SUICIDE

Suicide is said to be the third leading cause of death among those 15 to 25 years of age.  It ranks second in death among college student deaths.  Depression is a prominent factor in suicide, along with substance abuse. 

Secular Humanists believe that man has sovereignty over his own life, that he has the right to live and die as he pleases.  The Hemlock society boasts that they help people to die with dignity, advocating the aid of physicians in dying.  Yet many today ask about the biblical position on suicide.

Definition.  The simplest definition of suicide is intentionally causes one’s own death.  It is self-murder. At issue is the ultimate value of a human life.  Man is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27).  Is it ever God’s will for someone to prematurely end his or her own life?

Suicide is to be distinguished from self-sacrifice in order to save the lives of others.  A soldier who dies in battle in order to save his fellow soldiers is not necessarily suicide.  Jesus’ death on the cross was not suicide even though He gave up His own spirit (Matt. 27:50; Luke 23:46).  But a terminally ill patient who takes his own life because of the immense pain may be classified as a suicide.  A distraught person who kills himself or herself because of what is considered to be a hopeless situation is committing suicide.   

The Biblical Prohibition.  Exodus 20:13 forbids premeditated murder, which would include suicide.  Suicide is an act of self-indulgence.  It is in opposition to Christ’s example of self-sacrifice for others (Eph. 5:2).   

Biblical Examples.  There are several biblical examples of suicide: Saul (1 Sam. 31:4), Abimelech ( Jud. 9::50-51) and Judas (Matt. 27:5).  Since there are biblical examples of suicide, some would say that this justifies it.  Because something is recorded in the Bible does not make it ethical. 

Commiting suicide may be an attempt to eradicate life’s problems, but believer and unbeliever alike are accountable to God.  For the unbeliever, suicide results in judgment by God (Heb. 90:27) and commitment to an eternity in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).  For the believer, suicide is a demonstration of a lack of faith in the promises of God (Matt. 28:19-20; Rom. 8:28; Phil. 4:13).  Every believer must appear before the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Rom. 14:10;) in order to give account of his or her actions.

Loss of Salvation.  Some suggest that suicide is the unpardonable sin of Matthew 12:30-32.  But the context for Matthew 12 does not support such a view.  Jesus is not addressing the issue of suicide, but the national rejection of His messiahship by the religious leaders of Israel.   However, loss of salvation is contrary to the biblical account of the complete nature of the work of Christ (Heb. 10:10-17).  ;

Salvation is a gift of God, given in grace (Eph 2:8-9). In Romans 8:1 and 8:38-39; the believer is secure in Christ.  In Romans 8:29-30, the believer is part of an eternal, five-point plan for salvation.  Believers who commit suicide will certainly lose any reward promised by the Bible because of this act.  But they do not lose their salvation.  To say that suicide causes a loss of salvation is to open the question that any sin can potentially cause believers to lose their salvation.  The issue is not a failure to repent prior to death, but the completeness of the work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of all sin.  Otherwise, any unconfessed sin could result in the loss of salvation.