One argument regarding masturbation is that the act really amounts to little more than self-sex – having sex with one’s self. This argument is, perhaps, best stated by Tom Blangiardo of Pure Life Ministries when he writes, “Masturbation – having sex with yourself – is the pinnacle of selfishness.”

So is masturbation really self-sex? And if so, is that really a bad thing?

The argument that self-sex is a bad thing goes something like this: sex was created by God to be enjoyed between two married people. When sexual gratification is experienced by someone in isolation, this act is fundamentally distorting God’s purpose in creating sexual intercourse – to unite couples physically and spiritually.

Now it should be noted that the above argument may suggest that masturbation when it involves the activity and cooperation of both members of a marriage could be perfectly permissible in a Christian worldview. However, it would clearly suggest that masturbation performed in isolation and on oneself is an act that does in fact distort God’s intention for sex. This focus on oneself, as Blangiardo goes on to say, is something that is most amenable to an attitude of being a “taker” rather than a “giver” in life – an attitude of selfishness.

It is important to notice an assumption that is being made here: sexual pleasure is intended to be experienced only between a married couple. The fact that God does intend X to be experienced in the context of Y does not mean that it is a sin to experience X in the context of Z unless God intends X to be experienced only in the context of Y. For example, suppose that sexual gratification is primarily a byproduct of intercourse in marriage but it can also be a byproduct of simply seeking sexual release (through physical stimulation apart from lustful thoughts) through individual masturbation or with viewing adultcams to stimulate even more. Such a situation would follow the above structure: if the Bible says that the purpose of sexual pleasure is to unite husband and wife, it doesn’t follow that it is necessarily a sin to experience sexual pleasure outside of such a situation (barring any explicit passage to the contrary).

However, here’s where I think the real argument lies: we could safely conclude sexual gratification through masturbation is contrary to God’s will if it is clear that such gratification undermines the fundamental purpose for which it was created. In this case, it would not just be a situation where sexual gratification may be experienced in its primary context of marriage and may also be experienced in an alternative context of isolation (provided this alternative context does not give rise to other sins). Rather, the experience of sexual gratification in isolation could clearly be seen as a distortion of the primary context of marriage if this act can be seen as working against God’s purposes for marriage. Can such an argument be made? We think it can.

Masturbation inhibits full sexual commitment in marriage.

Numerous studies have shown that the practice of masturbation has given rise to rampant sexual dysfunction among young men. The practice of masturbation can therefore be seen as working against God’s intention for sexuality in marriage. Furthermore, it can readily be argued that the experience of sexual pleasure outside of intercourse with one’s spouse, decreases one’s overall sexual appetite that should be directed toward one’s spouse. This is the argument made in Every Man’s Battle with respect to lust. As stated by the authors:

Imagine that your current level of sexual hunger requires ten bowls of sexual gratification per week. These bowls of gratification should be filled from your single legitimate vessel, the wife whom God provided for you.

The same is just as true in masturbation. Because of this we seem to have arrived at the following results:

1. In the case of unmarried persons, the practice of masturbation undermines God’s intention in sex because it actually inhibits young persons from experiencing sex to its fullest later on in the context of marriage.
2. In the case of married persons, the practice of masturbation undermines God’s intention in sex because it deprives one’s spouse of the sexual appetite that should be directed at one’s spouse.

It would therefore seem that the argument that masturbation is a form of self-sex comes to the right conclusion.