An Honest Look at the ‘M’ Word (Masturbation)
Back in the ’80s an Evangelical pastor who was popular with young people spoke frankly on the topic of masturbation and tried to be balanced. Being a controversial topic, interviewers would naturally ask him about it. He responded, “Look, I’ll answer your questions to the best of my knowledge and understanding, but I don’t want to be known as the ‘masturbation pastor’; that’s not where my heart is.” I feel the same here.
Masturbation is one of those subjects that are so private, so intimate, it’s understandably awkward to openly discuss. If you can’t handle an honest examination of this very personal, adult-oriented issue, I suggest leaving and maybe coming back later.
The two extreme positions on the issue reflect the Conservative and Liberal mindsets. It’s wise to consider the evidence for both sides, along with the Middle Ground position, before drawing plausible conclusions that apply to one’s own situation. That’s what we’re going to do here.
Let’s start with the fact that…
The Bible Doesn’t Directly Mention Masturbation
Whatever answers we come up with in this study, they will be from indirect material since the topic of masturbation is not mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. In short, there’s no commandment “Thou Shalt Not Masturbate.” Sexual lust is detailed, of course, but not self-stimulation of the genitals for gratification.
For anyone who might cite Onan from Genesis 38:8-10, his offense wasn’t masturbation, but rather Onan’s refusal to fulfill his Hebraic duty in perpetuating his brother’s line of descendants (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).
The obvious question is: Why doesn’t the Creator mention masturbation in the God-breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) — the LORD’s written Word to humanity — a topic that practically every human being has to deal with during his/her life on Earth? Perhaps because it’s not a cut-and-dried issue and, whether or not masturbation is a sin, depends on several things, which will be detailed as we progress. As such, each individual will have to work out this private issue in his/her personal relationship with their Creator with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
That said, I want to stress that…
A Person Is a Slave to Whatever Has Mastered Him/Her
Peter put it like this:
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
2 Peter 2:19
If a person allows himself/herself to become in bondage to something that’s not necessary for survival (water, food, air, etc.) they in essence become a slave to that thing, not to mention the thing in question becomes a figurative idol. Christianity is all about true freedom, which includes freedom from the flesh and religious legalism (2 Corinthians 3:17 & Galatians 5:1), but it also supports the wisdom of moderation in all things so as not to be hindered or mastered by anything (Hebrews 12:1 & 1 Corinthians 6:12).
Anything that impedes a person’s productivity in life automatically becomes a destructive “weight” and needs to be “thrown off.” This would include the practice of masturbation. This must be understood at the outset of our study along with the fact that…
Believers Are Instructed to Control Their Bodies
This can be observed in Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonians:
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
Verse 5 reveals that the issue comes down to knowing God or not knowing God. The spiritually-regenerated believer who walks with the Lord is expected to control his/her body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like unbelievers who aren’t walking with the Lord.
This shows that the Creator wants his children to be in a state of control over their bodies & thoughts/actions and not in bondage to anything. Yet verse 4 plainly says that believers have to “learn” to control their bodies; in other words, it’s a process — there is a progression that goes with sanctification.
Secondly, while the text is pretty straightforward, there’s also a degree of mystery: What exactly does “control your body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust” mean for each individual? Obviously the indwelling Spirit is going to have to guide & help each believer in this matter. The Spirit’s guidance will depend on the maturity level of the person, their unique situation and their calling. Such things will be elucidated as we continue.
Now let’s consider the three perspectives on masturbation and the pros or cons of each:
The Conservative View: Masturbation Is Always a Sin
This is the go-to position of most Evangelicals, which makes masturbation a black & white issue. They base it on the fact that Christ said, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), which is bolstered by righteous Job’s attitude: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1) and similar comments made in verses 9-12.
These passages support the obvious connection between what goes on in the mind to one’s potential actions (as well as the error of objectifying a woman due to her physical beauty). And, since it’s arguably impossible to masturbate without the use of imagination, advocates of this position reason that masturbation is always a sin.
Until the individual is married, they argue, the sexual side of life can be totally shut down through walking in the spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24). Of course learning to live by the Spirit is a process and so the believer will have to “keep with repentance” when they inevitably miss it (Matthew 3:8 & 1 John 1:8-9).
Speaking of marriage, supporters of this view point to God’s original design for the two genders, male & female, to unite together in marriage and multiply (Genesis 2:18 & 1:28) — with nothing being said about masturbation in the Song of Songs, which is God’s poetic ‘manual’ on romantic love/sex/marriage.
