Is masterbating considered a sin?

[dies-l]

Is it a thread about lusting after men? Because something is being lusted after.

Sometimes, but not always. Masturbation does not always accompany lust; sometimes it just feels good sometimes it accompanies sexual feelings for one's spouse; that is hardly the adultery that Jesus was talking about. And sometimes it is accompanied by immoral lust. But the problem is the lust, not the masturbation. If the masturbation causes our enables lust, then it is morally wrong. Otherwise, they are two separate issues.

 

[Hupomone10]

hmmm... Imagine that. A thread about masturbation gets nine pages and 102 posts, and this one
here
on spiritual growth and a challenge to trading the Christ-life for ours on a daily basis has one post (and that, by the OP )

One must write to the subject people want to talk about, I suppose...

But I am thankful it got 86 views.

 

[David Pratt]

Fred Willard was arrested for lewd conduct last night in Hollywood when police allegedly caught him with his pants down in an adult movie theater ... TMZ has learned.


According to law enforcement sources, LAPD undercover vice officers went into the Tiki Theater in Hollywood and found the 78-year-old "Anchorman" star watching last night's feature ... with his penis exposed and in his hand.

Click Here for Story: Fred Willard Arrested for Lewd Conduct



1. He is currently married & I bet he started masturbating at home before trying outside in public.


2. He probably used to touch about his wife... but one day he wanted to try something else.


3. Even if masturbating is legit in the scriptures for married couples.. how long do married couples keep masturbating to mental images of their spouses?

 

[revrobor]

What makes you think we want to hear about this Pratt? Do you think it adds any credibility to your argument?

 

[David Pratt]

What makes you think we want to hear about this Pratt?

I'm sure some would.


Do you think it adds any credibility to your argument?

I'm sure some do. It's easier to understand if you read & break down every post that was typed on this thread.

The only possible argument for pro-masturbating, from what I read, are for those who are already married & say they picture their spouse while doing so. No direct verse is against masturbating but there is enough scripture for us to conclude the Lord is against it but made it permissible for those who are married.

Not His ideal choice of how man & woman should have sex but until the refreshing, He let it slide.

Still there are dangers to this: I can't see a spouse always mentally-visualizing the other spouse while doing this act... for as long as they live. Some might get so addicted that they might end up seeking inspiration elsewhere; leading them to a dark path like Fred Willard.

 

[Hupomone10]

1. He is currently married & I bet he started masturbating at home before trying outside in public.


2. He probably used to touch about his wife... but one day he wanted to try something else.


3. Even if masturbating is legit in the scriptures for married couples.. how long do married couples keep masturbating to mental images of their spouses?

walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Galatians 5:16-17

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:14

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25

 

[Hupomone10]

Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?

 

[dies-l]

Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?

Perhaps. But, for that matter, I wonder if anyone here has been led by the Spirit to eat a cheeseburger.

 

[David Pratt]

Nope because eating that unhealthy food is not a wise decision & the Lord gave us guidance for that in the O.T.

 

[dies-l]

Nope because eating that unhealthy food is not a wise decision & the Lord gave us guidance for that in the O.T.

But, the same Spirit did expressly lead Peter to disregard OT dietary laws.

 

[David Pratt]

Christ was re-clarifying the law as he did with the Sabbath. The O.T. was elementary school. The N.T. is college. We should never forget the basics. Acts Chapter 10 has multiple meanings but in summary, “Do not bad mouth my creations. They are here for a reason.”

1 Timothy 4 gives us guidance on how to approach all food.

Yes, we can eat bad food… but not often. It should only be eaten during family gatherings [Thanksgiving/Christmas] & blessed placing in your mouth. Also it would be wise to eat all bad with a lot of vegetables & fast at least 1 once a month.

But I do not want to stray from Hupomone’s point: “Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?”

