If you do a search on the question, “is masturbation a sin” you will get all kinds of answers, many from well-meaning christian counselors and psychologists, answers that range from a simple yes, or no to the more complex, maybe!
The issue is that there is no simple answer to the question. Sorry! Rather than spend time debating whether or not it is, we are simply going to take the position, for the purpose of this discussion, that masturbation is in fact a sin.
An important point to make here is that as a ministry we are not saying that it is or is not, we are simply making a case for one side. Sin is something that you need to work out between you and God, if the Bible says “Thou Shalt Not”, then clearly that thing is a sin, period. If, however, the Bible is not clear on a specific subject then you have to seek God, pray and study God’s Word and hear from Him for your life. (Sermon over)
Back to the discussion at hand; There are a couple of things that lean very heavily to the act of masturbation being a sin in light of the Bible. Frank discussion ahead! (just a heads up!)
First of all, is the issue of lust. Lust is when you want something really bad and the Bible says that “a man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt 5:28). Most of us by now know what adultery is but just in case you don’t, adultery is having sex with someone who is not the person you are married to. So if you look at someone lustfully, like say, looking at porn, which many guys use while masturbating, you have committed adultery, which comes in at #7 on our 10 Commandments Count Down, and just in case you were wondering that would be a “Thou Shalt Not”.
The second issue has more to do with training yourself as a Christ follower. Part of becoming a man is learning how to have self-control. Not just with your temper or your money, you don’t want to be that guy that is always screaming at your wife or always broke! Part of becoming a man is learning how to control your own body. We all know that men hit their sexual peak at around 18, that means that mass amounts of testosterone are coursing through your body and your sexual urges are at an all time high but God gives us this opportunity while we are young to learn to control ourselves. Matter of Fact Paul talks about this in 1 Thes 4:2-8 “each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God” Paul makes a point to connect the lack of self-control to the people who don’t follow Christ. He even goes on to say that “God has called us to a Holy life and if we reject that then we reject God”. Last time I checked rejecting God was… yeah you guessed it. A sin!
So, wherever you land on this issue, I hope that you will go and not keep searching the internet for the answer to your questions about life, love and sex but go to the Bible. I can promise you this, if you will look for your answers in God’s Word, He will begin to speak to you about the things that he has planned for your life.