Hello viewers, it seems that my topical study on self-gratification was mysteriously deleted some time ago. Well, I'm finally getting around to remaking it, fortunately I had a paper copy in my personal binders. Well, what follows is the article that was deleted plus a few additions (seen in blue). With that said here is the article that I am republishing.
I recently came across an interesting video series on one of my subscribed youtube channels that dealt with the issue of masturbation. So for this article I have decided to basically go over much of the information that i have learned from there in order to help any fellow believers who may be struggling in this area of there lives. I give all credit for this information to the reference below. With that being said let's get into it.
I suppose that this topic isn't that widely addressed in Christian circles because it seems to be a taboo subject, and yet many believers want to know is masturbation a sin. The reason why no one wants to talk about it undoubtedly is because of embarrassment. There are at least two points of view when it comes to this subject and therefore this article is divided into two basic sections. They are a case for concession and why choose abstinence. Let's go over the former first, why might it be okay in some circumstances to masturbate.
A Case for Concession
The first argument for concession is the argument from silence, the bible doesn't say anything about masturbation; the word itself isn't there nor is there an example of it being done at all. The Catholic church misused the verse in Gen 38:9 to support a complete ban on contraception. However this verse isn't about masturbation at all, God killed Onan for not wanting to give his brother any children (Matt 22:24-28(in my opinion). Back in the old days children were a kind of honor and security to widows, they would take care of them when they got old. Spilling one's seed in and of itself isn't a sin since sperm arn't considered human life by God.
This is because if they were each time a couple attempted pregnancy they would be killing 20 to 100 million sperm, human life begins at conception. The truth is when it comes to moral issues God almost always has a two part response of either it's right or it's wrong, it's good or bad. In the case of marriage however there is God's best for us which is life long monogamous marriage, then there the worst case scenario of Fornication which must be avoided no matter what. But then there is a concessionary point of neither best nor worst which is divorce (Mat 5:31-32, Mat 19:3-9). However God's perfect will for us is to not get divorced (Mal 2:16). Is it possible that masturbation could be a permissible also under very limited circumstances?
Let's take a moment to discuss the human sex drive. It has three main attributes. It is universal in that nearly every living thing has it. It is good in that God designed it, and it is strong. So strong in fact that it can be quite overwhelming. Why does our sex drive have to be so strong? It has to be. It has to be strong enough to compel men and women to search for a mate. It also has to compel men to overcome their fear of rejection, and for women the fear of being raped.
It also has to over come the difficulties of relationships such as the costs and stress of having children, the in-laws, self-sacrifice in keeping each other happy, arguments, the chance of adultery, and the possibility of divorce.
As you probably know the longer a man goes without sex the semen gets built up in his body and that there is no natural release valve for this sexual pressure. That is unless you count the possibility of nocturnal emissions, otherwise known as "wet dreams". If he doesn't release this pressure then eventually he gets into what I'll call the red zone. It can be difficult for a young adult to function in polite society while he is in this state, especially considering how in America temptation is everywhere; in movies, magazines, fashion, the internet, etc. If a man wants to be chaste in the USA he not only has to overcome his own urges but outside influences as well.
This "red zone" could also be considered the "danger zone" for sexual mistakes. Our sex drive can be so strong that it can be dangerous to let it stay there for too long. It's power increases the more that it is neglected. This is evident through 1 Cor 7:1-5. Therefore it stands to reason that sin e ignoring the sexual impulse strengthens it and staying in the red zone is dangerous then it needs to be managed in some way. There is sort of this lust paradox where if you masturbate your likely to commit the sin of lust (Mat 5:27-28) but if you don't you'll enter the red zone which will make you more likely to be tempted, lose control, and have lustful thoughts It seems like a no win situation.
(I Justin would just like to mention 1 Cor 10:13 at this point because it seems relevant
It's about God not suffering you to be tempted above that ye are able).
But what if someone did it without looking with lusts, and not to indulge the lust but instead just to expel the semen in order to lower the urge? Would that be a sin in light of 1 Cor 10:31? If his sex impulse is causeing him to stumble with his eyes or mind, if it's causieng him to be distracted, if it's getting harder to control, if uninvited sexual thoughts are flashing through his mind, then is there a sase to say that he should go ahead and masturbate?
It's at least conceivable that it can be done in a God honoring way because of the lust paradox. Since this issue seems like a gray area why not practice complete abstinence to stay on the safe side? The problem is there is none (see Catholic clergy section below).
Prolonged Singleness
This probably wasn't as much of an issue in the past. Why do I say that? For most of human history people got married relatively young (mid to late teens). In the last 100 years or so people have been putting off marriage until their late 20's, 30's, and 40's. This may be primarily because sexual promiscuity has been much more acceptable in society, making marriage less needful or urgent. Thankfully most Christians still get married young.
