The correct answer is, no it is not and yes it is. I hope that clears things up.

To some people no matter what I say, they will determine that masturbation is a sin. To them it is a sin.

The principles of Romans 14 come into play: on matters of individual conscience, if

the conscience is not clear, then for that individual it is a sin.

This is from --Masturbation and the Bible. Is it a sin or not?

Is MASTURBATION a Sin? http://www.theology.edu/faq08.htm

8. Is Masturbation a Sin?

The only mention of masturbation in the Bible would possibly be Lev. 15:16-18,

32-33; 22:4 and Deut. 23:10-11. It is interesting to notice that none of these

passages refer to the emission of semen as a sin. In fact, such an emission has

fewer consequences than a woman's menstruation.

I would conclude, therefore, that masturbation is not a sin and is no more

regulated in the Bible than relieving oneself or menstruating. This is

unsurprising, since the overwhelming majority of human beings do masturbate at

some point in their lives (and the rest, someone once said, are lying); if it

was a sin, then, it seems to me, it would have been mentioned.

Thus, I tell people if they don't feel guilty about doing it, then it is not a problem.

On the other hand, if they do feel guilty, then perhaps they shouldn't.

The principles of Romans 14 come into play: on matters of individual conscience, if

the conscience is not clear, then for that individual it is a sin.

God created us human beings and give us built-in human desires.

Some of these desires can become sinful and another time that same

desire can not be sinful. There are many factors involved, not always just black and white.

Some terms in the Bible are not always 100% clear and at times misused and other times not understood correctly in the culture, situation, and background setting. To completely understand some verses in the Bible correctly , we would need to know: who, what, where, to whom, why, is it under law or under Grace, for what special reason, what was the culture, what is the circumstance involved, and other information. Sometimes, this is lacking or misunderstood. Sometimes, a person will come up with false and incorrect conclusions.

Sometimes the same Bible terms is used for many different ideas and meanings. Examples: Flesh, lust, body, and many others. On sexual terms it uses complex words that need to be defined just to know what it is saying and sometimes the definition may have changed over time.

I have spent much time in pray over this and have ask God many questions about this issue. Most ideas came to me like a brain storm and I wrote it down on paper as it came to me. After a hundred write pages I started repeating so I figure most of the ideals and example has been exhausted. At that time I did a massive research on the web and got lots of info from both Christian and secular web sites until that started to repeat over and over. The following is a small part of this project.

Let start with what most Christian would agree.

Good news, most Christians are in agreement in certain areas.

Wet Dreams

Most Christians agree this is not a sin. That is if a males body expelled semen in the night time while the person was sleeping that it clearly was not a sin. On the web a research survey showed that only 7% surveyed ever had a wet dream experience. Women don’t eject semen.

--Masturbation Survey by adults, teens, and children.

http://members.xoom.com/inkaboutit/SoloResearch.htm

Sexual Intercourse and Sexual Play in Marriage

Most Christians agree this is not a sin if married. Meaning, that a married couple can enjoy pleasurable mutual sex play and pleasurable sexual intercourse. Most agree that a couples may Masturbate each other during sex play for mutual enjoyment. That this masturbation is not a sin as long as it is inside marriage and not causing any depraving of sexual fulfillment of the other spouse.

Women’s Monthly Period— Menstruation

Most Christians agree this is not a sin. I have never heard any Christians ever say that this was a sin. I have never heard any Christians say it was a sin to have sexual intercourse during this time. Medical Doctors have told me there isn’t anything wrong with having sex during a women’s Menstruation period.

Sexual Intercourse Out side of Marriage

Christians may disagree.

Christians have different ideals about how much physical contact and touching and sex play a person should do before marriage. Some will say as long as you don’t have sexual intercourse, you’re ok. Others may say, don’t ever get started going down the physical contact path, other than holding hands and maybe a good night kiss, otherwise your sex drive may get out of control and you will be tempted to go too far and have sexual intercourse.

Some Christians might read 1Cor 7:36 differently.

But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.

The question is about " behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin" the answer is: , let him do what he will, he sinneth not. Some will say this is saying marriage is not sinful. But what happen to the answer of the question about " behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin".

The Bible doesn’t mention the word Masturbation. Some Strong Fundamental Pastors , will say that masturbation is a sin and others will avoid the word masturbation and talk more about the evil of: lusting, the flesh, the body, the love of the world, and dying to the flesh. More Liberal Christian Pastor will say that if masturbation was a sin it is very minor. They explain that it is natural and safe. It causes no harm to the body, therefore should not be overly concern about it.

Masturbation and the Bible. Is it a sin or not?

http://members.xoom.com/inkaboutit/SoloBible.htm

Masturbation from Evangelical, liberal Christian and medical perspectives masturbation from a Christian perspective Bible passages that conflict with modern morality Bible passages that appear immoral by today's secular and religious standards

http://religioustolerance.org/masturba.htm

Men are turned on by sight first, and then talk and touch. Most women are turn on by talk and touch. This is Gods design. This is why most of the porno is sold to men and not women. Then we turn around and say if a man is turned on sexually after he sees an attractive women that he is lusting and is doing evil.

