Understanding How Suicide is a Damnable Sin
In this post I hope to do the following: (I) Give a sound syllogism for the positive argument that suicide is a damnable sin. (II) A brief Scriptural defense of the two main premises in the argument. (III) Remove the objection that if a person claims to be a Christian or has been a Christian, that suicide is no longer damnable. (IV) Answer Other Common Objections.
I. ARGUMENT FOR SUICIDE BEING A DAMNABLE SIN
Premise 1: Damnable sins are the kind of sins that if one were to commit them they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (whether they profess Christ as Lord or not).
Premise 2: Suicide is a eight-fold combination of damnable sins (1. Hatred, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body).
Conclusion: Therefore, if someone commits suicide they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (whether they profess Christ as Lord or not).
II. BRIEF SCRIPTURAL DEFENSE OF PREMISES 1 & 2
Defense of Premise 1: Damnable sins are the kind of sins that if one were to commit them they cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (whether they profess Christ as Lord or not).
(1) Galatians 5:19-21, “19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The above famous list known as the, “Deeds of the Flesh” are clearly said to disqualify someone from inheriting the Kingdom of God. The key phrase is, “those who live like this.” Paul is distinguishing the saint who sins from the sinner who lives in unrepentant sin because of unbelief. The main difference is that a sinner sins without receiving forgiveness and transformation because they do not receive Jesus as both their Lord and Sanctifier. The saint may sin in the same kind of way, however, it is not their lifestyle- their faith in Christ doesn’t allow them to continue to live in the sin but they have faith to confess it and live free from the power of sin. As a result, the lifestyle of sin, based in unbelief, is that which damns.
The author of Hebrews refers to this as the hardening impact of unrepentant and continual sin- Hebrews 3:12-13, “12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” The sinful heart, is the result of the unbelieving heart and the righteous heart, is the result of the believing heart. This kind of hardening is clearly present in someone who commits suicide- they are not justing sinning once- but living in a continual state of sin in which their hard is hardened.
(2) 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Paul in another list makes it clear that people can be deceived into thinking they will inherit the Kingdom- despite their obvious wrong doing and sinful behavior. However, Paul reminds them that despite being deceived, whether by one’s self or another, the truth still remains that the sins on the list are enough to disqualify someone from the Kingdom of God. These sins are no greater suicide and some may even think ones like “slander” are trivial in comparison to taking one’s life, yet the Bible is clear that people who live in these kinds of sins they will not inherit the Kingdom of God and committing suicide is certainly “wrongdoing.”
(3) Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
John, while receiving the revelation about Jesus, is told who will not inherit the Kingdom of God but will instead suffer the second death in the eternal fiery lake of burning sulfur. The list was not meant to be all-inclusive- naming every kind of sinner- but rather a broad list covering the kind of people one can expect to see suffer the torment of hell- those who commit suicide commit many of these sins.
(4) 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20, “16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” “19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
In these two powerful statements Paul declared we are the temple of God’s Spirit and warned if we destroy it, God will destroy us. These passages can be misunderstood to either mean that unhealthy diets or bad habits are likewise destroying the body/temple or that it only applies to sexual immorality (as in the context of chapter six). However, though the context of chapter six is based on the warning to not be sexually immoral- the application of destroying one’s body would not be limited to only sexual immorality (otherwise, one would have to believe that no sin can destroy a person’s body outside of sexual immorality).
Likewise, in an attempt to minimize the warning of destroying one’s body some to ask, “Will God destroy those who eat processed food because it too is not good for the body?” Yet, this kind of hyper-literal interpretation misses the point of Paul, which is- real destruction of the body. Therefore, for the warning to be taken serious is must be seen as a strong warning against anything that actually destroys the purpose and function of the body. And without a question, suicide destroy the body and robs God of His temple.
Defense of Premise 2: Suicide is a Eight-Fold Combination of Damnable Sins (1. Hatered, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body)
- Hatred (Galatians 5:20): Suicide requires self-hatred.
- Fits of Rage (Galatians 5:20): Suicide requires that a person have a fit of rage against their body and nullify its natural desire to live.
- Selfish Ambition (Galatians 5:20): Suicide requires a person to be selfish.