Likewise, the New Testament says zilch about masturbation when the topic of singlehood and marriage surfaces. For instance, the apostle Paul argued, since sexual immorality abounds, “each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband” (1 Corinthians 7:2). While Paul stressed that being single is good, particularly in that time and place (Corinth, a city about 50 miles west of Athens, Greece), he also pointed out that marriage is the natural solution for the single person who can’t control himself/herself for “it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). This would be the fitting place for Paul, led of the Spirit, to bring up the topic of masturbation, but he mysteriously says nada.
Is nothing said about masturbation in these key passages because it’s implied that it’s a prohibited, sinful practice, as supporters of this position would argue, or is it simply because God leaves the issue open for each individual to work out in his/her relationship with the LORD? (Philippians 2:12).
As far as releasing pent-up sexual energy goes, adherents of this view maintain that the Creator has provided a natural way for a person to release constrained sexuality; it’s called the wet dream (Deuteronomy 23:10-11). As such, masturbation is not necessary to release bottled-up sexual energy since a wet dream will naturally do it for the individual.
If you are satisfied with the arguments for this position, I encourage you to stick with it (Romans 14:14). However, if you discern some holes or unexplained details, read on. But, first, let’s consider the other side of the moral spectrum…
The Liberal View: Masturbation Is Never a Sin
A moderate Liberal argued that masturbation was God’s gift to assist people with pent-up sexual energy (presumably single people). While this sounds somewhat reasonable, the radical Liberal position goes back to the sexual revolution of the 60s and the foolish Leftie mantra: “If it feels good do it.” This is the philosophy of hedonism. Those who subscribe to hedonism are libertines.
When it comes to carnal desires, no matter how questionable, libertines typically encourage the embracing of the whim. After all, you were “born that way,” they argue, and so you are free to indulge because “it’s the way you were made.” Does this mean an adult male is free to pursue having sex with a 14 year-old girl because he experiences the desire and therefore was “born that way”? Should a woman who has the whim to eat 2 gallons of ice cream per day do so because she was “born that way”? Should a youth become a druggie/drunkard because he has the desire to be wasted? Obviously not in all three cases. And this reveals the absurdity of libertinism: Just because you experience a desire doesn’t automatically mean it’s good and you should act on it or base your life around it.
Speaking of which, Liberals tend to encourage people to base their identities around curious desires and whims. To deny a flesh urge is repression to them; and repression of desire, they reason, creates a “repressed” individual, which they consider mental illness. Personal discipline is an abomination to libertines unless it involves things like performing yoga or not using straws. Yes, I’m being amusing, but it’s pretty much the truth when it comes to Leftwingers.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the Liberal view on masturbation is that it’s natural & healthy and can be practiced as often as the individual wishes, regardless of whether he/she is single or married. “If it feels good, do it!”
Since modern-day Liberalism is equal to what the Bible calls “the world” (1 John 2:15-17) — and explains why I refer to it as LIEberalism — this viewpoint can be dismissed out of hand in this discussion. Remember, these are the folks who say with a straight face that there are 152 genders (or whatever the tally is these days) and that a man can become a woman by simply identifying as a female or, worse, having his penis surgically removed and being pumped with female hormones; either way, he can then legitimately compete in female competitions and be praised for winning (rolling my eyes).
The Middle Ground: Masturbation May or May Not Be a Sin, Depending on the Individual and Details Thereof
This view argues that, since masturbation is not mentioned in the Bible and there is no direct prohibition against it, whether or not it is permissible in a person’s life depends on his/her unique position, their level of spiritual maturity and the leading of the Spirit. Let’s look at each of these:
- The person’s unique position: God doesn’t make people ‘cookie-cutter’; we’re all unique. What may be an issue for one person is not an issue whatsoever for another. For instance, Paul spoke of his gift of continence to which he acknowledged many others don’t have, yet they have other gifts (1 Corinthians 7:7). Some single men have exceptionally high sex drives and the occasional ‘wet dream’ arguably isn’t going to cut it for them. As for Paul’s argument that “it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9), while this may be true, it would be extremely foolish to marry someone solely on the grounds of sexual gratification since it’s a huge commitment and life-altering matter.
- The person’s level of spiritual maturity: There’s a world of difference between, say, a new believer at 20 years of age and a seasoned man or woman of God of 55. There are stages to spiritual growth, not to mention keys to spiritual growth, and so everyone isn’t at the same place.
