I hear this one all the time and my response strictly from a biblical point is that I do not feel the Bible clearly addresses this. Some will point you to Leviticus, some Genius, but all require an interpretation which I feel is a far reach. I know, I know, so please save the law arguments because that is not what we deal with here.
For the next argument we will address the “human need” statements. My thought on this is the human body needs air, water and food or it will die. Sex or masturbation is not a need; it is a want, plain and simple, addicts have a problem separating “Wants” and “Needs”.
We deal on this site with addiction, the inability to stop something which is ruining my life, a compulsive behavior. There are people who can have one beer and quit, I can’t. I can watch a drug addict shoot heroin and wonder how someone can do that, because I do not struggle with drug addiction.
The question is can I masturbate and keep a clean mind? No, my mind wanders to things (lust) which I cannot have as a part of my life because it leads to other addictive behaviors. Can I masturbate and still honor God? No, I cannot.
This is a drug for me, it triggers responses which my mind was programmed to accept at one point in my life as acceptable. A smoker will never quit smoking by only smoking one cigarette a day. A drug addict cannot cut back on their drug use, they must quit. I had to quit.
Single people will say “Well you have a wife”. This is true, but in addiction I had many outlets and I found no satisfaction at all, in fact, I found the opposite; I became angry and lonely, I lost everything which was truly important to me.
It is like the great movie The Wizard of Oz…this is actually a Christian movie about God (ok, ok, just kidding). But really think about it and think about your own journey. We go through life looking for happiness in all kinds of places…many of them in the life of an addict will be dangerous places (flying monkeys). We will always think if I only had a brain (or a wife, or a girlfriend, or if I masturbate) I would be happy…In reality if we will stop all this nonsense we can then listen to God and He will tell us…You have had it with you all the time…the ability to find happiness, the ability to stop addiction, the ability love yourself has been with you all the time…it resides inside of each of us when we find the relationship with God…then you will know that you are happy with the person God created…you really have had it with you all the time.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. I will ease and relieve and refresh your soul.” (Matthew 11:28 AMP)
Remember, your life will go in the direction of your thoughts.
“Look straight ahead…” (Proverbs 4:25 TLB)
God loves you and so do I…
Steve G