Did Jesus commit suicide?

[TrustAndObey]

Someone made the comment that Jesus committed suicide (on here not too long ago), and it has bothered me ever since.

So I have a question....

If someone broke into my home and was about to shoot one of my children, and I jumped in front of the gun just as it went off--knowing that such an action would end my life--would that be committing suicide?

Is giving up our own life by the hands of someone else in order to spare another person's life, suicide?

 

[woobadooba]

Someone made the comment that Jesus committed suicide (on here not too long ago), and it has bothered me ever since.

So I have a question....

If someone broke into my home and was about to shoot one of my children, and I jumped in front of the gun just as it went off--knowing that such an action would end my life--would that be committing suicide?

Is giving up our own life by the hands of someone else in order to spare another person's life, suicide?

The argument can be easily settled by identifying the nature of suicide.

People don't commit suicide because they are attemtping to save someone else, but because they are giving up on life. Jesus didn't die because He gave up on life, but because He sought to give us life through His blood.

Moreover, people that commit suicide do so by their own hand. Jesus was crucified. He didn't crucify Himself. Just because He allowed the people to do this to Him, that doesn't mean He did it to Himself.

 

[TrustAndObey]

I agree.

The statement really disturbed me, but I am interested to know if this is a "Progressive" viewpoint.

Is this something the Progressive Adventists believe and teach or was this person speaking alone?

 

[SpeakNow]

Someone actually said that?

 

[NightEternal]

Christ's mission was a suicide mission and He knew that. He went into the whole thing with the full knowledge He was going to be murdered. It was pre-ordained from the foundations of the world that He was to die for sin according to the plan of salvation. If I allow a car to hit me without taking measures to avoid such a scenario (such as jumping out of the way), that is a suicidal gesture. Christ allowed what happened to Him without taking any measures to prevent it. Indeed, He always looked toward Golgotha as the foregone conclusion it was.

Of course, there are positive, good suicidal gestures. Samson is one such example. Sacrificing oneself for the good of others or for the good of the cause of God, or to vindicate God's name. No greater love than this: That one lays down thier life for a friend. Such a gesture is neither selfish nor borne out of a sense of hopelessness or depression.

 

[IntoTheCrimsonSky]

Someone made the comment that Jesus committed suicide (on here not too long ago), and it has bothered me ever since.

So I have a question....

If someone broke into my home and was about to shoot one of my children, and I jumped in front of the gun just as it went off--knowing that such an action would end my life--would that be committing suicide?

Is giving up our own life by the hands of someone else in order to spare another person's life, suicide?

I don't think it's suicide, in the negative scense that it is being taken. He willingly died for our sins, right? That is technically a version of suicide, but it is not the wrong kind. He had every ability to tell the angels to come and rescue Him at any time, but chose not to for the cause.

Granted, this is also what other people do for their cause. But the difference in this case was that no one was hurt in the process, besides Him. But that's off topic a bit.

As for your analogy of saving your kid's life, I can't help but think.."Yeah..but then the killer could just shoot them after..and you'd be gone so you couldn't help anymore". *lol* I'm too logical sometimes. It is a good way to stop one's self from suicide, though. Always feeling selfesh about it because you'd be taking away the help you could give to others...

Which is what Jesus did, isn't it? He chose the way that helped the most people. Sadly, it required dying.

The argument can be easily settled by identifying the nature of suicide.

People don't commit suicide because they are attemtping to save someone else, but because they are giving up on life. Jesus didn't die because He gave up on life, but because He sought to give us life through His blood.

Moreover, people that commit suicide do so by their own hand. Jesus was crucified. He didn't crucify Himself. Just because He allowed the people to do this to Him, that doesn't mean He did it to Himself.

I agree.

I agree.

The statement really disturbed me, but I am interested to know if this is a "Progressive" viewpoint.

Is this something the Progressive Adventists believe and teach or was this person speaking alone?

I've heard of this before, I think. I don't know if it's "progressive" or not, but I think it might be more individual regardless of your beliefs. It's just a way of thinking of it, I guess. Maybe not the best.

Christ's mission was a suicide mission and He knew that. He went into the whole thing with the full knowledge He was going to be murdered. It was pre-ordained from the foundations of the world that He was to die for sin according to the plan of salvation. If I allow a car to hit me without taking measures to avoid such a scenario (such as jumping out of the way), that is a suicidal gesture. Christ allowed what happened to Him without taking any measures to prevent it. Indeed, He always looked toward Golgotha as the foregone conclusion it was.

