Christians and Suicide
Can a Christian commit suicide and still go to heaven? This is a huge question many Christians wrestle with, especially those who have loved ones who have killed themselves.
Before I start explaining what the Bible says about suicide, I want to first offer my condolences to those who carry pain and regret related to a loved one’s suicide. I understand that this is a very real and ever-present pain. I do not wish to offend or hurt you, only to tell the truth God has told us in His Word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:1-5 (NIV)
This passage, along with Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, teaches us that humans are created beings and that God is our creator. We also learn from this passage that Jesus is our light and salvation. This is further evident later in the book of John, where Jesus says
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my father as well.”
John 14:6-7 (NIV) – The Words of Jesus Christ
Jesus shows us that the only way to the Father, that is, to God and to heaven is through knowing Jesus in a personal way and having a close relationship with Him.
This close relationship is built through faith in Jesus. We cannot come to know Him unless we believe that He is our savior. This belief is more than just acknowledging Jesus as our savior in Church; it is seeking Him in our heart and soul because we know and acknowledge within ourselves who He is.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) – The Words of Paul the Apostle
This quote from Ephesians teaches us not only about faith, but about God’s purpose for our life. He has prepared this purpose for us in advance and He has blessed us with this life we live.
What does all of this have to do with suicide, you ask? Well, suicide is driven by a direct lack of faith in Jesus’ ability to make things right and to bring salvation. It also is an abandonment of the purpose God has given to that person. Furthermore, suicide is a form of murder, specifically self-murder, which is a sinful act in God’s eyes. In short, a final act by a person that is an act of sin and of faithlessness cannot be of the faithful godliness required to be saved and get to heaven. This means that people who commit suicide have a heart away from God and do not go to heaven.
It is sad that people commit suicide and give up their opportunity for a beautiful life with God. Unfortunately most people assume that God will grant them a happy and fulfilled life on earth. This is not true; in fact it couldn’t be more untrue.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 (NIV) – The Words of Jesus Christ
God has promised us lives of trouble, not lives of peace or happiness. We are not meant to be fulfilled on earth, and if we are fulfilled here then we cannot be saved because our fulfillment should be found in God and in heaven. To be Christian and to be saved is to accept these truths and to love and thrive in spite of the pain this knowledge brings. In some ways, we should long to die because we should want to be with God, but our duty to God on earth is not done until He takes our life. Whether we want to be with Him or not, we cannot accelerate the process. God gave us our bodies and it is not our right to destroy them. I will close with, perhaps, the most powerful and direct quote regarding suicide:
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 (NIV) – The Words of Paul the Apostle
