Is Masturbation A Sin?
Posted: Monday, July 07, 2008
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
There was a time in the history of our country when masturbation was considered to be the most hideous of sins. This "insidious and horrible vice" was believed to be the cause of epilepsy, insanity and convulsions. In fact, the French physician, Pouillet, calculated that there were over one hundred morbid conditions that could be attributed to masturbation. Most physicians today, however, would agree that masturbation can cause little worse than irritation and soreness when engaged in improperly or over-vigorously.
Masturbation is not unusual behavior. Nor is it behavior that should cause one to experience guilt or shame. Indeed, many teenagers should find relief in knowing that most of their peers' first "sexual experience" was masturbation. It will not cause you to develop pimples, go blind or grow hair on the palm of your hands.
The problem with masturbation occurs when some people insist that it is a sin. Some Christians will erroneously assert that the Bible states that masturbation is an abomination to the Lord and that anyone engaging in such behavior will certainly be punished in Hell.
WRONG - Nowhere in the entire Bible is there a reference to masturbation being a sin.
In fact, you may search the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find one reference to masturbation at all. Why? Because there are no references to masturbation anywhere in the Bible. Why not? Because it just could be possible that masturbation was understood to be a perfectly normal part of human behavior, especially among teenagers that were discovering their sexuality. Masturbation was not a sin!
Now some people will refer to the Biblical story of Onan, in Genesis 38:9, who married his brother's wife after his brother died. This is what the verse says:
But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.
Onan did not want his new wife to have children, so when they would engage in sex Onan would pull out before he ejaculated. This is a commonly used form of birth control and is referred to as coitus interuptus - the interruption or stopping of intercourse, coitus. This is obviously not the same thing as masturbation.
In the Bible story Onan is cursed by God for his behavior and dies. What was Onan's wicked behavior? He did not think of the needs of his wife to raise a family. He did not consider the honor of his brother, for whom he was obligated to raise up children. In any event, this story in the Bible does not refer to masturbation. It refers to selfishness and disobedience.
So, for those of you who have been concerned about your or your children's behavior with masturbation... be of good cheer, it is not a sin.
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Mark Parsec
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Masturbation is not unusual behavior. Nor is it behavior that should cause one to experience guilt or shame. Indeed, many teenagers should find relief in knowing that most of their peers' first "sexual experience" was masturbation. It will not cause you to develop pimples, go blind or grow hair on the palm of your hands.
The problem with masturbation occurs when some people insist that it is a sin. Some Christians will erroneously assert that the Bible states that masturbation is an abomination to the Lord and that anyone engaging in such behavior will certainly be punished in Hell.
WRONG - Nowhere in the entire Bible is there a reference to masturbation being a sin.
In fact, you may search the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find one reference to masturbation at all. Why? Because there are no references to masturbation anywhere in the Bible. Why not? Because it just could be possible that masturbation was understood to be a perfectly normal part of human behavior, especially among teenagers that were discovering their sexuality. Masturbation was not a sin!
Now some people will refer to the Biblical story of Onan, in Genesis 38:9, who married his brother's wife after his brother died. This is what the verse says:
But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.
Onan did not want his new wife to have children, so when they would engage in sex Onan would pull out before he ejaculated. This is a commonly used form of birth control and is referred to as coitus interuptus - the interruption or stopping of intercourse, coitus. This is obviously not the same thing as masturbation.
In the Bible story Onan is cursed by God for his behavior and dies. What was Onan's wicked behavior? He did not think of the needs of his wife to raise a family. He did not consider the honor of his brother, for whom he was obligated to raise up children. In any event, this story in the Bible does not refer to masturbation. It refers to selfishness and disobedience.
So, for those of you who have been concerned about your or your children's behavior with masturbation... be of good cheer, it is not a sin.
Register now as a SearchWarp.com Author
Mark Parsec
SearchWarp.com
Top 100 Author!
2008 Mark Parsec
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More commentsI am shaken to see this article after reading the wonderful piece about the California wildfires.
Because Jesus said that To look at a women in a lustful way is an act of adultery (Mark 5:28) I am sure that the images a young man or women use or conger to aid their masturbation are no different than scanning porn online or in some magazine. Sin? No doubt it is.
Christ I'm sure does not want our heads to be filled with lust.