One reason however why some Christians don't get married wen they are young is because of the disproportionate female (61%) to male (39%) ratio of Christians in American churches. It's a sad fact that good Christian men are becoming harder to find, this has caused some to look outside of the faith for a partner. It is this prolonged singleness which makes the topic of masturbation so important for today.
The bible tells us not to be a slave to anything (1 Cor 6:12-20). Just like being a slave to food is gluttony and being a slave to rest is sloth, so also being a slave to sex/masturbation is wrong too. What does enslavement look like? If you do it every time the urge hits you, if it's under compulsion, if you can't stop, if you can' say no to yourself, if your doing it daily, etc. The same could be said about coffee or sugar as well though. However if someone is only doing it once a month or once every two months can that really be called enslavement?
Catholic Clergy
Just like ignoring food and sleep, ignoring your sex drive causes it to grow and can overwhelm you. Let's take the Roman Catholic clergy for example. They are perhaps the most well known group that attempts complete abstinence from sex. They are also one of the most infamous groups for there pedophile scandals too. It seems that their sex drive not only grows stronger the more they suppress it but it gets more depraved as well. Not everyone is cut out for the celibate life (1 Cor 7:7-9).
I (Justin) would just like to add that perhaps the reason why Catholic priests cannot control themselves is because most of them probably lack the indwelling of the holy Spirit. One of the fruits of the Spirit is temperance.
Health Studies
To end the case for concession I just want to point to some scientific studies that point out the supposed health benefits of moderate masturbation. For men it supposedly reduces the risk of prostate cancer and boost the immune system. For women it can relieve UTI's and make cervical infections less likely. It is also said to give someone greater résistance to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. For both sexes it can treat insomnia and incontinence. The argument would then follow that since the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), why would moderate masturbation be good for you?
Why Choose Abstinence?
Now that we have given the case for concession the fairest hearing possible, now let's go over why abstinence might be the best option.
So I mentioned before how our sex drive has to be strong in order to overcome all the fears and risk of pursuing a relationship. I think now is the appropriate time to mention sexual transmutation. This is when you take sexual energy and turn it into some other type of drive, motivation, or energy. It is the man's sex drive that compels him to do many difficult things to get the lady. It is the source of much chivalry, character development, spent energy, courage, and healthy habits. As a result of this he becomes more industrious, healthy and charming too. Now if he masturbates, although he doesn't have to do all that hard stuff to get the gal; he still is missing out on all that opportunity to improve himself and lessens the chance of him finding a relationship. He loses his motivation.
He is undermining the very reason he has his sex drive in the first place. yes, masturbation ay keep us from the worst case scenario of fornication, however it also can keep us from God's best for us which is marriage.
The Problem of Anhedonia
It is the chemical in the brain called dopamine that motivates us to seek rewards in the anticipation that it will feel good. If you masturbate too often for too long it can flood the brain with dopamine which will diminish the amount of dopamine receptors in the brain. This can lead to a condition known as anhedonia. Anhedonia is the inability to feel pleasure in normally pleasurable activities. Drugs and Sugar can cause this too. There was a science experiment where they turned off the dopamine receptors in the brains of rats. They ended up starving to death as the result of being to unmotivated to eat or drink, because it didn't give them any pleasure.
Here is a list of some of the effects of Anhedonia; Fatigue, Insomnia, Mood Swings, Memory Loss, Social Anxiety, Low Libido, Inability to Focus, Depression, Less motivated to go after Goals, Laziness.
There's this thing called the Coolidge effect- it states as long as the brain experiences novelty it will keep dopamine levels high. Tis is why adulteries are so enticing, but if you leave your spouse for the new partner you will eventually feel the same way about them as you did your spouse. This is why marriages won't cause Anhedonia; once the novelty wears off the couple, they will start have a more balanced frequency of sex that won't damage their dopamine receptors. A married couple will have limited dopamine because they have to wait on their partner, sex lasts an average of 7-13 minutes, and their is only one spouse. Whereas with masturbation there is a potentially unlimited amount of dopamine because you can do it anytime, for hours, with unlimited novelty.
Masturbation interrupts the intimacy cycle, which causes men not to pursue the woman and therefore the women doesn't want to have sex. This can lead to a sexless marriage. See Pro 27:7.
The Porn Industry
A compulsive masturbator will need harder porn to get the same levels of arousal, they will think normal women and scenarios as boring. Many people think that indulging in pleasure leads to happiness (hedonism), however overtime this will lead to a numbed pleasure response which increases dissatisfaction and causes despair.
Because Matt 5:28 we know that pornography is a sin. For the viewer it causes Anhedonia, ED, and increased depravity. Thanks or rather no thanks to the internet, porn is now more widespread, depraved, and accessible than ever before. The truth is the porn industry exploits women who are desperate for money. Not only that but many women in porn video's are the result of sex trafficking and you have no way of knowing who isn't a sex slave. Many women in the porn industry lie about loving their job because of fear of losing their income. sadly, porn stars are exposed to STD's frequently and the women are known to use drugs to cope with the emotional or physical pain of their profession; as porn has become increasingly more violent over time.
