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Understanding the principle of "He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone" makes this post awkward , but in my heart I feel that if our members (our body) are under subjection to Him, our natural (read:carnal) feelings will be conducive with the fruits of the Spirit, of which one is self control. Somehow, I can't see masturbating as one of the fruits!
Paul said, "It's better to marry than to burn", but I interpret that as the "torment" of walking through life in temptation or other feelings of uncomfortableness.
understanding the principle of "he that is without sin, let him cast the first stone" makes this post awkward , but in my heart i feel that if our members (our body) are under subjection to him, our natural (read:carnal) feelings will be conducive with the fruits of the spirit, of which one is self control. Somehow, i can't see masturbating as one of the fruits!
paul said, "it's better to marry than to burn", but i interpret that as the "torment" of walking through life in temptation or other feelings of uncomfortableness.
[9] And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
[10] And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
God not pleased=sin.
This is a case of iterrupted coitus, not masterbation. In the law of Moses, if a man died, leaving a widow, the next of kin male was to take her as wife and raise up children in the name of the deceased. It isn't explained what Onan was thinking. Probably that he didn't want to raise his brother's children, only his own. At any rate, this is not masterbation.
A passage that possibly does speak of masterbation is 1 Cor 7:36-38, but you have to go to the original Greek. The translators interpret here, adding more or less depending on which Bible version you reference. The easiest way to correct it is understand there is no he/she/it in the pronoun. It always simply means: the SAME, and refers to nearest preceding noun, no varience if that noun is singular or plural, masculine, feminine or neuter, it remains, "the SAME." Everytime in this passage you read, "He," "his," "her," or, "them" it is always conjecture on the part of the translators. (To digress a moment, this is why arguments over translating the Greek pronoun concerning the Holy Spirit with "he," "she" or "it" display ignorance.) Sometimes translators add and bend words like the New King James Version which has in verse 36 added "daughter" and interpreted "take" to "give" saying, "he who is giving his virgin daughter in marriage..."
1 Corinthians 7:36-38...
"Now if any is inferring it to be indecent on the same's virgin, if the same may be beyond the meridan, and thus it ought to occur, what the same will, let the same do; the same is not sinning. Let the same marry.
Yet the same who stands settled in the same's heart, having no necessity, yet has authority concerning the same's will, and has decided this in the same's heart--to be keeping the same's virgin--ideally will be doing;
so that both the same marrying does ideally, and the same not out marrying does better."
It seems Paul gave people an "out" - an escape, so to speak - if they can't control their desires. Marriage. He said it's better to marry than to burn. Take note....he references if they have no self-control...can't control their desires - their sexual urges. Apparently the inference is that there would be some who simply didn't have the strength to control themselves. But particularly in this day and age, it's not quite that easy to simply go out and grab a spouse so you can "release" your built-up urges. It's not easy to just "grab a wife" if you can't control your desires. So what are people supposed to do - just "hold back" on doing anything until after the vows? That takes an extraordinary amount of strength and will-power, and it seems Paul alluded to how difficult that can be for some people. Thus, the "out" for them.
This is of notable interest to homosexuals. (No, I'm not trying to engage in a debate about homosexuality. I merely bring it up to make a point.) Gays don't even have an out, Biblically speaking. So if masturbation is a sin - and for the sake of argument we'll presume that Christians will say that homosexuals are commanded to abstain from sexual contact with members of the same sex - are they simply supposed to suffer and endure their sexual urges until they die? What is their "out" for getting their sexual urges under control? Some might say that gays can always get married, but what woman is going to want to marry a gay man just so he can release his sexual urges? (Assuming a gay man would even resort to such a thing anyway.)
Is it really reasonable to conclude that masturbation is a sin, when it's not even directly spoken of in the Bible?
It seems Paul gave people an "out" - an escape, so to speak - if they can't control their desires. Marriage. He said it's better to marry than to burn. Take note....he references if they have no self-control...can't control their desires - their sexual urges. Apparently the inference is that there would be some who simply didn't have the strength to control themselves. But particularly in this day and age, it's not quite that easy to simply go out and grab a spouse so you can "release" your built-up urges. It's not easy to just "grab a wife" if you can't control your desires. So what are people supposed to do - just "hold back" on doing anything until after the vows? That takes an extraordinary amount of strength and will-power, and it seems Paul alluded to how difficult that can be for some people. Thus, the "out" for them.
Some would say that God said these things and not paul.
Quote:
... This is of notable interest to homosexuals. (No, I'm not trying to engage in a debate about homosexuality. I merely bring it up to make a point.) Gays don't even have an out, Biblically speaking. So if masturbation is a sin - and for the sake of argument we'll presume that Christians will say that homosexuals are commanded to abstain from sexual contact with members of the same sex - are they simply supposed to suffer and endure their sexual urges until they die? What is their "out" for getting their sexual urges under control? Some might say that gays can always get married, but what woman is going to want to marry a gay man just so he can release his sexual urges? (Assuming a gay man would even resort to such a thing anyway.)
Is it really reasonable to conclude that masturbation is a sin, when it's not even directly spoken of in the Bible?
This is not the first time for men to make-up brand new 'sins' that are not spoken of in the Bible.
Some would say that God said these things and not paul.
This is not the first time for men to make-up brand new 'sins' that are not spoken of in the Bible.
I think people can rationalize whatever sin they choose based on this thought too. The Bible says not to kill men, so that must mean he thinks it is ok to kill women????
If we are abiding in the Lord and He with us, we don't need to constantly ask, "Is this a sin, is that a sin." His word will speak to us and we will have understanding. Solomon prayed for wisdom. We need to do the same instead of seeking an answer on a message board where people will tell us what we want to hear.
I think people can rationalize whatever sin they choose based on this thought too. The Bible says not to kill men, so that must mean he thinks it is ok to kill women????
If we are abiding in the Lord and He with us, we don't need to constantly ask, "Is this a sin, is that a sin." His word will speak to us and we will have understanding. Solomon prayed for wisdom. We need to do the same instead of seeking an answer on a message board where people will tell us what we want to hear.
Dawn
Yes. We do need to pray for wisdom and guidance.
I also think that God expects us to study His Word.
What is already given to us in His Word we should already know. The OT law is our schoolmaster. Before we can walk out into liberty, we need to be grounded in the hard and fast rules. If we knowingly ignore God's Word, then how much can we expect God to give to us in prayer?
I see people who have very little grounding in God's Word, who then claim that in their walk with God that God has told them X, Y, and Z.
In the past, I have seen prayers that were answered by God, when I thought that the subject matter was against God's Will. It caused me to go back into prayer and to study. I learned more from that experience.
I also think that God expects us to study His Word.
What is already given to us in His Word we should already know. The OT law is our schoolmaster. Before we can walk out into liberty, we need to be grounded in the hard and fast rules. If we knowingly ignore God's Word, then how much can we expect God to give to us in prayer?
I see people who have very little grounding in God's Word, who then claim that in their walk with God that God has told them X, Y, and Z.
In the past, I have seen prayers that were answered by God, when I thought that the subject matter was against God's Will. It caused me to go back into prayer and to study. I learned more from that experience.
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