Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Does Onan Count?”
Categories: MEN & WOMEN, RELATIONSHIPS, SELF
Is masturbation a sin?
Sincerely, Brave Enough To Ask
Dear Brave Enough To Ask,
Self-stimulation is never specifically condemned or even mentioned in the Bible, but that doesn’t make it right. There is only one example that people often use of masturbation in the Bible (Gen 38:9), but that was not really masturbation. The example of Onan still doesn’t tell us much about the subject because he was rebuked, not for the act of masturbation, but for having sex with his brother’s wife, and then spilling his seed on the ground in order to avoid raising children up for his brother (which God had commanded him to do).
I think your question demands two separate answers.
The first question would be “What does the Bible say?”, since we are providing Bible answers to Bible questions. The answer to this question is, “The Bible says nothing about it.”
The second question would be, “Are there any other Bible teachings that would make it wrong?”. Masturbation is the act of stimulating one's self sexually without the use of a partner. The sexual realm was not designed for the individual, but for two committed lifelong partners (1 Cor 7:4-5). Many marriages have been ruined because one or the other spouse seeks sexual satisfaction apart from their marital partner. We should be very wary of any situation where we are attempting to find satisfaction outside of the pattern the Lord has designed.
Furthermore, self-stimulation is almost always connected to mental (i.e. lustful thoughts) and visual (i.e. pornography) fantasizing about the opposite gender. God is very clear in condemning that sort of behavior (Matt 5:28).
The practical problem that generally evokes this question is with a young man who has been unable to find a godly wife. His hormones are going wild, which is according to nature. Now what does such a young man do? There are two things that must be avoided at all costs. First, he must not lust after a specific woman because that is specifically forbidden in God’s word. Secondly, he must avoid pornography at all costs. This always demands lust for a specific woman. Pornography has proven to cause all kinds of sexual problems, not only while a person is doing it but also later in life. Realistically, with those two things in mind, a young man doesn't have much likelihood of masturbating without sinning. It is the overconfident youth that thinks "others would sin, but not me".
In due time, Lord willing, young men will be blessed with godly wives, and until then self-control is their duty in the eyes of God.
