Is masturbation a sin and can God give me a sign to increase my faith?
Question:
Hi.
I am 12 and I just wanted to know if masturbation is a sin. I've researched it on Google and it said it was, so I stopped for a while, then I did it again and I still am.
I also have another problem. I believe in God and heaven but I just find it a little hard to believe, so can you tell God to show me a sign or something?
Thanks.
Answer:
Information is only as good as the source from which you get it. Google will give you a large blend of opinions and facts, and sometimes outright lies. You have to sort through those to locate the real truth. Now, if you want to know whether something is a sin, your best source is the book that explains what sin is. "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness" (I John 3:4). Sin is breaking the law, specifically God's law, which is found in your Bible (John 17:17). So, if you want to know if masturbation is a sin, the only legitimate answer is what God said in the Bible. You can use various online sources to see what passages they use to justify their belief. You then look those passages up to decide if they used them properly or if they are just pulling phrases out of context. You can't let other people make up your mind for you, you are responsible for your own decisions.
There are some articles on this site to consider whether masturbation is a sin. See: "Is masturbation unacceptable?" and "Is masturbation sinful or not?"
Your second question is one that many people ask about, but don't consider the implications of what they ask. When you say that you want some sign from God in order to believe, then you are saying that all the signs God has already given are not good enough for you. The Jews tried to do this with Jesus:
"Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation"" (Mark 8:11-12).
The fact of the matter is that no matter what sign is given, and the Jews saw many wonders, it is never enough because they never were inclined to believe. The Bible contains the records of many marvels that God did to verify both His Word and concerning his people. You either believe these or you don't. Even if a miracle happened in front of you, it won't produce any greater faith in you than what you already possess. You claim to believe in God and in heaven. You make it out to be more of a longing than a true personal conviction. So why do you doubt?
