How's your heart?

I've heard many people give different opinions on masturbation, but for me it can be taken back to principle -- can you worship God whilst masturbating? I don't think anyone who has an open relationship with God could. Yes, you can worship God whilst having sex -- God created sex, and it can be a spirtual as well as emotional and physical act. But masturbation only involves one individual -- outside of God's design for giving, the focus of masturbation is selfish, my pleasure. And it is often/usually accompanied by lustful thoughts, which are clearly sinful (Matthew 5:28).

God's principles encourage us to give to each other -- the husband's role is to accomodate his wife's needs, and hers is to accomodate his. 1 Corinthians 7:4 describes how marriage partner's respective bodies belonging to each other -- when you masturbate, you're taking something that is your spouse's (your body) and using it soley for yourself and your own pleasure.

The second principle in the case against masturbation is that of mastery. We are not our own, we were bought with a price. We are called to crucify the flesh and our own desires and make them obedient to the thoughts of Christ, by His grace. Those who indulge in masturbation quickly become addicted, and instead of ruling their bodies, their bodies rule them. No longer are they masters of themselves, as stewards of the body God gave them. They are bound in something they find themselves unable to break out of on their own -- that sounds like sin, doesn't it?

Note that I am talking above about mastery, not asceticism. I believe God wants us to have pleasure -- He just doesn't want that pleasure to control us. Indeed, God is on record (in many places, eg. James 1:17) that He has planned good things for us! Sex is a special pleasure God designed to be shared by two people who are in a life-long covenant to each other and to Him.

What about some scriptures?

The first reference to spilling seed in the Bible is in Genesis 38:9. The issue of this story, however, is Onan's refusal to fulfill the godly mandate for his brother's wife, not masturbation. Some people extend this concept to argue that all 'spilling of seed' is wrong (ie. every sexual act should result in the possibility of conception). Personally I remain unconvinced of this, you might want to read my views on birthcontrol to see why :-)

We need to look elsewhere to build a Biblical case (since Onan wasn't masturbating, but rather interrupting sex), so please turn to Colossians 3:5, where we read:

Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (NASB)

167. Akatharsia; from the neg. a, and kathairo (2508), to cleanse. Uncleanness, filth, in a natural or physical sense (Mt. 23:27); moral uncleanness, lewdness, incontinence in general (Rom 6:19; Eph 4:19; 1 Thess 2:3; 4:7); any kind of uncleanness different from whoredom (II Cor 12:21); any unnatural pollution, whether acted out by oneself (Gal. 5:19; Col. 3:5), or with another (Rom. 1:24, cf. vv. 26,27). Deriv.: katharizo (2511), to cleanse.

The phrase I would like to highlight is whether acted out by oneself -- it is pretty clear from the context that Zodhiates is referring to sexual acts. The only sexual act carried out by oneself is masturbation!

You may not feel that the definition applied to akatharsia by Zodhiates in Galations 5:19 and Colossians 3:5 is correct. If so, I have to ask you -- why would God list the same thing twice? Isn't it redundant to say "sex and sex"? I don't believe God would be so frivolous as to "toss in a few extra adjectives to color up the text!" What we see here are three seperate issues, described in Galations 3:5 as "immorality, impurity, sensuality" and in Colossians 3:5 as "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire."

Immorality is porneia (4202), which means fornication (in all forms, including adultery, incest and harlotry), and from which we derive the word 'pornography'. So the first word describes illegal (Biblically) sexual acts with other people.

Impurity is akatharsia, as described above. So the second word describes sexual acts with oneself.

Sensuality is aselgeia (766), which means lasciviousness, wantonness, licentiousness -- big words describing what we would basically call 'flirting' and 'lust' today. So the third word describes acting in sexual ways, either by requesting attention (flirting = "I'm available!") or desiring what is not legally yours to have (lust = "I want you for my gratification").

The area of Biblical interpretation is one that is open to discussion -- that's why we have so many versions (NIV, NASB, KJV, etc) but I would ask you to prayerfully consider both the principles and the scriptures I've outlined above, and to make a commitment to purity.

Maintaining your purity

I think the struggle to stay pure is more than just a character flaw, it is in part the programming of society. Try to drive down the street without seeing some billboard that has a provactive image, or look through a magazine, or view any TV show. Don't even think about watching a movie! :-p

Everywhere we look, there seems to be an agenda to get us to get our eyes off Jesus and onto our own gratification -- it's bigger than just the lust for sex, advertising's goal is always to create a sense of discontent -- you won't be happy, complete, successful, etc until you get this product.

I believe sexual purity is possible. I believe it is possible to live weeks and years without ever having one of "those" thoughts latch on to your mind. I'm not just talking about having to reject them, I'm talking about them not even coming. It's like soil -- we have been brought up to cultivate the soil of our mind in a certain way that leaves us open and vulnerable to these thoughts. But if we re-cultivate it, we can get the soil of our mind to a state where it won't accept the bad seed. Such cultivation takes time. And lots of effort. And we need to guard what we watch, read, think, etc. But it's possible -- God never meant for us to live our lives struggling for sexual purity. That's a lie that satan has foisted on us, and we've bought.

I'm not there yet, but I'm on the way. I don't intend to be a fool, and take unnecessary risks with my good soil. I'm not spending excessive amounts of time alone with a woman in secluded areas, even if I am walking in total purity. Gordon MacDonald said "A strength unguarded is a double-weakness." He said that from experience. One of his friends asked him "What area will you never fall in?" and he answered straight away "Sexual immorality." A year later he had committed adultery. Why? Because he wasn't guarding his strength. He was so strong in that area, he gave himself excessive liberty. And eventually, he just went too far.

I do believe pure soil is possible. Don't settle for struggling all your life -- if the Bible says "flee lust" (2 Tim 2:2; 1 Cor 6:18) it must be possible to get away from it without it catching you! (Otherwise you're not really fleeing, are you? :-p)