I have a friend named Nathan who had it all. He had a successful career in the U.S. Army. He had a great wife and two daughters. He was strong, fast and very intelligent. The sky was the limit for Nathan. Then things started to deteriorate with his marriage. Pretty soon, Nathan and his wife were separated and he never got a chance to see his girls. That’s when his life started to spiral out of control. He was heartbroken over his failing marriage. So one night he went to his wife’s house, took the family gun and killed himself in front of his wife and two daughters. It still bothers me what Nathan did to his family.
What about a person who commits suicide?
When I talk to people about Jesus and eternal life often the question of suicide comes up. Many people want to know do you go to Hell automatically if you kill yourself? I think this is a very important question, because this question helps us understand human sin and God’s salvation. That’s why we talked about this at Calvary Baptist Church. Click here to hear or read the sermon: https://calvaryga.com/hell4/
At the basic level suicide asks the question, “Is there any sin for which Jesus cannot save?” At its essence this question assumes a couple of things. It assumes that you must continually ask God’s forgiveness for sins in order to go to heaven. Although some churches may teach that you need to constantly ask for forgiveness in order to get into Heaven, this is not what the Bible teaches.
The Bible teaches that our sin was forgiven once and for all by the death and resurrection of Jesus! 1 John 1:7 says that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. All sin- that means all the sin you committed in the past, all the sin that you’re still struggling with, and all the sin you ever will commit. There is no sin so terrible that Jesus’s blood cannot provide God’s forgiveness- that includes the sin of “self-murder” that we commonly call suicide.
At the same, time this question helps us understand about God’s salvation. When God sent his Son Jesus to pay for the sins of many, it was to secure their salvation once for all time. Isaiah 45:17 says that God’s salvation is for all eternity. That means that Jesus is the source of salvation. Since Jesus owns salvation and the keys to Heaven only Jesus could let someone go from his grace. This is something he says he would never do for the genuine believer (John 10:28-29). So Jesus’ forgiveness is big enough to pay the price even for the sin of suicide.
What about the people left after someone commits suicide?
This is my biggest anger with suicide. It’s the people who are left behind that have to suffer because of this one act. If we were honest, all suicide is motivated by pain. Sometimes that pain is overwhelming and people can’t see a solution to it. So suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems.
It’s a matter of taking your pain and placing it on your friends and family by killing yourself. They’re the ones left to pick up the pieces. They’re the ones that have to remember the shocking images of suicide for the rest of their life. They are the ones that have to wonder, “What did I do wrong?”
If you know somebody who’s really struggling right now, be man enough to look them in the eyes and ask them, “Are you considering suicide?” Even the guy who looks like he’s got it all might need your help right now. Look at Robin Williams. So, get involved. Ask the hard questions. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Does suicide automatically send you to hell? No! But it does take your pain and put it on the people around you.
