Is Masturbation a Sin?

Pastor J.D. discusses some misconceptions and implications regarding the issue of masturbation. A glimpse inside this episode: A friend of mine named Todd Wagner offered some helpful clarification for what it’s not: The unforgivable sin An unavoidable sin (1 Corinthians 10:13) A single man’s struggle (70% of married people—men and women—struggle with this question) A male problem (89% of women struggle with masturbation) FYI: “Onan’s” sin in Genesis 38 was not the sin of masturbation. What we do know: Lust is sinful. The classic Protestant answer follows a relatively simple syllogism: Lusting after women is a sin. It is difficult to masturbate without looking at or imagining a woman who is not your wife. Ergo, masturbation should be discouraged. But what if I think of something else while I’m masturbating? Not entirely possible–how God wired it. John Piper: “I know there are nocturnal emissions, which I regard as innocent and helpful, but I doubt that they are ever orgasmic apart from a sexual dream that supplies the necessary image in the mind. Evidently God has constituted the connection between sexual orgasm and sexual thought in such a way that the force and pleasure of orgasm is dependent on the thought or images in our minds.” Something else: It can be dangerous because it can be addictive. The physical act of orgasm releases certain chemicals (oxytocin, epinephrine, etc.). It has become a legitimate addiction for many people. We shouldn’t play with it. Hooked—it’s not a Christian book, but a scientific study written by a couple of neurologists showing how sexual stimulation rewires the brain Also, it objectifies the opposite sex and reduces sex to an erotic pleasure What about thinking of my spouse during masturbation? If a woman gives her husband permission to do this—maybe during a long military deployment—this is different, but I would still discourage it. Romans 8:12 says we are not under obligation to our flesh. Don’t be captive. Good news of God’s grace: We shouldn’t beat people up because of their sin. But we shouldn’t indulge their sin either.