Suicide and Eternity
A widely held belief among many who profess to be Christian is that if one commits suicide, that their soul is committed to Hell. This is because, according to the belief, a person who commits suicide has not had the opportunity to repent of that sin. This is a false belief and is not grounded in biblical truth.
The only factor that determines whether or not the soul of the departed is committed to Paradise or to Hell is whether or not one has obtained salvation by the grace of God. When the blood of Christ is once applied to the heart of a sinner, his sins, past, present, and future are covered. Mortal flesh will continue to sin, and sin with finally consume the flesh, ultimately resulting in the death of the flesh (Romans 6:23). At death, the soul that has obtained salvation will rest in the bosom of Abraham and await the day of the redemption of the body, when the dead shall be resurrected, meeting Christ in the eastern sky. Then all of the redeemed will enter the New Jerusalem together and be there forever.
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matthew 12:31); that is to say, the rejection of the Holy Spirit when it beckons to you. Furthermore, salvation is not of works; therefore, we can perform nothing that will result in obtaining salvation, nor in losing it once obtained. It is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
So what does this have to do with suicide and where the soul of those who kill themselves will spend eternity? If salvation were of works, and we could fall away from Grace, then this belief would be correct. But if the blood of Christ were not sufficient for the covering of all the sins of his elect, then his crucifixion and death would be in vain.
Therefore, to say that one who commits suicide is bound for Hell regardless of whether he had obtained salvation is saying that the blood of Christ is not sufficient to cover his sins. If this is the case, how can anyone be saved from death and Hell?
I have held this belief and been aware of this truth for many years. I thank God that he has allowed me to have knowledge of some of his truths.
Personally, I also believe that one who would commit the act of suicide is not capable at the time of the act to know that their action is wrong. In other words, a mental illness has taken over to the point that the person committing the act is not responsible.
On Mother's Day of this year, my grandfather committed this very act. He had been suffering from depression for quite a while. He was not in the best of health, either. Unfortunately, none of us really recognized how depressed he really was. He had borrowed a 22 caliber rifle from a friend, went into a small room on the back of his carporch, and shot himself.
I do not condone what he did. I do not comprehend how someone can get to that point. But mental illness, whether in the form of depression or other forms, is a disease. Unfortunately, this disease affects rational thinking, often resulting in the death of the diseased at their own hand. Mental illness carries with it stigma, but the truth is one cannot help having a mental illness any more than they can help having a cold.
But I have no doubts of where my grandfather's soul is today. He is resting, awaiting the day when his body shall rise from the grave, in the likeness of Jesus himself, and put on perfection, to live forever in that Good Land.
The only factor that determines whether or not the soul of the departed is committed to Paradise or to Hell is whether or not one has obtained salvation by the grace of God. When the blood of Christ is once applied to the heart of a sinner, his sins, past, present, and future are covered. Mortal flesh will continue to sin, and sin with finally consume the flesh, ultimately resulting in the death of the flesh (Romans 6:23). At death, the soul that has obtained salvation will rest in the bosom of Abraham and await the day of the redemption of the body, when the dead shall be resurrected, meeting Christ in the eastern sky. Then all of the redeemed will enter the New Jerusalem together and be there forever.
The only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matthew 12:31); that is to say, the rejection of the Holy Spirit when it beckons to you. Furthermore, salvation is not of works; therefore, we can perform nothing that will result in obtaining salvation, nor in losing it once obtained. It is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
So what does this have to do with suicide and where the soul of those who kill themselves will spend eternity? If salvation were of works, and we could fall away from Grace, then this belief would be correct. But if the blood of Christ were not sufficient for the covering of all the sins of his elect, then his crucifixion and death would be in vain.
Therefore, to say that one who commits suicide is bound for Hell regardless of whether he had obtained salvation is saying that the blood of Christ is not sufficient to cover his sins. If this is the case, how can anyone be saved from death and Hell?
I have held this belief and been aware of this truth for many years. I thank God that he has allowed me to have knowledge of some of his truths.
Personally, I also believe that one who would commit the act of suicide is not capable at the time of the act to know that their action is wrong. In other words, a mental illness has taken over to the point that the person committing the act is not responsible.