"No Fap"
Although I'm not saying God can't miraculously heal you, it runs out Anhedonia can be cured by being abstinent for 2-5 months on average. There is a relatively large movement our there called "no fap". The main goal of the adherents of this group is to be free from the addiction of PMO. That is Porn, Masturbation, and Orgasm. They are encouraged to give their brain a reboot by going 3 months cold turkey. I have heard some pretty amazing testimonies concerning this.
In the 60's or 70's there was this test called the marshmallow test. It went like this. Some kids were put in a room and given one marshmallow, they were told if they went fifteen minutes without eating the marshmallow they would get another. It turns out that in the 90's they found out the those kids that exercised self control got better grades in school, higher paying jobs, less drug problems, obesity, and divorces, etc. The lesson here is that self control is necessary in order to live a life to the fullest.
Rat Park
A great way to look at masturbation is thus. We are not giving up something (masturbation) but rather preparing ourselves to receive something way better later on. However some people don't believe they will find a mate. They think they should just go ahead and eat the marshmallow because there isn't a bunch down the road. They may be masturbating not because of their sex drive but rather as a coping mechanism for inner turmoil such as stress, depression, disappointment, anxiety, hopelessness, etc.
There was an experiment done by Bruce Alexander in 1978 called rat park. They left a rat alone in a cage with two water bottles, the one laced with drugs. The rat almost always drank the drug water and expired relatively quickly. Then they put a bunch of rats together in a paradise cage where all their needs were met and it turns out the rats almost never drank from the drug water. It's the same with people; they turn to drugs, sugar, and sex when their deeper needs aren't being met. This just makes their problems wors though through Anhedonia.
How do you end this cycle? 1. Do the no fap reboot 2. Use Sexual Transmutation 3. Keep your eyes on future goals 4. Start now when it's rough.
Some Statistics
Here are some alarming statistics to show why this issue is so important today.
- 56% of women under 25 actively seek out porn and 27% over 25.
- 81% of men under 25 actively seek out porn while 65% over 25 do.
- 54% of Pastors admit to viewing porn in just the previous year.
- Blazing Grace Church 25% of men admit to viewing porn in the last month, 44% in the last 6 months. 61% in the previous year.
- The most optimistic site my source could find was from Pure Life Ministries which claims 33-50% of Christians may be viewing porn.
Why Abstinence Instead of Concession
Here are Five reasons why I believe complete abstinence is better than concession.
1. It can be a doorway to addiction. In other words it's like a bag of chips, bettcha can't have just one. 2. If your conscience tells you it's wrong regardless of whether or not it is acceptable, for you it's a sin (Rom 14:14). 3. Even though Gal 5:19, Eph 5:3, and 1 Thes 4:3-5 might not be talking about masturbation, we can't rule it out. 4. It may hurt your future sexual experiences with your spouse. 5. You might miss subtle cues from girls that might like you.
Interesting verses: 2 Sam 22:21, Psa 18:20, 18:24, 24:4, Job 17:9, 22:30, 31:7, Mat 5:28-30, 1Tim 2:8, 2Tim 3:3, Jam 4:8.
What about Marriage and Masturbation
A close sister in the Lord roughly told me that sex could be considered a symbol of the rapture. Therefore to masturbate apart from your spouse is demonstrating through your flesh that the church could experience bliss or joy apart from Christ. This kinda makes sense. Now it is my personal conviction that mutual masturbation between a husband and wife isn't a sin.
According to my source however masturbation wouldn't be a sin if it brings your marriage closer together, but it would be a sin if it pushed you further apart. You obviously could only think of your spouse while doing it as well. he gave such examples as 1. What if a spouse were away from home for many months out of the year in the military, 2. If they were very sick from a major accident for extended period of time, 3. and if they were defrauded you for perhaps months or years for whatever reason and you did all that you could do to fix the reason why. Then it would be okay to masturbate.
I definitely empathize with people who are going through such situations.
In conclusion let's recap the five absolute statements 1. Marriage is God's best for us. 2. Fornication should be avoided no matter what. 3. In your conscience says it's wrong then for you it's wrong. 4. Addiction to masturbation is sin. 5 Porn is sin.
I believe if your unmarried then you should strive for abstinence as much as possible. However even many of the No Fap testimonials we see more of a concessionary position as what they are doing isn't complete abstinence but rather going long periods of time without masturbation, doing it, then going long periods again. Although I'm not going to say that masturbation is a sin under every circumstance (aka when done with your spouse), I think that the best verse to finish this article is Gal 5:22-23. It shows us that temperance is the fruit of the Spirit. Webster's 1828 dictionary defines it as moderation whereas Strongs' Hebrew and Greek dictionary define it as self-control, especially continence. If you have an opinion that's different from mine that's ok, please leave a comment in the section below.
Reference Youtube Video Series: The "M" Word, Christianity, Masturbation, and Porn by the Fuel Project.
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