It came to my attention recently that there were some among the body of believers that took issue or have problems with this subject matter. So I approached my Senior Pastor for his assistance and together we came up with this look at masturbation. For those of us with this issue, and those of us who counsel them, I hope this shed some light on a subject many would like to see hidden in the dark. So, here we go!
As we all know, God created men and women in His own image.
He tells us this in Genesis 1:27 and in verse 28 He follows that description up
with their very first order of business. Let’s take a look at this passage in
the Message Bible:
Genesis 1:26-28, MSG
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the
birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that
moves on the face of Earth.” God created human beings; he created them godlike,
reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. God blessed them: “Prosper!
Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and
birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
Adam and Eve were just created, they were mere minutes old
when God told them to procreate and fill the whole earth with people. Now I
know what you must be thinking, ‘Yes, they were very young in their time on
Earth, and this was very early in their lives, as it were. But they were
created as mature human beings.” And with your logic, I would concur. They were
young in body and mind, but Full Mature Beings!
As the rest of this passage bears out, they were people on a
God-given mission. A mission to reproduce and fill the Earth and to rule over
it as God’s Ambassadors. And this mission has yet to be truly fulfilled! We
have populated nearly every corner of the globe, but humans have truly filled
less than 50% of the Earth’s usable surface. In fact, the US alone occupies
less than 3% of its usable land mass.
While we don’t know the exact representative age that Adam
and Eve appeared to be when they were created, I tend to think that they looked
to be about the ages that the bodies of men and women reach maturity, the place
at which each would have been at their peak of reproductivity. Science tells us
that a man’s testosterone levels are highest in his teens to his mid-twenties.
And a woman begins her menses with her full complement of ovum when her flows
begin, usually between the ages of 12-16. This is the time line that God
planned for us to begin families. Yes, in our teens and twenties!
OK, so why are we talking about reproduction, when the topic
at hand is masturbation? The two are
‘intimately’ connected. And we will see the connection as we proceed.
I believe that down through the ages Masturbation wasn’t
always a problem, nor was it taboo, but since the dawn of civilization man has
been re-writing God’s timeline to fit his own plan. He has put in restrictions
that God never intended. Restrictions that limit severely the number of years
that people set aside for procreation. But the hormones, the God-given sexual
urges within us, still rage from the day our bodies reach their age of
maturity. Since the implementation of these unnecessary limitations,
masturbation has been getting a ‘bad wrap.’ It has been named a sin and closed
into dark closets of shame and degradation. Well, I believe it is time to let
it, and all of the unnecessary restrictions, out of that closet!
Each of us is born with an inquisitive nature. We used our
hands to learn about the world around us, even that of our own bodies, from the
time we were born. We have touched every inch of our bodies at some time(s) in
our lives and we know best what feels good to it and what doesn’t … as well we
should.
The hormones and mental signals that give us delight and pain
were designed by a loving God to help us know what works and how. He is also
the one who created our sexual drives and the desire to be loved by another.
All of these were created for specific purposes, all of which can be linked to
the initial commands that He gave us … to be fruitful and multiply.
But with the new timeline of men, procreation doesn’t begin
on the schedule that God created for it. Yet the buildup of hormones, and their
related sexual drives, in men and women haven’t been put in stasis … they are
still running through the minds and bodies of both men and women. Men and Women
who have been told repeatedly through life that touching themselves to relieve
their intense pressure is WRONG.
But think back a moment, how did you learn what worked to
relieve those sex drives before you knew how to use them properly? You used
your hands and touched yourself. You investigated your body to learn what
brought pleasure and what pain at a very young age. An age before your
understanding was fully intact.
God gave those urges to us for His purposes, to create life
and to only use them to pleasure yourself is wrong. But when we
are not married, or in a period of celibacy for godly pursuits, they don’t
always just disappear. So, do we ignore them … Hardly, for they do not go away
of their own accord.
In 1 Timothy 5, Paul, when talking of young widows under the
age of 60 I believe, said that they should marry and have children, so that
they aren’t drawn away after the lusts of their flesh. This is a good warning for
men and women of all ages. Because unanswered, our sexual desires can lead
us away from the Lord.
I do know that God has called some, not many, into a life of
singleness and celibacy. But those whom He has given such a gift, He has also
prepared for the lack of marital release of their hormones.
If you are not called to celibacy, you need to find a godly
mate to walk with you and share your life.
If you are called to a period of Celibacy, then God will show
you how and when to relieve the sexual drives and desires for that time period.
But, if you are using masturbation as your only sexual
relief, and not seeking a godly spouse, this is wrong!
Building your life around self-gratification, self-delight,
is immoral. It is an affront to the God that created you. We are all created in
God’s image, to fulfill His purposes. His purpose for each of us is to honor,
obey, love, worship, and serve Only Him!
And His first order of business for mankind is to multiply
and fill the earth with our progeny. And the second is to take care of it and
to be prosperous. If we only serve ourselves, we do not serve our God. Seeking
only self-satisfaction is depriving the mate that God has appointed to you of
their completion, their fulfillment of God’s plan …. How selfish is that!
So, masturbation in and of its self is not a sin. It is a
God-given tool for periods of celibacy. These times can occur when one is
single or for a chosen period; when one
has been set apart for a time on a spiritual mission for the Lord – such
fasting or a vow to the Lord, like that of a Nazarite in the Old Testament. But
it was never meant to be a life choice for handling our sexual desires.
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