- Conscience and the leading of the Spirit in the individual’s life: Since masturbation isn’t mentioned in the Scriptures and there is no direct prohibition against it, the believer is going to have to go by the leading of the Spirit within and the conviction thereof (1 John 3:19-24). In other words, if your conscience & indwelling Spirit convict you of something, then don’t do it. If there is no conviction — at least currently — then you can be certain that “to the pure all things are pure” (Titus 1:15). However, when the Spirit guides you to remove something from your life, you are obligated to do so since “you are not your own, you were bought at a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
It goes without saying that we have to be careful with the verse that says “to the pure all things are pure.” This shouldn’t be mistaken to mean that a sin can ever be pure, like adultery. We also have to be careful of the self-deception of being “pure in our own eyes” (Proverbs 16:2 & Proverbs 30:12).
While the Middle Ground position respects the Conservative view and admits that believers should stick with that position if they’re convinced of it, à la Romans 14:14, it objects to its black & white simplicity. For instance, both Matthew 5:28 and Job 3:1 are talking about committing adultery within one’s heart. But what if a married man is away from home for a long period of time and releases his sexual energy by masturbating to thoughts of his wife? By doing this, he reasons, he’ll be less prone to amorous temptations on the road. Obviously this wouldn’t be adultery and the masturbation would arguably be permissible.
For those who understandably contend that the same principle would apply to the sin of fornication, what if the ‘woman’ in question is a drawing or image. To explain, in concentration camps, like Soviet gulags, artists would draw an alluring sketch of a woman and barter it to other captives. How exactly can a man commit fornication with a ‘woman’ that doesn’t exist? In other words, if what the person is imagining when he/she masturbates involves an unreal figure, how exactly is it a sin, unless of course the Spirit leads that person to not do it or stop the practice?
What if a single man with an exceptional sex drive expunges his sexual energy in this manner on the grounds that it will assist in evading amorous temptations, including the allure of porn, which is always just a click away in the modern day? In other words, to him, it basically removes that challenge from the table and frees him up for spiritual things. I’m not necessarily agreeing with this position, just sharing what guys have said who deal with this real-life issue.
On top of all this is the glaring question: When does merely appreciating beauty end and sinister lust begin?
These kinds of questions are naturally troubling to those who see everything in black & white, which is what some STAGE TWO believers tend to do. This is said with zero condescension; it’s simply a reflection of the way it is with spiritual growth and non-growth. Yet we’re talking real-life issues and struggles here, which demand frankness and tackling the hard questions.
In any case, the Middle Ground position acknowledges that masturbation is something that the Lord will eventually weed out of a person’s life as he/she grows, à la Colossians 3:5 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, but this is going to be accomplished by the Spirit’s leading and not some legalistic religious rule that’s not actually cited in the Bible. It’s the aforementioned process of sanctification.
Remember, the Bible emphasizes God’s compassion, which means sympathetic understanding of our plight in this fallen world (Psalm 145:9 & Hebrews 4:15). In short, anyone struggling with the things we’re talking about here, the Lord understands — the Lord cares. God’s not some ogre in the sky waiting to smash people with a cosmic baseball bat; the Lord’s full of love, mercy and compassion for his children (Psalm 86:15, 103:8 & 103:13), which is not to say that that there isn’t a time for divine discipline (Hebrews 12:5-7). God is for you, not against you (Romans 8:31). It’s of the utmost importance to your spiritual health that you get a hold of this!
A young minister strongly advocated the Conservative position in an honest article, arguing that masturbation is indeed a sin, yet the reason for his rigid stance was revealed in his testimony: He became captive to the practice in his teens and desperately wanted freedom. Upon turning to the Lord he acquired emancipation, but the experience unsurprisingly left him viewing masturbation as a great sin and his personal #1 flesh-enemy. Yet this doesn’t necessarily make masturbation a sin any more than it makes playing computer games a sin because an individual is in bondage to the activity. What about the gazillions of people who play computer games, but they do so in moderation and there’s zero bondage?
The same goes for the severe alcoholic who turns to the Lord and escapes the bondage of drunkard-ness. Just because drinking alcohol is a sin to this person, it doesn’t mean another person who isn’t an alcoholic can’t drink a sip of alcohol, assuming s/he is in an environment that’s not going to make someone stumble (Romans 14:13-23). Are you following?