If there where zero amount of healthy "sexual lust" or "sexual desire" most would not get married. Remember how it was before puberty? Boys did not want anything to do with girls and girls did not want anything to do with boys. Then puberty hit and what happen? Many changes, and one of those was a healthy attraction for the opposite sex. Why, because of the God’s Gift of sexuality at puberty.

I feel the Sermon on the Mount is greatly misunderstood and taken out of proper context.

1. First of all you must remember that they are still living under the Law not Grace.
2. Jesus at one time would be telling the Disciples about Grace and another time he would be telling the outsiders or unbelievers about the law. You have to be perfect to get to heaven. 100% sinless in God eyes. Many of these standards only Christ himself could do. His "earthy" father was the Holy Spirit and earthy mother was Mary.
3. Look at the situation and setting, first it was Jesus and his Disciple and Jesus was talking to his disciples and close followers first part of the sermon is full of grace, than switches to more under law as he started drawing a crowd of many types of people. You can see the sermon change from point to point as if he is moving around talking to different people or people groups at different times. Jesus spoke with great authority because he could look into people’s hearts and know their motives. I feel that Mt 5:27-32 Jesus was talking to a man or a small group of men who were plotting to steal and take another men’s wife or wives to be their own. They were looking to steal a wife, so when they looked at a wife their lust was to steal her for their wife. Not a sexual thing. Out of the hearts come the sin , not the eyes. Their hearts desire was to steal a wife. Just because a men sees an attractive wife and thinks she is sexy, does not mean his hearts desire is to steal her from her husband and marry her to be his own wife. He is only admiring the beauty of God creation.

Mk 7: 14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand:

15there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him."

16 17And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him,

19since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

20And he said, "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.

21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,

22coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.

23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

4. Outdoors, open air meetings with a mixed audience are very much different then your average church meeting. An open air meeting with out a PA system may force a speaker to move around as he is speaking. Also there may be unfriendly people who oppose your cause who Jesus may have want to talk to direct.
5. This would go along with the story of the rich man who came to Jesus and asked how to get to heaven. Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor. But he explained it afterward to his disciple to clarify what he was getting at. If that explaining part was missing we would make a new doctrine about how to get to heaven that would require you to sell all your things and give them to the poor. I think we are missing Jesus explaining to the disciple after the Sermon on the Mount.
6. When the disciples asked Jesus about the comment, " rich man and that it is easier for a camel to go though an eye of a needle then for a rich men to enter heaven," the answer was it is impossible, but with God all thing are possible. Without the additional explaining, we also may have misunderstood.

Mark 10:25 (English-NIV)

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

7. If we were in the crowd it would be much clearer what Jesus was doing and why. If we had Jesus explaining the sermon to his disciple afterward , it would be more understood . He was not talking to the average person who see a beautiful women and admire her physical beauty and is attracted to her. This is normal for every red hot blooded male on earth. This verse would make every male an adulator, and another verse say no adulators will inherit heaven. Therefore no men will be in heaven. Just like no rich people would be in heaven. When you compare what made the rich man a rich man, then you could conclude that an average person in America is a rich man, therefore will not go to heaven. No man can earn heaven. The purpose of the law was to show that it is impossible to keep. That only Jesus could keep it and be our savior. We now live under the Age of Grace not Law.

"Make believe" is normal and fun. We do a lot of "Make believe" with children and do not feel this is a sin. We watch TV and most all of that is "Make believe". People read fiction books and others stories and don’t think it is a sin. Many people have many Fantasies and Imaginations that they feel are not sins. Many feel if they have sexual Fantasies and Imaginations about there marriage partner that this is not a sin.

But if you have sexual Fantasies or Imaginations or "Make believe" about someone who is not your spouse, than you are doing a major sin. They will go back to Mt. 5:27 (Sermon on the Mount) and show that you are an adulator.

It seems like one verse has become a major doctrine about sexual "Make believe", condemning all male to hell. I feel this verse is greatly misunderstood and taken out of proper context as a result coming up with wrong conclusions.

If there where zero amount of healthy "sexual lust" or "sexual desire" most would not get married. Remember how it was before puberty? Boys did not want anything to do with girls and girls did not want anything to do with boys. Then puberty hit and what happen? Many changes, and one of those was a healthy attraction for the opposite sex. Why, because of the Gift of God ---sexuality at puberty.

Where is the balance? What is health and normal? What is not healthy or normal? What is sin and not sin?

There are many Bible verses that talk about lust and some are misused just to unfairly attack sexuality and over look other "fruit of the flesh" as being of lessor importance’s. There are many types of fleshly lust. You could almost make everything you do some kind of lust of the flesh. God created us as human beings, not as perfect gods. There are normal and healthy human desires and wants.

Then there is the sin nature with in us that is unkind, unloving, esteeming self over others, self pride, want to meet only our needs not others needs, greed, and not giving God the glory and praise for all things.

Ephesians 5:

28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of His body.

