What does the Bible say about suicide?

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Suicides—A Resurrection?

Below is an article fully quoted from Awake! 1990, September 8th. entitled: Suicides --A Resurrection?

THE tragic news of a suicide does not close a chapter in the lives of relatives and friends; it opens one—a chapter of mixed feelings of pity and anger, sorrow and guilt. And it raises the question: May we entertain any hope for our friend who took his or her life?

Although self-inflicted death is never justified, never righteous, the apostle Paul did hold out a beautiful hope for even some unrighteous ones. As he told a Roman court of law: “I have hope toward God . . . that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”—Acts 24:15.

Nevertheless, many theologians have long dismissed any suggestion that the resurrection of the unrighteous might offer hope for those who commit suicide. Why?

Theologians Contradict Resurrection Hope

William Tyndale identified part of the problem in the foreword of his 16th-century Bible: “In putting departed souls in heaven, hell, or purgatory you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection.” Yes, centuries ago, churchmen introduced a non-Biblical concept: immortal souls that leave the body at death and go straight to heaven, purgatory, Limbo, or hell. That concept clashed with the Bible’s clear teaching of a future resurrection. As Baptist minister Charles Andrews asked: “If the soul is already blissfully in heaven (or is already justifiably roasting in hell), what need is there for anything further?” He added: “This inner contradiction has remained to plague Christians throughout the centuries.”

One result of such errant theology was that “since Augustine’s time [354-430 C.E.], the church has condemned suicide as a sin,” says Arthur Droge in the Bible Review, December 1989, “a sin beyond redemption, just like apostasy and adultery.”

The harsh verdict of being “beyond redemption,” or hopelessly consigned to hellfire, carried the judgment-at-death argument to its shaky extreme. Admits the National Catholic Reporter: “Two of the church’s greatest doctors railed against suicide—Augustine branding it ‘detestable and damnable wickedness’ and Aquinas indicating it was a mortal [unforgivable] sin against God and the community—but not all churchmen have agreed.”

Happily, we can avoid such “inner contradiction” by accepting two compatible Bible truths. First, “the soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Second, the real hope for dead souls (people) is to live again through “a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) What, then, may we reasonably expect for people who commit suicide?

An Unrighteous One to Be Resurrected

Jesus told a criminal sentenced to death: “You will be with me in Paradise.” The man was unrighteous—a lawbreaker rather than a distraught suicide victim—guilty by his own frank admission. (Luke 23:39-43) He had no hope of going to heaven to rule with Jesus. So the Paradise in which this thief could hope to come back to life would be the beautiful earth under the rule of Jehovah God’s Kingdom.—Matthew 6:9, 10; Revelation 21:1-4.

For what purpose will God awaken this criminal? So that He mercilessly can hold his past sins against him? Hardly, for Romans 6:7, 23 says: “He who has died has been acquitted from his sin,” and “the wages sin pays is death.” Although his past sins will not be accounted to him, he will still need the ransom to lift him to perfection.

Therefore, theologian Albert Barnes was wrong and misleading when he asserted: “Those who have done evil shall be raised up to be condemned, or damned. This shall be the object in raising them up; this the sole design.” How beneath a God of justice and love! Rather, a resurrection to life on a paradise earth will furnish this former criminal (and other unrighteous ones) a golden opportunity to be judged by what they do after their resurrection.—1 John 4:8-10.

A Merciful Opportunity

Stunned friends of a suicide victim may thus take comfort in knowing that “Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him. For he himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:10-14) Only God can fully understand the role of mental sickness, extreme stress, even genetic defects, in a “suicidal crisis,” which, the National Observer noted, “is not a lifetime characteristic [but] often a matter only of minutes or of hours.”—See Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Granted, one who takes his own life deprives himself of the opportunity to repent of his self-murder. But who can say whether one driven to suicide might have had a change of heart had his fatal attempt failed? Some notorious murderers have, in fact, changed and earned God’s forgiveness during their lifetime.—2 Kings 21:16; 2 Chronicles 33:12, 13.

