Today we're doing a little bit of question and answer and this question has come up so often in our social life.
* What is wrong with Masturbation?
* Is Masturbation a Sin?
* Will I go to Hell for doing it?
And so let me just first and foremost say that this is a real issue. I struggled with it personally, when i was single before i got married. And so let me just encourage you to tell you that God loves you. He doesn't hate you, you are not going to hell, it is a Real Issue.
And the very fact that you're struggling with it is proof that God is working in you. Now with that being said, the question we want to answer now is,
So, I want to challenge you to ask yourself these six questions before you answer
Question One
Am I Lusting: -
Jesus clearly said in the Bible that, if I look upon a woman and lust for her, have already committed adultery in my heart. So, let's be clear on what lust is, if I'm married, that means I'm imagining myself or fantasizing about someone who's not my wife. If I'm single, that means I'm fantasizing about anyone because I'm not married, and therefore I don't have a spouse.
Question Two
IS Masturbation Leading To Other Forms Of Sexual Sin? :-
One of the ways that Satan tempts both single people and married people is through sexual Boredom. So, if you're single, there is going to come a time where you're going to be bored with fantasizing about it, thinking about it, imagining it, and you are going to want to carry that out, which is going to lead to fornication.
If you are married, it's going to come a point where you're going to be tired of imagining yourself with this other person, and you're going to ultimately want to have an adulterous affair with them.
And if you're married or single, oftentimes masturbation is accompanied with PORNOGRAPHY, the two tend to go together, like brother and sister and the Bible says that each one of us is tempted when we are drawn away by our own lust. In other words, the enemy is watching you to see what you are lusting for, and then using that against you.
So, the question you have to ask yourself is, why would I want to open myself up to be tempted even more in this area of sexual sin?
Question Three
Is This Wise: -
Paul clearly said in the Bible that all things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial or expedient, 1Cor 6:12a. In other words, what he's saying is, there's a lot of things that the Bible doesn't say, this is wrong, or this is a sin. We can smoke crack, we can sniff cocaine, right? We can text while driving. It doesn't even say that if you're single, and you're dating somebody that you can't spend the night with them.
But are any of those things that I just mentioned wise? Will they get us closer to God? And the answer is NO. And I will put MASTURBATION in that same category.
Question Four
Is This Becoming An Addiction In My Life? : -
In other words, is it getting to the point where I can't go very long without doing this? Is it getting to the point where I am being mastered, dominated and controlled by my sexual desire? Is it getting to the point where I do not have the strength or the willpower to resist this particular temptation? You know, masturbation is very deceiving, because on the front end, it promises you relief from your sexual tension, but not realizing that what it actually does is it increases your hunger, thirst and craving for it even more.
Question Five
Am I Being Convicted While I'm Doing This? : -
The book of James 4:17, in the Bible says, "to him who knows to do right and does not do it, TO HIM It is sin. So ask yourself, How do I feel right before I do it? How do I feel when I'm doing it? And then how do I feel immediately after I do it.
Do you feel any remorse at all? then you can be assured that is the Holy Spirit that is convicting you to stop whatever it is you're doing.
Question Six
Is This Becoming A Replacement For Intimacy With My Spouse ? (For the Married)
Sex and marriage are supposed to be a complete and total giving of yourself, and giving pleasure to your spouse. As the Bible says in 1Cor 7:1-5. But masturbation is the exact opposite. It focuses on how I can get my needs met. And if not careful, that mentality will trickle into the bedroom, and it will destroy the intimacy that you may have with your spouse.
In addition, it can actually decrease your desire for your spouse, because now in your mind, you have an easier quicker, and maybe even a better way for you to get your needs met, and to have an outlet for your sexual desires, which then can ultimately reduce or even remove the urgency to work on developing better intimacy in your marriage with your spouse.
In Conclusion
Is masturbation a sin? Well, once again, there is no specific scripture in the Bible that says you cannot touch yourself. So, if you can do it without answering NO to the six questions that I mentioned in this article, then perhaps for you, it is not a Sin. but for most of us it is.
So, I just want to encourage you today if you are wrestling with this issue, that God can give you the self-control, he can give you the ability and the power to overcome it. So, you can experience victory in this area of your life.