- Cowardice (Revelation 21:8): Suicide requires a person to be fearful and cowardly towards facing their problems and life.
- Faithlessness (Revelation 21:8): Suicide requires a person to stop being faithful to God’s plan for their life.
- Abominable (Revelation 21:8): Suicide requires a person to do something abominable to their body.
- Murderous (Revelation 21:8): Suicide requires a person to murder themself.
- Destroying God’s Temple/Body (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20): Suicide requires a person to destroy their body and stop it from being a temple of the Holy Spirit.
III. Remove the Objection that if a Person Claims to be a Christian or has been in a Christian, that Suicide is No Longer Damnable
The Bible lets us know in multiple places noted below that if a person merely professes Christ but doesn’t bear the fruit of a Christian with their life of obedience to God’s Word they are not a genuine Christian. Thus, one is only left with one or two options when a professing Christian commits suicide- (a) they were never saved or (b) they walked away from their salvation. Though I believe in the possibility of a person losing their salvation, it is not necessary to prove because it is clear from the following passages that both are a possibility.
(1) 1 John 2:3-6, “3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”
By the time of John’s first epistle there was already an epidemic of false believers and he was led by the Holy Spirit to bring clarity to who is a true believer and what they look like. Simply saying “I know Jesus” or in a similar profession, “Jesus is Lord,” but not obeying Jesus commands makes a person’s profession invalid and not adequate unto salvation. John states that a person must not only profess that they know Jesus, but obey His Word. This doesn’t mean that a person is saved by their obedience, but rather their obedience confirms that they are in fact saved. For a person to commit suicide they show that their profession of faith was not in accordance with obedience to God’s Word.
(2) James 2:24, “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”
James, like John in his first epistle, was led by the Holy Spirit to rebut the mass of false converts in his day that were trying to assert they could be Christian in name, but not in deed. James ended his powerful argument with the above verse where he clearly states that a person is not righteous by faith alone, but by “what they do.” This is not teaching against salvation by faith as Paul taught in Romans 4:1-3, but rather clarifying, that true saving faith might save alone, but it is never alone. It is justified (confirmed to be valid) but the subsequent deeds that follow. Choosing to live is the most basic thing a person could do and thus choosing to die needlessly would be one of the most wicked things a person could do.
(3) Matthew 7:17-20, “17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.“
Jesus, in His warning to His disciples about spotting false prophets, gives a universal principle whereby we as Christians can use to recognize other genuine Christians- by their fruit (i.e., “their actions”). Once again, the criteria is not limited to their profession, but to their fruit. Therefore, if a person’s life bears thorns, they are not a good tree and likewise, good trees will not bear thorns. Truly, murdering one’s self would be a clear sign that someone wasn’t a good tree.
(4) Matthew 7:21-23, “21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Jesus warned His disciples early on in His ministry that there would be many on Judgment Day that will proclaim him as Lord and speak of the wonderful things they did in His name. However, to their shock Jesus will say to them “Away from me you evildoers!” This bold response from Jesus to “so-called” believers is a reminder that not everyone professing Jesus as Lord are truly saved. Anyone that would kill themself cannot expect to hear anything from Jesus except, “Away from me, you evildoer.”
(5) Hebrews 10:26-27, “26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.”
It is possible to continue in a lifestyle of sin that leads a person to being outside of the grace of God. It is not the sin itself, but the denial of Christ’s sacrifice as being sufficient to transform and free one’s life from the bondage of their sin. To be corrupted in one’s thinking to the extent of putting an end to one’s life is truly a deliberate sin where one should expect raging fire.
(6) Ezekiel 3:20, “20 Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.”
God is using people today, like He did in the time of Ezekiel, to warn today’s righteous person to not become tomorrow’s wicked person whose former righteous deeds will be forgotten. Truly, after suicide a person ought not to think they will be remembered as righteous when they face God in judgment, but evil.
Hebrews 12:15-17, “15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. 16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”
Notice that those who have bitterness, a root found in many who commit suicide, fall short of the grace of God and suffer trouble and defilement. And the example of Esau not getting back what he lost- even though he pleaded with tears- shows that those who lose the grace of God in this life (like those who commit suicide) will not get it back on Judgment Day- no matter how much they cry and beg for it. Like the rich man in Jesus’ parable there will be no after death repentance- only unquenchable fire and torment (Luke 16:19-31).
