Hi Tim,
I'm so glad you're enjoying our website!
Your question about masturbation is probably the question I am most asked, and first I'd like to say to you and everyone else who has asked - thank you for respecting my opinion enough to ask me something of such a personally and theologically contentious nature. The difficulty for ANY minister in answering questions of this nature is in attempting to provide a response that is both Biblical and modest with a real discernment of human nature, yet not with harsh judgments and human-made prudishness nor with a tinge of personal biases.
I am convinced, that the closer we are in our relationship to the Lord in which the Holy Spirit is allowed to control every aspect of our lives, as we saw in the latter lives of Paul and the Apostles, that we will simply have no desire to participate in ANY fleshly things whatsoever – regardless or whether they are right or wrong. Notice how among many Biblical men and women, that the deeper they were into their relationship with God, the less they even ate and drank so that they went MONTHS at a time without them, and the further they physically walked to do His service, and the stronger they grew, and the more invincible they became, and the greater risks they took for the sake of His name! The closer and purer our walk with God, the less we want to have anything to do with our bodies. It won’t even be a forced effort to accomplish – in fact, it CAN’T be a forced effort - it will just happen; as the old classic Gospel song says, “the things of this world will grow strangely dim” as we get closer to the brightness of His glory. The indwelling of the Lord provides all nourishment for all needs and desires of the body. So, whether masturbation is or is not sinful, let us all remember that the GOAL of every believer must be to move progressively so close to the Father that we won’t even have to ask the questions of, “can we touch this or taste that or partake in that or handle this?” It won’t even matter if masturbation is ok – you won’t even WANT to. You will eat and drink only because your body requires it to remain alive.
But THAT is a doctrinal matter of meat vs. milk. And there are progressive steps in growing up from drinking milk to the stages of eating strong meat – and none of us are at the same stage. And just as a child earns certain privileges from their parents as they grow and mature, so too the Lord provides privileges as we grow. The privileges are referred to as “liberality in Christ” in the Scriptures, and they are only obtained progressively as we gain DISCERNMENT on various issues. For example, we are all taught to stay away from false gods. And as believers in the Lord even the site of idols or temples of false gods may send a shudder of disgust through us. A friend who serves such gods may invite us to accompany them to their place of worship for a social event, and we, not wanting to show approval of their idolatry, refuse to go. Yet, in the liberality of Christ, when we are mature in Christ to understand, we learn that – since there are NO other gods but the Lord God of the Bible, and since the world and all in it belongs to Him – therefore we know that nothing of their idol can contaminate us, and we can go to their social gathering and participate in the BBQ or what have you. Paul even tells us that we can eat in the house of an idol, because we thank GOD for our food – we are merely forbidden to partake in their offerings and religious systems to their idols. Let me give you an example. I have a dear friend who is a member of the Religious Science cult. We have discussed theology with each other for years, and we both know where the other stands on matters of faith. Yet I often visit him at his house of worship when he works at their bookstore, I’ve met their “pastor” and I’ve been invited to pot luck dinners and such, and I have attended. When I walk into their buildings, I see nothing but walls. Their gods, whatever they may be, are nothing to me, and like all things they will one day fall under Christ’s feet. Therefore I am there only with the focus of friendly socialization, with the occasional opportunity to discuss the Lord God among them. It is written by Paul that, though not all things are expedient to us, yet all things are Lawful for us. Do you see the liberality here? In our liberality we must use the discernment of the Holy Spirit to see exactly when things, like eating in an idol’s temple, are appropriate or inappropriate. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil opened Mankind’s eyes to see good AND evil – but the Holy Spirit Who came to us from the Father is the one Who opens our eyes to know good FROM evil (to comprehend the difference between the two). It is much the same with masturbation. We need to see – to discern – good and evil, to know the Law, and to learn where our liberalities lie.
Now, when it comes to opinion, everyone has one, and most of them are biasedly based on deeply held convictions usually developed by the influences of others, whether parents, friends, peers, society, or religion. But when it comes to LAW, opinions hold virtually no weight in the site of God. As to God’s Law, it is written:
“To the Law and to the Testimony – if they speak not according to this Word,
it is because there is no light in them!”
-Isaiah 8:20
“Where no Law is, there is no transgression.”
-Romans 4:1
“Sin is not imputed when there is no Law”
-Romans 5:13
So, the very first two things we must do when asking whether or not something is sinful is:
A) We must totally ignore all of our own personal feelings about the subject and what we think we “feel in our spirit” - because when it comes to God’s LAW, those feelings and opinions hold ZERO amount of authority.
B) We must search the Scriptures CIRCUMSPECTLY, RIGHTLY dividing the Word of Truth, line upon line and precept upon precept – not willy nilly cherry picking verses out of context from Scripture to support or oppose a doctrine - to see whether God’s BIBLICAL Law is either specifically or indirectly declared for or against the issue.
If we will not follow that procedure, then why should we even bother questioning the sinfulness or godliness level of an issue? Without the light of God’s Law we are left to grapple in the dark, seeking to follow our own way. Yet the Law of God declares, “Thy Word, O Lord, is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path!” So now, aside from all of our feelings and emotional attachments to the subject, let’s look to see what God’s Word has to say about masturbation.
The very first biblical reference brought up by the pious is the story of Onan (from which the term “Onanism” was coined as a polite word for masturbation). Onan was a son of Judah. In biblical times it was required for a brother to impregnate the widow of a dead brother who had borne no children. Onan was next in line to do this older brother died leaving no children. But he refused to let his brother’s wife bear his child, and at the moment of ejaculation the Bible says that he withdrew from her and ejaculated on the ground, preventing her from becoming pregnant. God was so furious at him for violating this vitally important tradition of the day that He struck Onan dead on the spot. Over the centuries, in the Dark and Middle Ages, this story has been warped and used as a biblical example of God’s hatred for MASTURBATION. This, of course, is totally absurd, because not only was masturbation not taking place (Onan was clearly engaging in intercourse), but it is made clear that his dead was the result of his refusal to “raise up seed” for his dead brother. So this story cannot be used as biblical evidence for OR against masturbation.
Now, we all know that death [i.e. eternal damnation] is the punishment for sin, as it is written in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death”. Yet I find in Scripture that there are actually certain “sins” which do not have the death sentence. And it makes me wonder if the un-deathworthy sins are those which are mentioned in Scripture that refer to uncleanness. You see, I’ve found a law in Scripture that most of use never knew existed. Did you know that according to the Scriptures, it is a sin every time a man ejaculates? Even if a man has a “wet dream”, he is commanded to offer sacrifice and that he is unclean until sunset! The reason for this, I believe, which is summed up in my article on our website regarding “Adam & STeve”, is because until Man sinned there was no need for REPRODUCTION. There was no need for semen to leave Adam’s body. Reproduction occurred after Man sinned BECAUSE man sinned, since man would die and must have offspring to replace him. The fact that semen MUST leave the man’s body to impregnate his wife is irrelevant in light of God’s perfect holiness; necessary or not, the seed of life leaving the body, like blood, it is an unclean thing, a sin. Therefore the man is required by God’s law to offer sacrifice for it and to be unclean until evening. Bet you didn’t know THAT! Makes you wonder why it is NEVER mentioned in church. But the interesting point is that, even though a sacrifice is required for the “sin” of ejaculation (fluid leaving the man’s body), yet there is no death penalty or any other punishment called for it! And in 1st John 5:16-17 I’ve been speculating whether it refers to things like masturbation. In this verse John’s subject is praying for God’s forgiveness of OTHER people’s sins. In it, he says, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is NOT UNTO DEATH, he shall ask [God], and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. THERE IS A SIN UNTO DEATH - I do not say that he should pray for it (all unrighteousness is sin) – AND THERE IS A SIN NOT UNTO DEATH.”
So… what could he be referring to, I wonder?
Other than this, there is not one single place in Scripture that says or implies that self pleasuring is unlawful. And since, as I quoted above, the Scriptures specifically state that there is no sin where there is no law (you cannot break a law that doesn’t exist), therefore it cannot be said that masturbation is sin.
HOWEVER, though the act of masturbation itself may not be unlawful, there are biblical laws GOVERNING it. Jesus made it absolutely clear that lusting after someone in our hearts IS sin. That means SEXUAL MENTAL FANTASY IS FORBIDDEN. Period, and no debate. Remember – your mind is as much the property of a holy God as your soul is, as it is commanded in Matthew 22:37-38, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with ALL THY MIND: this is the first and great commandment”.
Therefore, you cannot engage in masturbation while sexually fantasizing. Sexual fantasizing is a multitude of sins: lusting, fornicating, adultery, whoredom, etc. remember it was Jesus who said that looking on someone to lust after them is ADULTERY OF THE HEART.
Dumps those dirty magazines. Trash those porn videos. Stop peeping in on other people's sex acts - on other people's acts of whoredom. Stop participating in their sin. You're a temple of the Holy Spirit; stop poluting it. Those are things of the world, which the Lost will perish for. If you are going to engage in masturbation, focus only on the pleasure – and NOTHING AND NO ONE ELSE.
But do not allow masturbation be a substitute for married sex!!! Don't think you can escape "being gay" by withdrawing into a solo world of masturbation! Jesus said that if you cannot [sexually] contain yourself,
GET MARRIED! And while it is preferable to have the State’s approval for marriage, the Bible declares marriage to be legitimate by the act of CONSUMMATION WITH A CHOSEN MATE AND COUPLED WITH LIFE-LONG FAITHFULNESS UNTIL DEATH (which is why the Lord despises fornication). After you've found your mate, commit yourselves to each other for life, then consummate that union. Walla! You're married, according to Scripture. (But don't put the cart before the horse, as so many wicked people do, by fornicating with someone to see if they qualify as a mate - the sex act IS the marriage act, so keep Mini You in your pants until he puts a ring on your finger. That isn't "old fashioned" - it the LAW).
Use your hand for temporary relief to keep you from fornication until the Lord brings you a mate – but do not treat your hand as though it were your mate! “It is not good that the man should be alone”, and God doesn’t lie!
With love in Christ, Rev. Jim Cunningham
