On Monday, we started our four-part series on the issue of suicide. In it, we tackled several questions surrounding the issue of taking one’s own life. We looked at what the Word says and how we are to come to the right conclusions about this most serious issue. If you missed it, you can find it at the following link:
https://markcahill.org/yes-or-no-part-1/
In this second installment of this series, we will tackle other pressing questions like eternal security, confession, and more.
One thing we need to wrestle with is whether or not someone can have a born-again experience and afterward have an unborn-again experience?
John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Once you are born again, you are born again. Think about it in a physical way. Once a baby is born, that baby cannot become unborn. That baby cannot go back into his mother’s womb and act like he was never born. And trust me, no momma is going to let that baby back in! Once a baby is born, their life outside the womb begins.
I had a postal worker tell me yesterday that her newborn baby was premature and weighed only 3 lbs. The doctor never said, “Let’s put him back in to finish the developing process!” It doesn’t work like that. Then she showed me a picture of her son, who is now 11 lbs. God is good! Once you are born, you are born. Once you are born again, you are born again.
So can a person who has a born-again experience have an unborn-again experience? Sure seems like the answer is no.
Eternal Security
The Bible is very clear that once you are a believer, you have eternal life. If you could lose that eternal life, then it was never eternal to begin with! If I needed works of any kind to keep my salvation, then I couldn’t have been saved by the blood of Jesus and by His grace alone.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Also, the Scriptures state that you have passed from death to life. So even though you are still living here, you have already passed into life. You are still living here, but spiritually speaking, you have passed over to the other side. You just aren’t fully there yet. Once your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, it is there for good.
How Many Sins?
When God tells us that He cleanses us of all sin, He means what He says. All means “all.” All sin is forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
You have to remember that when Jesus died for our sins, all of our sins were future. He died approximately 2,000 years ago for the sins of the world. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, all of the sins of everyone living today were still future. So that means He died for the sins I committed before I got saved and for the sins I committed after I got saved.
Confessing Your Sins
But that leads to another question: How can the person committing suicide ask for forgiveness? How can they confess it after they have taken their last breath? Think it through: I am going to die without asking forgiveness for each and every one of my sins. But when He tells us all sins are forgiven, that is exactly what He means.
In the Bible
Going through the Bible, it looks like there are seven suicides in the Scriptures: Abimelech, Saul, Saul’s armor bearer, Ahithophel, Zimri, and Judas Iscariot. None of those suicides are ever referred to in a positive light. The Scriptures never say it was the right thing to do; it merely recounts that event of history.
We know that murder is wrong. That is explicit all throughout the Bible. So would that not make self-murder wrong as well? Yes, it would.
Cutting Life Short
I met someone at a laundromat on Saturday. Somehow we ended up on this topic. She was 23 years old and had attempted suicide at 13. I asked her a simple question: “Are you glad you failed?” She gave me the same answer everyone does: “YES!!” She would have missed out on so many things in the last ten years, and she would have missed out on hearing the gospel that day.
I have met many people through the years who have attempted suicide and failed. They were so glad they were unsuccessful. They were deceived into thinking it was the right answer for the physical, spiritual, or emotional pain they were going through. That goes for all of us. God could have something so amazing for me tomorrow, but if I checkout of here today by my own hand, then I am going to miss out on what He has for me.
Next week, we’ll continue our discussion about this very important topic. As society becomes more and more ungodly, the numbers of suicides will likely climb. We want to be prepared to deal with these situations if we encounter them.
Until the nets are full,
P.S. People in life aren’t thinking about what happens to them once their life is over. But when we see an hourglass with grains of sand falling to the bottom, we’re reminded that our time in life will one day come to an end. This “Sands of Time” tract helps to make that inevitable reality clear and get people thinking about the decisions they need to be making before time runs out.
To pick up your packs of “Sands of Time” tracts, go to: https://markcahill.org/product-category/specials/
https://markcahill.org/product-category/specials/
These tracts are great for the fall season, which is also festival season. David and his friends are getting out there to do the Lord’s work!
