Can a Christian commit suicide? Is suicide always inspired by a devil? Is suicide an ‘unpardonable sin’?
(The following are excerpts from an article by Pastor Bert Singletary, Manzano Baptist Church, Albuquerque, NM)
Over 25,000 Americans commit suicide each year. Over one million will try but only one out of fifteen will succeed. Suicide is the tenth highest killer in the U.S. More will die by suicide than by murder.
The model age for attempting suicide is 32 for men and 27 for women. The model age of succeeding is 50-54 for men and women. Men kill themselves twice as often as women, but women attempt suicide twice as often as men.
Suicide is the second highest cause of death among young people aged 15-24 surpassed only by accidents.
If you are a skilled, white, male Protestant [around 50 years old], you are the best prospect for suicide. Ninety five percent of all suicides are committed by [whites], who are in the white collar bracket.
[Do you know of someone who has tried to commit suicide, or has succeeded in commiting suicide? Have you ever contemplated suicide? Have you thought about it in the last week? How close are you to attempting suicide?…]
Suicides will continue to rise. The Bible declares that society is headed away from God. Godless society is bent on it’s own destruction. As these last days flow steadily toward those awful tribulation days, suicides will become more and more common. The climax will be reached in the tribulation period where it is recorded — Rev 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. [Near the end of the Tribulation, the many (most?) of the people will attempt to commit suicide, but won’t be able to die!]
Evidently the only thing that keeps the mass of society from committing suicide in the tribulation is the sovereign, preventative power of God. [Maybe God is showing mercy there… for if they were to commit suicide, their problems don’t go away… they worsen infinitively!]
The Bible covers a period of 4,000 years from Adam to [the apostle] John. Yet there are only seven suicides recorded of all the multitudes that lived (that is about the same results as in twelve hours in America today).
If one could properly analyze the cause of these seven, I believe he could [then properly] analyze all suicides. Let us briefly consider the suicides of the Bible:
Abimelech (Jd 9:54) – A woman noticed him and dropped a millstone upon him. Recognizing that he was mortally wounded, he commanded his armour-bearer to slay him (it was a disgrace to be killed by a woman). [It is rare today for someone to have someone ‘assist them in suicide’ (other than ‘doctor-assisted-suicide’).]
He was humiliated and [full of shame; he didn’t want any one to find out the embarrassing facts].
Samson (Jd 16:28-31) – He asked the lad to place his hands on two pillars; he prayed to God and asked for revenge; the Lord gave him the strength to toppel the pillars and the entire building complex…killing thousands, including himself.
It was probably God’s will for Samson to commit homicide and suicide here.
Saul (1 Sa 31:1-6) – He suffered a very bad wound in battle and didn’t want the ‘uncircumcised’ to ‘get his body’; also, I believe that he felt rejected by God (at least, as king) and that David was going to be king, and that his reign was over. [Saul felt shame, embarrassment… He felt rejected… nothing to live for anymore.]
Saul’s armourbearer (1 Sa 31:1-6) – He was in desperation; His leader was dying (or dead); there was no hope.
Ahithophel (2 Sa 17:23) – His counsel was rejected; he was humiliated; a fearful future. [He got his house in order and then hanged himself (today, many people will get things ‘in order’, and write a note, prior to committing suicide).]
Zimri (1 Ki 16:18) – He killed King Elah and all his sons; then the soldiers came to kill him; he hid in the palace and burnt it all down, with him in it. He was desperate, fearful, and probably guilt-ridden.
Judas (Mt 27:5) – After betraying the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, was rejected by the high priest and elders. He went out and hanged himself. Here, Judas most likely was under the control of the Devil. He realized what he had done and was saddened and regretful, but the Devil (most likely) pushed him over ‘the edge’ to kill himself.
[end of Bro. Singletary’s article]
Summarizing these 7 (really just 6) suicides, we might come up with these personal issues leading to it:
Humiliation; Desperation; Rejection; Guilt; Fear; Regret.
Thus, if someone today is feeling any or all these, they might be heading down the road to ‘suicidal ideation’…
Are you suffering from a feeling of despare, no hope, intense fear of the future, rejection, regret?…
Don’t figure that you’ll never commit suicide… if sinful thinking goes unchecked, you could be there sooner than you’d ever think!
Human life is sacred; for we are created in the image of God.
Suicide is the taking of an innocent life; It is commiting murder! God commands “Thou shalt not kill”.
1 Cor 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
How does commiting suicide give glory to God?! Your body is not your own to do with as you please. You’ve been bought with a price. Let God decide when and how you die.
The root of suicide is self-centeredness. Charles Ryrie says “Suicide is one of the greatest acts of selfishness, for in it the individual caters to his desires and own will and ignores the effects it has on others.”
Is suicide a good option? Does it have a better outcome than all the problems that the person is currently in?
For the lost person it will only bring about a billion times worse scenario for them! And, there is no hope then! Utter, utter misery… They will only dream of having the ‘problems’ that they were in prior to taking their life…
The devils don’t want lost people to get saved…so they gladly try and push them into attempting suicide. Oh so many young people have attempted and/or committed suicide as the result of drugs/alcohol mixed with heavy metal music (whose lyrics promoted suicide)(one song even had backmasking saying ‘Do it!’).
There are people out there that you know who need your help…right now!
Acts 16:27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
Desperation; no hope; fear. He is ready to commit suicide! But….