One pastor I served under adamantly taught from the pulpit that merely shopping at a store that sells alcoholic beverages is a sin. Why? Not because the Bible says it’s a sin, obviously, but rather because he was a serious alcoholic before giving his life to the Lord and this caused him to unjustly condemn anything involving alcoholic beverages, even if it wasn’t immoral from a biblical standpoint. (While this is wrong and grossly legalistic, the Holy Spirit might of course lead a specific believer to not shop at a certain establishment for one reason or another).
Speaking of alcoholic beverages, supporters of the Middle Ground position believe masturbation could be equated to the topic of alcohol in the Bible. While being a drunkard is indeed a sin (Galatians 5:19-21), drinking in moderation is not (Matthew 11:19 & 1 Timothy 5:23) — assuming a believer even chooses to drink an alcoholic beverage in the first place (some could care less about alcohol, like me). As long as it doesn’t compel anyone who struggles with alcoholism to fall or troubles someone with a weak conscience, it’s allowable. In short, just as drinking alcohol can become a bondage and therefore detrimental to someone’s life, so can masturbation, yet neither are evil in-and-of-themselves (Romans 14:14). The details of the person, their situation and the leading of the Spirit will determine if either is permissible or destructive at the time.
Closing Word
I was reluctant to do this article because the topic is controversial and any minister who doesn’t staunchly support the Conservative position is readily written off as “going Liberal” (at least in Evangelical circles). But that’s hardly the case here. In any event, there’s pressure for ministers to tout the Evangelical convention on this topic — the Conservative position — or just keep mum on the subject.
Since masturbation is not directly mentioned in Scripture — and God obviously did this intentionally — it comes down to a matter between the individual believer and their Creator. It’s one of those “disputable” issues that should be kept between the person and their LORD (Romans 14:22) as they weigh the applicable verses of Scripture, their conscience and the guidance of the Spirit. In short, it’s a private matter.
Someone mocked the idea of God — the Creator of all things — caring about what a guy does with his pee-pee, which is an understandable point, but the Lord does care since we were bought at great price:
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
We are not our own; the LORD purchased us through the precious blood of Christ and we’re to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (1 Peter 1:18-19 & Romans 12:1). As far as our thoughts go, the Bible acknowledges that thoughts run our lives and thus God is very interested in what goes on in our minds (Psalm 24:3-5, Proverbs 15:26, Matthew 5:8, Colossians 3:2 & Philippians 4:8). For one, our thought life determines our actions, one way or another.
Personally, I don’t masturbate. The Holy Spirit pruned it from me long ago as part of my particular process of sanctification. That’s my example. How, when, and why the Lord deals with other people on the issue is between them and their Creator. I don’t care to know the details because it’s a TMI matter of the first order. This doesn’t mean, of course, that they can’t talk to a spiritual mentor about it if they feel the need to do so, just be sure that he/she is actually spiritual and not a gossip (Matthew 7:15-23). (For instance, I’ve come across ministers who regularly counsel others and have been known to share details of their counselee by name behind their backs, typically with other ministers; it goes without saying that this is outrageously wrong, but it unfortunately happens).
The reason I decided to cover this topic is because the journey in finding answers from God’s Word brings up many issues relevant to one’s walk with the LORD in this fallen world, such as spiritual development, self-control, thought life, appreciating beauty vs. lust, walking in the spirit, knowing God, Christianity vs. legalism, libertinism, disputable issues and so on.
Our conclusion is that the Liberal view should be dismissed outright because it embraces the folly of libertinism. The Conservative view should be respected and works for many believers while the Middle Ground perspective honestly explores the holes in that view and dares to tackle the ignored details. So the truth lies somewhere between the Conservative position and the Middle Ground position. Being a decidedly private matter, it’s up to each believer to work it out with their Maker on their spiritual journey with fear and trembling.
Amen.
This article is also available in book form as a chapter in…
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Related Topics:
Beauty, Objectification and Lust
Altars & Altar Calls and how they’re Relevant
Godliness and Religion—What’s the Difference?
Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
Libertinism — What’s Wrong with It and How to Walk FREE
God Deals With People According to the Light They Have
The LORD deals with people according to the light they have. Once we have revelation of a certain truth we are responsible for living according to it (or living in light of it). This can be observed in a few key passages, like these:
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.”
If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.
