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[Proud Christian]

Do people who have lustful thoughts and masturbation go to hell?

[jimwalton]

Lustful thoughts and masturbation have nothing to do with whether or not one goes to heave or hell. For starters, the Bible says absolutely nothing about masturbation. While Christians take different positions on whether it is normal and harmless or sinful, it still has nothing to do with deciding one's eternal destiny.

Secondly, lustful thoughts are sin, but they're in a certain sense no different from any other sin.

Most importantly, salvation is based on a love relationship with God, submitting to his Lordship, and inviting him to do a miracle in you to change your nature from a sin nature to the nature of Jesus.

The Bible paints human nature as binary, in a sense: you can have only one of two natures. You either have the nature of sin or the nature of Jesus. We are all born with a nature of sin, and each and every one of us is offered the free gift of the nature of Jesus. By turning away from our sins, believing in Jesus, and submitting to His Lordship, we can have the free gift of the nature of Jesus, which is not dependent on our works, our goodness, or anything we do. We merely have to accept his offer of salvation.

There were two occasions where Jesus was asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (i.e., to get into heaven). On those two occasions, Jesus offered his criteria (since we're going to go by Jesus' words):

1. Love God with all that you are.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
3. Do God's will by obeying his moral commands.
4. Be willing, if he asks you, to drop everything and leave it behind to follow him.

It is also said in many places in Scripture that one must "believe" (John 1.13) in Jesus: recognize who He is and put one's faith in him (mental assent plus heart attitude [Matt. 5] plus behavioral obedience [John 14.15]). John also teaches in John 1.12 that one must "receive him."

People go to heaven who have received the nature of Jesus in them, and who live in a love relationship with him. People go to hell who remain in their sin nature and do not accept God's free gift of salvation. Lustful thoughts and masturbation do not constitute an automatic trip to hell.

If one has the nature of Jesus, however, one will put off lustful thoughts to please Jesus. As Jesus said in Matthew 5, such thoughts are contrary to godly relationships.