Is masturbation a sin?

[Purge187]

The idea that sex is only for procreation never fails to irritate the heck out of me.

Five words: read the Song of Songs.

 

[Pteriax]

So using your logic of "if it's not explicitly stated in the Bible it doesn't exist" such as masturbation, Where did Cain get his wife from?

Leviticus 15
16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.
17 And every garment, and every skin, whereon is the seed of copulation, shall be washed with water, and be unclean until the even.
18 The woman also with whom man shall lie with seed of copulation, they shall both bathe themselves in water, and be unclean until the even.

Now what would "unclean" mean?
Galatians 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before , as I have also told you in time past , that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

[/thread]

I don't think this can be argued any further.
Masturbation is a sin.

That doesn't go without saying that your sins are forgiven by God's grace through Jesus Christ.

You left out some important context in Leviticus. It also says that anything that gets sperm on it is unclean, regardless of how it got there, and uses examples such as getting on the bed during intercourse. So by your logic, sex between married couples is also unclean and therefore sinful. This is talking about sex, not masturbation.

Not to derail the topic, but you did ask, Cain married his sister. There were no other humans at the time, so anything else would contradict the first three chapters of Genesis. When all possibilities are exhausted, whatever is left, no matter how improbable, must be true. And it is impossible that God would lie or communicate poorly in the Bible since He is omnipotent.

 

[Quantum Paradise]

I think it's important to define the difference between "sin" and "immorality". A sin is simply the committed action. A believer may sin, does that make him/her immoral? No. Immorality, on the other hand, is a committed lifestyle to sin. This does not apply here.

Masturbation is no more or less a sin than anger or jealousy, etc. If it's not godly, it's sinful. Pretty simple really

 

[Crypto]

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Looking upon a woman to lust does not just involve seeing with our eyes. Our brains can generate images without the need of our eyes (e.g. dreams, fantasies, etc...) If someone is masturbating and fantasizing about a woman who is not his wife, then can you truly, and spiritually discerned, call this approved by God? There is quite a difference between trying to find loopholes in the Word of God to justify our actions versus changing how we live to fit God's Word.

Adultery: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man or woman and a partner other than the legal spouse

Conclusion: if you are single, you shouldn't fantasize with other people's wives; if you are married, you should fantasize with your wife only. Nowhere it is written that we shouldn't have sexual fantasies at all.

In my opinion, masturbation is not a sin, provided that you are not fantasizing with your neighbor's wife or husband.

 

[Yahu]

Adultery: voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man or woman and a partner other than the legal spouse

That is the modern definition of adultery but not the biblical definition. Adultery for a man was having sex with another man's wife. It was an act of stealing what belonged to another man. It had NOTHING to do with the concept of cheating on a wife. Cheating is a modern concept. Men were not limited to a single wife in biblical times. They could have additional wives and concubines. For a women, it was engaging in consensual sex with anyone other then her husband if she was married.

By the modern definition Jacob and Abraham would have been in adultery for taking on a concubine. That simply was not the case. Men were allowed concubines but had to be responsible for any children but a child by a concubine might not be given the same status as a child by the main wife.

 

[MalachiLad]

I Think that matters. Me myself ask that question very often. I don´t know. I Think its best to avoid it but to overcome the lust is hard.

 

[Gentlemantech48]

When an alcoholic is “on the wagon” he doesn't bring alcohol into the home. When you are addicted to inappropriate content it's just too darn easy to click the mouse a couple of times and have it right there on your screen. I found a way to help with that situation.


**Follow these directions VERY carefully. It's very hard to undo once you do it!!!

1. Download and install Blue Coat K9 Web Protection from www.download.com
2. Click on “get license number” and a license number will be emailed to you.
3. Copy and paste license number in the box.
4. Select a password and enter it (Important: For this step you DO want to remember the password.
5. Open program (It will be HTML based and will open with a browser)
6. Click on Setup
7. Select “Custom” setup
8. Uncheck everything but items relating to inappropriate contentography and nudity. Make sure you don't have anything checked that you DO want to browse to. For instance: you may not want to block lingerie.
9. Once you are absolutely sure you have checked only the categories you want blocked go to the change password section. Enter your present password in top box.
10. For this step you can have someone else enter a password OR what I did was search the web for a random number generator. I generated a large enough number that I could copy it without memorizing it. You might also find some sort of alpha-numeric phrase that you won't remember and then copy and paste that into both new password boxes. The idea is to put in a password that you will not know. This prevents you from making any changes or uninstalling the application.
11. Click on SAVE and the LOGOUT.

 

[TurtleClan]

8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

sorry but no the dreamers change the world for good and bad and by the way everyone dreams

 

[Jonathan95]

sorry but no the dreamers change the world for good and bad and by the way everyone dreams

Obvious troll.

 

[Rubiks]

I think I lean towards it being a sin. I think God has created sex strictly for marriage. I still wonder why God would not mention it though

 

[Johnnz]

Sex and marriage do go together according to the biblical paradigm. But there is no specific teaching about singles and sexuality. Thus we must be careful not to 'invent' or dogmatise some standards that just are not there.

John
NZ

 

[Purge187]

Sex and marriage do go together accoding to the biblical paradigm. But there is no specific teaching about singles and sexuality. Thus we must be careful not to 'invent' or dogmatise some standards that just are not there.

John
NZ

That's part of the problem. God states that He doesn't want us taking away from His word, or adding to it. After 15 years (!) of being a believer, I still cannot say that masturbation is or isn't a sin.

 

[Digout]

The burden of proof is on you guys to prove masturbation is a sin... if it is (by itself, without giving into lustful thoughts) then I'll quit and use that knowledge to help others as well.

Self-gratification is sin.

 

[Johnnz]

Self-gratification is sin.

So, is enjoying a movie, or some really delicious food sinful?

John
NZ

 

[Digout]

Si, is enjoying a movie, or some really delicious food sinful?

John
NZ

A inappropriate contento, which is more enjoyable? We eat to live, not live to eat. The greatest joy is eating the words of God! If something is allowed to replace that, then it is sinful!

 

[Johnnz]

A inappropriate contento, which is more enjoyable? We eat to live, not live to eat. The greatest joy is eating the words of God! If something is allowed to replace that, then it is sinful!

I thought that would be an answer from someone. That's why I included movies. I could add music, literature, gardening, or sport.

John
NZ

 

[Digout]

I thought that would be an answer from someone. That's why I included movies. I could add music, literature, gardening, or sport.
John
NZ

Have you not observed mass hysteria, idol worship of personalities, violence in sports, distraction in writings and music that inflame base instincts of immature minds?

 

[Johnnz]

Have you not observed mass hysteria, idol worship of personalities, violence in sports, distraction in writings and music that inflame base instincts of immature minds?

Indeed I have. But that does not answer the heart of the matter, Are there many things out there that a Christian can simply enjoy? And if so, is that self gratification?

John
NZ

 

[Digout]

Indeed I have. But that does not answer the heart of the matter, Are there many things out there that a Christian can simply enjoy? And if so, is that self gratification?
John
NZ

The life of a true believer is that of sacrifice, sharing, suffering and serving. There is really nothing like simple amusements! That is secondary for the weak.

 

[Johnnz]

The life of a true believer is that of sacrifice, sharing, suffering and serving. There is really nothing like simple amusements! That is secondary for the weak.

And that is an incomplete theology, a denial of God's presence within His creation and his provident goodness, placing us in a world of wondrous variety, and giving us the capacity to enjoy His good provisions.

C S Lewis, as usual, stated it well. My recall of his words are along these lines: "The Devil has never invented one pleasure. All he can do is get us to misuse what God has created."

John
NZ