in your heart you are guilty of committing the sin of adultery." The difference between the two, is that the first deals with the action itself, and the second an action hasn't even been done. The sin is the intention of the heart. It's harder to follow this law don't you think? In fact this new way of obeying the law is impossible. we are human, and our hearts are NEVER completely spotless, from our own doing. The reason Jesus points this out is to show us that EVERYONE is guilty of sin at some point. When we see how powerless we are, we realize how powerful He is. He has the power to forgive your sins and wipe your heart clean continuously. When we stop focusing on our imperfect abilities to keep us sinless, we turn to believing in the cross, and it's ability to make us blameless, not of our own.

Permalink Reply by M. Marquita Marie S. on July 25, 2010 at 2:45pm

Well put

Permalink Reply by M. Marquita Marie S. on July 25, 2010 at 1:06pm

I read the bible but I need to start studying the bible more often. I, too, think masturbation is a sin because I read in the bible that we should stay away from sexual sin. I questioned alot of christians and elders and I got different feedbacks. Being married before and now am single, is hard to stay away from sex. Sex is a gift from God for married couples, and masturbation is sex, right? I think masturbation is a sin when lusting after someone else other than your husband or wife. And, we all know lust is a sin, of course. Now , my question is after being divorced, is masturbating a sin when you're lusting after your ex husband? As I am writing, I am thinking about alot of scriptures right now, so its time for me to read the Word. Have a bless one. And forgive me if I have said anything that doesn't make sense or offended anyone on here.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page