The best way to describe a sex addict is by the symptoms in a man’s life. A sex addict might display or might have displayed in the past, one or more of the following symptoms:

• Acting out has increased in Intensity

• Prior Attempts to Stop have failed.

• Acting out has Intruded Financially (purchasing porn, prostitutes, using family finances, etc.)

• Acting out has Disturbed Family Life (wife, kids, roommates, etc.)

• Acting out has entailed Personal, Professional or Legal risk. (porn at work, legal fees, etc.)

Isn’t it wrong to identify yourself as a ‘sex addict’ if you’re a Christian?

If you adopt any recovery term as your primary identification, then of course, that’s wrong. As a Christian, your primary identification is in Christ, as a son of God. You’re also a man, human, husband, Christian, Father and Son--all of which help define you.

Is Masturbation a sin?

There are no specific references to masturbation in the Bible. Some people mistakenly quote Genesis chapter 38, the story of Onan who “spilled his seed onto the ground”, as a reference to masturbation. But closer look at the text shows that Onan was in the middle of sexual intercourse, and then withdrew just before ejaculating to avoid impregnating his wife.

We can’t say that the Bible specifically condemns it, but we would offer at least 3 cases in which we would consider masturbation to be sinful:

• Since 1 Corinthians 7:4 teaches, in reference to sex in marriage, that a husband’s body “belongs” to his wife, we believe it’s wrong for a married man to masturbate. In doing so, he is taking what belongs to his wife and using it only for himself, which seems a violation of Paul’s guideline in this verse.

• Second, since Jesus condemned internal lust (fantasies, etc.) in Matthew 5:28, then if it is impossible for a man to masturbate without fantasizing, for him, masturbation is a sin.

• Since Paul said that anything a man does without faith—that is, anything a man does that he feels badly about even if it’s not forbidden in Scripture—is, for him, a sin. (Romans 14:23). So even if a man is single and has the ability to masturbate without fantasizing, if he feels it’s wrong for him to masturbate, then for him, it is wrong.

The bottom line: Masturbation does NOT seem to be an option for men who are married, and/or who cannot masturbate without fantasizing about illicit sexual actions, and/or men who cannot masturbate without violating their conscience.