IV. ANSWERING OTHER COMMON OBJECTIONS
Objection 1: God will not judge a person on the last moments of their life, but on the last moments of Jesus’ life.
This objection fails to recognize the reality of apostasy- which can happen in a variety of ways. The person making this objection is basically making the following argument:
Premise 1: If Mike professed Jesus as Lord, then Mike is a Christian no matter what he does.
Premise 2: Mike professed Jesus as Lord.
Conclusion: Therefore, Mike is a Christian no matter what he does.
Where does Scripture teach that if we make a profession of faith we are to be considered a Christian no matter what we do? The Bible is clear in places 1 John 2:3-6 and James 2:24 that a true profession of faith must be followed with obedience. Also, in places like Ezekiel 3:20 and Hebrews 12:15-17 we are warned that if a righteous person turns from their salvation they will be condemned and their former righteous deeds will be remembered no more.
Likewise, Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23 that many on Judgment Day will cry out, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
If what is argued above is true regarding suicide then the sins things listed in the deeds of the flesh should also be allowed. In others words, if a person lives in homosexuality or adultery- they can expect to go to heaven because they professed Christ. Yet, Paul teaches the exact opposite in Galatians 5:19-20, he explicitly wrote, “I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The biblical argument for genuine salvation is as follows:
Premise 1: If Mike professed Jesus as Lord and lived a life of obedience to Christ’s commands, then Mike is a Christian.
Premise 2: Mike professed Jesus as Lord and lived a life of obedience to Christ’s commands.
Conclusion: Therefore, Mike is a Christian.
In Revelation Jesus rebuked multiple churches that had started off well but were in danger of losing their salvation because they had changed. This alone proves that everyone who starts off saved, will not always end up saved. Jesus said in Revelation 2:4-5 to the church of Ephesus, “4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Notice how they had once loved Jesus in a real way but were doing so no longer and were in real danger of having their lampstand (the Holy Spirit) removed from them.
Furthermore, this idea that a person cannot be judged by the last moments of their life is unbiblical. Please consider the following list of people who were judged by God precisely for what they did with their last moments on earth:
- Uzzah: He touched the Ark of the Covenant and was instantly struck down by God (2 Samuel 6:6-7).
- Ananias & Sapphira: Were both struck down for lying to the Holy Spirit in front of Peter about their offering (Acts 5:1-11).
If God can be just in condemning a married couple in the church for one lie- then we must come to grips with the reality that God’s judgments are much more severe than what is being believed by most Christians. This is why Paul wrote, in Philippians 2:12, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” And in 2 Corinthians 5:11, “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.”
Once again, this does not mean that every sin must be repented of to enter heaven or that after we sin we must be born again, again- but rather one sin, in and of itself can be damnable when God sees the heart of rebellion rooted in unbelief (remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?). And suicide is such a damnable sin because it is the combination of eight damnable sins (1. Hatred, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body).
Therefore, sins like suicide should be a clear indication that a professing Christian did not die holding on to faith and obedience to God’s Word. They murdered themself and died in a state of apostasy.
Objection 2: As long as suicide is not the unpardonable sin- blaspheming the Holy Spirit, a Christian who does it can be forgiven like any other sin a person might commit and not repent of before they die.
This objection makes an error in understanding what the unpardonable sin is and what apostasy is. Many think that as long as someone doesn’t renounce Jesus or curse the Holy Spirit verbally they are still a Christian no matter what they do. The argument is as follows:
Premise 1: Unless a Christian commits the unpardonable sin they are still a Christian no matter what they do.
Premise 2: Mike is a Christian that has not committed the unpardonable sin.
Conclusion: Therefore, Mike is still a Christian no matter what he does.
With this kind of thinking the following would be acceptable:
Premise 1: Unless a Christian commits the unpardonable sin they are still a Christian no matter what they do.
Premise 2: Mike is a Christian that practices homosexuality, but has not committed the unpardonable sin.
Conclusion: Therefore, Mike is still a Christian despite practicing homosexuality.
