Is masturbation a sin?

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Is masturbation a sin in the eyes of God or not? Post a scripture then explain why you choose it.

Matthew 5:27-28 reads 27 “YOU heard that it was said, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to YOU that everyone that keeps on looking at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

I personally find it impossible to do such a thing without having a passion for the opposite sex. This was a “thorn in my flesh” for many years.

[kerwin]

To all,

Is masturbation a form of sexual immorality?

Does it violate the law of love your neighbor as yourself?

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,10:41)

To all, Is masturbation a form of sexual immorality? Does it violate the law of love your neighbor as yourself?

While I agree please post a scripture

[kerwin]

Quote (betweenchristendomandjws @ April 12 2011,09:20)

Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,10:41) To all, Is masturbation a form of sexual immorality? Does it violate the law of love your neighbor as yourself? While I agree please post a scripture

I was asking questions.  The situation is that scripture assumes we know what is and is not sexual immorality and so does not name every kind of sexual immorality by name.  

In addition scripture does not name every violation of the law of love as it expects us to walk by the Spirit and so do all that is right.

Therefore we are left to judge if having sex with ourselves violates the Law of love.  If it does then it is by definition sexual immorality.

The only sex I know that is not a sin is sex between a man and woman who are married to one another.

Scripture does mention a man who spilled his seed on the ground and in doing so he sinned.

If I understand correctly he was showing contempt to his wife by so doing.  In showing contempt for his wife he also showed contempt to God.

None of these specifically state masturbation is a sin.

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,15:24)

Quote (betweenchristendomandjws @ April 12 2011,09:20) Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,10:41) To all, Is masturbation a form of sexual immorality? Does it violate the law of love your neighbor as yourself? While I agree please post a scripture   I was asking questions.  The situation is that scripture assumes we know what is and is not sexual immorality and so does not name every kind of sexual immorality by name.   In addition scripture does not name every violation of the law of love as it expects us to walk by the Spirit and so do all that is right. Therefore we are left to judge if having sex with ourselves violates the Law of love.  If it does then it is by definition sexual immorality. The only sex I know that is not a sin is sex between a man and woman who are married to one another. Scripture does mention a man who spilled his seed on the ground and in doing so he sinned. If I understand correctly he was showing contempt to his wife by so doing.  In showing contempt for his wife he also showed contempt to God. None of these specifically state masturbation is a sin.

That's why it's called INFERENCE Great points but scripture please

[Wispring]

Hi betweenchristendomandjws,
  Your quote is about adultery and your asking about masturbation. Two different things. Jesus never addressed masturbation directly. I did find this sripture.

Quote

Leviticus 15:16 (King James Version) 16And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.

  Read all of Leviticus to get a broader overview if you like. My understanding is that masturbation makes one ceremoniously unclean. Clean yourself and anything your seed fell upon and by evening you are once again clean. It appears to be spiritual and hygiene issue simultaneously. I researched awhile on the internet about this issue. Depending on who you ask you get it is a sin all the time. It is a sin some of the time. It is never a sin. Why? Interpretations and understandings of scripture my freind. My understanding is in light of biological knowledge awareness. God want us to go forth and multiply. God created us with biological functions. We have hormones, pheremones and other biological triggers for sexual activity. My understanding is if masturbation does not become an obsessive activity that lures you away from doing God's will it is a natural activity of the flesh. This is probably popularly known as the “Relieving Stress” argument. Jesus Christ delivered us from sin. Jesus's life is depicted as a celibant male. He doesn't talk about his teenage years when hormone activity would have been at it highest level in the male and how he dealt with it. Sin means missing the mark. I go with the “some of the time” school of thought. God is merciful and forgiving if you believe you have sinned ask God for forgiveness and guidance. God in his infinite wisdom must have known folks would masturbate. God tells it like it is and tells us how to “clean up”. Like a good understanding Father.

                                            With Love and Respect,
                                                       Wispring

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (Wispring @ April 12 2011,16:00)