Acts 16:28-30 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
A wise, trustworthy ‘friend’ yells ‘do thyself no harm’ and goes and tries to solve the problem that is causing them the despair. When someone is suicidal, it is an emergency… there needs to be immediate action to try and help them.
The root of the problem will always, always, always be a ‘spiritual’ one! Oftentimes, it is the need for a right relationship with Jesus Christ through salvation.
If you have been thinking about suicide, you have a significant spiritual problem. The solution is a spiritual one.
Why do ‘good people’ eventually attempt (or complete) suicide?
Some ‘negative’ event occurs that seems to start things ‘going the wrong direction’ (i.e. loss of job; sudden loss of money; loss of loved one; divorce; serious health condition diagnosed; etc.). Then, some irrational thinking begins (life stinks; what’s the use of going on living; I’d be better off dead; no one cares; etc.). Then, the devil takes hold of this wicked thinking and runs with it; he causes them to become obsessed with it; the suicidal thoughts (ideation) becomes more and more frequent, and more and more detailed; a devil will probably bring another negative event into their life to try and ‘push them over the edge’. Many times drugs or alcohol have clouded their judgment enough, and have numbed their fears significantly, so that they can do the unthinkable… As they get fairly close to committing suicide, they will develop a detailed plan… then they will choose a time; and then they will get everything ready; and then….
I t is a very common scenario for someone to murder a family member (or members) and then commit suicide. It is quite rare for someone to murder a loved one and then not attempt to kill themselves. They may feel that murdering the loved one will take away the emotional hurt…and then they find out that the hurt is immediately worsened exponentially, so they try the ultimate approach to ending all the internal turmoil and pain…suicide.
Some use suicidal ideation in order to get attention. They want their loved one, or friend, to see just how much they are hurting inside…so, they surmise that ‘trying to kill myself’ will show them. They typically will commit some act that most likely will not kill them…but it will seem legitimate nonetheless (like slitting one’s wrists, overdosing on OTC medications).
Others, who are actually quite serious about commiting suicide, will not really talk about it at all; but, will just become very withdrawn and quiet. These are the ones to be very concerned with.
Always take any talk of suicide seriously, and seek to get the person immediate wise counsel. Often times just talking about it with a friend is all that it will take to get them thinking right again (at least for the next 24 hours or so).
The most common methods of commiting suicide are:
10) drowning; 9) electrical shock; 8) exsanguination; 7) jumping; 6) suffocation; 5) Carbon Monoxide; 4) poisoning; 3) hanging; 2) drug or alcohol overdose; 1) gunshot (55%) (frater.com)
Some will say, “Anyone who tries to kill him/herself must be crazy.” Most suicidal people are not psychotic or insane.
Others might say, “If a person is determined to kill him/herself, nothing is going to stop them.”
Even the most severely depressed person has mixed feelings about death, wavering until the very last moment between wanting to live and wanting to die. Most suicidal people do not want death; they want the pain to stop. The impulse to end it all, however overpowering, does not last forever. (helpguide.org)
Can a Christian commit suicide? Well, can a Christian commit any sin? Murder, aldultery, pediaphilia, etc.? Which is worse, murder or suicide? If it is no stretch of the imagination for a Christian to commit murder, then it shouldn’t be for a Christian to commit suicide. Does Jesus’ blood cover all our sins if we have been saved? Can we lose our salvation? Have you ever had an horrible trial come your way where you were in a state of hopelessness? Did you ever have suicidal thoughts?
It seems very possible to me for a true Christian to commit suicide. Though, I wouldn’t think it to be too common. If a supposed Christian did commit suicide, I might doubt the legitimacy of their salvation (but don’t tell that to their loved ones!).
Is suicide always inspired by a devil? My belief is that ‘the preserving of our own lives’ is an instinctive trait that God has put into each of us. We can think wrong, though, and we can become very emotional and weak… but, to actually go against this assumed ‘instinct’, I believe it would take the act of a devil pushing you over that line. I strongly suspect that anyone who is having ‘suicidal thoughts’, has them placed there directly by a devil. The more open one allows themselves to be to Satanic influences (drugs, occult, heavy metal, dark thinking…) the more likely they will have suicidality.
Is suicide an ‘unpardonable sin’? Definitely not. I believe that the unpardonable sin (blasphemy against the Holy Ghost) involves a lost person attributing the mighty works of God that were wrought in Jesus Christ while He was on earth to the devil, or, at least to something other than God.
Is suicide ever a ‘noble’ thing to do? i.e., you have a serious cancer that is slowly killing you and it is costing you and your family an enormous amount of money, and you decide it is better that you were in Heaven and not bringing your family to financial ruin. It is never noble to commit suicide. Let God appoint when you die, not yourself. It might be reasonable to ask the Lord to take your life if it was within His will…but don’t ‘play God’ and decide when your life should end.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Get things changed in your life to be ‘according to His purpose’; follow His clear ‘calling’ for you; obey Him; love Him…and ‘all things will indeed begin working together for good’…even if the flesh might say it is all bad!
Phil 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
If you would just stop worrying about things and truly give them over to God and then start praising and thanking Him, your issue of ‘suicide’ will vanish away!
Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Get your mind off destructive though patterns and rather focused on true, honest, just, pure, lovely things! Don’t let the thought of suicide have more than a split second in your mind….
Ps 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Quit looking to yourself…to all your misery…to wanting all problems to just go away and never come back again. This is not going to be the case while you are still here on Earth. Hope thou in God! Praise Him! Don’t go on any longer with your soul disquieted within you!