On Mother's Day of this year, my grandfather committed this very act. He had been suffering from depression for quite a while. He was not in the best of health, either. Unfortunately, none of us really recognized how depressed he really was. He had borrowed a 22 caliber rifle from a friend, went into a small room on the back of his carporch, and shot himself.
I do not condone what he did. I do not comprehend how someone can get to that point. But mental illness, whether in the form of depression or other forms, is a disease. Unfortunately, this disease affects rational thinking, often resulting in the death of the diseased at their own hand. Mental illness carries with it stigma, but the truth is one cannot help having a mental illness any more than they can help having a cold.
But I have no doubts of where my grandfather's soul is today. He is resting, awaiting the day when his body shall rise from the grave, in the likeness of Jesus himself, and put on perfection, to live forever in that Good Land.
posted by Badbeans | 10:58 AM
8 Comments:
Beans - I agree with you 100% on this subject.
Let me ask what may be an unanswerable question related to your post if I may;
How do you think the Lord deals with un-repented sin? My wife has asked me this before because her mother took her own life when my wife was 16 years old. If suicide is murder of one’s self, and because you can’t repent of murder of yourself, how do you think the Lord deals with that?
Is there any Scripture that would answer this?
Well said, Patriot.
Beans, it breaks my heart to hear of someone who loses a loved one in this way. I've dealt with this issue in my family as well. It feels like someone ripped you open and stole something from you. I feel for you, man. I really do, and I understand.
Don't get me wrong guys, I believe as you do.
I was looking for Scripture that would talk about un-repented sin, however bad it may or may not be, that would result in some form of punishment from God for the Christian.
I would want someone to show me where God would tolerate willful, unrepented sin and not punish it.
We know, according to Revelation 21:27, that nothing defiled can enter the Kingdom of God.
What about 1 John 3:9? - "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
I am looking for a verse or a passasge of Scripture that says God will 'let slide' if you will, an unrepented sin. I agree that once saved always saved and that a true believer will enter the Kingdom under the blood covenant of Christ but one surely must be judged at the seat of Christ for things done in the body, good or bad.
1 John 1:5 through2:1 - 5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
The key to repented sin, according to verse 9 is that 'if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Like I said, I am looking for a verse or a passasge of Scripture that says God will 'let slide' if you will, an unrepented sin.
I'm not debating salvation. I believe once saved always saved if a person has 'put on' Christ and followed Him. I believe that Bean's grandfather and my wife's mother are in heaven today after their suicides.
I agree Auntie, that God does not turn His back on His own. The same way I would never turn my back on my own. However, when my children do something wrong, I punish them depending on the degree of the problem that got them into trouble with me. Sometimes it may be a gentle sit-down talk, sometimes a tongue lashing, sometimes a trip to their room for some solitary and sometimes it requires physical contact (spanking). But I would never denounce them from my blood line; my kinship for disobeying me.
I know that God does this to His children as well while their here on Earth. But if a person has committed murder and then dies without repenting and receiving his chastisement while here on Earth, what happens at the judgment? Can you honestly say that nothing would happen? Can you Scripturally say that nothing would happen?
That’s all I’m looking for.
Maybe the proper way to approach this is to search for something in the scripture that tells what God does punish if unrepented after death.
Death is the ultimate payment of mortal sin. Under the law, the children of Israel made atonement once a year for sin. At some points during the year, no doubt, some of the children of Israel would die before making the yearly sacrifice. It stands to reason that since their mortal life was over, that mortal sin ceased to be of consequence to them. And, at death, they were no less a chosen child of God.
Chastisement of God for our mortal sins is to benefit the mortal life, not the life hereafter. If your children, in theory, were in an instant made perfect, you would have no reason for chastising them, since they would have ceased from their sin. This will not happen until we shed mortality for us, if we are of God. For those who are guilty of unbelief to the saving of their souls, they will then pay for the unforgivable sin for eternity.
In short, I am not sure that one scripture can answer your question, but I believe that taking scripture as a whole, we can make some reasonable deductions.
But of course, true answers lie in seeking them from God himself. Ultimately, if one wants to know something, the counsel of men are vain, but who is the counsellor of God Himself?
I may be making more of this than I need to. The question and seeking the answer to this lies deep within me for some reason right now. I'm not quite sure why.
I will seek His council the best I can and see what the Holy Spirit says.
Thanks for all of the responses!
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