Top 20 Bible Questions #5: Masturbation

Q. Is masturbation a sin, according to the Bible?

A. The question of masturbation has been a curiously loaded topic for as long as my 83 years can remember. Some parents warned their sons that it would cause blindness. Others mentioned the terrible sin of “self abuse” and added guilt to the simple problem of helping a child grow into mature adults with a minimum of such guilt.

The underlying problem has to do with “As a man thinketh, so is he.” If, as a little fellow, you think that playing with yourself is a dreadful sin, and you happen to do that quite often - especially if you have been to the beach and have seen your girlfriend in a tiny bikini - then the problem of your turning into a pervert or a molester of cute little girls is certain to crop up in one form or another.

Some people suggest masturbation is a sin because it is promoted by lustful thoughts. I would suggest that the hankering to get into the pants of your girlfriend as soon as possible comes from the first kiss, an impulse was planted there by God Himself who takes great joy in our desire systems and could care less if the little lady gets pregnant and life gets complicated.

When David looked at Bathsheba and got his pants in an uproar, the outcome was that little Bathsheba got pregnant and David had her husband murdered. Mind you, this was "a man after God’s own heart." Were there consequences of that action? Of course. For all actions, there are consequences.

But to call masturbation a sin makes it a special contention that has little Biblical support. All sin is forever forgiven by the slaying of the LAMB. When was that accomplished? “Before the foundation of the world.” This took care of all sin from every man, from the cave man to present day searchers. Sin is never the question; consequence is.

In a future blog post, I will have much more to say on this matter of the absolute forgiveness of all sin, while holding fast to “what you sow, that shall you reap.”

Good question.