I am not judging or criticizing anyone. I say we acknowledge sin & try to work on it. One of my sins is Star Trek [Idolatry]. I know it’s wrong to watch/read it but I do it anyway. It's not as strong as it was 5 years ago but it's still a problem for me.

 

[Boidae]

Also it would be wise to eat all bad with a lot of vegetables & fast at least 1 once a month.

Not all of us can fast though. I cannot fast because I am hypoglycemic.

But I do not want to stray from Hupomone’s point: “Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?”

Actually, yes. When I prayed seeking answers to me masturbating, I was constantly lead to the fact that it's only a sin when you think of another women who is not your wife, then it becomes adultery.

I prayed because my wife has a low sex drive, where as I have a high sex drive. If she never had sex again, she wouldn't care. So I prayed for an answer and the above is what I received.

 

[dies-l]

Christ was re-clarifying the law as he did with the Sabbath. The O.T. was elementary school. The N.T. is college. We should never forget the basics. Acts Chapter 10 has multiple meanings but in summary, “Do not bad mouth my creations. They are here for a reason.”

1 Timothy 4 gives us guidance on how to approach all food.

Yes, we can eat bad food… but not often. It should only be eaten during family gatherings [Thanksgiving/Christmas] & blessed placing in your mouth. Also it would be wise to eat all bad with a lot of vegetables & fast at least 1 once a month.

But I do not want to stray from Hupomone’s point: “Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?”

I am not judging or criticizing anyone. I say we acknowledge sin & try to work on it. One of my sins is Star Trek [Idolatry]. I know it’s wrong to watch/read it but I do it anyway. It's not as strong as it was 5 years ago but it's still a problem for me.

But, my point was that we all have drives that are not directly motivated by the Spirit, but are not immoral either. Go ahead and substitute carrot for cheeseburger and the idea is the same.

 

[AndOne]

One of my sins is Star Trek [Idolatry]. I know it’s wrong to watch/read it but I do it anyway. It's not as strong as it was 5 years ago but it's still a problem for me.

I'm not sure I get this. How is watching Star Trek idolatry?

 

[David Pratt]

Worship.

 

[phoenixdem]

Worship.

You worship Startrek?

 

[David Pratt]

Worship definition from Encarta

Worship 1: A religion treat somebody or something as deity: to treat somebody or something as divine and show respect by engaging in acts of prayer and devotion.

Worship 2: Love somebody deeply: to love, admire, or respect somebody or something greatly and perhaps excessively or unquestioningly.

Worship 3: Taking part in religious service: to take part in a religious service .

In your adult life, have you ever spent about 5 to 15 hours a week on a hobby but only had spent 1 hour or less on the Lord? It's worship. Idolatry.

 

[Hupomone10]

Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?

Perhaps. But, for that matter, I wonder if anyone here has been led by the Spirit to eat a cheeseburger.

I see the point you're making with the cheeseburger. I don't want to make it a bigger deal than it is; but because it's an issue of self-control and of following our feelings primarily rather than being governed by faith, I believe it is part of the lust battle. In the lives of men I've known and my own life, I've seen that the lust stronghold has at least 4 elements or branches that work together as a whole but hit us almost as individual entities or individual enemy soldiers attacking us:

1. Pornography and sensual visual material
2. Glances at women, looking lustfully at women we encounter during the day,
3. Fantasies,
4. Masturbation.

Men are experiencing either one or several or all of these 4 branches in their life. How they battle it determines their success or failure. But when they battle each one is crucial also. A man probably won't be able to effectively deal with a habit of masturbation until he's dealt with the pornography issue, the lustful looks, and the fantasies the mind likes to hold onto. Then developing self-control in the matter of masturbation will become immeasurably easier.

As far as my own life, I will not be satisfied unless my life reflects "not even a hint of immorality", and that means not just being free from porn, or free from fantasies, but freedom from all 4. I got the insight from the book "Every Man's Battle" that we are to have "not even a hint of immorality" in our lives (Eph. 5:3, NIV). Anything less than that is just fooling myself.

