Many men ask Me, “is masturbation a sin?” However, I don’t come from a religious household, so I had to do some research. Although, I found some fascinating results. To get to the bottom of this, I read through countless bible verses and consulted My personal friend Finn Johnson, who happens to be an expert on Bible verses about sexuality. Johnson is a classicist with years of experience translating passages involving biblical sexuality. This insightful article will let you decide for yourself whether or not masturbation is a sin. If you are addicted to masturbation, that is a sin.
Why do Many Men think that Masturbation is a Sin?
Often, men confess guilty sensations to Me after they masturbate and reach orgasm. This guilt results from the church teaching men that masturbation is a sin. Your parents may have told you that you’ll go blind from playing with your phallus. Perhaps they said that you’d get hairy palms from touching your penis. Parents often try to convince their children that masturbation is a sin.
Therefore, people use these quotes in the arguments as to whether or not masturbation is considered a sin.
“If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” (Matthew 5:27–30)
Well, I could certainly see how someone could masturbate with their right hand. But aren’t there many other ways a man could use his right hand to sin? I seriously doubt that this verse is specifically referring to a man masturbating. This connection seems like a bit of a stretch to Me.
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” (Corinthians 6:18)
This quote, I think, is good life advice. First, you should flee from immoral and unethical sexual encounters. Raping people is terrible. Sexually assaulting people is terrible. However, those who commit or are victims of sexual sins will experience a different pain that resonates deep within their bodies. Consent is important. Those who engage in sexual intimacy with others must learn communication and consent to avoid sin.
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” (Peter 2:11)
Okay, this quote makes sense to Me. BUT I don’t see how it refers to masturbation. This quote advises you to abstain from sinful desires, but it doesn’t say masturbation is a sin.
The ONLY Bible Quote about Masturbation being a sin… isn’t
This quote below is the ONLY legitimate quote from the bible related to masturbation… kind of?
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
Genesis 38
This is the quote I see used most often to define masturbation as a sin. I am sure you have heard of the sin of “spilling the seed on the ground.” People try to say this is about masturbation, and men should only expel that semen inside a woman’s vagina. The ONLY reason this instance of the seed being spilled on the ground is a sin is that God commanded Onan to impregnate his brother’s wife. Rather than impregnate her, Onan pulled out before ejaculation, preventing fertilization. The ONLY reason this was a sin was that God directly commanded him to impregnate her, which he purposefully failed to do. This story has NOTHING to do with masturbation. It hardly relates to sex. While the focus of the story is on sex, the moral of the story is to obey God’s commands. Of course, it would be a sin to obey a direct order from God. If God directly ordered him to build a boat and then Onan built a table, that would also be a sin. Nothing about this story says that masturbation is or is not a sin.
How to NOT Sin while you Masturbate
First, let’s observe the dictionary definition of the word “sin.”
Sin – an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law
I researched the Ten Commandments, which I believe are the “divine laws” mentioned above. First, see below if you are sinning when you masturbate. Then, change your behaviors to stop your sinning.
1 “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any gods before Me.”
Easy, all you need to do is NOT worship another god while you’re masturbating.
2 “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
This one is a little more challenging. Don’t yell out “HOLY SHIT” when it feels too good. Don’t scream “OH MY GOD” when you cum, and you should be fine. Maybe try to stay silent the entire time, so you don’t let something blasphemous slip out of your mouth.
3 “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
Okay, so you probably shouldn’t masturbate on the Sabbath. That might be a sin. Don’t do that. But, you should be good to masturbate during the other six days of the week without sinning. Just keep an eye on the calendar, and you should be fine. Masturbation on Monday isn’t a sin.
4 “Honor thy father and mother.”
DO NOT go jerk off in your parent’s bed. That isn’t polite. Honor your father and mother by ONLY masturbating when you have privacy. On that note, you should probably call your mother. If you masturbate INSTEAD of calling your mother, that’s not nice. Honor your parents, and don’t put your masturbation ahead of them.
5 “Thou shalt not kill.”
This one is difficult, I know. But DO NOT kill anybody or any animals while masturbating, or it IS a SIN.
Sounds easy not to sin while you masturbate, right?
6 “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
The dictionary definition of adultery is “voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.” So again, you’re going to have to use your willpower here. DO NOT have sex with someone else’s wife while you are masturbating. You probably shouldn’t masturbate with someone else’s wife. You could masturbate with your wife! If you aren’t married, make sure you are alone when you masturbate, and you should be fine. To Me, masturbation sounds like an excellent alternative to the sin of adultery.
7 “Thou shalt not steal.”
Okay, this one is serious. Sometimes, men watch pornography when they masturbate. Often, this pornography is pirated material. Pirated porn is pornographic material that someone stole from the owner and shared elsewhere for free. People work hard to make erotic content and often make an entire career out of it. When you STEAL their material, you are committing a sin while you are masturbating. You could go to hell for this! Either jerk off without erotic material or pay for your erotic material directly to avoid theft. An alternative to this is finding free material posted consensually by the model for you to enjoy.
8 “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
Don’t lie and masturbate at the same time. Be honest with yourself and other people regarding your masturbation habits to avoid sin. If you get caught masturbating, be honest about it! Don’t lie to anybody when you masturbate, and you won’t sin!
Now, on to how NOT to covet while you jerk off…
Covet – yearn to possess or have (something).
9 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
Resisting the urge to covet is a challenging one when it comes to masturbation and sin. First, make sure that you aren’t masturbating while coveting someone else’s wife. Many women who produce porn are happily single. However, if someone’s wife produces porn, you may watch it. HOWEVER, it would be best if you mind your manners. Keep your head straight while you are masturbating so that you don’t accidentally sin.
DO NOT envision yourself having sexual intercourse with the model you are masturbating while watching. Remember, she is not and never will be your wife. Do not wish she was your wife. On that note, please DO NOT compare your wife to her in any way. Honor your wife and honor the woman before you. Respect that she is married to someone else while you watch her. Enjoy the erotic visuals without inserting yourself into the fantasy scenario. If you are unable to masturbate this way, try masturbating without porn to avoid sin.
10 “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”
This is easy too. Just don’t envy ANYTHING while you masturbate, or it is a SIN. Especially if you are watching pornography, don’t envy the lovely house or car that you see in the video. However, material possessions aren’t the most tempting thing to envy in a porno. You will see men with much more enormous phalluses than you. To avoid sin while masturbating, you MUST NOT wish for a larger penis. The penis God gave you is perfect, as is the penis in the video. Respect and honor the bodies of all humans, and you will be fine.
Jerking Off is also a SIN if you:
- “are masturbating until you are exhausted, or until your genitals are raw or bleeding.*“
- “masturbate compulsively to the point that it interferes with your work or your relationships with friends, family, and God*.“
- “masturbate while indulging in impure thoughts.*“
I often speak to men who have one of the problems listed above. If you are one of them, I can help you. Chastity and orgasm control is often necessary to help men break free from masturbation addictions. If you are addicted to masturbation, you are committing a sin. If you’re seriously concerned about whether or not masturbation is a sin or not, you should just quit masturbation. I can help you to adopt a lifestyle based on chastity. Do it for God, or do it for yourself and your loved ones. Break free from masturbation and reach a new level of mental clarity. If it’s bothering you in ANY way, masturbation is a problem. If you feel that God doesn’t want you to masturbate, then DON’T!
I’ll leave you with these two inspirational bible quotes below and hope you consider innocence if you believe masturbation is a sin. These men benefitted immensely from giving up their chronic masturbation habits. In addition, I can show you how to please a woman rather than focus on your selfish sexual pleasures.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)
“Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 13:14)