Thus, Jehovah, having paid “a ransom in exchange for many,” is within his right to extend mercy, even to some self-murderer

Actually, while it is wrong for the most part, it is mentioned in the Bible and sometimes it is wrong and sometimes it is not. Now for the tennant of your question. Some, if not all suicides, are an entense emotional time. Many are not thinking clearly at all or they would not go through with it. My Grandfather might not have killed himself if he had known how it was going to affect all of us, but he is dead and we carry on with all the scars his decision left us. I personally believe God will make his decision based on the life before they killed themselves and he will not make a mistake. Oh when was suicide allowed in the Bible? Sampson. Saul also committed suicide but his was more selfish and likely ended in Hell but for his actions not his demise. These are the two I remember there might be more, but I cannot bring them to mind.

I've been over this ground a few times before.

Scripture doesn't specifically say that suicide is bad.

In fact, there are a few cases where the person commits suicide, and scripture simply reports the act without the slightest commentary. I read this as a neutral view of suicide.

I'm thinking of a general opposed to David who kills himself by hanging, and the action is simply reported without any comment, positive or negative.

Saul apparently tries to kill himself, and then tries to get another to help him die, as he is still alive.

Judas hangs himself, and there is no horror expressed or implied.

There are, if memory serves, a few other examples.

However, there is a theological argument that runs in several ways.

1. Murder is forbidden. Killing oneself can conceivably be regarded as murder.

2. We are given a life to live, and the only one who has the right to take that life is God.

All of these discussions imply a certain type of suicide. You will notice that when a soldier throws himself on a grenade to save his comrades, we do not condemn the act, which unquestionably is suicide, but are more likely to award the man a medal posthumously

The person who kills self while the person is still very much alive is sometimes condemned. The accusations run

1. Selfishly avoiding the consequences of one's choices in life

2. Thinking avoiding one's own pain but ignoring the impact on others (selfishness again).

3. Rejecting God's sacred gift of life.

The person who kills self in order to save lives of others is regarded as heroic.

I think the motivation behind the suicide is very important.

A person who is in unbelievable pain may crave death as a release. We who cannot imagine horrible intra-psychic pain tend to discount the idea that a person can be in such emotional anguish that death seems welcome by comparison.

A person may kill self in order to exit this life without dealing with enormous shame or guilt.

In all of these cases, God is the only one who can see what is on the person's heart, and God is the only one who can judge them.

All we can do is pray that their pain in life is finally at an end in the hereafter.

I hope this quick, off-the-cuff response has something of some use for you..

Vern

God said Thou Shalt NOT Kill ! Killing your self is breaking this law.

You will NOT lose your Salvation but I seriously have to believe that anyone who would do such a thing is not saved from the beginning. Many people believe that they are saved because they have done some sort of ritual . The only way to be saved is to see your sin for what it is as Isaiah did in chapter 6 vs 9. When we can see a Holy God and know our selves to be the sinners , or if people prefer Law breakers of God's law, and that we deserve death death of the spirit and body for those sins then we can see the contrast between us and this Holy God who created us. He tells us if we confess them to Him , this Holy God ,in Jesus Name believing that He will remove them from us and give us a new nature ,His nature We are Redeemed as He promised! Remember the Father and Son and Holy Spirit is one and the same and The Trinity is Whole.

The reliant verse here is Romans 10:9-10

and we can Never loose that Salvation . Because we still have that old nature in us we also have the New Nature and we can chose to sin but if we do we have The Holy Spirit to teach us and call us back to God! . We have the Holy Spirit which sealed us for all Eternity as the Ransomed of Jesus the Christ and we are still that New creation but

we must now confess that sin .

Also remember we do not belong to our selves any more as the Redeemed of God He bought and Paid for us with His own Blood! He has us here for a reason! If we take our lives we remove that reason for us to be here and destroy His property. We will here from Him on this even if we are Saved!

There is always the Great White Throne Judgment seat of God for believers where we Will give account for all of the evil we have done after the Rapture!

John 10:27

John 11:25-26

Romans 8:38-39

Are just three of the verses that give us that assurance.There are many more!

God bless you Sir and Thank you for defending us in this Nation giving us the Right to discuss this ! I personally Know that these freedoms do NOT exist in other Countries ! Thank you again.

