A Christian Look At Masturbation
Your Guide to Christian Teens.

What Does The Bible Say?


Masturbation is a topic that is often avoided in church, youth groups, and by parents. This is because it is a difficult topic to talk about. However, this is a topic that is very important for teens to discuss, and to discover the Christian perspective on.
Most teens have probably been told by someone - "Masturbation is a sin - don't do it", and probably a host of old wives tales about what will happen if they do masturbate. What is important to know is that 90 percent of males have masturbated and 85 percent of women, according to a college student sex survey (Sex on Campus, 2000). This is an issue that almost everyone deals with, and yet we rarely talk about.

Surprisingly, the Bible has very little to say about masturbation. Genesis 38:8-10 is often the most quoted scripture that somewhat refers to masturbation: "Then Judah said to Onan, 'Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.' But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother.


What he did was wicked in the LORD's sight; so he put him to death also."

In the past masturbation was called "onanism" in reference to this Biblical passage. There is some disagreement amongst Christians as to what this passage is deeming as sinful. Some Christians believe that the act of "spilling semen on the ground", in other words, wasting semen, was the sin. They believe that all sexual acts should be for procreation (reproduction) only, which leads to an interpretation that birth control methods and masturbation are sinful, because they waste semen.

Other Christians believe that the sin of Onan was that he was not fulfilling his duty to his brother's wife as required by the cultural standards at the time. This may seem strange to us now, but in those days a widow without children was very likely to die, as it was a male dominated culture, and a woman without a husband or children to help take care of her was likely to die. Some believe that Onan was using his brother's wife for sex, and then not taking care of her as was his responsibility. This group does not believe that this verse is a condemnation of masturbation.

The Question of Lust
Another important item for Christians to think about is lust and its ties to masturbation. It is very common that pornography usage and lustful thoughts encourage masturbation. Some Christians also believe that masturbation always includes lust while others do not.

While the Bible says little about masturbation, it has a lot to say about lust and its affects on our lives:

Jesus says in Matthew 5:29 "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Colossians 3:5 states "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 says "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him."

What is important for Christians to consider is if masturbation plays a part in their struggle with lust. If it does, then they should consider changing their habits in order to help defeat the temptation of lust.

Two very helpful books for Christian teenagers on the subjects of lust, sex, and masturbation are Every Young Man's Battle and The Struggle. They address the issues from two different viewpoints, and read together they will help you to form an opinion about masturbation, and should you wish to quit, they both offer good suggestions for you to quit.