Hi betweenchristendomandjws,   Your quote is about adultery and your asking about masturbation. Two different things. Jesus never addressed masturbation directly. I did find this sripture. Quote Leviticus 15:16 (King James Version) 16And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall wash all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even.   Read all of Leviticus to get a broader overview if you like. My understanding is that masturbation makes one ceremoniously unclean. Clean yourself and anything your seed fell upon and by evening you are once again clean. It appears to be spiritual and hygiene issue simultaneously. I researched awhile on the internet about this issue. Depending on who you ask you get it is a sin all the time. It is a sin some of the time. It is never a sin. Why? Interpretations and understandings of scripture my freind. My understanding is in light of biological knowledge awareness. God want us to go forth and multiply. God created us with biological functions. We have hormones, pheremones and other biological triggers for sexual activity. My understanding is if masturbation does not become an obsessive activity that lures you away from doing God's will it is a natural activity of the flesh. This is probably popularly known as the “Relieving Stress” argument. Jesus Christ delivered us from sin. Jesus's life is depicted as a celibant male. He doesn't talk about his teenage years when hormone activity would have been at it highest level in the male and how he dealt with it. Sin means missing the mark. I go with the “some of the time” school of thought. God is merciful and forgiving if you believe you have sinned ask God for forgiveness and guidance. God in his infinite wisdom must have known folks would masturbate. God tells it like it is and tells us how to “clean up”. Like a good understanding Father.                                             With Love and Respect,                                                        Wispring

I did read the whole entire book of levitus but it's been months since I read that book. Your scripture is unforunately encouraging me to sin IMO. I posted the scripture because Jesus goes on to say whoever has a passion for a woman has committed adultery in his heart. That's how I felt and still feel before, during and after the act.

[Wispring]

Hi betweenchristendomandjws,

No. You are encouraging yourself to masturbate and you are encouraging yourself to believe it is sinful. God gives you the power to do that. If you believe masturbating seperates you from God then to you it is a sin. Jesus said “Sin no more.” Read my last post again slowly. I do not encourage you to sin. I do encourage you to seek wisdom from you Father in heaven. I do encourage you to trust what God tells you in your heart. I do encourage you to go by what God gives you to understand. Did you read Leviticus before you posted? Did you seek guidance from God before you posted? Are you looking for a one scripture answer to your question? Look, without God-given self-control lust can lead to sin. One of the ways is adultery. Another is rape. Another is murder. Do you understand this much? If you are married and are having lustful thoughts of a woman who is not your wife this is the adultery that Jesus is talking about. Adultery is extra-maritel sex. A societal problem since the dawn of civilization. I am going to encourage you to google the word adultery and educate yourself. I hope this post guides you to walk in God's ways.

                       With Love and Respect,
                              Wispring

[kerwin]

Betweenchristendomandjws,

Quote

James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Genesis 38 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also. Leviticus 20:11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Leviticus 20:15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal. Leviticus 20:16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Exodus 22 16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. Leviticus 19:20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. Deuteronomy 22 23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you. 25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her. Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Here are some scriptures to mediate on.  Be sure to interpret them by the Spirit of Love.  The passages are dots you need to connect with the guidance of God.  Jesus spoke the truth when he taught us to “Ask, Seek, and Knock”.

Note: All Scriptures from NIV, c.2011.

[kerwin]

Betweenchristendomandjws,

I believe you are asking the wrong question though the one you asked apealed to my intellectual side.

I hope the question wish to ask is “how do I stop sinning”.

To do that you must believe what God promises and follow all of Jesus teachings.

One step is to have a have a broken spirit and a contrite heart and your reaction to the sins you commit can bring you to that state of being poor is spirit.

[Tim Kraft]

Note to all: In Matt. 5 the disertation Jesus gave on the mount. was split in its intention, in my view. He gave the words of truth to the non-jewish, new converts in attendance and then in verse ten he warns them of the persecution that will come(from the Jews) for righteousness sake(or because they were taught righteousness and peace with God) Blessed when (men) revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you, falsley, for my sake(or because of what I am saying).

V:12…rejoice and be glad… for so persecuted they(the Jews) the prophets which were before you. Jesus was teaching the new way to new converts and making reference to the old way of the Jews/laws. As Jesus continued he often refered to “those in or under the law” (Jews) and what it really would mean if they took the law literally or to its full saturation point. In other words, If you believe in the law of “not killing” you could not even think in your heart against somebody. It would be the same severance or division of life, from one to the other. In other words, you cannot possibly follow that law to its fullest.

The same with adultery. His comparison was to try to get them to see that to follow that as a law you could not even look on a woman with lust…. In other words, its impossoble. Masturbation is not a sin! Sex is not a sin! Man has made it a sin! Sex is a completely natural function which is a wonderful gift of God for intimacy between two or just fun. If one takes sex to its fullest completion, if left natural, it will produce offspring. Then there is great parental responsibility. Some of the wildest doctrines in the world come from sex related ideas. Making women cover themselves and look pitiful so the man can do what he will. Its all man made hogwash.

Also IMO, there is truly only one adultery. There is only one true marrage. There is one true divorce. God hates the one true divorce. When a human being(the bridegroom) accepts unto himself the holy spirit(bride of Christ) in union together(marriage), the two are made one by God. Let not any man cause that union to separate from God. This is the only holy matrimony.

If you look closely at the scriptures you find that Adam and Eve were never married. Woman was taken from man and Adam then said, this is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh….et.al.! Marriage was a man made event from the beginning. Men took women as wives(underlings) and in many cases, many wives, but there is only one “Holy Matrimony”! Once joined to Christ let no man tear assunder(or separate). Sin separates man from union with God. Thank God, Jesus washed us clean from sin and death. IMO, TK

[kerwin]

To all,

Do not be the person described here

John 3

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

Or here.

2 Timothy 3

2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6 They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7 always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9 But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

If you are then this scripture will also be true of you.

2 Timothy 4

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

Therefore watch your doctrine and life to insure they are in line with the truth of the Anointed.

[Wispring]

Hi Tim,

Quote

Also IMO, there is truly only one adultery. There is only one true marrage. There is one true divorce. God hates the one true divorce. When a human being(the bridegroom) accepts unto himself the holy spirit(bride of Christ) in union together(marriage), the two are made one by God. Let not any man cause that union to separate from God. This is the only holy matrimony.

Here you are saying the holy spirit is the bride of Christ. While I don't argue that the relationship between the holy spirit and Christ Jesus could be depicted as a marriage. The scripture most use to discern who/what the bride of Christ is is this.

Quote

Revelation 21:9-10 (King James Version) 9And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

  Here is a link to a discussion about the bride of Christ.
Bride of Christ doctrine discussion
  Gene, I think you will appreciate the views discussed in this discussion.

                                                With Love and Respect,
                                                         Wispring

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (Wispring @ April 12 2011,18:18)

Hi betweenchristendomandjws, No. You are encouraging yourself to masturbate and you are encouraging yourself to believe it is sinful. God gives you the power to do that. If you believe masturbating seperates you from God then to you it is a sin. Jesus said “Sin no more.” Read my last post again slowly. I do not encourage you to sin. I do encourage you to seek wisdom from you Father in heaven. I do encourage you to trust what God tells you in your heart. I do encourage you to go by what God gives you to understand. Did you read Leviticus before you posted? Did you seek guidance from God before you posted? Are you looking for a one scripture answer to your question? Look, without God-given self-control lust can lead to sin. One of the ways is adultery. Another is rape. Another is murder. Do you understand this much? If you are married and are having lustful thoughts of a woman who is not your wife this is the adultery that Jesus is talking about. Adultery is extra-maritel sex. A societal problem since the dawn of civilization. I am going to encourage you to google the word adultery and educate yourself. I hope this post guides you to walk in God's ways.                        With Love and Respect,                               Wispring

I honestly don't believe i'll be unfaithful to my GF(when I get one) let alone my wife. I know what adultery is and I know what lust is. I was going by the scripture you posted. It basically said I was unclean for only one night after I “spilled my seed”. That's encouraging but encouraging for the wrong reasons. This thorn is mainly because I don't have a GF and I know I can't do that thing until marriage but i'm not going to turn into a Catholic leader or Cult leader and rape children.

Anyway that's my 2 cents.

BC&JW

[mikeboll64]

Quote (Wispring @ April 12 2011,01:18)

If you believe masturbating seperates you from God then to you it is a sin.

1 Cor 8
7 Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

What's worse, eating something sacrificed to an idol, or relieving sexual tension in a harmless way?  I agree with Wispring…………..if you're “feeling” it is a sin against God, then don't do it.

But IMO, it is better to release that pressure in a way that harms no one else than it is to have sexual thoughts about every girl that walks by……………and maybe eventually even act on those fleshly desires and actually commit adultery.

In my view, it's better to release the tension than to view every girl walking by in the way that Jesus condemned.

mike

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (mikeboll64 @ April 13 2011,14:23)

Quote (Wispring @ April 12 2011,01:18) If you believe masturbating seperates you from God then to you it is a sin. 1 Cor 8 7 Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. What's worse, eating something sacrificed to an idol, or relieving sexual tension in a harmless way?  I agree with Wispring…………..if you're “feeling” it is a sin against God, then don't do it. But IMO, it is better to release that pressure in a way that harms no one else than it is to have sexual thoughts about every girl that walks by……………and maybe eventually even act on those fleshly desires and actually commit adultery. In my view, it's better to release the tension than to view every girl walking by in the way that Jesus condemned. mike

I told of that long before you posted this, but I still view almost every girl I see like that, until they curse a lot or smoke etc. Then I think about the future with unplanned prenancies and me not going to my kingdom hall and me not reading scripture anymore because i'm distracted by an unbelieving girl etc. That's my thoughts on the matter this topic has definitely been answered and although don't need to be opened any longer I would prefer other opinions.

