What Does The Bible Say About Suicide?
The Bible considers suicide to be equivalent to murder, which is exactly what it is: self-murder. God has the final say. God is the only one to determine when and how one should end their life.
Bible says that suicide isn’t the sole factor determining whether someone gains the right to enter Heaven. If someone not saved chooses to commit suicide, he did nothing more than “expedite” his journey to hell. But the person who took his own life will eventually be condemned to hell for not accepting salvation through Christ and not for having taken his own life.
What Does The Bible Tell Us That A Christian Committed Suicide?
The Bible states that as soon as we are true believers in Christ and accept His sacrifice, we will be guaranteed life (John 3:16) forever. In Scripture in the Bible, Christians can know without a doubt that they are immortality (1 John 5:13). Nothing can keep the Christian from God’s unconditional love (Romans 8:38 and 39).
If there is no “created thing” that can separate the Christian in God’s loving embrace and even the Christian committed to suicide considered a “created thing,” then suicide cannot even be able to separate an individual Christian in God’s loving embrace.
Jesus sacrificed his life for all of our sins. And if an authentic Christian is in a moment of weakness and struggle decides to commit suicide, that is still an offense that was covered with the blood of Christ.
Suicide remains a grave crime against God. In the Bible, suicide is a crime and is never right. There are serious doubts that should be asked about the faith-based authenticity of any person who claims as a Christian and yet took their own life. There is absolutely no reason that could justify someone, specifically a Christian, who has committed suicide if it is a Christian life.
Christians are required to live their lives in the service of God, and the choice about when to end their lives is God’s only. Although it’s not the only passage to describe suicide in any way, 1 Corinthians 3:15 is likely to be a great description of what will happen to those Christian who takes their own life: “He himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Also Know About: What Does The Bible Say About Revenge?
Is Suicide The Unpardonable Sin?
Can someone who committed Suicide to be saved? Is Suicide the unpardonable sin? And what does the Bible say about Suicide?
If you’ve ever had questions about Suicide from a Christian perspective, be sure to read until the end! In this article, we discussed Suicide in the United States.
Now for some of you, just mentioning wor Suicide has already made you uncomfortable. For whatever reason, Suicide is one of those taboo subjects both in the Church as well as the U.S. at large.
Since I have not heard people talk about Suicide before, I was astonished to learn that there are over twice as many suicides each year as homicides.
The CDC stated that in 2009 there were only 16,500 homicides compared to a massive 36,500 suicides! This statistic got me wondering.
What does the Bible say about Suicide? Before I dive into a few scriptures, let me share with you a study I found out of Harvard University.
This study examined nearly 90,000 women between the ages of 30 to 55 who identified as either Catholic or Protestant.
Protestant women were less likely to commit suicide when compared with the general population, but Catholic women were seven times less likely than Protestant women.
Also, only identifying as a person of faith wasn’t enough. Those who claimed to be Christian but didn’t attend Church had rates of Suicide on par with those not of faith.
But out of the 7,000 Christians who went to Church at least once a week, not one committed Suicide. The research team led by Tyler VanderWeele noted that attending services was a form of “meaningful social participation” that helped adherents from feelings of isolation and loneliness.
They concluded the study by saying, “Religion and spirituality may be an under-appreciated resource that psychiatrists and clinicians
could explore with their patients, as appropriate.”
To those of us who are Christians, this isn’t a huge surprise us. Many of us have benefitted from the camaraderie and loving support that a Church family can offer.
But there still is a problem. While this study is somewhat interesting, it is only anecdotal at best. Even amongst Christians, some of us have, at some point in our lives, wrestled with suicidal thoughts.
When I was younger, that was something that I struggled with for some time too. And perhaps each of us knows of someone out of our family or friend group touched by Suicide before.
So let’s turn back to our question, what does the Bible say about Suicide? Surprisingly not too much. There are a few examples of Suicide in the Bible. Some count 6, others 7.
Most notably are Saul, Judas, and some would even debate Sampson.
However, none of these stories is too helpful as they simply describe what happened with almost no commentary on whether God later rejected them.
I was sharing this with my friend, and she told me about a Pastor she heard who was speaking at the funeral of an individual who had committed Suicide. As it turned out, this individual suffered from severe depression stemming from a chemical imbalance in his brain.