And;
Premise 1: Unless a Christian commits the unpardonable sin they are still a Christian no matter what they do.
Premise 2: Mike is a Christian that practices fits of rage, but has not committed the unpardonable sin.
Conclusion: Therefore, Mike is still a Christian despite practicing fits of rage.
However, what if the person making this kind of argument was actually misunderstanding what the unpardonable sin was and thus was unable to recognize those who are really committing it? The author of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 10:26-29, “26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” It would seem from Hebrews that the real sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit is continually sinning, trampling on the blood of Jesus, and insulting God’s grace.
Think about it… isn’t the very role of the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment? Jesus said in John 16:8-11, “8 When he comes, he [the Holy Spirit] will prove [convict/rebuke/admonish] the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”
Likewise, when Jesus said in Luke 12:10, “And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” It would be best to understand Him as saying, “If you reject in your lifestyle that which the Holy Spirit is teaching and convicting you of, you will not be saved.” Because it is impossible to be saved without accepting the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, what is blaspheming or speaking against the Holy Spirit? Can a person simply curse the Holy Spirit and never be saved- as some God-haters do to mock Christians? Clearly, the unpardonable sin is related to rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit.
Paul warned that even Christians could commit this sin in Ephesians 4:30-31, “30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Therefore, when the Bible warns about people sinning against the Holy Spirit sins like suicide are definitely in view. Consider all the ways someone has to blaspheme the Holy Spirit to commit the act of suicide:
- Reject the Holy Spirit’s conviction that suicide is self-murder.
- Reject the Holy Spirit’s comfort in times of pain and believe suicide is more of an answer than Jesus.
- Reject the Holy Spirit’s warning against hurting those who will be left behind in the wake of the tragedy.
- Reject the Holy Spirit’s promise of life.
- Reject the Holy Spirit’s purpose, future, and destiny.
In conclusion, those who commit suicide are actually blaspheming/speaking against the Holy Spirit because they are rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit to commit a combination of eight damnable sins (1. Hatred, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body).
Objection 3: Suicide is not the act of a person’s will, but rather the result of untreated depression. So in the same way a Christian can die of cancer, they can die from suicide.
This objection is neither biblical nor accurate concerning what those in the medical community report. First, from a biblical standpoint, mental anguish has never been a valid justification for any sinful act in the Bible. All people from puberty age and onward who possess free will and physical ability will be held responsible for their actions because they can and are able to obey God’s commands (whether they know them from natural or special revelation).
Paul wrote in Romans 1:18-20, “18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”Clearly, all people- despite their backgrounds- are made aware of the need to live and not kill themselves, to go against the natural desire of the body to live is a sin for those even without knowledge of Jesus or the Bible (i.e., “those under natural revelation”).
Next, James wrote in James 4:7-10, “7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” God has endowed all people, after they have heard the Word of God, with the choice and ability to do the following:
- Submit to God
- Resist the devil
- Come near to God
- Wash their hands from being sinners in Jesus’ blood
- Purify their hearts in Jesus’ blood
- Stop being double-minded
- Grieve, mourn, and wail over their sin
- Change their attitude from laughter to mourning, joy to gloom
- Be humble before God and be lifted up by Him
Suicide is clearly a violation of both natural revelation and special revelation (God’s clear commands).
Second, the following questions, with the current medical research disprove the notion that suicide is the result of untreated depression. Mental illness may be a trigger- but it is not the cause. Correlations like family troubles, genetics, mental illnesses are not the same as causation- i.e., “the choice to kill one’s self.” The choice to murder the self is wholly caused by the person’s will (as the Bible teaches)- not the things that correlate with or around the decision- the decision alone is responsible. And that is why God holds them, along with all people who do such things responsible for their actions. Consider the following questions and how they disprove the theory of “depression=suicide” or “lack of freewill=suicide.”
- Why is there no unifying census in the medical field to prove that depression and suicide are linked with brain chemicals?
Opposite is true: “There is no known unifying underlying pathophysiology for either suicide or depression” – Delhi Psychiatry Journal.”
Link: http://medind.nic.in/daa/t15/i1/daat15i1p142.pdf
- Why do only 5% of those with depression attempt suicide?