Christ wasn’t talking about physical blindness in the first passage, but rather spiritual blindness. The Pharisees & other Judaic leaders were very learned in the Holy Scriptures that existed up to that point (John 5:39), but they had unfortunately allowed the spiritual disease of legalism to infect them — aka dead religiosity — and, as such, they were arrogant, rigid know-it-alls who couldn’t see the forest for the trees, spiritually speaking. The very Scriptures they diligently studied pointed to Christ, but here he was on Earth ministering with God’s powerful anointing and yet they rejected him due to their hateful jealousy and, worse, wanted to murder him (John 5:36-40 & John 8:31-47).
Here are a couple other supportive texts:
“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Luke 12:47-48 (here’s the whole passage)
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
This obviously isn’t an excuse to stay in ignorance, but it does show that God handles people according to the light they have. For instance, the LORD deals differently with a believer who is in his or her first few years of salvation as opposed to someone who’s been a believer for 37 years and is very versed in the Scriptures along with much experience in the things of God in general.
Our Creator takes into consideration things like the person’s stage of spiritual growth, talents, calling, access to knowledge and understanding of that knowledge. A new believer who grew up in a godless, lawless culture might not know a certain sexual activity is a sin, like fornication, and so God deals with him accordingly. As the believer grows, however, he’ll soon learn truth in regards to sexual propriety thru God’s word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit; the LORD then holds him accountable to what he knows and understands.
As Yeshua said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48). You could put it this way: If you’re a half-pint, live up to being a half-pint; if you’re a gallon, live up to being a gallon; if you’re a two-ton tank, live up to being a two-ton tank.
Let me close by emphasizing that God is love (1 John 4:16) and therefore is greatly compassionate & merciful with his children:
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.Psalm 145:8-9
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16
Related Topics:
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain
Altars & Altar Calls and how they’re Relevant
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled
What is GLORY in the sense of God’s (Shekinah) GLORY?
What Is CONSCIENCE?
Conscience is the God-given sense in people that distinguishes right and wrong. In other words, it’s an inner signal of universal morality. You could call it an intrinsic moral compass. Our Creator gave humanity conscience to steer us away from what’s morally wrong and toward what’s right. When a person ignores this built-in signal and commits the immoral deed in question he or she will experience guilt, which motivates repentance. Repentance means to change your mind and therefore change your actions.
Here’s an example from when I was seven years old: I stopped at a friend’s house before walking to elementary school together. His mother asked him if he had brushed his teeth wherein he replied he did, but she knew he was lying and made him do so before leaving. The next morning I was preparing for school and my mom asked if I brushed my teeth; negatively influenced by my friend’s behavior, I lied and said I did. My mom trusted my word, however, and I went off to school. Naturally, I felt bad about needlessly lying to my dear mother. What was going on? I was only seven years old, but my conscience signaled to me that lying in this manner was wrong. I needed to stop it or I’d end up becoming a pathetic liar.
‘Conscience’ in the Bible
The Greek word translated as ‘conscience’ in the New Testament is suneidésis (soon-AHY-day-sis), which refers to an innate discernment of morality, a “joint-knowing… which joins moral and spiritual consciousness as part of being created in the divine image. Accordingly, all people have this God-given capacity to know right from wrong” (HELPS Word-studies).
Paul said “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience (suneidésis) confirms it through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 9:1). This shows that the conscience “works with” the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life, which makes sense since the Holy Spirit indwells the believer’s human spirit, as observed in Ephesians 3:16. The only reason the Holy Spirit can do this is because our reborn spirit was “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness,” as shown in Ephesians 4:24.
While unredeemed people don’t have the Holy Spirit living in them since they lack spiritual regeneration (Titus 3:5), they do have a conscience, which distinguishes right from wrong, whether they care to admit it or not. This explains why their conscience will be a “witness” when they stand before God on Judgment Day, as observed here:
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Romans 2:14-16
This shows that…
Conscience Stems From the Human Spirit, the Person’s “Good Side”
Where does conscience originate? It proceeds from your spirit, which is your “good side” or godly nature and is contrasted by your flesh or sinful nature, as observed here:
For the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other…
Galatians 5:17
Of course the human spirit (from which your conscience stems) is not a separate person inside of you, but rather is simply your spiritual proclivity, just as your sinful nature — your flesh — is not a separate person, but rather your carnal proclivity. Your conscience informs you what is good and bad while your spirit compels you to do the right thing. At the same time, your sinful nature compels you to choose the bad because it’s only interested in appeasing the immediate desires of the flesh and not concerned with the underlying long-term consequences.
