Should Christians touch?

[tomjono6]

I've always thought that the main reason not to touch was because that feeling - that pleasure - you get from the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] should only be given by the one person who you share your life with. You shouldn't give it to anyone else (who you aren't married too) or receive it from anyone else, let alone give it to yourself!

Masturbation is wrong but yes, we all sin. As long as you genuinely ask for forgiveness you are fine, and seek to quit (if you're addicted)

 

[dayhiker]

I never understood this idea of the pleasure of [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] should only be for ones spouse. I'd want my spouse to have a lot of pleasure in life even before I meet her.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Don't think there should be an actual rule that we have to or must touch. That would seem unfair to me.

 

[Alithis]

If you have to ask the question.. Is it wrong? Then it is. It is sin.

When an action is right... You never have to ask "is it right?"

No one ever asks "is it right to help a person who fell down " .. You know what is right.

When people ask ..is such and such wrong.they ask because they know it is wrong and they want someone to excuse them and give them permission to do what they know is wrong.

 

[Alithis]

I've always thought that the main reason not to touch was because that feeling - that pleasure - you get from the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] should only be given by the one person who you share your life with. You shouldn't give it to anyone else (who you aren't married too) or receive it from anyone else, let alone give it to yourself!

Masturbation is wrong but yes, we all sin. As long as you genuinely ask for forgiveness you are fine, and seek to quit (if you're addicted)

If we continue to practice sin.... We do not know God.. We are not his children if we continue in sin. It is written.

 

[dayhiker]

From my observation the reason people ask if masturbation is a sin, is not because it is a sin, but because so many people say its a sin when its not a sin thus
causing a lot of confusion. Thankfully we can point people to the Bible and easily see that God's word never says its a sin.

 

[CodyFaith]

From my observation the reason people ask if masturbation is a sin, is not because it is a sin, but because so many people say its a sin when its not a sin thus
causing a lot of confusion. Thankfully we can point people to the Bible and easily see that God's word never says its a sin.

The bible never says that animal cruelty is a sin either, but that doesn't make it not a sin.

I'm not comparing animal cruelty to masturbation, I'm simply saying that just because the bible doesn't say it's a sin doesn't make it right to do.

Masturbation is wrong, however so is smoking. So is swearing, so is a lot of habits people haven't kicked yet. I do believe it's a serious problem, but I don't believe it's worth condemning Christian brothers and sisters over.

 

[dayhiker]

To me those aren't in the same category. I don't see how loving people, the two commands to love God and to love people, would fit into being cruet to animals.
I think masturbating fit in well with love our neighbor as yourself.

 

[Alithis]

From my observation the reason people ask if masturbation is a sin, is not because it is a sin, but because so many people say its a sin when its not a sin thus
causing a lot of confusion. Thankfully we can point people to the Bible and easily see that God's word never says its a sin.

they ask because of conscience.. the fact they do so displays..it is opposed to their conscience ...
as i said.. no one ever asks.."is it a sin to feed a hungry man."

 

[Waterwerx]

Genesis 38:8-10 is an indication that its not something God accepts for a number of reasons.

One of them is that it can open the door to increased frequency of doing it --> addiction --> and/or lead to other kinds of sin(adultery, pornography, etc.). When it becomes a habit you do that excludes the participation of your life-long opposite-sex partner, it becomes less about sharing it with your partner and more about the feeling for yourself.

In the above mentioned Scripture, Onan was attempting to deliberately practice what we would consider today to be birth control by willful(and I should add, spiteful) manipulation of the mechanism God designed, which is totally anathema to God.

 

[dayhiker]

I think if you look at Oman a little deeper you will see he accepted the responsibility of raising up sons to carry on his brothers name and inheritance. Just reading thru the OT once becomes aware that continuing ones line is very important to people in ancient Israel. So when Oman practices birth control he is stealing from his brother not only the land that was nice but he is also stealing his brother's lineage after he stood before this father and the town elders swearing that he would raise up sons thru his brother's wife.

So in my mind Gen.38 has nothing to do with masturbation or birth control. Those weren't even issues in ancient Israel. Stealing and breaking oaths were very big deals.

 

[Waterwerx]

I think if you look at Oman a little deeper you will see he accepted the responsibility of raising up sons to carry on his brothers name and inheritance. Just reading thru the OT once becomes aware that continuing ones line is very important to people in ancient Israel. So when Oman practices birth control he is stealing from his brother not only the land that was nice but he is also stealing his brother's lineage after he stood before this father and the town elders swearing that he would raise up sons thru his brother's wife.

So in my mind Gen.38 has nothing to do with masturbation or birth control. Those weren't even issues in ancient Israel. Stealing and breaking oaths were very big deals.

