Question
I know that fornication is a sin, but is any other sexual contact i.e. mutual masturbation between a non married man and woman a sin? Is it a sin for a person to masturbate?
Answer
The Greek word for fornication is porneia (the New Testament was originally written in Greek). It is a broad term which carries the meaning of sexual immorality in general. Adultery is generally limited to illicit sex involving one or more married persons. Fornication is one of the sins of the flesh, but not the only one listed in the New Testament. For example, Galatians 5:19-21 lists the deeds of the flesh, and included among them are impurity and sensuality (some versions read lewdness or lasciviousness). Also, 1 Pet 4:3 reads, “For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles– when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” As you can see, this passage lists thing that are sinful even though they may not include physical contact. The key word here is “lust.” The word itself means a strong desire, but when used in the context of sin, it means a wrongful desire. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus taught that “whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Although the “outward” sin under consideration is adultery, the inward sin is lust. The point is, lust itself is sin, or at the very least it leads to sin (James 1:14-15). It is a sin of the heart. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 makes it plain that marriage is God’s way of fulfilling one’s sexual desires. I do not believe this is restricted simply to the conjugal act since sexual satisfaction is obtained to some degree in masturbation or by other means among partners. If there is another way to receive release from these passions other than through marriage, the Bible does not sanction it as far as I am aware. The same can be said of pornography and anything which awakens one’s desire for sex. This may be one of the things (but certainly not the only one) which Paul refers to in 1 Cor 9:27 where he says, “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” Paul was never married.
This may not be a popular teaching by today’s standards, but if we are to follow Christ, we must conform ourselves to His standard, not the world’s (Rom. 12:2).
By Doug Focht