Of course, there are positive, good suicidal gestures. Samson is one such example. Sacrificing oneself for the good of others or for the good of the cause of God, or to vindicate God's name. No greater love than this: That one lays down thier life for a friend. Such a gesture is neither selfish nor borne out of a sense of hopelessness or depression.

Exactly. When the good outways the bad for how it will effect others, is when suicide might actually be justifiable.

 

[RileyLovesJesus]

If u jumped in front of a gun to save your children, it would give them time to run.

I do not think that is suicide.

 

[woobadooba]

Night,

you are not thinking this through properly.

Again, the nature of suicide is that one takes his life because he doesn't want to live anymore.

What Jesus did does not constitute an act of suicide, since He didn't die because He didn't want to live anymore, but because through His death God's people would live forever.

Suicide is self-centered. What Jesus did was not self-centered.

 

[NightEternal]

Suicide is self-centered. What Jesus did was not self-centered.

I thought I had said that.

Maybe I wasn't communicating clearly enough. Is suicide considered such because of the motivations behind the act or because of the act itself?

 

[woobadooba]

Is suicide considered such because of the motivations behind the act or because of the act itself?

Both

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

–noun 1.the intentional taking of one's own life. 2.destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide. 3.a person who intentionally takes his or her own life. –verb (used without object) 4.to commit suicide. –verb (used with object) 5.to kill (oneself).
[Origin: 1645&#8211;55; < NL su&#299;c&#299;dium, -c&#299;da, equiv. to L su&#299; of oneself, gen. sing. of reflexive pron. + -c&#299;dium, -c&#299;da -cide

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

It cannot be suicide by definition. Night's reference to a suicide mission would not be correct either

suicide mission
nounkilling or injuring others while annihilating yourself; usually accomplished with a bomb
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

perhaps suicidal mission which may carry the connotation of dangerous.

 

[IntoTheCrimsonSky]

–noun 1.the intentional taking of one's own life. 2.destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide. 3.a person who intentionally takes his or her own life. –verb (used without object) 4.to commit suicide. –verb (used with object) 5.to kill (oneself).
[Origin: 1645–55; < NL su&#299;c&#299;dium, -c&#299;da, equiv. to L su&#299; of oneself, gen. sing. of reflexive pron. + -c&#299;dium, -c&#299;da -cide

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

It cannot be suicide by definition. Night's reference to a suicide mission would not be correct either

Of course it can fit suicide. "A person who intentionally takes his or her own life" fits it well enough. Did not the Son know before He even agreed to do all of this that He would die that way? Of course he did. Not stopping it, and willingly allowing it to happen is a form of suicide.

 

[RC_NewProtestants]

Of course it can fit suicide. "A person who intentionally takes his or her own life" fits it well enough. Did not the Son know before He even agreed to do all of this that He would die that way? Of course he did. Not stopping it, and willingly allowing it to happen is a form of suicide.

No for the very simple reason that He did not take His own life. Otherwise we would have to say that all of our soldiers who die in war have committed suicide since they allow themselves to be in the line of fire. We would have to say of all those early Christian martyrs who could have denounced Jesus or said that the Emperor was a god and not been thrown to the lions that they committed suicide. Because an action they took could have prevented the violent action of those with the power and will to murder.

But if you want to see the Biblical proof that it was not suicide here is what Peter said:

(Acts 3:13 NIV) The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.(Acts 3:14 NIV) You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
(Acts 3:15 NIV) You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

 

[honorthesabbath]

Well--I think you all have missed the point. Jesus did not kill Himself--the Romans did that.

He submitted to it, 'as a Lamb to the slaughter'. Now ask yourself, when an animal is being slaughtered --is that suicide?

Suicide by definition is 'the taking of ones own life'. Jesus didn't do that. He lefted not one finger to harm His own flesh.

He 'sacrificed' His own life-----thats a far cry from suicide.

 

[moicherie]

I agree.

The statement really disturbed me, but I am interested to know if this is a "Progressive" viewpoint.

Is this something the Progressive Adventists believe and teach or was this person speaking alone?

We do not have Progressive ambassadors here just as all Americans do not think alike all Progressives do not think alike. I'm sure all Traditionals are not clones of each other.

 

[TrustAndObey]

It's refreshing to see that it's not a general belief held by Progressive Adventists.

I totally agree with those that have said that He SACRIFICED His life for others, He didn't die by His own hand....i.e. NOT suicide.

 

[StormyOne]

It's refreshing to see that it's not a general belief held by Progressive Adventists.

I totally agree with those that have said that He SACRIFICED His life for others, He didn't die by His own hand....i.e. NOT suicide.

of course not all those who are progressive adventists believe the same thing....