A question that was sent in through the Ask Aaron Anything Link:
Is masturbation a grave sin? I’ve read tons of articles, heard professionals (medical) and friends/people my age that it is “okay” to do so. I am confused because if God’s word said that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, shouldn’t masturbating be also called a sin, since you’re hurting the Holy Spirit and God as well? I said this because…..it’s the only addiction that I have……and I feel so dirty about it…….it’s just wrong….I also asked this because…I read that masturbation is called “self-sex” some few years ago……..Thanks for your time reading this, and God bless.
My Response:
The Scriptures are amazingly silent about this issue, while not shy about all sorts of other sexual situations and perversions. 1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” The bible is continually telling us to flee from, avoid, or not to be a hint of sexual immorality. The question then becomes do I consider masturbation to be in the junk drawer of sexual immorality?
Let me approach it from an angle I feel more confident in and that I do know the bible is clear about, lust. I know that lust is a sin. I also know that most people if not all people who masturbate have sexual fantasies. I know that you are saying that you feel so dirty about it and it is causing you shame. I think that is a good indicator also of what the Holy Spirit maybe showing you. I usually do not attack masturbation, as a rule I try and attack the spirit of lust. I know I risk this verse sounding like a sexual innuendo in using it along side this topic but Ephesians 6:12 says,”For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” I truly believe that most of the time, if not all the time, lust is the root of the act of masturbation. That is what needs to be fought against and then the action may change.
If you are saying is the act sin if it is not tied to lust? Then I can not give you a scripture to say no. I personally have never seen someone who just masturbates and has no lust, that does not mean it is not out there but who knows. If you want to know what I personally think then here you go… Yes, I personally put masturbation in the junk drawer of pornea or sexual immorality but I am not going to create a law and call it scripture. It is not my place. I try and find out the heart or the spirt behind the issue.
My answer to you would be simply look deeper into your heart and ask the Holy Spirit to search you and know you and reveal every area of wickedness. Ask Him to show you the root of this addiction in your life. And I also think that if many people and articles have been telling you it is ok and you still feel shame and conviction then I would not discredit that. I pray for you and I pray that you find freedom in knowing the truth.
Sorry if I did not answer this yes or no. Anybody else want to give their ideas?
Aaron, that was a great answer…I’m with you, my personal take is the same! Though I can’t find a scripture that promotes nor puts masturbation in the sin category, I can find many references that say one’s wife or husband is to be the satisfier of our sexual desires…not self
Matthew,
Well put! I am convinced that root of masturbation is much deeper then the act it’s self and has never promoted oneness in marriage. I have seen many marriages totally effected because of addictions to masturbation. When we get so used to pleasing ourselves then we get to the place where we fall back onto that addiction instead of allowing our spouse to satisfy our sexual desires.
Matt is a dear friend of mine and is a church planter in Austin TX. Check him out online emmausaustin.com
Now that I’ve read this, I now know where to stand. I know that there are some “actions” out there (aside from this) that are on what we called, “the gray area”, where it makes people confused and they just follow what the world says. I hope that a lot of people should be open about this topic because of our generation thinking that masturbating isn’t really sex, and that there’s no harm in it. It is well said by you that there is harm, period, and that’s what the bible says.
very intresting
Interesting.