This is the last of our four-part series on the subject of whether or not a born-again Christian can commit suicide. In this series, we’ve covered what the Word of God says about taking life, whether a born-again Christian can take their own life, the influence of evil, carnal Christians, and the believer’s judgment for rewards. If you missed any of them, you can find them at the links below:
Dealing with Pain
Back when I was at Auburn, some friends invited me to a Bible study that was being led by an adult man. One of the things I’ve always remembered about him was his story of how suicidal he was at different points in his life. He just struggled with heavy, heavy depression. But then, he said that something finally hit him. He stated, “If God is big enough to bring me into this world, then He is big enough to take me out of this world, and I don’t need to help Him.” All these years later, I have never forgotten that statement. He was very glad to still be around to help some young people understand the Bible.
And, of course, one of the huge problems with suicide is that it is selfish: “I am in pain, and I want out of it.” But you really don’t escape your pain. What you are doing is passing that pain along to others. Death is part of life. We all know that. When a child dies before a parent dies, it causes many questions to bubble up. But with suicide, you pass the pain to the ones who are left behind.
There was a big suicide in a part of the town that I go witnessing in. Large funeral. I have run into a few people who were at the funeral. It is a good time to show you care about what they are going through and a good time to plant seeds, since they are thinking about the bigger picture and eternity.
I ran into a guy at a restaurant who had attended the funeral. I went over to chat with him. I had met him before. He wasn’t just crying; he was sobbing and sobbing hard. The man who died was like an older brother to him. The pain had been passed to him.
Hard Questions
Those left behind start asking questions like, “What did I miss?” “Why didn’t I call him last night?” “I should have reached out to him last week.” “I knew by some of the things he said that something was wrong, but I didn’t want to push and dig deeper.” “I should have suspected something was off when he was acting distant.” When someone dies of natural causes, we don’t ask questions like these because we don’t need to.
Now, should a Christian commit suicide? No. It would be sin. They would set a horrible example. They would disappoint the Lord. And they would pass their pain on to their loved ones who are still living. But does it cancel them from going to heaven? I don’t see that at all in the Scriptures.
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Those are my thoughts as I read the Bible. You may come to different conclusions. Use your Bible as your guide, and you will wind up with the correct answer.
We need to reach those 700,000 suicidal people for Jesus before it’s too late. Be bold. Get involved in people’s lives. Share the cross of Christ with them. You won’t regret that you did, and they will be thankful on the other side that you did as well.
Until the nets are full,
P.S. America is a great country if you can keep her.
https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1968080068485529850
P.P.S.