Mark 12:31 (English-RSV)

The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Nourishes and cherishes the body. How do we do this? What is healthy and benefits the body.

Review the 50 benefits of masturbation with no negative side effects. The past lies have been exposed.

--Masturbation, is it healthy or harmful by Medical Doctors.

http://members.xoom.com/inkaboutit/SoloHealthy.htm

Many Christian men think that to masturbate you need to be lusting about having sex with some one or look at porno or think about sexy women.

This is faults. You do not have to think about having sex with anyone or look at porno or anything like that. For a man masturbation can just be a time of enjoying a penis massage. The massage by itself is very enjoyable. Just like a back massage is very enjoyable. A foot massage, hand massage, head massage are all very enjoyable in and of themselves. Not necessary to be lusting after other people.

This is learned by many at puberty. The first time that I masturbated I had a big erection and a very strong itch at the "neck" of my penis and had to itch it badly, by rubbing it and it felt very enjoyable, so I continued to rub. The more I rubbed the more it felt good, the more fun it was. Then all of a sudden something came out and I was surprised. I didn’t even know what it was. All I was trying to do was rub a strong itch. I never gave one thought of sexuality or girls or porno. I just had an itch. Is it a sin to rub an itch? The next night I did the same thing and very often after that, just because it felt so go to massage my penis. All my thought were on enjoying a penis massage just like enjoying a back massage, they both felt very good all by themselves. I was not even exposed to xxx porno at this young age. I did know that girls were different then boys, but didn’t make the connection of intercourse until much later. Today I still enjoy a penis massage and enjoy having sex with my wife.

Most young boys who masturbate or massage their penis don’t even make the connection with intercourse at all. They don’t even know about sexuality as adults do. Some call this child hood innocents.

Do you think children are adulators and on there way to hell for sexual sin?

Do you think it is a sin to enjoy a back massage because it feels so good?

Do you think it is a sin to enjoy a foot massage because it feels so good?

Do you think it is a sin to enjoy a head massage because it feels so good?

Do you think it is a sin to enjoy a penis massage because it feels so good?

Even though I understand about sexuality and greatly enjoy having sex with my wife, I still masturbate often , sin free , lust free, Guilt free, but I always prefer to have sin free , lust free, Guilt free, sex with my wife instead.

At will, I can enjoy a penis massage just with its own pleasure, with out thinking of any women at all or thinking of a sexual intercourse with another person. Most men should be able to do this. It is not that hard because the penis massage is so much fun. What are you thinking of when you get a great back massage after a very stressful day? Aren’t you thinking that it feels so good and hope it doesn’t stop. A penis massage is not lusting, you are just enjoying a enjoyable massage. Just like you would if it was a back massage.

In your quiet bedroom , laying on top of the bed with all you cloths off , get the proper lubrication needed, and without any porno, without any thought of any women, without the thought of intercourse, Think of only one thing , the enjoyment of a penis massage. Using lots of lubrication, start the penis massage. Take your time, you are not in a rush, relax and enjoy. No rush, just enjoy each stroke go slow, at first and change speeds as desired, don’t rush. When your hand gets tried, stop and rest your hand for a short while. After a short rest, continue on with the massage enjoyment. Rest, continue, rest continue, don’t get impatience . All the time just focus on the massage pleasure, nothing else. At some point you will ejactculate , just like an innocent child does the first time. After a 10 minute rest, and you want to enjoy more just continue as before. Continue as long as you would like, this is a lot better then TV. After you have completely and totally emptied yourself and you are exhausted, then rest a while, and you are ready to conquer the world. If you think you are an out of control porno addict, go and get your porno and look at it . You will find that you are not sexually starving. Having had your fill of sexual enjoy, and have the need for sexual tension stress relieve. You will put down the porno and go on to do some work you need to do. A lot of men are starving for sexual stress tension release. All they can think of is sex. Just like the man dying of thirst. All he can think of is water. Just like the man who is starving for food. All he can think about is what he is starving for. Starvation causes people to be out of control. Masturbation can help prevent the out of control starvation for the sexual stress tension release that’s needed.

Another tip to help you to have sin free, Guilt free, lust free masturbation.

"Make believe" something that is not considered to be a sin. For example: pretend that your semen is very valuable to the would to cure a deadly disease and you need to "milk "yourself regularly to help save the world out of its crisis situation. Is "Make believe" that you are saving the world, a sin? Or is that a good thought?

I enjoy porno but don’t need it to masturbate or have sex with my wife. I enjoy the beauty of a nude women. I enjoy looking at the beauty of my wife’s nude body as well.

I have also looked at porno and masturbated at the same time. I don’t believe this is adultery (as explained earlier) When I see a beautiful nude women picture, of course it a great turn on and I think if I was married to her we would have wonderful sex together. But I would not go and steal her from her husband or go have sex with her even if she ask me. If you desire or wish you were married to a beautiful nude women and you know if you were her husband you would have great sex, this is placing sex in marriage and not outside of marriage. You are just programming your mind to connect the enjoyment of having sex to marriage.