Because God never mentions masturbation in the Bible, we cannot say it is a sin. So we must extrapolate from other relevant Scriptures. For example, Philippians 4:8—what kind of thoughts are you thinking? That brings up the related topic of pornography, which is absolutely rampant in the world today. Many men are prompted to masturbate while fantasizing about a naked woman they are looking at in a magazine or in an online video. Hey, each of those women is/was someone’s daughter, or maybe a sister or a mother.
One key: make decisions at the earliest possible point in a temptation. For example, put a Porn Blocker on your computer. If you are a single man, take your date to Ye Olde Malt Shoppe rather than your bedroom, thinking, “Oh, we can stop before we have sex.” No problem at the Malt Shoppe! Don’t let images even get before your eyes, for then they lodge in your mind—and they are POWERFUL!
For a married man, Ephesians 5:25–28 talks about how a husband is to love his wife. What does “adulterate” mean? To water down; to dilute.
Key: 1 Corinthians 6:12 – “…I will not be brought under the power of anything.” Jesus Christ was tempted in all ways like we are, but he never failed to entrust himself to God and obey the written Word. For more, we recommend these articles: “Iron Sharpens Iron – Fruit of Divine – September 2012”; and “The Sexualization of Children.”