Dr. James Dobson pointed out that "When sexual response is blocked, males experience an accumulating physiological pressure which demands release... For most men, this buildup to heightened sexual desire takes only about 72 hours" ("What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women").

So it comes down to whether it is truly like an occasional cheeseburger, or if it is perhaps a more serious issue, and whether we have in fact become attached (a mild word for addiction) to the behavior. If we find that we have to touch more frequently than every 72 hours, then perhaps it is more than just an occasional cheeseburger. Above all, we need to be honest with ourselves in this matter.

In "The Brain on Porn", Doidge explains that a person who is addicted to lust or porn will usually have to abstain from masturbation altogether while he is going through the process he describes as "rebooting the brain," which he says usually takes about 2 weeks to a month or two.
The Realities of Withdrawal

Dies-I, being a recovered alcoholic, I know you don't want to make more of an issue than it is; but I also know you do not wish to come down on the side of enabling men who may unbeknownst to them be addicted to lust in some degree.

Since this is a serious post, I'll defer the rest to the next post.

 

[Hupomone10]

Has anyone here been led by the Spirit to touch?

Perhaps. But, for that matter, I wonder if anyone here has been led by the Spirit to eat a cheeseburger.

It would seem that this analogy is a good one; but maybe it only seems that way. Aside from what I brought out in the last post about the 72 hr thing, let's see how that works out in the practical world.

(Husband) "Honey, do you mind if I go out and get a cheeseburger?"
(Wife) "No, sweetheart. While you're at it, why don't you pick up a small burger and fries for the kids, too?"

No problem there, right? Now let's try this:

(Husband) "Honey, do you mind if I go upstairs and touch?"
(Wife) "No, hon, see you in a bit! ... Scott (12 yr old son), Dad's going to be upstairs masturbating; please give him some privacy. "

or

(Husband) "Honey, I'm going to go to the bedroom and touch. Where's your hand lotion?"
(Wife) "It's on my night stand, dear. Have fun . By the way, you might want to consider taking Scott and teaching him how to do it without lusting after Shirley next door or her vivacious teenage daughter. Just a thought."

If a person eats an occasional cheeseburger, no problem. If the person has to hide it, this indicates a problem of some sort. The enemy lives in the darkness; God lives in the light because He is light. We should think twice about activities we have to do in the dark.

1 John 1:5
...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Eph 5:13
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.


God bless,
H.

 

[phoenixdem]

It would seem that this analogy is a good one; but maybe it only seems that way. Aside from what I brought out in the last post about the 72 hr thing, let's see how that works out in the practical world.

(Husband) "Honey, do you mind if I go out and get a cheeseburger?"
(Wife) "No, sweetheart. While you're at it, why don't you pick up a small burger and fries for the kids, too?"

No problem there, right? Now let's try this:

(Husband) "Honey, do you mind if I go upstairs and touch?"
(Wife) "No, hon, see you in a bit! ... Scott (12 yr old son), Dad's going to be upstairs masturbating; please give him some privacy. "

or

(Husband) "Honey, I'm going to go to the bedroom and touch. Where's your hand lotion?"
(Wife) "It's on my night stand, dear. Have fun . By the way, you might want to consider taking Scott and teaching him how to do it without lusting after Shirley next door or her vivacious teenage daughter. Just a thought."

If a person eats an occasional cheeseburger, no problem. If the person has to hide it, this indicates a problem of some sort. The enemy lives in the darkness; God lives in the light because He is light. We should think twice about activities we have to do in the dark.

1 John 1:5
...God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Eph 5:13
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.


God bless,
H.

I totally agree. Lusting, be it sexual by comitting adultery or fornication or imagining such things, is still a sin. Would we care if we do it before the Holy Spirit as the bodies of Christians are a Temple of God? For those who think my comments are "holier than thou" I wish to assure you that any Christian would be sympathetic as temptations are common to all of us.