Suicide & Christianity

Suicide & Christianity is a blog post about suicide and Christianity adapted from the elders at my church.

How Do We View Tragedy and Suicide Biblically?

We always need truth but even more so in difficult and uncertain times because difficult circumstances tempt us to live by our feelings and believe the enemy’s lies. Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). As believers, and especially as elders, we are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). As Dr. Akin reminded me, in times like this when everything seems so uncertain, we need to anchor our souls in what we know to be true. There are certainly many unanswered questions, whether it be a tragic, accidental death and especially when someone takes their own life. There are also many “why” questions that we cannot answer. However, this is a moment as a church where we need to remind each other of what is true. We pray this will help you in dealing with these circumstances and any other difficult situations in your lives. Therefore, we are going to share some general biblical truths about suffering and then some more specific biblical truths about suicide for us to apply in these and other situations.

Let’s remember that we cannot answer the “why” questions and focus on lovingly being present with them to serve them in this moment and the future. Thank you for what you are doing as their brothers and sisters in Christ.

What Does The Bible Teach Us About Suffering?

1. During times of suffering we must trust the character of God over circumstances. Psalm 18:2 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” This is true no matter what our circumstances are because He is always good (1 Chronicles 16:34), faithful (Psalm 36:5), sovereign (Psalm 115:3), and unchanging (Hebrews 13:8).

2. Christians are not exempt from suffering, but God uses suffering for His eternal glory and our eternal good (John 9:1-3, Romans 8:28, James 1:3-4). Joni Eareckson Tada, who has ministered faithfully and fruitfully for Jesus for decades as a quadriplegic after a tragic diving accident, said ten words given to her by a friend changed her life. They are: “God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves.”

3. The gospel is the hope and only answer for human suffering. Ultimately, our hope is not in explanations and answers, but in the person and work of The Answer, Jesus. The gospel includes the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus, all of which speak to the issue of our suffering.

A. Incarnation: Jesus is truly God and truly man. He left the glory and splendor of heaven to come into this fallen, broken world. Our Savior was born as a baby, lived as a genuine human being, and dealt with mistreatment, betrayal, pain, and grief. He did not run from our suffering but ran into it and embraced it. He suffered for us on the cross, but He also suffered with us so He understands what we are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16).

B. Crucifixion: Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates [proves] His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” I agree with John Stott, who said in his classic book, The Cross Of Christ, “I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross … In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it?”

C. Resurrection: The resurrection of Jesus guarantees our resurrection (John 14:19, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22) to eternal life with a glorified body in the perfect place known as heaven. As D.A. Carson quips, “There’s nothing wrong with us that a good resurrection won’t fix.”

4. Suffering is temporary, and therefore limited, for the believer. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Revelation 21:3-4 says, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away’.”

5. The church is the body of Christ and is to be the hands and feet of Jesus during times of suffering. An indelible image etched in people’s minds from 9/11 was of the first responders running into the towers while everyone else was running away. As the church let’s run into people’s lives that are on fire and falling apart instead of running away. Paul said that he was comforted “by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:6). We are to love one another (John 13:34-35). We are to “care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12:25) and suffer with those who suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26). We are to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).

6. Grief and lamentation are godly responses. We see this time and time again in the Psalms. Also, Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35).

What Does The Bible Teach Us About Suicide?

Let us begin by stating that this is a complex, multi-faceted issue because God has made us whole (body, soul, mind, etc.), interconnected beings. This is trying to simply state some basic biblical truths and is not a comprehensive treatment of the subject by any means.

1. Life is a wonderful gift from God. We are made in His image with intrinsic value. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Psalm 139:14 says that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” Acts 17:26says, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings.” This means that every person is born when they are born, where they are born, and to whom they are born by the plan of God.

2. God created us with a purpose and has great plans for our lives. Psalm 139:16-17 says, “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

3. Suicide is a grievous sin that causes great destruction and pain. It is the sin of self-murder (Exodus 20:13) with probably some other sins included (assuming the person is in her right mind enough to be morally culpable for what she is doing).

4. Suicide, however, is not the unpardonable sin. A lot of people think it is the unpardonable sin, but the Bible does not say that. It seems to stem from a defective understanding of grace and salvation (see #7).

5. No one is responsible for this action other than the person who does it. One of the toughest issues to deal with in the aftermath of a suicide is loved ones blaming themselves for not stopping it and questioning what they could have done differently. However, this is a decision the person made that he alone will answer to God for (Romans 14:12). Ezekiel 18:1-17 teaches us that we are personally responsible for our actions, cannot blame them on others, and can choose to go in a different direction.

6. The doctrine of justification means that we are permanently and completely declared to be righteous in Christ. The primary message of Romans is that sinners are justly justified by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. This is the grace of God, which is so mind-boggling that Paul had to emphatically declare that we are not to go on in sin because of grace (Romans 6:2) and that we are set free from sin (Romans 6:7). Positionally, God does not see our sin, but He sees us as righteous in Christ. Forgiveness can only happen after we sin. Justification means that we have been given the righteousness of Christ as a gift so that is always our standing before God and that the cross dealt with all of our sins past, present, and future. This is how a true Christian can still be saved even after taking her own life. It would not be any different if a godly man, in a rare moment, got really mad at his wife during an argument, stormed out of the house, got in his car and in his anger was driving crazy at a high rate of speed, and had a wreck killing himself and someone else. It is a sin but does not mean that he is not saved. If this doctrine is not true, any unconfessed sin at death would keep us out of heaven. While it is true that godly fruit flows out of the genuine believer, we are saved only by the perfection of what Jesus has done for us and not the perfection of our confession or performance.

7. The genuine believer is eternally secure in Christ. Verses that teach this include: John 5:24, 6:39-40, 10:28; Jude 24; Ephesians 4:30; Romans 8:16, Romans 8:29-30; Hebrews 7:25, 10:14.

8. We are not totally defined by our worst moment even if it is taking our own life. A tragic decision, while never justifiable, does not eradicate the good a person has done or the love they have shown. While we should not sugar coat this action, it is not the only criteria to use when thinking about a person. There are people in Hebrews 11 who are listed as examples of faith that did grievous, ungodly things. All of us are a complex conundrum of good and bad. However, Christians are ultimately defined by being “in Christ.” That is our identity.

9. While God forgives, we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-8), meaning that justification does not erase earthly consequences. However, in this case, those you love are the ones reaping what you have sown. If you stop and think about it, you do not want to do that to them. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I am sorry if you are in pain, but please reach out and get help in dealing with that pain instead of transferring it to your loved ones.

I want you to check out and listen to this song by Skillet “Last Night”.

This is the Last Night …

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Suicide, Anxiety and Mental Health Posts

This is a list of blog posts on Courageous Christian Father relating to suicide, anxiety and mental health since they all can relate.

First published August 15, 2014. Last updated or republished September 5, 2024.

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About the Author

Steve Patterson

A Christian Blogger that enjoys blogging about the Bible, Theology, God, Jesus Christ, Christian Music, Family, Cats, Odd Holidays, sewing and much more. I have been blogging since 2004, however, I have been blogging on Courageous Christian Father since 2012. I enjoy listening to Christian Music. I am married with 1 daughter, 2 step-sons and a step daughter.

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