Rev Michael BrescianiHi Michael, Yes, it is true that Jesus said that to look at a woman with lust was the same thing as commiting adultery. But, we must remember to whom he was speaking. He was talking to the self-righteous Pharisees whom thought that they were better than others. These Pharisees had a reputation for making accuasations against people for the least infraction against the law. Yet, these same Pharisees would marry young women and then divorce them at the drop of a hat for any impurity or taint. This would include any blemishes, moles or other problems. Then they would go and find another young bride and repeat the cycle all over again. They used the law to justify their own lewd behavior. To help the Pharisees understand that the law pertained to matters of the heart Jesus said, "To look upon a woman with lust was to commit adultery. I believe that this establishes very clearly that ALL have sinned. But, Jesus also said that it would be better to pluck out one's eyes than to go to hell for adultery. We want to enforce the prohibition, but we don't want to enforce the punishment? What is up with that?I appreciate your comments, Michael. I do believe, however, that the Scriptures are silent upon the subject of masturbation, and therefore we cannot expect others to comply to a law that was not established. Do we want to encourage people to masturbate? Absolutely not. But, do we want to condemn them for this behavior? How can we? For we are not to judge. Only God judges.When it comes to teenagers, I assert again, "Forgive them, for they no not what they do."
It does more than amaze me when I see what pastors are feeding their flocks today. It confirms to me that the promised apostasy is underway and the falling away from Holy Spirit santification has begun. The entire secular message is in one form or another telling people to indulge and not to deny themselves anything. When pastors join in this message we are indeed sliding down.
The question used to be how can I get closer to God, now it is how far can I go from him without losing my salvation. The best of two worlds is not possible in the real faith.
To wit: Be ye holy even as I am holy 1Pet 1:16,
Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lords table and of the table of devils. 1Cor 10:21
I don't go to both tables to eat and I would not dare to send those who depend on me to help them in their walk with God to both tables.
Rev Michael Bresciani
Dear Rev Michael,Let he who has not sinned, throw the first stone. Are you saying that you never even have a sinful thought? Being a rev. of your stature would scare me away from a relationship with God because I would never think I was good enough to be with the Lord. Thank God that we have all fallen short of His glory and He paid the price and loves us unconditionally.read it carefully. Rev Michael never said anything about sinful thoughts, or even masturbation. He simply tells the truth...
The relationship we should have with God should be one that pleases him. Would you praise God with all your heart at church, then head home afterwards and masturbate?
Rev never said he was holy, he just simply said he wants to be...
...unfortunately, lust and/or sexual impurity isn't the only thing that keeps us away from the Lord. many times it's something else... religiousness...
I got this one Anonymous,Reverend, I simply will respond to that with the word of the ONLY ONE who is reverent....1John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.Pastor RichardsThank you Pastor Richards! AMENI don't get the sense that Mark is "feeding" his flocks masturbation. More likely he is saying there are real spiritual issues, and this isn't one of them.Thank you again, Gregory,There are other issues that are in much more need of attention... like judging others.One needs tough feet when walking over hot coals.Or a good pair of shoes.
I can only say, that masturbation has been one of the best tools for bringing (some) sanity back into my life. After committing the "act" I find that I can redirect my thoughts away from women and onto better things. I have tried many different things to get rid of the "lust", prayer, exercise, work and nothing absolutely nothinghas worked as well.As to the issue of this being "appropriate" behavior, I suspect that depends on where you are in your walk with the lord.I am the father of 4 daughters, and I actually wish I could make it a requirement to masturbate 10 times before they come to take them on a date. I think that effort would likely take most (if not all) of their physical desires away.If you can figure out who this is, give me a call, I want to talk to you about the meeting.Well, Sir, I would imagine that your solution could be described as one way of beating fornication.
Wow, some of the comments on here are 'wow factors'.I had a long talk with my pastor where my fiance and I are trying to do this God's way this time. See we had been broken up 2 times now and said we can't do this alone this time. We love each other deeply, but always fell short of God when it came to sex. Our pastor told us we would have to make commitment and stick to it. He said that our lives together would be blessed if we abstained from sexual behavior. Now, I was all willing, but my fiance was scared. He told me later that night on the phone that he didn't think he could handle it if he couldn't at least 'take care of himself'. I than, with no answer to whether or not it was okay, told him I would gently ask my pastor what to do. I emailed him the next day.He commended me on the guts it took to ask such an embarrassing question. He than said the same thing you did; that there was no where in the Bible stating that it was a sin to masturbate. He did, however, make special note that it's only okay if it's not sinful, meaning no pornography was used or thoughts of anyone else but me (his fiance). He also said mutual masturbation was wrong, which in turn I think he meant touching each other and/or being in the same room while doing it.It's great to hear that others say the same things. --DENVER, CO (yep it's me)Hi Denver, It's good to see you again! I'm glad that the article was validation for you. Please, feel free to read some more and don't forget to rank the articles. And, while you're at it, join SearchWarp and my fan club! I'd love to hear from you some more. God bless you.
