I agree that the act of masterbation is not a sin. Jesus never spoke of it, and you won't find any justification and disapproval of it in the Bible. There are not too many men that can actually say they have never done it. I also feel that masterbating could cause a man to have the need to find a woman, leading to a lustful nature.
If you feel guilty about it, then maybe you are using methods that are actually sinful.
First of all, Jesus makes it clear that we that are married are not to look at a woman lustfully. Of course, God has wired men to be very visual, and we will usually look at the physical proportions of women, especially when we are not married or in a serious relationship. Many married men will also continue looking, because they are still wired that way. Jesus was not considering the casual glance that a man may give towards an attractive woman. It is just our nature that we will look at a pretty face or a well-proportioned body when in our vicinity. What Jesus was referring to was that in the man's heart, he has decided that if given the chance he would really want to have sex with her. He may even follow her and/or grab her or touch her. If the man was to continuously look at the same woman, make comments about her body, etc. Then, I would say that he is looking at her lustfully. Otherwise, it can be a casual and inocent glance, and if you claim to have never done it, then you are definitely wired differently than 99.9% of all men. Now, if you lust after someone visually, what is to keep you from taking your lust to the next step?
Here are some ideas for those who wish to continue masterbating. If you are masterbating, there is a very good chance that you are using some for of visual aid, whether porn, peeping, visualizing, etc.
So, here are some suggestions and thoughts:
Single men: 1. Visualize the image of the woman(not your neighbor's wife) you wish to be married to. You can do this through meditation. Simply close your eyes and think of an imaginary woman. Hopefully, you will receive an image that is helpful to your cause, and does not violate any lusting sins. 2. Learn to control your hormones. 3. Do not masterbate too often, because it may cause sexual disfunction problems. 4. Do not use porn. It will simply corrupt your mind. You will become lustful and addicted to it. It is simply not healthy, and will take major repentence and healing to recover from it. 5. By waiting long enough, I'm sure your hormones will allow for ejaculation without much thought process.
Married men: 1. Make a movie of you and your wife. I don't feel that you need your wife's approval to masterbate while using this or any other approved method, but you might want to tell her just so you are not hiding anything from her. 2. Think of your wife. 3. Again, you may cause dysfunction, because when masterbating, the purpose is to ejaculate. It may cause premature ejaculation when you actually make love to your wife.
Caveats that may present issues to some married men. Anyone have any good suggestions for these situations?
1. No longer attracted to wife.
2. Sexual dysfunction.
3. Impotentance.
4. Wife not interested in sex.
5. Wife is not being faithful to the marriage.
Don't you think God wants you to have the best life possible. Self gratification was made possible by our creator. I believe HE wants us to enjoy ourselves in every way, as long as we are not hurting ourselves or anyone else in the process.
God loves you yes, but he doesn't want you to love life. As Jesus has stated, he actually wants you to hate your life and come back to him. You may not be physically hurting yourself in this life, but you may be destroying yourself spiritually. Remember, God's will is not the will of men. So, just because you wish to masterbate, does not mean it is something God wants you to do.
Personally, I have never felt that masterbating was as enjoyable as actual sex. It always leaves you with a feeling of "why did I do that?" It can be considered more of a purge or relief, than an actual act of pleasure. I now actually consider it a bad habit, and have not done it in over a year and a half. I'm still young, so don't think it's because I'm too old to do it.