And we could argue the same thing about homosexuality, Daniel's 70 weeks, etc., using the same principle. It may not spell it out in bold letters, but when taking all things together, it becomes clear. What exactly does masturbating accomplish? Nothing. It is an empty thing that opens drawers err doors rather that shouldn't be opened.

 

[dayhiker]

I don't see how we can say masturbation is an empty thing? The medical benefits, when we aren't under religious guilt the benefits of masturbation are quite a long list.
Just how much better I've slept at night after enjoying it is worth it to me.

 

[Alithis]

I don't see how we can say masturbation is an empty thing? The medical benefits, when we aren't under religious guilt the benefits of masturbation are quite a long list.
Just how much better I've slept at night after enjoying it is worth it to me.

i know your stance on the topic
and i have never changed mine .. its carnal self gratitude .a gratification of the flesh . no one ever died of not doing it .
walk in the spirit and you won't fulfil the evil desires of the flesh .
why ? becaseu listening and obeying the holy spirit ... he wont ever instruct you to do that .

 

[dayhiker]

So the Bible gives a pretty list of the works of the flesh: no other gods before Me, No graven images, don't commit murder, don't commit adultery, Don't steal, Don't murder etc. I'm curious as to why people one to add things to the lists that God never puts on the list. Do you know why?

 

[Waterwerx]

porneia, Strong's #4202 Revelation 9:21 .

If God put every contrivable way man should not sin, how much bigger do you think the Bible would be? This really wouldn't be feasible given how huge it would be, and you would still have those who would be adamant that it means something else or doesn't apply. Instead, He chose to be concise so that it would be easier to learn the basic concepts and apply them as guided by the Holy Spirit. It can be compared to how we learn physics. Do you throw all of the possible formulas used in physics at a first year physics major? Of course not. You teach them the basic formulas first and then build upon those basic formulas later on.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

Genesis 38:8-10 is an indication that its not something God accepts for a number of reasons.
In the above mentioned Scripture, Onan was attempting to deliberately practice what we would consider today to be birth control by willful(and I should add, spiteful) manipulation of the mechanism God designed, which is totally anathema to God.

You're missing the context. Onan was ordered to produce offspring with his brother's wife. His sin wasn't that he practiced birth control, but that he disobeyed God. This verse has nothing to do with masturbation. He was having real sex with a real person.

One of them is that it can open the door to increased frequency of doing it --> addiction --> and/or lead to other kinds of sin(adultery, pornography, etc.). When it becomes a habit you do that excludes the participation of your life-long opposite-sex partner, it becomes less about sharing it with your partner and more about the feeling for yourself.

We can't become asexual through sheer will power. People who don't touch still feel tempted by (and still give in to) sexual desire, fornication, pornography, etc. I know because I tried and it became a burden I simply could not carry, though I prayed and prayed over it. Eventually I said to God, "I can't do this anymore; if it's a sin then you'll just have to forgive me" and all I felt was a sense of peace. It wasn't until years later that I learned there's nothing forbidding masturbation in the Bible. I only believed it because it's what I was told and I trusted the people who told me.

All the references to sexual immorality specifically relate to sex with another human being. Of course, anything can become sinful (including masturbation) if it's not done in faith. Masturbation is a way of dealing with sexual frustration, but it's not fool proof. Like anything else, it can be abused. It's between the individual and God to decide when masturbation and/or thoughts about sex cross the line from controlling sexual desires to lust. It's a form of self examination and accountability that no other person aside from the individual could accurately police.

 

[Endtime Survivors]

its carnal self gratitude .a gratification of the flesh

So is eating any food which isn't the bare minimum needed to keep the body alive. Do you sleep on a comfy mattress? Not necessary for survival. Hobbies? Birthdays? Holidays? Movies? Music? Etc... Not necessary for survival. Controlling carnal desires is quite different from having desires at all. God wants us to enjoy what he's created for us, so long as we do so in obedience to his will. There's nothing in the Bible which addresses masturbation, though there is plenty which deals with motivations, meaning that anything can become sinful, including food depending on how we relate to it. The same is true for sex in general, and pseudo-sexual behavior, like masturbation.

no one ever died of not doing it .

But plenty of people suffer from feelings of condemnation and bitterness over feeling forced to obey a rule which they believe they cannot obey and which, indeed, there is no evidence that God does require. Jesus talked about religious leaders who put burdens on their followers which God did not ask them to. They load these heavy burdens onto people and do nothing to help them with it, because there is nothing that can be done to help people obey rules which God does not require.

He talked about the religious leaders teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. I know from personal experience that masturbation is a brilliant way of pacifying strong sexual desires. I think just about any guy would have the same testimony; after masturbation there is a markedly and noticeable decline in sexual frustration. Suddenly there's not as much desire, physically.

There's no guaranteeing that people won't feel satisfied; that despite masturbation they will carry on wanting to indulge in real fornication with another person, but if that's the case then certainly not masturbating would result in the same conclusion.