Great article. Well done.If you look at history people have used the bible to say what they think. It is such a complex and at times contrasting book that often the true message can be misinterpreted. But that may be because I'm an AtheistHi Connor,Yes, people have used the Bible to say what they think. But, so also have philosophers, mathemeticians, evolutionists, etc.. It seems that everybody wants to put their own spin on things. Nevertheless, I would be interested in what the "true message" is that you are referring to in the Bible.Thanks for your comments.God bless you always,Mark
Wow...I really can't believe the hang ups people have about sex. It is a beautiful part of human nature. If God designed you...he designed the nerve endings in you sexual organs to give you a sense of pleasure. He as well designed you then to desire sex. Would God design you this way just to torture you?! I think not. All sex is good, even outside the confines of marriage. It's just like anything else that is part of human nature...good stuff unless you let it consume you...
Whatever is said in this passage makes a bit of sense when you read it but i personally still think masturbation is an abomination unto God simply because the BIBLE SAYS SO!!!!!!!!!!!!Rachel,You are among many who seem to think the Bible says something that it does not. Please show me in the Bible where it says that masturbation is a sin and I will remove this article for you.God bless you,Mark
Goldenshamen, you shouldn't probably be commenting on this article if you are saying that it is ok to have sex outside of marriage when the Bible says that is clearly wrong.
I'm a 29 year old worship leader and believe there is a argument for masturbating. I've suffered with a condition called Blue Balls (check it out on Wikipedia). It's the most painful thing that could happen to a guy and the only relief I've found is through masturbating. The question is can you masturbate without lusting? I think it is possible. I've been honest about what I've been going through with the girl I'm courting at the moment and she has been really understanding. I'm not encouraging guys to masturbate but I know there must be other Christian men that don't masturbate and end up in this most painful situation.Hi Anonymous,Thank you for your transparency and honesty in discussing this controversial subject. Blue balls is a very real and painful condition. Thank God that He has provided a wonderful solution to that problem through sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, that activity is not always available to unmarried or even married men. The alternative, although providing relief, falls so short of the perfect design that God has in mind for men in marriage.God bless you,Mark
Pastor mark. Hi. :D i'm 16,, and has a girlfriend. We've been together for 2 yrs and 3 months now, and we are born-again christians. We've engaged in mutual masturbation, and after the first time we've done it... we had guilt if it is a sin. Don't worry i won't get her pregnant. We actually made a promise to each other after the first time that whenever it happens again and if there is a feeling that we're going too far(like having sex), we will stop. and so,, i will make sure that no matter what we should be control. and we should not lose control. I read your article but i still am confused. we are still confused. I know that there is no verse in the bible that says MASTURBATION IS A SIN. And I know that masturbation could be a sin depending on how you do it. (by lust, by porn, etc.) So i am really confused right now. and we need an answer. a Yes or No would do.i'll rephrase the question. Is mutual masturbation a sin? yes or no.?and please explain. :)thank you,-marcHi Marc,
Thank you for your openess and honesty about the struggle you and your girlfriend are facing. It is a very difficult thing when you are young and your hormones are raging and you have fallen in love. But, the good news is, this has been going on since the beginning of mankind. You and your girlfriend are not the first, nor shall you be the last to face this temptation.
First I want to applaud the two of you for being able to abstain from intercourse. But, I guarantee at this stage in the game it is likely to happen very soon, if it has not already. Since you and your girlfriend are not married, I would have to say that mutual masturbation is a sin. Now, let's understand what sin is... The Hebrew word from which it is derived means to "miss the mark". As in missing the bull's eye in archery.
I would encourage you to refrain from engaging in the mutual masturbation. Try to save yourselves for marriage. I would also encourage you to go to your youth pastor, or the youth pastor of another church to explain the struggle you are having.
But, something very important to consider is that your state may have very strict laws concerning the behavior in which you are engaging. The court could rule that you or her are guilty of lewd and liscivious behavior, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, sexual contact with a minor... etc. Please be aware of the law in your state and remember that as Christians we are asked to obey the laws of the land.
Now, with all this said, know that you are loved by God. Scripture tells us that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
Talk to the Lord, ask Him to help you with this situation.
I'll be praying for you and your girlfriend.
God bless you both,
Mark
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