Is Suicide a sin?

[Benjamin]

If the earth opened up and swallowed you up I would be a little concerned about that one!

:laugh: Thought that was funny Brother Bob! Yeah, I'd be wondering what was going on with that one! :laugh:

 

[mcdirector]

Alright Benjamin and Bro. Bob! Stranger things have happened you know!

 

[mcdirector]

Well, to say the least, this thread and the one on antidepressants has weighed on me heavily.

I think it's easier to say lots of things about life's trials and harder to live through them. I think it's easier to read into the Bible what you want it to say than to really read and ponder it. I think it's easier to be judgmental when people are suffering and in the depths of despair than help and love. I'm not talking about people who are flagrantly living in sin -- I'm talking about our brothers and sisters who are struggling, who are earnestly seeking what God would have them do, who are desperately seeking healing and deliverance from deep, dark hurts and pain that some of us will never know or understand.

 

[Marcia]

Marcia,

The Holy Spirit keeps us from willful sin, or tries to with many. Those whom belong to God, when there is a temptation, there is also the Holy Spirit there to tell us that we had better not do it.

I choose to listen to the Holy Spirit.

What do you do with the verse in 1 John that says, 'Whosoever committeth sin is of the devil...'?

I reckon until we truly repent, and stop sinning altogether, not one single one of us is truly saved.

You might say, 'Oh, but wait, the Bible teaches us that we are sealed, from the moment we believe.' Yes, it does say that. But we must also remember belief (faith) is an action word. I can say all day long that I believe in Christ, but unless I repent of my sin and turn to Him, those words were just empty words; vanity.

James wrote that 'faith, without works, is dead.'

We cannot just say, 'I believe in Christ and expect to continue living in the same sinful lifestyle were say we were saved out of. Nor should we have an attitude that if I am committing a sin that God says those who do such shall not inherit the kingdom, that we will somehow bypass His Holy Word. Trusting in Christ is the only thing that will get a person in heaven. And to commit suicide would negate the fact that no murderer will enter heaven.

First of all, you keep making a distinction between willful sin and sin that I do not see in the NT. I think every sin is willful. How can you sin and be accountable for it if it is not willful?

I totally believe that Christians are convicted of sin and have the desire to confess it and repent if their conscience is not seared. However, this has nothing to do with the issue at hand, which is suicide. You are not giving evidence of your view; you are merely saying a Christian would not commit suicide, which is a sin like any other sin (more extreme but still a sin).

So are you saying that a Christian cannot die while sinning? Or are you saying that we are not forgiven if we die while sinning? Obviously, a Christian cannot repent of suicide, so to be consistent, you must believe that a Christian cannot be sinning at the moment of death because there is no time to repent. There is no biblical basis for this view.

 

[standingfirminChrist]

Bitsy,

I know Brothers and Sisters will go through trials. But think about it. The Bible is a lie if the Christian is allowed to commit suicide and enter heaven.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us God will not allow so big a trial on us that we are unable to bear. Now, if the trial is so unbearable that one has to commit suicide, then God's Word has lied. For He promised a way of escape that we may be able to bear it.

Psalm 34:19 would also be a lie as I stated earlier, as it tells us the Lord delivers us out of those afflictions.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Would that not be a lie also?

Anyone who has read my testimony should realize I have been through more than many will ever go through, and still battle with physical ailments. Yet, I place my trust in Christ and He keeps me as He has promised in His Word.

 

[mcdirector]

Ron, I'm not saying that anything in the Bible is a lie. I believe all it says. But I do think that my brothers and sisters are at different places in their walks, that some are so beat down and are weaker than they might be at any other time. I'm saying that sometimes faith is lost in that moment of defeat.

I'm thinking about Elijah here -- after he did what God told him too and God used him to defeat the prophets of Baal -- the poor man got scared because Jezebel threatened him. David killed to get a woman. Peter rejected Christ. How many places do we see where the righteous fell or failed?

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

 

[standingfirminChrist]

We must remember though, Sister...

Elijah, and others who thought about suicide did not actually commit suicide. The Lord must have cheered their hearts somewhat.

I was just reminded of a great verse in another thread. Matthew 7:20 tells us that 'we shall know them by their fruit.'

Is suicide a fruit of God? or of satan? Jesus said every tree that bringeth forth bad fruit is to be hewn down and cast into the fire.

 

[menageriekeeper]

Standing Firm, either a person is saved or he is not. It is not up to us to determine the condition of anyone's heart but our own. To emphatically say that there is no way a Christian could be sinning at the point of death or they really weren't saved to begin with is ridiculous! Paul says we are to strive for perfection. He didn't say we would become that way over night!

This, you better not be wilfully sinning when you die business, is a throwback to Oneness Pentacostals who believe you'd better be "prayed up" before you die or your headed to hell for any unconfessed sins you may be harboring(even those you may not realize you have committed)!

This is the kind of thinking that keeps people from having the assurance of their salvation. My next question to you SF, is do you have an assurance of your own salvation, or do you believe God is going to snatch the rug of salvation out from under your feet if you die while telling your wife a fib meant to spare her feelings? (after all, liars won't see heaven either)

 

[standingfirminChrist]

mk,

Jesus said a good tree will not bear bad fruit.