Quote: “According to the prominent psychologist Jesse Bering of the University of Otago in New Zealand, in his authoritative book Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves (University of Chicago Press, 2018), “the specific issues leading any given person to become suicidal are as different, of course, as their DNA—involving chains of events that one expert calls ‘dizzying in their variety.’” Indeed, my short list above includes people with a diversity of ages, professions, personality and gender. Depression is commonly fingered in many suicide cases, yet most people suffering from depression do not kill themselves (only about 5 percent Bering says), and not all suicide victims were depressed. “Around 43 percent of the variability in suicidal behavior among the general population can be explained by genetics,” Bering reports, “while the remaining 57 percent is attributable to environmental factors.” Having a genetic predisposition for suicidality, coupled with a particular sequence of environmental assaults on one’s will to live, leads some people to try to make the pain stop.”
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-people-kill-themselves/
- Why are over half the people who commit suicide free from all mental illness?
Quote: “More than half, 54%, of people who died by suicide did not have a known mental health condition.”
- Why are people who are getting treatment still committing suicide? In other words, why have the people who committed suicide that we all know about like Robin Williams, pastors, etc., were in treatment and it didn’t stop them? Can you stop a cold medicine from working or a antibiotic? How do these people in treatment stop it from working if suicide is simply a product of depression in the brain and taking medicine is all you need?
Quote: “Even among people who have risk factors for suicide, most do not attempt suicide. It remains difficult to predict who will act on suicidal thoughts.”
Lastly, what most Christians don’t realize is if they adopt unscientific and unbiblical views of suicide than why not adopt the other unscientific and unbiblical views popular in today’s culture? Such as:
- Homosexuality… it’s in your brain- you were hardwired to love the same gender!
- Transgender… it’s in your brain- you can’t help that your brain is in the wrong body!
- Addiction & Phobias… it’s in your brain- you can’t quit now- just learn to live with your addictions and fears!
- Uncontrollable temper… it’s in your brain- you’re like a lion in a dog-eat-dog world- might makes right!
- Sex addiction… it’s in your brain- you weren’t designed for monogamy- you evolved from animals so it’s okay to act like one!
Though it is true we cannot chose whether or not we have mental anguish or get deceptive brain messages, we do have a choice to how we respond to them. The entire story of the Bible is about choices—- a choice between repenting for your sin or blaming others for your mistakes (Eve), a choice between murder or kindness (Cain), a choice between obeying or disobeying the Law of God (Israelites), etc….
God gave us a spiritual soul to control and shape our brain- what we do with our brain and body on this earth God will hold us accountable for. Thankfully both the Bible and medical science is in agree with this- consider the following Bible passage and two leading voices in neuroscience.
Romans 12:1-2, “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
“We have to recognize that we are spiritual beings with souls existing in a spiritual world as well as material beings with bodies and brains existing in a material world.” Dr. Eccles, Noble Prize Winner in Physiology, “Evolution of the Brain, Creation of the Self.”
“After a quarter century and more than one hundred thousand SPECT scans, the single most important lesson my colleagues and I have learned is this: you can literally change people’s brains, and when you do you change their lives. You are not stuck with the brain you have; you can make it better, and we can prove it.” Dr. Amen, “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life.”
Do not fall for the lies of today’s uniformed and biblically illiterate culture- follow the Bible, along with real medical science and believe the truth about suicide— it is a damnable sin of person’s free will because it is the eight-fold combination of many damnable sins (1. Hatred, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body).
Objection 4: What if a Christian committed suicide by accident- like while sleep walking or hallucinating.
Then it wouldn’t be a suicide, it would be an accident- no different than if someone accidentally electrocuted themself. However, those who commit suicide do so because they want to. Just read suicide notes, it is not an accident, most of the time it is well planned out.
As a matter of fact, many like Bill Zeller, founder of MyTunes, want people to read and circulate their notes so people would know they weren’t wasn’t “crazy” and know all their reasons. Also, consider the Netflix show “13 Reasons” which glories suicide by showing the well-thought out reasons as to why a teen murdered themself (which has already led to more teens committing suicide to imitate the show).
