Do you think masturbation is a sin?

Fighting it with all your might just keeps you trapped in it any sin this is truth now some do overcome but no one overcomes every sin only Christ did and it is not about just do your best., it is about belief do you believe that the body of Christ the death freed at the cross freed the whole world from the curse of the Law. Now if oyu are freed from the Law by the death what is left the resurrection where by faith oyucan be married to Christ in the Spirit of Christ serving and enjoying God in Spirit and truth and then you no longer need the flesh you are too busy in the spiirt praising and thanking God for relieving you from the Law and now you serve in Love

You would be surprised to learn that there are a whole lot of people who have never trodden that path. Not everybody struggles with it.

That being said, Its all in the mindset. Culture influences personality and mindset. And how one thinks and perceive, behavior also follows. For instance, I am sure, many people here would considered murdering someone as a big deal of a sin and hence, many will not even entertain the thought, leave about committing it. Same is the case with sexual sin for some people. Just a case in example: I was brought up in a 'christian culture' where sexual sin was and still is considered a big deal of a sin and so, I have never had to struggle with it. Yes, I do have my share of struggles in overcoming other forms of sins but just not sexual sins. Sometimes, its hard to comprehend how some people would struggle so much with it.

To the OP, your question (the title of the thread) is like asking if we should think stealing as a sin. There are people who derive pleasure out of stealing, but that should not legitimize stealing. Same should be the case with the subject in question.

But there is. Here are a few: Sex can be any behavior that, if unchecked, leads to intercourse (thus including flirting, and thus does not include masturbation); this is a common definition among married couples, and is my understanding of the anthropological definition. Sex can be anything that causes people not to be repelled from each other (thus a branch of psychology and some schools of literature analysis would have it). Sex can be any behavior that makes babies (this is the Catholic definition I learned as a child; that's why it is not a sexual sin for a priest to molest an altar boy). Sex can be anything that happens when the clothes come off (thus homosexual sex is sex, consulting a dominatrix is sex, although laws in most places disagree). Sex can be achieving orgasm (thus including masturbation, but not foreplay). I have heard different statements from different denominations.

In post 2 in this thread, I posted Jesus' teaching that people are born different with respect to sexual calling. It could literally be in the genes, whether you feel a compusion to relieve sexual tension or not.

I think those are more of ideas of what sex can be then what the actual definition is. I'm going by what the actual definition of sex is.

That's fine. I understand. I don't think most people have given it the study you have, and are likely to be influenced by popular media or their church's teaching. And I think that fact may be influencing the disagreements we see over the masturbation issue.

Did you just assert that one should pray and go with whatever they feel like?

I'm really not a fan of that.

Quite safe?? how is it safe to classify something as 'not a sin' when God has kept mum on the subject... Remember only God knows right from wrong... none of us do...[/QUOTE]

Because God lets us know what is wrong. He doesn't leave us staggering about in the dark wondering if something is good or evil. If it is evil he tells us not to do it.

Lets try the hyperbole of what you said:

God has 'kept mum' about weather or not it is sinful to drive a car. Scripture does not talk about the subject at all. Should we then be concerned about the sin of car-driving?

No. What is not sin is lawful and right. The great majority of things one may do is good and just and right. What is not allowed God plainly tells us is not allowed.

If only people would do just as you said

For most people the tradition they where raised in is of higher value than what the Word says. Or, to make a kinder assumption, most Christians are not taught to approach scripture sensibly enough that they can understand that it does settle the matter. They are not content with what it does and does not say, but always want that something more to back their previous assumption.

It is so hard not too, but thats point I think.

To be a good man (or at least strive to be a better one), means being above your own needs and desires.

And someone steps in with the hard=holy line... Really?

That is growing up curiosity, seeing and learning sometimes for the better and other times for the worse, free choice, but this has nohing to do with masturbation. I when Puberty sets in that the evil spiritual forces come to take over ones body and control them into lasciviousness and a reprobate mind as in Romans 1 sex was meant for procreation and only that. Today it has been perverted into lasciviousness, but I am greatful ofr those that hold back from harming their meighborand only Masturbate for relief it is between God and that person. It is when it is not consenting as in Sodom and Gemmorrah that God eradicated the people that did not Love their neighbor they onlyloved themselves. God did the same thing in the time of Noah flooded the world because all those peolple thought of was themselves period. Today God ahs called us to Love as He Loves and that is according to 1 Cor 13 and this type of Love is unnatural for mans caranl mind to have, and only God can install this type of love in anyone that believes. Stay safe and harm no one and if you do go to them in sincerety and apologize, Since Godme so much 100% who am I to not LOVE back all the same

