Masturbation Is Not Directly Addressed in the Bible
The word “masturbation” and even the concept of it are not directly addressed in the Bible. In Genesis 38, Onan “spills his seed” onto to the ground so that he does not have to sire an heir for his dead brother. He did this so he could claim the family inheritance for himself. Onan’s sin, then, is not about masturbation or even about sex. It is about his greed and unwillingness to care for a widowed woman. In that culture and at that time, a woman’s only form of “social security” was to have a male heir – a son – to inherit wealth on her behalf. Onan sought to deny this inheritance to his brother’s widow.
Lust Is the Core Issue
Lust is a sin and it is talked about in the Bible. Jesus speaks against lust in Matthew 5. Because masturbation typically involves lust and sexual fantasies about people or the use of pornography, the sin of lust is at play any time sexual fantasies or pornography are involved with masturbation.
The Apostle Paul teaches that we must “possess our bodies in sanctification and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4.) The Greek word here for “body” is often translated as “vessel” in more literal translations of the Bible. There is debate amongst scholars whether it means “body,” “body [part]” (as in the sex organ), or even “wife” (on the basis of 1 Peter 3:7, which calls the wife “the weaker vessel” in some translations). Regardless of what Paul specifically had in mind while writing, controlling our bodies in a holy way is the takeaway.
If we are satisfied with pleasing ourselves, we will lose motivation to seek intimacy through a meaningful, committed sexual relationship with a husband or wife. This can become a problem especially if pornography addiction is involved. As we become more and more addicted to self-satisfaction through pornography, we lose our ability and even our desire to connect with others.
Don’t Flirt with Sin
1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 2 Timothy 2:19-22, and Galatians 5:19-21 teach the dangers of flirting with sin and how it can lead to outright sinfulness. Sex was created by God to be experienced by two people in relationship (Adam and Eve). Sex and our sexuality are by nature tied not only to ourselves but to a person or people as the object(s) of our desire. When we engage in sexual behavior alone – whether it be fantasizing or pornography that lead to or accompany masturbation – our minds find it difficult not to wander toward a person to lust after. When we do this, we are entering into the realm of sin.
It is not explicitly stated in the Bible that masturbation, ejaculation, nocturnal emissions (under the Law of Moses, these made a man unclean; Deuteronomy 23:10-11), or orgasming/climaxing are in and of themselves sinful. But lust is sin. And sexual excitement is so closely tied to other people that most fantasize about another person or people to attain sexual excitement, objectifying them as the target of their sexual energy – lust – when they engage in masturbation.
Discerning followers of Christ would be wise to avoid masturbation as we “stay away from every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What do you think about masturbation? How did you develop your viewpoint?
- Why do you think people masturbate? Do you think the reasons are valid or God-honoring?
- We often speak of men when we speak of masturbation. Especially with the availability of pornography, however, more and more women are using pornography and masturbating. Why do you think this topic is usually spoken of in reference to men only?
- If you struggle with lust or pornography and masturbation, what steps can you take to start breaking your bad habit?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
This topic is adapted from the lloydpulley YouTube channel.