Both of these contrasting natures — spirit and flesh — constantly send thoughts/desires/images to your mind and you then have the choice to accept them or not. You have this choice because you possess the power of volition, like all human beings. Whatever thoughts you decide to dwell on will increase desire and lead to the act in question, whether good or bad (James 1:13-15).
Here’s a diagram of human nature that helps visualize these things (click to enlarge):
(For important details on the inner conflict of spirit and flesh, as well as human nature in general, see this article).
The Bible speaks of three different kinds of consciences; let’s look at all three:
A “Good Conscience” or “Clear Conscience”
There are several references to a good conscience or clear conscience in the New Testament (1 Timothy 1:5, 1:19, 3:9, 1 Peter 3:16, 3:21, Hebrews 13:18 & Acts 24:16). Having a good conscience or clear conscience simply means that the person in question respects this God-given inner-signal and walks accordingly. If they miss it, they readily repent (1 John 1:8-9), which the Bible calls “keeping with repentance,” something we all should do (Matthew 3:8 & Luke 3:8). Confession of a mistake or sin takes humility, which naturally attracts God’s grace (favor) and stops prosecution (James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5).
Even unbelievers can maintain a clear conscience by being honest about their mistakes and not continuing with the transgression in question. In other words, they admit they screwed up because their conscience bugged them and they refuse to live the misdeed as a lifestyle. This is repentance.
A Seared Conscience
Paul spoke of “hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2). People with a seared conscious have ignored the warning of their conscience so often that they are now hardened to it and therefore utterly ignore it with zero qualms, which can be observed in Ephesians 4:19. This is one-and-the-same as what the Bible calls “hardening the heart” (Acts 28:27 & Hebrews 3:7-8).
A Weak Conscience
A weak conscience is an unhealthy conscience that’s no longer strong and therefore is unreliable in some ways (1 Corinthians 8), but not all ways. The Greek word for ‘weak’ is detailed here. A weak conscience develops through misinformation or false doctrine wherein the believer with this condition usually has personal issues with the behavior in question and has little sense of moderation.
A good modern example would be the drinking of alcoholic beverages. While being a drunkard is a sin (Galatians 5:19-21 & 1 Corinthians 6:9-11), drinking a sip of alcohol is not (1 Timothy 5:23 & Deuteronomy 14:26), although it would arguably be a sin for an alcoholic, as well as those who cause others to fall (Romans 14:21). The believer with the weak conscience is the one who sees another believer drinking an alcoholic beverage and automatically assumes s/he is in sin and it may even harm their faith.
Believers with weak consciences are either spiritually immature and need to grow or are developing a legalistic spirit. Regardless, mature believers with healthy consciences must be considerate of those with weak consciences; it’s simply a matter of walking in love toward others. You can read scriptural details here.
Related Topics:
Human Nature — Spirit, Mind & Body
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
Does the Bible support a “Justifiable Lie”?
Christianity — Does it Weaken People or Empower?
Law (Torah) — New Testament Believers are NOT Under the Law
Legalism — Understanding its Many Forms
What Is the “AGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY”?
All people born into this world since Adam & Eve were born with a sinful nature (Romans 5:17), which explains why David said “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). The “age of accountability” addresses the age that God begins holding people accountable to their sin.
Think about it like this: Would you hold your child responsible for something they did wrong even though they weren’t mature enough to be adequately aware it was wrong? Obviously not. Similarly, the LORD does not hold children accountable to sin until they reach the age of accountability, which is implied in this passage:
14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. 15He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, 16for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
Isaiah 7:14-16
Spiritual Life / Spiritual Death and the Age of Accountability
Children are spiritually alive before the age of accountability, but eventually experience spiritual death in their adolescence, which ultimately ties into the age of accountability (although they’re not synonymous). What do I mean by “spiritually alive”? Being spiritually alive simply means one’s spirit is alive to God whereas being spiritually dead means your spirit is dead to God (Romans 8:10 & 1 Corinthians 6:17). Paul notes here that he was spiritually alive at one time:
Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died.
Romans 7:9
Paul obviously wasn’t referring to physical death in this verse, but rather spiritual death. Before knowledge & awareness came to him of what was right and wrong (in this case, through the moral law of the Old Testament), Paul was “alive” — meaning he was spiritually alive — but, once he became aware of what was right and wrong, his flesh “sprang to life” and lured him to willingly commit the transgression in question; and sin produces death (Romans 6:23 & 7:13). Thus he died spiritually.
