The Bible makes no mention of masturbation one way or the other. The Bible is fairly unabashed when it comes to sex. If masturbation were a sin, then there would be some tasks to perform to attain one's atonement -- just like for all sins. Something like, "Wash yourself outside the camp. You are unclean until evening. Offer a turtle dove as a sacrifice." But nothing of the sort appears anywhere in the Bible.The account of Onan is often cited as justification for considering masturbation a sin. This is quite good, because Onan wasn't masturbating. It's good, because it's the only scripture that's ever used as proof text against masturbation and it's not even about masturbation. With that level of hermeneutics, you can prove anything you want. Find a verse that says, "there are horses," and another one that says, "in heaven," and you have your proof that "there are horses in heaven."So, what was going on with Onan? His elder brother had died without leaving a male heir. It was custom in those days for the next oldest son to provide an heir for his dead brother through the dead brother's widow. Onan was certainly having sex with Tamar. However, Onan was pulling out at the last instant and spilling his seed on the ground. That's not masturbation. And it's not the act of either pulling out or of ejaculating on the ground that got him into trouble -- those are merely the means. It was the fact that he was having sex with Tamar but refusing to provide an heir for his brother.Consider that it is legal to own a gun and it is legal to pull the trigger, what's not legal is using the gun to kill someone. If you get convicted of murder, the facts that you owned a gun and pulled the trigger are not relevant issues. In this situation, you're not guilty of owning a gun and you're not guilty of pulling the trigger -- those are merely incident. You're guilty of murder and the means is irrelevant.Onan didn't have any sons himself and he didn't want his own first born son to legally belong to his brother. So, when he had sex with his sister-in-law he pulled out and ejaculated on the floor. His crime was refusing to provide an heir for his brother. His crime had nothing specifically to do with either pulling out or spilling his seed on the ground.If there is any doubt about this passage, one thing is perfectly clear, Onan wasn't masturbating.There is another passage that mentions self-abuse. However, self-abuse is never defined and there is no reason to believe it has anything to do with masturbation. Again, if masturbation were a sin, then scripture would spell it out.
This is the best answer to this question I have seen thus far. Thank you for answering a Scriptural question with Scripture, rather than extra-biblical musings. Also, it is worth emphasizing that Onan wasnt masturbating. This passage is so badly misinterpreted that sometimes masturbation is actually called Onanism. How ironic. Importantly, constructing a doctrine from a historical account rather than a teaching or legal passage seems wildly (self) deceptive. All the more when said passage doesnt even involve the activity central to the contrived doctrine.
I totally disagree with sbhguy. Masturbation is NOT a sin. The Bible is 100% silent on the subject. Why? Why is God's Word, which is complete and all encompassing, silent on the subject of masturbation? And if people want to try and use the example of Onan spilling his seed on the ground, than you need to re-examine that in light of my last entry (read above).
God is silent on this subject because in and of itself, it is not a sin, just like eating food is not a sin. Eating food CAN be a sin, if one becomes glutenous ... just like masturbation CAN be a sin for the reasons I stated in the last entry. For Pete's sake people, stop spreading this bondage of shame that others try to use to make us ashamed of something natural and allowed by God as a relief from sexual tension. It is permissible, especially if one has their priorities right. In addition, we live under Grace and not the Law. The Law is dead. The Law puts us back into bondage, and Jesus broke those chains once and for all on Calvary when He cried out, "It is finished!"
Amen?
Don
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