BC&JW

[kerwin]

Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,15:36)

Betweenchristendomandjws, Quote James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Genesis 38 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also. Leviticus 20:11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Leviticus 20:15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal. Leviticus 20:16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Exodus 22 16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. Leviticus 19:20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. Deuteronomy 22 23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you. 25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her. Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Here are some scriptures to mediate on.  Be sure to interpret them by the Spirit of Love.  The passages are dots you need to connect with the guidance of God.  Jesus spoke the truth when he taught us to “Ask, Seek, and Knock”. Note: All Scriptures from NIV, c.2011.

Betweenchristendomandjws,

Do you believe Jesus masturbated to relieve his sexual tension?

I also wanted to know what you understand sexual immorality to mean.

[betweenchristendomandjws]

Quote (kerwin @ April 13 2011,14:58)

Quote (kerwin @ April 12 2011,15:36) Betweenchristendomandjws, Quote James 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Genesis 38 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also. Leviticus 20:11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Leviticus 20:10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. Leviticus 20:15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal. Leviticus 20:16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. Exodus 22 16 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. Leviticus 19:20 “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. Deuteronomy 22 23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you. 25 But if out in the country a man happens to meet a young woman pledged to be married and rapes her, only the man who has done this shall die. 26 Do nothing to the woman; she has committed no sin deserving death. This case is like that of someone who attacks and murders a neighbor, 27 for the man found the young woman out in the country, and though the betrothed woman screamed, there was no one to rescue her. Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Here are some scriptures to mediate on.  Be sure to interpret them by the Spirit of Love.  The passages are dots you need to connect with the guidance of God.  Jesus spoke the truth when he taught us to “Ask, Seek, and Knock”. Note: All Scriptures from NIV, c.2011. Betweenchristendomandjws, Do you believe Jesus masturbated to relieve his sexual tension? I also wanted to know what you understand sexual immorality to mean.

I don't believe Jesus masturbated and I believe sexual immortality to be any sexual act or thought outside of marriage. The physical thing is pretty easy when i'm out and about. the thought thing(i'm in my 20's) is near impossible especially before I go to sleep. I guess i'm weak

[kerwin]

betweenchristendomandjws,

You wrote:

Quote

I don't believe Jesus masturbated and I believe sexual immortality to be any sexual act or thought outside of marriage. The physical thing is pretty easy when i'm out and about. the thought thing(i'm in my 20's) is near impossible especially before I go to sleep. I guess i'm weak

I aplaud you for being honest enough that you admit it is a sin and that you are bound to it.  That is part of the learning to repent for your wrongdoing.

You are weak as am I.   Knowing that and that God is strong will train you to submit your will to his.  You really must learn to hate your sin though not yourself.  That will lead to having godly sorrow.  Once you have goddlly sorrow your desire to change your ways will lead you to call to God and persist in calling and at just the right time he will answer you.

Seek God's righteousness and kingdom as Jesus teaches us.

[Proclaimer]

Quote (Wispring @ April 12 2011,16:00)

Read all of Leviticus to get a broader overview if you like. My understanding is that masturbation makes one ceremoniously unclean. Clean yourself and anything your seed fell upon and by evening you are once again clean. It appears to be spiritual and hygiene issue simultaneously. I researched awhile on the internet about this issue. Depending on who you ask you get it is a sin all the time. It is a sin some of the time. It is never a sin. Why? Interpretations and understandings of scripture my freind. My understanding is in light of biological knowledge awareness. God want us to go forth and multiply. God created us with biological functions. We have hormones, pheremones and other biological triggers for sexual activity. My understanding is if masturbation does not become an obsessive activity that lures you away from doing God's will it is a natural activity of the flesh. This is probably popularly known as the “Relieving Stress” argument. Jesus Christ delivered us from sin. Jesus's life is depicted as a celibant male. He doesn't talk about his teenage years when hormone activity would have been at it highest level in the male and how he dealt with it. Sin means missing the mark. I go with the “some of the time” school of thought. God is merciful and forgiving if you believe you have sinned ask God for forgiveness and guidance. God in his infinite wisdom must have known folks would masturbate. God tells it like it is and tells us how to “clean up”. Like a good understanding Father.                                            With Love and Respect,                                                       Wispring

Good post. I would like to add a few more things.

Menstruating also makes one unclean and that is not a sin I would think.

The example in scripture of a person who spilled his seed to avoid impregnating a woman resulted in God's wrath, but the reason was more to do with disobeying God than the actual act.

Yes it is wrong to lust after a woman that is not your wife and masturbation is not mentioned as a specific sin. So what is the truth. Does it lie between these 2 points?

Just a side note. Some researchers at least theorize, frequent sex (or masturbation if you are single) helps drain the prostate of fluids that may contain cancer-causing substances.

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