He was born of a Virgin so that counts everyone else out to do perfectly what is right. It is up to us to believe or not believe and be set free in him or not

This just creates more bad behavior to those that are trying to stop what they think is sin in and of and by the flesh their flesh thought thinking of looking at other flesh, never seeing what Jesus actually did by his death not only did he die for the sins of the whole world but for this supposed sin as well and not seeing what taking away the sin of the world actually means. It means everyone that comes to belief in Christ's death are freed from Law by his death once freed from Law through this death wea re still in need of new life and this is given by the resurrection we are saved by the life not the death. Then you betwee God and you decide what is good for you or not. For one thinks this is sin therfore to him it is sin. Another thinks it is not therefore it is not to him sin. Let each be fully convinced in their own mind and who is anyone here to judge another For God has recieved them and to their own master they will stand, and if God has recieved them which only God knows will get me , you, and you and you to stand so let us each continue to Love each other with out condemnation letting god do God's type of Love work in each of us individually thanks

And I do as well what it was when it was and by his grace no longer is for me, am I am not being proud I am being thankful because to me it was a sin period even the thought and was not loving to my neighbor in my own mind never was I ludicrous about or gawking being flagrant about it, it was just myown board in my own eye no more or less

Just love em! period you are not condemned I am not by God so who am I or any to judge another mans servant. It is by the grace of God that I learned to say no to harming my neighbor and thus harming God as King David learnt and God said a man after his own heart WOW!

Wah tis wrong brother is what it could lead to, EX: I lie to my Mom and get away with it, it is easier to lie again and easier and easier. the same with masturabation easier and easier and easier, but it also has the chance to escalate for after awhile being used to it advances to having sex with anyone tha tis willing and then to anyone with or without consent see where it can go to. Just like a drug after awhile of smoking pot you no longer get high, and at that time here comes a more potent drug and you take it, then onto the next this is what any practice of any thing does to any person practicing whaever they are practicing
Anyway this was and is just food for thought and to be aware of the tricks that lead to actuall sin which is harming our neighbor(s)

For me it was and the only way I could even ever copulate. lets play a game can anyone actually copulate without the thought? Can anyone be angry woithout the thought? Can anyone be happy without happy thoughts? I know for me that I can never change how I feel andif Itry ot change hoiw I feel I found this way to change how I feel futile. That is when I then understood the renewing of my mind change my thoughts and guess what my feeliings always change with my thoughts therefore I have sought to renew my mind ever since and watched by Faith in God through Christ change my thoughts to his thoughts and depression is gone and lieing is gone, deception is gone sinful pleasures is gone and this is what is between God and I
Thanks Kenisyes

I do not think it to please God especially if one gets out of line with it and harms their neighbor. I know for me all the years that I was controlled by the urge to have sex and ended up masturbating I was relieved bodily afterwards and guilty to God in my mind for years I kept praying and asking for it to leave me, by asking for forgiveness over and over again to no avail. Then I learned that I am forgiven back at the cross and to ask for any more forgiveness is not going to happen it is like asking God to come back to earth and die again and again and again. Hebrews chapter 6. So I absorbed this truth and started thanking God that I was past tense already forgiven before I was ever born. But I did not quit what I believed to be sinful to me I did not get worse at it as when I was continuosly asking for more forgiveness. Therefore by and through trusting God that back at the cross I am forgiven and finalized that by thois I am freed from the Law, this problem my board in my eye finally left when I finally understood that my weakness is God's strength and I therefore as Paul started glorying in my weaknesses, always and forever needing God my Savior through Christ's finished work on the cross.

Anything that harms another that takes away free choice of another is Sin just like anything withouyt Faith in God is sin period. The things you mentioned involve taking away free choice of another masturbation in and of itself is not in and of itself bad, It is waht one does with what they have. I know and am convinced that all things are clean of itself by God done back at the cross ahere through this we are freed form Law so that we can serve by LOVE one another considering our neighbor as Jesus Considered us and brought us out from uderneath the Law so we don't make void the Law of LOVE we up hold it considering our neighbor and thus we avoid things like what you mentioned.