Is the fruit of suicide from God? or is it from satan?

 

[Terry_Herrington]

After reading all this about SFIC's understanding concerning salvation, I think the best way to lead someone to Christ is to take them up on a tall building. Then explain to them that they must repent of their sins and then live a perfect life and, above all, do not sin after they come to Christ.

Therefore, the best thing for them to do is to jump off the building, then ask God to save them on the way down. That way they actually committed suicide before they came to Christ, and they will die before they have a chance of committing a sin and going to hell.

 

[lgpruitt]

This topic has weighed on me heavily too believe it or not. I agree with McDirector that we are all in different walks of our life. Christians are not guaranteed an easy life. We are tested. Christ was tested. He is perfect....we are not. I would not dare judge someone's salvation. I know how I feel....what I've seen...and what I believe to be true. My God is a God of 2nd chances....and 3rd chances.....
Do I sin knowingly? I try my best not to but I won't sit here and lie. God has directed me away from sins of my past that had me in bondage. (and some good therapy to boot)
But, my sisters and brothers that have passed before me in death.....somehow.....I will not judge. God said 'judge, lest be judged'....

It is HIS job to judge and HIS alone. I can tell you what I feel and believe. Everyone has an opinion.

:sleeping_2:

 

[standingfirminChrist]

Depends on the judging. The Lord Jesus Himself said in John 7:24 that we are to 'judge righteous judgment.' He also said we would know the tree by the fruit it bears. We certainly can judge if we judge according to God's Word. If something is not lining up with God's Word, we have every right to judge it.

Paul told the church how to judge concerning the man sleeping with his step-mother.

Yes, we can judge, just not hypocritical. In other words, we must make sure we are not guilty of the same thing we are judging another for.

 

[lgpruitt]

Need I say more?

good night....and good luck! :sleeping_2:

N​

 

[standingfirminChrist]

Sleep well. May God lift whatever it is that is troubling your mind.

 

[lgpruitt]

Again....you're judging. Not your place to judge what's on or not on my mind.
I was able to tuck in my 2 great kids....12 and 14 tonight...and see my husband off to work at 2:30 a.m. I'm a happy woman. God has blessed me in so many ways.

raise: :Fish:

 

[Scott J]

Having said that, if one commits suicide, that one cannot have been 'in Christ.' If that one was in Christ, that one would have a peace that passes all understanding even in the darkest storms of life.

The pastor who led my wife to the Lord committed suicide.

He developed an aneurism in his brain, lost his mind, and killed himself. What do you say of this man?

Moreover, I don't know what sins you commit but let's say you have a gluttonous appetite for a particular food and one day you end up having a heart attack or some other fatal malady because of that gluttony. Would that mean you were never in Christ?

Many sins have physical effects that could be fatal. Even a lie could be fatal as a cause for some mistake, ie. denying symptoms to your wife to avoid being pressured to go to the doctor... then falling unconscious without her being able to give medical people necessary lifesaving info.

So my basic question is, do you have no sin that could cause your death... even if you have to think abstractly to come up with a way? I suspect that you might.... and that would make you contention about suicide being impossible for a real Christian untenable.

 

[Phillip]

I reckon until we truly repent, and stop sinning altogether, not one single one of us is truly saved.

................................

James wrote that 'faith, without works, is dead.'

I think these two sentences wrap up SFIC's beliefs. It is either C or C or Catholic, but it is a "works" salvation--never mind "grace".

 

[saturneptune]

The answer to the question is yes, a Christian can commit suicide. Like I said before, I you are obcessed with no sin at death, become a Roman Catholic.

 

[Phillip]

After reading all this about SFIC's understanding concerning salvation, I think the best way to lead someone to Christ is to take them up on a tall building. Then explain to them that they must repent of their sins and then live a perfect life and, above all, do not sin after they come to Christ.

Therefore, the best thing for them to do is to jump off the building, then ask God to save them on the way down. That way they actually committed suicide before they came to Christ, and they will die before they have a chance of committing a sin and going to hell.

Boy, I hope they don't think a bad thought right after they get saved--I think the height of the building is VERY critical so there is enough time to get saved, but not enough time to think a bad thought thereafter. Being an engineer, I ought to be able to figure out a formulae that would work in "most" cases, but without a thorough study of everybody's thought processes, this will not be easy.

First, we need to figure out how many floors it will take to get saved after the grevious sin of jumping. At 32 feet per second per second squared acceleration of gravity that will take several floors. I'm sure using SFIC's theory, the repentence process from such a grevious act as "jumping" will take some heavy duty begging and we need to figure out how long that variable is.

When they are through repenting, they will need to smack the concrete instantly--we can't spare even one second to "think" or we might loose them.

Maybe as part of the process we should tape their eyes shut (if its a guy jumping) lest they should see a pretty girl standing across the street watching and have a tempting thought?:thumbs: :laugh: :wavey:

 

[menageriekeeper]

You know, Phillip, that's reeeaaallly not funny.

Standing Firm, the root of this conversation seems to lie in ones assurance of salvation. This is a question you have yet to answer directly and since it is off topic, I'm going to start a new thread on the subject.