Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Biynah | 47057 | ||
Markarios: You used the following verses to support your position that the Bible says that masturbation is sin: 1 Corinthians 6:18 "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body I am sure you are aware that the New Testament was not written in English. It was written in Greek and later translated into English. The Greek word for immorality is "pornea". The English word immorality is not an equivalent to "pornea". The term immorality is vague and tends to lead one to think in a broader sense. The Greek word that Paul used denotes incest, adultery, and whoredom. It does not mean masturbation. To include masturbation under the umbrella of immorality is a language error. Sinning against your own body means engaging in the immoral conduct herein mentioned. That conduct specifically refers to whoredom, but could rightly include adultery and incest. But not masturbation. In your reference to Genesis 39:12, you are reading more into it than there is. Joseph fled from the temptation of adultery not the temptation to masturbate. Your use of Proverbs 7:23 to prove that masturbation is a sin is inappropriate because this scripture speaks of a man yielding to a harlot--not to masturbation. In 1 Corinthians 7:8-9, Paul is instructing those unable to contain themselves from sexual relationships. He advises that such people should marry. There is no hint he is talking about masturbation. And Matthew 5:27-30 is a teaching of Jesus, which basically teaches that the sin of adultery starts in a lustful heart. Jesus is not discussing masturbation but adultery. 1 Cor. 6:18 Fleeing sexual immorality here is talking about engaging with a prostitute which is a sin against your own body. Again, nothing about masturbation. 1 Corinthians 7:4 Paul addresses the fact that it is not right for a man or woman to deny each other sexual relations after marriage. Nothing is said or implied about masturbation. Now my friend, the scriptures you used do not in any way address masturbation, and so they do not in any way support your belief that masturbation is a sin. Your error appears to be a simple misunderstanding of words and terms. You have interpreted sexual immorality to include masturbation. And perhaps your experience justifies such an interpretation. But sexual immorality does not include masturbation. For the Bible clearly makes known in the Law of Moses what sexual immorality is. Anything not specifically mentioned cannot be included as immoral. Masturbation does not have to include lust. It can act as a release mechanism to keep one from lusting. But my intent is not to dissuade you from believing that masturbation is a sin. For you it is a sin. The Bible never says that masturbation is sin. This is what I want you to see. We must not preach the Word of God out of context. It is most Holy. And we cannot use it to stretch our position or prove a point that it does not say. God's Word is very plain. We must take it for what it says. We get into trouble, when we add or subtract to it, or try to make it mean what we want it to mean. Biynah |
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2 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Emmaus | 47228 | ||
Binyah, You said in your post to Makarios: "Masturbation does not have to include lust. It can act as a release mechanism to keep one from lusting." One might reasoanbly ask what exactly the "release mechanism" of masturbation is releasing if not the tension of lust? Kind of like the alcoholic who hopes to slake his thirst (lust) for alcohol by taking a drink. It just doesn't work, it actually worsens the problem, rather than solving it. Kind of like biting that forbidden fruit to be like God. We can't eat enough forbidden fruit to satisfy our lust in that area. We are still gourging ourselves, attempting to satisfy all manner of disordered appetites without satisfaction. And that does not even address or explore the obvious reality that masturbation is the conterfeit of the real self giving sexual expression God has ordained for men and women and uses as an illustration of the relationship between Christ and the Church. I shudder to think how one might try to fit mastrubation into that analogy of faith. Emmaus |
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3 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Biynah | 47785 | ||
Emmaus: God created the male to produce millions of sperm cells per day. Now these sperm cells build up in the male and make him rather uncomfortable. The temptation to lust increases as the sperm count rises. Now how can the sperm count be reduced? We are provided with a release mechanism. No lust is necessary. And it is not the same as an alcoholic taking a drink. And yes, I agree, that the sexual expression with your spouse is preferable -- but not always availabe. And what if you tend not to be married? Or are away from your spouse? Say you serve in the armed forces. What then? Allow your body to control you? Or control your body. Sperm production doesn't stop just because your away from your wife. And the higher the sperm count the more likely you are to lust. Still, you've yet to provide a Bible reference to prove masturbation equals lust -- or that masturbation itself is sin. If a man has problems with lust it is a problem of the heart. I suppose most men are afflicted by this lust issue you are talking about and that is why you and Makarios bring it up. After all, our society is littered with sex ads and all sorts of lewd materials that we encounter from the grocery store checkout to bill boards and television commercials. But I am referring to the healthy adult male unaffected by these things. |