The pastor made the point that he didn’t believe God would condemn this man for his brain failing on him any more than God would condemn someone who had a heart attack due to heart failure.
I don’t know about you, but this point resonates with me, especially considering the picture of the loving God I believe the
Scripture puts forth.
So let me share with you a few biblical principles that may help in this discussion. Humility is crucial.
In times of Suicide, it is so easy to cast a judgment on that person and write them off, but never forget that while we can only see
On the outside, God reads the person’s heart (I Samuel 16:7).
I don’t believe that our last action specifically dictates whether or not we are saved. Surely every decision matters, but God can decipher between actions and the heart infinitely more effectively than you or I ever will be able to.
When a person fully accepts Christ into their heart, God forgives them fully.
Colossians 2 says that God has “forgiven us all our trespasses.” This includes the sins that we committed before being a Christian and the ones after.
Romans talks about the one who loves God. There is nothing on this Earth or in Heaven above that can separate them from His love.
In moments of doubt, rest in God’s grace. Ultimately the last thing I’ll mention regarding Biblical principles is that if there is anything that I know about the God of scripture, he is full of grace, mercy, and love towards us.
His goal isn’t to look for excuses to keep us out of the kingdom.
Some have this picture of God as an impatient person on the elevator button smashing the closed-door button as we rush to the doors.
In Christ, we see a full demonstration of what length God will go so that you might be saved.
When I don’t know the answer to my questions if a specific person will be saved or not, I rest in God’s grace and mercy. I know that God will do it if there is any way, shape, or form for a person to be saved.
If you or a loved one is struggling with feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide, please don’t give up.
I want you to know that God has not given up on you, even if it is contrary to what you might feel or think.
God has not forsaken you, and He loves you so very much. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane wrested with feelings of loneliness and anxiety.
He knows what it is like to feel overwhelmed and discouraged. I beg of you, follow His example turn to God for comfort and strength. Don’t give up. God loves you.
Is Suicide A Grave Sin Against God?
The Bible lists six individuals who took their own lives: Abimelech (Judges 9:54), Saul (1 Samuel 31:4), Saul’s armor-bearer (1 Samuel 31:4-6), Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23), Zimri (1 Kings 16:18) in addition to Judah (Matthew 27:5).
Five of these were evil people who were sinners (not much is known about Saul’s armor-bearer, as because of this, it is impossible to place blame upon his personality). Many also believe that Samson was an instance that suicide was a possibility (Judges 16:26-31), But Samson aimed to eliminate the Philistines rather than himself.
The Bible considers suicide as murder, which is committed by killing the self. In the end, it is God who determines the time and manner in which a person should end up dying.
As per the Bible, the decision for heaven and hell isn’t decided because he committed suicide. If someone who hasn’t been saved committed suicide, he did nothing other than “accelerate” his journey towards the lake of fire.
A person who commits suicide due to disobeying Christ’s salvation is likely to be thrown into hell, but not because he took his own life. What is the Bible tell us about the Christian who takes suicide? The Bible tells us that as soon as we believe in Christ, we are assured of forever life (John 3:16).
In scriptures in the Bible, Christians can know without a doubt that they are guaranteed eternal existence (1 John 5:13). There is no way to remove an individual Christian from the unconditional love of God (Romans 8:38, 39).
If a “made thing” cannot separate from a Christian from God’s love for God or even a Christian that commits suicide a “made thing,” then even suicide could be a way to remove him from God’s love. Love isn’t something you can separate from.
Jesus sacrificed his life for our sins. And if an authentic Christian is in a state of weakness and spiritual struggle and despair and takes suicide, it will be a sin covered by Jesus’ blood.
However, suicide is a grave offense against God. In the Bible, suicide is a crime and is always wrong. There are serious doubts about the belief system of someone who declares as a Christian yet commits suicide.
There is nothing that could justify an individual, especially one who is a Christian, committing suicide to end their own life. Christians must live their lives in a way devoted to God, and the decision of what time to die is the decision by God alone. While it’s not talking about the suicide process, 1 Corinthians 3:15 might be a great illustration of what will happen to the Christian who takes his own life: “He will be saved but with a burning heart.”