Unlike Paul, non-Jews don’t have the moral law of the Old Testament, so how does this apply to them? Simple: The moral law is written within them via their God-given consciences (Romans 2:14-16). As they grow through adolescence they become increasingly aware of universal morality and inevitably choose the wrong — i.e. they sin (Romans 3:23) — and thus they die spiritually.
Have you ever run into a family where the parents are heavily involved in sin, like drugs & crime or severe sexual immorality, but their kids are bright-eyed & bushy-tailed? Regardless of the moral degeneracy of their parents, the kids have the sparkle of life in their eyes! It’s incredible. Why is this? Because they’re spiritually alive.
This reminds me of when I was 11-12 years old and the teacher I had in 6th grade. The next year I switched to junior high at a facility about five miles away. The summer in between, I got involved with alcohol, drugs and delinquency, hanging around the wrong crowd (as it is written: “Bad company corrupts good character” – 1 Corinthians 15:33). When I was 13, I ran into my former 6th grade teacher outside the school one day and I didn’t even acknowledge him. He looked at me and recognized me, but I looked totally different. I was now a lil’ drug-obsessed wannabe punk-hoodlum. It was like day and night. What happened?
I had died spiritually.
At What Age Do People Enter the Age of Accountability?
Answer: It depends. I said that I experienced spiritual death when I was 13 years-old. The age when one undergoes spiritual death is not the same as the beginning of the age of accountability, although there’s an obvious correlation between the two. Let’s just say that sometime after spiritual death the age of accountability will begin. When that technically occurs depends on the individual.
For instance, say a boy grows up in a loving Christian home that’s part of a healthy local assembly. In his teens and early adulthood he has the knowledgeable moral foundation to make wise decisions. Compare this to a boy who grows up in a grossly dysfunctional pagan family who’s been fed LIEberal misinformation all his life. He understandably makes foolish decisions because he has a faulty moral foundation. The age of accountability would obviously begin at an earlier time for the first boy compared to the latter. Christ himself plainly acknowledged how knowledge & awareness factor into personal guilt (John 9:40-41, John 15:22 & 15:24).
To complicate matters, growing up in what appears to be a healthy Christian home & church assembly, doesn’t guarantee that a youth will choose the LORD as an adult. Most of us know this. When I was young I became friends with a 16-17 year-old girl. She was a sincere Christian and a powerful witness at her school, pure and devout. Then she went off to (secular) college and some bad things went down, not to mention a couple of tragedies occurred in her family, like her parents divorcing due to the father — an impressive deacon in the fellowship — committing adultery. When she got back from college prematurely, she was hardened and wouldn’t even speak of God. It’s a sad story. (Hopefully she later reconciled with the Lord, but I don’t know what happened to her).
A Biblical Example of the LORD Holding People Accountable Based on Age
When the Israelites stubbornly rebelled against the LORD in the wilderness after they were miraculously freed from bondage in Egypt (Numbers 14:1-11), God judged that all those 20 and over would die in the desert over the course of the next 40 years, except for faithful Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:26-35).
Only those 19 and younger would be allowed to live and enter the Promised Land.
How is this relevant to our topic? Simple: the LORD made a stern judgment against the Israelites for their transgression, but only held those over a certain age accountable. Those under that age were not held responsible.
Of course this does not mean that God only holds people 20 and over responsible for their sins, whether today or any era in the past. Again, that would depend on the individual and his/her unique circumstances. But this at least shows us that our Creator deems the age of 20 a good demarcation line for being responsible concerning moral decisions. In short, by that generous point in time blame falls on the individual (which does not mean other people aren’t partially responsible).
Do Those Who Die Before the Age of Accountability Have Eternal Life?
The above explains why most theologians believe children go to Heaven when they die, including non-Christian children, which makes sense. However, this is different than saying that they’re assured eternal life. Let me explain.
The first thing we must establish is that God is absolutely just and fair when it comes to making eternal judgments of people:
righteousness and justice are the
foundation of His throne.
Psalm 97:2b
for He comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples with equity.
Psalm 98:9
When God makes an ultimate judgment on a person we can be certain that the divine judgment will be righteous and just. This is the LORD’s very nature. The second verse says that God will judge people with equity. This means to be completely fair, ethical and impartial.
