This is Part 3 of the notes I made for a talk I delivered on sexual purity to the teenage boys of the ISCF Leadership Training Camp.
The most frequent question I get:… Is masturbation a sin or not ?
There is NOT A SIMPLE ANSWER…. Romans 14:22 tells us that ANYTHING at all can be SIN…. ‘because whatever is not of faith is sin’…. and even “morally neutral” stuff can be sinful under certain circumstances….. for examples: eating too much food or drinking too much wine.
Some Christians believe masturbation is a sin (and for them it would be a sin ) because their conscience would convict them if they did it.
This is something that only God can show to each person individually…. the Bible does not discuss it….. and certainly, to my mind, if God condemned it (like murder, fornication or covetousness) then He would have said so in the Bible and in more than one passage also !
Therefore my position is, that the physical act is no different than an “involuntary” wet-dream…. the “sinfulness” of masturbation is in the THOUGHTS and INTENTS of the heart.
So whether it is sinful FOR YOU… depends on…
The reason WHY you are masturbating and WHAT you are thinking about when doing so.
Like drinking alcohol it can become an addiction for certain people, therefore it would be best to avoid it altogether to eliminate this potential risk…. but WHY NOT LET GOD GUIDE YOU ? (He would know whether it will become a “snare” for you or not)…. the Christian life is NOT about simply “do’s” and “dont’s”….. it is a relationship with GOD and THAT is what you should want most of all !
Sexual sin is the number one reason why teenagers abandon God.
Sexual sin is Satan’s most successful weapon against Christians.
Masturbation can lead you on to sexual sin…. unless you guard your THOUGHTS and live close to the LORD.
Can you masturbate without lust ?… without viewing pornography ? …. without thinking about sex with other people ?
It IS possible to do this…. but can YOU do this ? If not, masturbation will cause you to sin and make you feel very guilty afterwards.
Another reason why it’s not a good habit to start is that after years of masturbating you may find it hard to please your wife (when you eventually marry her) by then you will have grown totally accustomed to pleasing yourself.
Personal pleasure is not sinful…. but it becomes sinful when it affects others negatively and when it becomes too important in your life (constantly seeking personal pleasure means it has become an IDOL in your life… and if this happens it will affect your relationship with God).
Let GOD direct your sex life ….. just like you would let him direct your choice of career or your use of time…. putting GOD first in your life is the goal as a Christian youth !
Stephen's Bible Insights 