Jesus did not have to die on the cross, He was compelled to do so that we might have salvation by our Heavenly Father's choice which was his (Jesus's) as well. Is not the action of voluntary death what we would call today a "SUICIDE"? I know of a situation where the husband can only provide for his wife's financial welfare thru his own forfeiture of life and wishes to do so! I have told him that I do not know how such action could be considered by God as a "suicide". Anyone else agree? Name withheld

the ten commandments one is thy shall not kill our body is not ours and if one is a born again christian they would know tha the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit one can not have sin and think about heaven Jesus died for our sins so we dont have to pay the price which is death apart from God forever you know it is written you break on commandment you break them all there is only one sin tht is not forgiveable but if you die with sin on your soul what do you think will happen? Look at Matt 10:28 dont worry about man that can kill the body worry about God who can take both soul and body... the spirit of suicide takes life Jesus gives life the enemy of our souls wants us with him tell your friend that God is a good God and loves us as much ans He loves Jesus ending ones life doesnt stop that life it begins it before the Lord absent from the body present before the Lord until Judgement comes then .... well God is the judge and a respector of no man if you have Jesus why want to die and be without Him? There is nothing and no one that i will go to hell for ever not family friends loved ones nothing God said if you put me first i will take care of what belongs to you in other words God firs always no matter what and He will take care of everything else it is a promise from the Father put Him first and all else will be added unto you i know i went off the question a bit but i felt that your friend is worth it and we are to love the breathren neighbors and those who hate us........ i hope this helps

As a mental health professional with 20+ years experience, now retired, and a Roman Catholic for almost 60 years now, I can tell you that I find it hard to believe that God automatically condemns to hell anyone and everyone who commits suicide. Even though, in my earlier years I was taught that they were automatically condemned if they committed suicide, I have since had enough training and clinical experience with suicidal individuals and their reasons for doing such, to find it extremely difficult that God automatically and promptly judges everyone that commits suicide in a condemning fashion. I think the Roman Catholic Church has changed its opinion on suicide since I was a young boy, but since I was so involved professionally / clinically with such people, I failed to "research" the matter even though I've kept up with the Roman Catholic material to do so. I'm sure your question will prompt me to look it up real soon to see what the "official" ruling is by the Church, but I find it very difficult to think that God, knowing all the reasons why people kill themselves, automatically condemns all such people to hell. And if I were a betting man, I'd put a hefty wager on it, but, I never was good at betting on football games, so, I'd just better keep out of the betting aspect and go on what I believe to be true. God Bless you.

There is nothing in scripture to make me believe that someone who is saved cannot lose faith once in a while.

If suicide is a sin, than like any other sin, it is covered by the blood of Jesus.

What if you're saved and you fall into sin, and before you can repent, you get hit by a bus. Are you going to hell? Of course not. And I don't see suicide as a greater sin than any other.

While suicide cannot be justified, it is comforting to remember that the future prospects of our loved ones rest with a God who fully understands that weaknesses and frailties could push one to such desperate action. The Bible says of Jehovah: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, his loving-kindness is superior toward those fearing him. As far off as the sunrise is from the sunset, so far off from us he has put our transgressions. As a father shows mercy to his sons, Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him. For he himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.”—Psalm 103:11-14.

Only God can fully understand the role of mental sickness, extreme stress, even genetic defects, in a “suicidal crisis,” which, the National Observer noted, “is not a lifetime characteristic [but] often a matter only of minutes or of hours.”—See Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Granted, one who takes his own life deprives himself of the opportunity to repent of his self-murder. But who can say whether one driven to suicide might have had a change of heart had his fatal attempt failed?

Love strengthens our recognition that suicide—though evading one’s own burdens—only heaps more problems on loved ones left behind. As far as the one who rashly took his own life is concerned, we humans cannot judge as to whether he will get a resurrection or not. How reprehensible was he? God alone searches ‘all hearts and every inclination of the thoughts.’ (1 Chronicles 28:9) But we may be confident that ‘the Judge of all the earth is going to do what is loving, just, and right!’—Genesis 18:25.

www.watchtower.org

I think it is outside God's will even if the person is saved they will anser for it, not with hell but they will stand before Jesus and answer for it.

it is possible for a severely depressed person to turn around and find joy where they thought none was possible. I believe a believer could be truly saved and let discouragement and defeat get the best of him on the other hand it may be a lack of saving faith that leads to suicide as well.

Jesus heas the broken hearted and it would give more glory to God for a serverely depressed person to come to Jesus and find new life and new joy in Jesus and move on in the strength God provides in this life.