“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.”
Ephesians 5:11-12
If you are still trying to decide if masturbation is sin, simply ask yourself this: “Would I mind if my wife/fiancé/girlfriend/parents saw me performing the act?” If I was all alone, doing the deed, and they walked in and saw me, how would I feel? OK? Ashamed? Not bothered a bit? Mortified?
One of the evidences of sin is that people practice it in secret. Burglars break in at night. Couples committing adultery meet in faraway motels. Online fraudsters use fake names. Bank robbers mask their faces. Murderers wear gloves. Same goes for habitual sexual sins. Men who are hooked on pornography watch it in secret. Husbands who visit prostitutes pay cash so the transaction doesn’t show on their credit cards. And men who masturbate do so in private.
Not everything done in private is sin, of course. You and I get dressed each morning with the curtains drawn because we don’t want anyone to see us naked. But that is simple modesty. There is nothing sinful about getting dressed. If you are married, you and your wife make love with the door closed not because sex is sinful but because sex between a husband and a wife is a private matter. If you are caught in the act you will feel embarrassed, but you shouldn’t feel ashamed.
But masturbation is different, isn’t it? You don’t need to read any Bible verses to know why masturbation is sin. If you do it in private because you fear getting caught, if you hide the evidence after the deed is done, and if you keep the activity a secret from those you love and whose approval you wish to maintain, then you have your answer. If it is a shame to even speak of the things that the wicked do in secret, then the acts themselves are obviously also wicked.
The shame you feel after masturbating is good. It is God’s way of telling you that having sex with yourself is wrong. Your conscience is your friend. So listen to it. Just remember that if you ignore your friends for long enough, they eventually stop talking to you.
Need a daily kick in the pants to quit porn biblically? Buy the book, or subscribe to my daily kick.
Was this post helpful? Share it now:
