Experiential Truths of Spiritual Warfare

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Proper perspective on the law regarding the sin of impurity Posted: 21 Aug 2010 11:10 AM PDT The Old Testament scripture defines "emission of semen" as the sin of impurity, which is in accordance with the Mosaic law defined in Lev 15:16.  It does not differentiate if the "emission" is caused by nocturnal emission (wet dream) or masturbation. I recently discovered something concerning this sin which I feel is especially important for women to understand.  The bible defines a broad array of sins under the term IMPURITY or UNCLEANESS and I think it necessary to mention that woman are committing this sin and thinking nothing of it.  In fact, I believe that many women are concerned that men who masturbate are committing sin, while women do not think that they are able to be impure at all.  Contrary to what women might think, the sin of impurity is committed by women when they have their monthly discharge. "When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean till evening." Lev 15:16 "When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening." Lev 15:19 As difficult as it might be to believe, the stark facts in Leviticus reveal that when a woman has a monthly period she is IMPURE or UNCLEAN for 7 days but when a man has an EMISSION OF SEMEN, he is unclean for only 1 day. Now, as men, we have to ask ourselves with brutal honesty, which is the worse sin?  Through an emission of semen, to be impure for 1 day or to have a monthly period and be unclean for 7 days? I very often hear about men in Christian organizations and forums talking openly and honestly  with each other about their struggles with masturbation, but I have never ever heard about women discussing their monthly discharge, which is in fact a greater sin because it lasts longer. When fingers are pointed at men for masturbating because it is a sin, it must accepted that they are both the same sin, only that one is the male version of impurity and the other one is the female version.  A man cannot have a monthly period and a women can never have an emission of semen.  The issue of concern here, is that the sin is the sin of impurity and if we are men and we are concerned about doing the right thing before God, then women must also do the right thing before God and ask for forgiveness of sins each time their emission occurs. Technically, we must also place these sins in their right perspective. We cannot say that masturbation is a grave sin before God, because in truth, the female blood discharge is worse because the unclean state lasts longer. We must also understand that masturbation leading to an "emission of semen" is of the same severity as a bodily discharge from the skin. Leviticus also speaks of mould causing sins of impurity.  Now, which person today asks God to forgive them if they have a festering wound on their body?  Has the law been done away with?  By no means!  It exists and we transgress it, but ministers and churches only concern themselves with masturbation. Does it matter that women also masturbate?  According to Leviticus that is not in breach of the law, although in the gospel, Jesus said "if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off."  Not sure what Jesus meant by that, but it might hint at the progression of sin from lust of the eyes to the work of relieving lust. Emission of semen (sin of Onan) is a much lesser sin than the sin of sexual immorality or sex with another person outside the marriage covenant (pornea).  It is a sin which ranks on a similar level to that of a discharge of the skin due to an infectious disease.  If a man has an emission of semen in the morning, he is considered clean again after immersion in water and at the end of the same day in which the emission occurs. Sexual immorality is a venal sin and according to St. Paul,  the end-point of a 3 stage sinful progression which begins with LUST (sexual thoughts), becoming FORNICATION, (sexual acts excluding sexual penetration) leading to the eventuality of spiritual degradation of two bodies one with another, which is SEXUAL IMMORALITY.  You can't be sexually immoral with yourself – two or more people have to be involved!  Read about this in Rom 1:20-26. From the above, we might say that MASTURBATION, resulting in an emission of semen, prevents the escalation of sins.  This is because sexual relief limits the process in it's early stages, before the greater sins of FORNICATION and SEXUAL IMMORALITY are committed. If a person is single and they are practicing celebacy, then the sexual pressure buildup from the semen cycle can sometimes become so great, that sexual immorality is the eventual outcome.  It could lead to indulging in a promiscuous encounter or having sex with a prostitute. Paul says something very important which is seldom considered by Christians because they specifically DO NOT STUDY the bible thoroughly as they should, and so by their abstinence end up trying to keep the law or live in accordance with the law.  The law brought a curse to those living under it, because it was impossible to keep. Paul says concerning the legal regulations "DO NOT HANDLE, DO NOT TASTE, DO NOT TOUCH", that these are "destined to perish because they are based on human commands and teachings." "Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility (self-abasement or self-denial) and their harsh treatment of the body (asceticism or religious severity on the flesh), but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence". (fleshy indulgences or evil desires). Col 2:20-23 Do not handle, do not taste and do not touch are regulations of the law which are are difficult to live by.  Remember that only Jesus was able to fulfill the requirements of the law.  He became a curse for us, so that the righteous requirements of the law could be fully met in us who are no longer living under law, but are now under grace.  By deduction, we can say that before the crucifixion of Jesus, the righteous requirements of the law could not be fully met in those living under law.  Again, this is why the law brought the curse of death to those living under it. In many ancient religions like Hinduism, and in certain branches of Christianity, such as Catholicism, ASCETIC PRACTICES were or are still practiced to place RELIGIOUS SEVERITY on the flesh to prevent the person from indulging in sense gratification.  One might argue that fasting is such a practice, if it is harsh on the physical body and deprives it of nutrients.  Sense (soul) and flesh (body) gratification with others outside the covenant of marriage is what we are trying to avoid as Christians, and so what Paul is saying here, is that total abstinence from masturbation, and similarly abstinence from food, HAVE NO VALUE in restraining a person from indulging in sensual acts. It means that by practicing SEMEN RETENTION and not touching yourself, you are going to find it becoming increasingly difficult to stop thinking about sex as the level of semen builds up.  It may be of little assistance in preventing you from eventually having sex with someone.  Continued lustful thoughts will eventually entice you into sexual immorality, because your libido cannot be bled-off by "emissions of semen"! "Those I love, I rebuke and chasten", were words in the psalms given to God's people living in the days of legalism.  We are now living in the age of grace, which allows us to receive forgiveness (purification or cleansing) when we sin.  Jesus was living a life of chastity because he was still living in obedience to the law. By becoming a curse for us on the cross, he has in fact allowed us to live as celibates so long as we are pursuing righteousness, which is considerably easier that trying to live in chastity. Paul goes on to say that when the LAW is read by us in the OT and NT scripture, it arouses the sinful passions in us.  It means that when we come to know that masturbation is indeed a sin and we don't want to masturbate, but yet we continue to do this very thing we don't want to do, then we can be sure that it is NOT US who is arousing our sinful passions, but SIN LIVING IN US which is being aroused by the law. When we feel condemned by the law it is precisely because sin living in us is condemned, NOT US.  Paul says, "the good I want to do, I can't do, but the evil I don't want to do, this I keep on doing, thanks be to God for Jesus Christ our Lord."  Rom 7 reveals Paul's take on covetousness and the sinful passions. The law is spiritual, governing our spirits, but we are of the flesh and we are also sold as slaves to sin, which means that we can't keep the law.  Jesus, for this very reason, came to be that perfect sacrifice for us, so that we could obtain forgiveness of sins through our faith (not works) and escape the curse of the law which was spiritual death to those who could not keep it.  Furthermore, if we are living our lives in accordance with the letter of the law, then of what value is our faith to us?  We are living in the ages of grace so that when we transgress the law, we do not stumble and fall and become condemned, but instead can receive restoration and sanctification through our faith.  It means that it is now more possible for us to achieve holiness and live without sins under grace, because even when we commit the sin of impurity, God knows it is because we are doing so in order to prevent ourselves from committing the greater sin of sexual immorality. So in effect, anyone who believes in God and remains in God's word, has access to grace through their faith (faith comes by hearing, reading and remaining in God's word) and so after they have emitted semen should ask God to forgive their sin.  This is WONDERFUL and GOOD NEWS brothers and I present this to you because of my own struggles and breakthroughs.  I have spent the last two years praying into it and meditating on it.  We are not supermen like Jesus, who refrained from sinning, but we now live under grace.  Forgiveness of sins is not a license to commit sin indefinately, but  when temptation comes, we can bear up under it and prevent ourselves from the greater sins.  If you are a person who wants to stay celibate and not end up committing the venal sin of sexual immorality, then masturbation is the way out when sexual urges get too strong.  I feel that it is better to masturbate, which is a lesser sin, than eventually crack from the stress and go out there and commit the venal sin. Revelation 21:8, in speaking about those souls who will enter the spiritual or second death, reminds us that "the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  This is the second death."  Nowhere does it say that the second death is for the IMPURE or the UNCLEAN, but only for the SEXUALLY IMMORAL.  If it was for the unclean and the impure, it would mean that all women would also be thrown in the lake of fire for their ongoing impurity. Please also understand that I am in NO WAY trying to condone masturbation, merely saying that it is the lesser of two evils for those who are unmarried and are concerned with the temptations of casual sex.  We are, by the power of the holy spirit, called to develop self-control which eventually is supposed to allow us to stop the impurity altogether in our lives, not go on committing the sin indefinitely. Recently, I had one lady in a Christian forum tell me that I am promoting sin by what I have written and in telling people that mastubation is the lesser of two evils.  Well it is the much lesser of two evils - I don't deny that. Women ought not to be pointing fingers at men thought.  Another consideration - why would God make woman to menstruate and then institute a law which condemns the very thing he created as a sin?  It makes little sense.  Does it make sense to you?  If we worry about being impure from emissions of semen, we must also begin to be concerned with sinning when we have an infectious skin disease caused by a discharge or brought about by mildew.  Eventually, if we continue like that we become Christians who revert back to living under law. Please consider what Leviticus presents, with regard to the sin of impurity and not to be wracked with guilt when we have access to grace.  Satan loves to work in the soul to create feelings of guilt, but be aware that only the word of God is supposed to convict us of sin, not guilty feelings of the soul.  We must remember that Satan's other names are tormentor and counterfeiter and we must not be ignorant of our legal position vis-a-vis the law.  The word of God is our divinely appointed judge of the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts (spirits).  Please be aware of that.  Ladies, I implore you to understand that your monthly period is no different from the male discharge.  All sins were defined by the Mosaic laws. If as a female, monthly periods cannot be prevented, how can men be asked to abstain completely.  Surely it is a much healthier practice than denying our natural urges and leading to sexual immorality?  Why would God want men to repent about masturbation when he knows that we are likely to repeat the offence again and again and if it keeps men from sexual immorality?  Surely it would mean that women ought to repent each time they have their monthly period? I feel that churches should educate men and woman regarding their legal position from the Old Covenant, so that insight and understanding can be had into the unrealistic nature of the Mosaic law with regard to some of the minor sins.  I believe it would alleviate many men from the excessive guilt they are harbouring.  I think that it would also help people in understanding the real danger posed by venal sins, which many Christians don't take seriously enough.

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