Bible Question:

Does the Bible say it is a sin to have an orgasm?

Bible Answer:

Some teach that God is opposed to men and women enjoying sexual foreplay and orgasms. They teach that sexual activity is only for procreation or giving birth to babies. Therefore, some wonder, “Does the Bible say it is a sin to have an orgasm and enjoy it?” What follows answers this question.

God Designed Your Genitals

In Genesis 1:27-28 we discover that God designed males and females so that they could procreate, produce babies or as some say make babies.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 (NASB)

God made males and females with different genitals.  He designed their shape and how they function. Sexual activity was God’s idea. Genesis 1:27-28 is a summary of God’s creation of the first man and woman. It is important to notice that the first couple had the responsibility to have babies. That requires a male and a female.

Genesis 2 does not provide us with a different explanation of how God created the universe. Instead, Genesis 2 focuses on the details of how God created the couple. To be specific, Genesis 2 provides more information on how God created males and females on the sixth day of creation. For example, in Genesis 2:22-25 God tells us that the first woman was created from man.

The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:22-25 (NASB)

Here we discover that after the woman was created from the side of the man, both she and her husband were naked. That is, God did not give them clothes to wear. This reveals that it was not a sin for a husband and wife to be naked and see the other person without clothes. Adam and Eve did not feel shame because they were naked until after they had sinned (Genesis 3:6-7, 10). However, that does not mean that husbands and wives should feel shame now when they are nude with each other.

We have just learned that God created males and females with different genitals so that they can have babies. God made them different in so many other ways. We encourage you to visit the study series, “Marriage In Splendor – God’s View” for insights into God’s unique design of both husbands and wives.

Marriage Is Lasting Friendship

God Designed Sexual Activity To Be Ecstasy

Proverbs 5:16-19 reveals that God actually commands husbands to enjoy sexual activity and orgasms together with their wives and not with someone else. In this passage, the word “springs” and “streams” are figurative references to the male semen. Streams of water refers to the release of male semen at the time he orgasms. The Hebrew word that is translated as “fountain” is maqor.  It is a figurative term for the penis. The passage describes sexual activity.

Should your springs be dispersed abroad,
Streams of water in the streets?
Let them be yours alone
And not for strangers with you.
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
Proverbs 5:16-19 (NASB)

Even though the passage is figurative, it is very sensual when it describes sexual activity between a male and female. It figuratively refers to the husband’s genitals and the wife’s breasts.  When figuratively describing sexual activity and orgasm, it encourages a husband to be exhilarated. Nothing negative is stated in this passage about sexual activity.

Song of Solomon 4 also describes sexual activity and in verses 16-5:1, the wife’s orgasm is described followed by the husband’s orgasm. The language implies great enjoyment.  Nothing negative is said about the couple enjoying sexual activity and orgasm.

We also learn in the New Testament that God intends for sexual activity between a husband and wife to be frequent (Genesis 1:27-28; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5). That is, God even commands husbands and wives to frequently engage in sexual activity and enjoy it. God prohibits abstinence between a husband and wife, except for brief periods in time and then only by agreement.

In summary, God approves and encourages husbands and wives to frequently engage in sexual activity and enjoy it. Having an orgasm is not a sin when it takes place between a husband and his wife.

God Prohibits Sexual Activity Outside of Marriage

But notice that Proverbs 5:16-19 reveals God prohibits sexual activity with anyone who is not your husband or wife. In the New Testament sexual activity before marriage is called fornication; sexual activity during marriage with anyone who is not your spouse is called adultery.

Some  have asked, “What does sexual activity include?” It includes any touching or contact with another person’s body with the purpose of stimulating sexual passions and to entice them to “go further.” Sexual activity can include kissing if the goal is to entice continued love making. Therefore, God prohibits any such activity with someone to whom you are not married and with someone who is not your spouse.

Conclusion:

When God designed males and females, His primary purpose was to provide friendship and companionship. Marriage was not primarily designed for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity and having babies. Notice what God says in Malachi 2:14.

. . . though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.  Malachi 2:14  (NASB)

Marriage is about friendship. Serious friends will make a legal commitment to remain together forever. Later in life the sexual function may even cease, but marriage should continue until death. For more information about Malachi 2:14 listen to the series “Marriage and Divorce, part 1,” “Marriage and Divorce, part 2” and “Marriage and Divorce, part 3.”

Suggested Links:

Marriage In Splendor - God's View
Marriage and Divorce, part 1
Marriage and Divorce, part 2
Marriage and Divorce, part 3
Marriage In Splendor - God's View
Is sex before marriage a sin?
What is the correct meaning of fornication in the Bible?
Is oral sex within marriage wrong?
What does the Bible say about anal sex in marriage?
What does the Bible say about foreplay and sex in marriage?