Now let’s relate this to children or youths who die before the age of accountability. Since they physically died before they were adequately conscious of morality and the negative consequences of immorality, they will have to be exposed to some kind of simulation where God can properly verify if they would receive the gospel of reconciliation or reject it in favor of sin. Such a “simulation” would be a reproduction of life on Earth. The people who would qualify for such an enactment would include those who died as kids because they never had the chance to experience the trials & temptations of life and therefore never had the opportunity to reject their Creator for sin. After all, it wouldn’t be fair that such people would attain eternal life when, in fact, they would have rejected God & reconciliation if they had actually lived and were given the opportunity. Are you following?
For those who argue that such a simulation is incredulous, remember that God is the Almighty who can do anything. It would be nothing for our Creator to put people through such a simulation.
Also keep in mind that making a judgment regarding a person’s eternal destiny is of paramount importance. If God doesn’t have enough information to properly make that decision then the LORD will have to get it; and conducting some kind of simulation is a likely possibility.
Why am I complicating the topic with this point? Because the idea that anytime a child dies they’re guaranteed eternal life is a dubious doctrine at best. As noted above, because children are still spiritually alive they’ll go to Heaven if they die as a kid, but this is different than saying they’re assured eternal life. The false notion that kids are guaranteed salvation from everlasting destruction in the Lake of fire has motivated some mentally questionable parents to kill their kids to save them. Andrea Yates is Exhibit A.
This is a wake up call to such misguided parents.
Related Topics:
“Evil desires” — What does the Bible Mean by this?
Universalism, Inclusivism, Restrictivism, Purgatory and the Judgment Seat of Christ
Spiritual Growth — The Four Stages
God Deals with People According to the Light they Have
Spiritual Growth is Like Climbing a Mountain
The Seven Keys to SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Does God Reserve All Judgment until the End of the Age?
Accountability — the Good, the Bad and the Eye-Rolling
Human Nature — Spirit, Mind & Body
The Fall of Man (Humanity) and Slavery to Satan
REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation
Morality — Isn’t it Obvious?
All moral truth is obvious, particularly the more a person develops discernment or wisdom. For instance, I wrote a book about forgiveness and it goes into a lot of detail in its 256 pages but, generally speaking, all the truths conveyed in it are obvious if one simply reflects on any of the many issues. It’s really all just common sense. Truth is simple, but worldly culture and religion unnecessarily complicate it.
Consider this moral conundrum: A married man meets a comely woman on the job who conveys interest. Should he commit adultery with her or not? You don’t have to be a Christian or know any passage in the Bible to know that it’s wrong. Why? Because it’s wrong to be unfaithful to one’s spouse. Or take homosexuality, a hot topic today. Is it right or wrong? It’s a matter of being honest about the obvious facts of reality, such as the glaring alignment of male and female sex organs — ‘Tab A’ fits into ‘Slot B.’ It’s common sense and you don’t need the Bible to tell you one way or another.
Moral truth is obvious because we all instinctively know the difference between good and evil due to conscience (Romans 2:15). So why do people rebel against this inherent moral code? Paul explained it this way: “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). You see? They harden themselves to the voice of their conscience to the point that they no longer even realize moral common sense.
This is why the moral law, as detailed in the Scriptures, is necessary. It reveals right from wrong for us so that there’s no doubt. Say if a brother or sister in the Lord offends you or is walking in sin and you need to correct them. You can show them through God’s Word that their behavior or attitude is wrong and hopefully they’ll repent, i.e. change for the positive. This is why we need the moral law, but it doesn’t change the fact that moral truth is obvious.
Consider belief in God. Why are atheists so mad about someone they don’t even believe exists? Why don’t they get all irate in denouncing, say, Bigfoot or leprechauns? Because they know Bigfoot and leprechauns don’t exist. But they know deep down inside that the Almighty exists and they have to get all worked up to deny it.
If moral truth is obvious to unbelievers, as long as they don’t harden their hearts, how much more so the re-born believer who’s in spiritual union with his/her Creator? (Titus 3:5). We just have to open our eyes and look beyond the false indoctrination of secular and religious culture, which is what being transformed by the renewing of the mind is all about (Romans 12:2).
Yes, all moral truth is obvious. Think about it.
Related Topics:
“Evil desires” — What does the Bible Mean by this?
Spirituality — How to be Spirit-Controlled Rather than Flesh-Ruled