The reason so many people write before taking their life is so people like you and I would know that they were not crazy and to assure us it is not like dying by accident— they want the world to know it was their choice (even to the way they would do it— hoping it wouldn’t fail or be too messy for others to clean up). They want the world to know they were in control and it was their choice.
Read Bill’s opening lines, “I have the urge to declare my sanity and justify my actions…” His full letter can be read here: http://textfiles.com/uploads/note.txt
How about this one, “One of the great ones is leaving this world when you want to and have nothing to live for. I am not insane. My mind was never more clear…” Source, along with other disturbing notes (notice the clarity they have to recall all their hatred and bitterness): https://theholydark.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/some-painfully-edifying-reading-suicide-notes/
Or how about the man who gave a full speech in a press conference and handed out papers to people before shooting himself in front of the cameras—— did he die by accident? See the video here— https://youtu.be/UT8lW73jexU
Or what about the fictional character Romeo, was he crazy or in a similar situation like that of a person dying of cancer- passive and unable to change his circumstances?
Certainly many are in pain, feel hopeless, and want to escape- but none of those feelings or emotions let them off the hook or detour their responsibility. Once again, they know what they are doing and they are making the choice to murder themselves- the vast majority are not out of their mind, sleep walking, or hallucinating. Most don’t even have a mental illness!
The sad truth is suicide is not a violation of their will or an accident- it is their perfect will being done. And it is not a noble thing that a person does nor is it like dying from an illness—— people have 100% of their freewill intact and use it to perform one of the most selfish acts of self-hatred and wrath a person can ever do. They are often times mean spirited towards those around them—- vindictive towards past girlfriends, family, etc.
Is this how a person sounds when they are dying by accident? “May her guts rot in hell — I loved her so much!” (Married male- 45yrs old- from the source above).
So the next time someone naively tells you suicide is like dying from sleep walking or by something that makes people crazy and overrides their freewill—— remind them of the people who went out of their way to show them otherwise.
John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Proverbs 8:35-36, “35 For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, 36 but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.”
Objection 5: What about Samson, he asked God for permission to commit suicide and was granted his request (Judges 16:29). Thus, sometimes suicide can be God’s will.
Most Christians wouldn’t make this objection, rather this kind of objection usually comes from atheists and Muslims trying to show that the Bible character Samson was the first “suicide bomber.” What one has to remember is that not everything in the Bible is prescriptive for the believer nor is everything done by the main characters in the Bible to be considered righteous.
The author of Judges said concerning the time he wrote about, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6). Thus, no one should not look at the lives of the judges as godly examples. When the New Testament recounts some of their acts of faith in Hebrews 11 the reader is supposed to assume that they are not to reenact their sins. For example, we all know Abraham was a great person of faith, but Genesis records he lied to a King about Sarah being his sister and had sex with his handmaiden Hagar. The New Testament authors like Paul never commend such behavior but rather only point out his faith to trust God and follow him to the promise land.
Likewise, when we read about Samson we are not supposed to look at how he broke God’s laws most of his life and then do likewise. Samson used his power to be a wild womanizer and a spiteful person before he was captured (Judges 14:19, 15:7-8, 16:1-17)— simply getting his power back to kill the Lord’s enemies doesn’t make right any of his past behaviors nor his decision to die with the people in the building.
Therefore, the following could said about Samson and his death:
- God did not approve it— but allowed it- similar to the story in Judges where a man sacrificed his daughter for a victory (Judges 11:30-40).
- Since Samson was in the midst of a war and wanted to die in battle instead of living disgraced some see his death as a sacrifice because he would not have been able to survive and destroy the people at the same time. Thus, he just accepts his fate.
Once again, today’s suicide victim has nothing in common with Samson- they are not living in the times of the Judges, suffering for their misuse of God’s miraculous power, and ready to die in an epic defeat of God’s enemies. Suicide, as it is done today, is a damnable sin of a person’s free will because it is the eight-fold combination of many damnable sins (1. Hatred, 2. Fits of Rage, 3. Selfish Ambition, 4. Cowardice, 5. Faithlessness, 6. Abomination, 7. Murderous, & 8. Destroying God’s Temple/Body).
In conclusion, suicide is a damnable sin that if a person commits they should not expect to inherit the Kingdom of God.