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4 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Emmaus | 47822 | ||
Binyah, It is also a known scientific fact that a woman's desire increases and peaks at the date of ovulation. As the woman has her menstral period the man has nocturnal emmisions. And masturbastion is not a sin confined to men. It, like all sin, is conceived in the heart brought to full fruit in the flesh. But as Jesus said a man who lusts in his heart has already sinned. As for healthy adult males unaffected by the saturation of sexual images in our society, they don't exist. The whole point of such ads and propaganda is to affect healthy adult and adolescent males. Jesus lived in a time when these were not present and was still aware of the lust that grows out of our fallen nature. The issues here, as I see it, is not about mastubation or sexual sin in and of itself. But rather the tendency we all have to rationalize the sins we struggle with and deny they are sin because they are the common practices of many. The common practices of many are often just the sins common to all men and women. My mother used to refer to the Ten Commandments as the top ten list af mankind's favorite activities. It is holiness and conforming ourselves to Christ that goes against our natural tendencies because holiness is not natural, but supernatural and lifts us from our fallen state. And that requires supernatural grace, because we can not do it on our own. The fact is that in all areas of our lives we naturally tend to fall short of holiness and we often look for excuses to explain why we are not sinners, rather than admit we are, that we have stumbled again, and once more pick up our cross and follow after Jesus. This does not imply a lack of sympathy for or understanding of the sinner. The Lord and everyone around me knows that I am a sinner myself. God has compassion for the sinner. But His compassion is too great to leave the sinner in his sin. Rather, he makes the sinner acknowlege his sin, and call for God's assistance. Then God lifts him up from his sin and gives the sinner grace for the journey to holiness under the burden of the cross he is bidden by the Lord Jesus to take up. I think our conversation has run its course since they have restricted this thread. God be with you, Emmaus |
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5 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Biynah | 47851 | ||
Dear Emmaus: The Scribes and Pharisees continually accused Jesus of sinning by not keeping the Sabbath. Of course, had Jesus actually of broken the Sabbath then He would have been guilty of sin. But Jesus did not break the Sabbath. The miracles that He performed on these days was a service to God -- not the occupation of a physician. But you see how the Scribes and Pharisees twisted things around to make it appear that He sinned. Now, you say that masturbation is sin. But yet, I find no where in the Bible that tells me this. And if it isn't there -- it isn't there. The commandment doesn't actually say that: Thou shalt not lust. It says thou shalt not covet .... Now coveting a man's wife, a man's car, a man's home can lead to enmity, strife, murder and the like. This is actually the kind of lust that is a sin. But can a man covet his own body? Does that even make sense? My position is different than what you suppose. My position says that if the Bible doesn't say it -- we have no right to say it does -- For if we do -- it leads to false doctrine. The kind of false doctrine that put Jesus on the cross. Was He not convicted of blasphemy by the well meaning priest? Was he not convicted to save the nation from the Romans who would come and take Israel away from the Jews because of His Messianic claims? It all seemed right in the eyes of the religious leaders just as this thing seems right in the eyes of Emmaus and Makarios. But they were adding and misinterpreting God's word to justify their thoughts. So if you are to convince me, you need some hard Biblical evidence. Not slight supposed inferences as Makarios uses. We should teach the doctrine of God to those who ask these questions. We should not teach the doctrine of man. And as far as I am able to see this is not a biblical doctrine. It is a man made doctrine based on mans perception. Did not the Lord Himself say: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." Isaiah 55:8 So why do some well meaning moralist think they have the right to edit His Word -- and say He meant this or that -- if He Himself ommitted it? |
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6 | 2 followups, masturbation and 1Cor7:2-5 | Bible general Archive 1 | Emmaus | 47860 | ||
Biynah, Jesus made it plain to the Pharisees that not everything in scripture is explicit, but much is implicit. Review his dialogues with them. Other than that, I leave the last word on the matter to you. Emmaus |
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