Mark 3:28: [Jesus said]
"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin."
Any and all sins can be forgiven except for blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, which in essence is hating and yelling at God. It's unforgivable because if somebody truly, deeply hates the Lord, then he won't be able to see how wrong he is anyway.
I think the whole thing about not being able to repent for suicide because you're already dead is picky and makes the Lord sound like a snippy school principal, while He is kind and forgiving and loves each and every human on the planet. I don't think anybody REALLY repents for everything they do -- for instance, stealing a stick of your friends Double Bubble. It's stealing, it's a sin, but do you go to Confession or just feel bad about it?
I hope that helped a little.
I'll be praying for your sister!
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Don't you realize that all of you together are the
temple of God and that the Spirit of God
lives in you?
God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God's temple is holy, and
you Christians are that temple.
this scripture is pretty clear here. if we destroy God's temple (which is our body), then God will destroy us. if you study the Old Testament and look and see how carefully the tabernacle was cared for and set up it helps to understand how God now views us as His living tabernacles.
I don't think anybody REALLY repents for everything they do -- for instance, stealing a stick of your friends Double Bubble. It's stealing, it's a sin, but do you go to Confession or just feel bad about it?
1 John 1:9
But if we
confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.
the reason you think this way is because you don't have a correct understanding of repentance. the Bible says a confession is to be made. that is what this scripture says. we confess to God that we have sinned, and we ask for forgiveness.
repentance is not simply "feeling bad" for your sins. repentance is a way of life. it is a lifestyle. repentance means to turn from sin and turn toward God. that's much deeper than just simply feeling bad about your sin. you can feel bad about a thing, but if your mind is never renewed or changed (which is what true repentance is), then you'll go right back to doing it again. that means you never truly repented in the first place. because true repentance causes your mind to be changed in that area. and that renewal of your mind is what causes you to turn from that sin and turn toward God. so repentance is the only way to stop sin. that's why it is necessary for forgiveness and salvation.
notice how Jesus instructed a lot of peoplet to "go and sin no more." in other words, He was telling them to repent. it's not the same as feeling sorry for doing something. i'm sure the woman caught in adultery felt extremely bad about it (especially since she had been caught), but Jesus never told her to "go and feel bad about what you did", He told her "go and sin no more". He told her not to go and do what she did anymore. He told her to repent. you can feel sorry about stealing something, but that feeling does not cause your mind to be changed about stealing, and because your mind has not been changed then you turn around and steal something again. Romans 12:2 says "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (or changed) by the renewing (changing) of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." So as our mind is changed, then we are changed. As our soul prospers, we prosper (3 John 2).
it says if we confess our sins to Him, He will forgive us for those sins and cleanse us from them. repentance must precede forgiveness. the Bible says that God cleanses us of sin once we confess it and truly repent of it. so for you to say that no one truly repents is not Biblical. if no one truly repents then no one is truly saved. true repentance is necessary for salvation.
Acts 3:19
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
now in the area of suicide, the Bible is clear. this is sin. we are the temple of God. if we destroy God's temple (which is us), then God will destroy us. how can you confess to God that you have committed suicide if you're no longer alive? the dead don't talk! and there is no need for confession at the Judgment, because there's no more mercy for you then.
the reason we view sin this way is because we do not understand how serious sin is in the eyes of God. God is holy. and His holiness causes Him to be just, meaning He must punish sin. sin is so serious in the eyesight of God that He even holds us accountable for unconfessed sin or sin that we are not aware of. this is why David prayed this prayer unto God in Psalm 19:12:
Psalm 19:12
Who can discern his lapses and errors?
Clear me from hidden [and unconcious] faults.
this is so important,
because sin committed is sin committed, whether we are aware of it or not. David understood this. that is why he made this prayer unto God to forgive him for sins he committed that he was unaware of. so he recognized how serious sin is and how offensive it is to the holy God that we serve.
Leviticus 5:17
If anyone sins and does any of the things the Lord has forbidden,
though he was not aware of it, yet
he is guilty and
shall bear his iniquity.
so this lets us know that it does not matter whether or not we are aware of the sin that we commit... we are still guilty of that sin. that's why it's so important that like David, we ask God to clear us of sin that we have committed unconciously. so if God holds us to such an accountability now, why do you think He would hold us to a lesser accountability because we've died (or committed suicide)? His standards remain. He's the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. so even though we are not aware of our trespasses we are still punished for our trespasses. we were born in sin and shaped by iniquity, but now that we have received the knowledge of Truth (of God's Word), then the Bible says that to whom much is given, much is also required (Luke 12:48).
the Bible teaches that when we continue in sin willfully knowing that what we are doing is wrong in the eyesight of God, then we cause God's name to be blasphemed. look at this scripture in Romans:
Romans 2:21-24
Well then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you do it? You condemn idolatry, but do you steal from pagan temples? You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.
No wonder the Scriptures say, "The world blasphemes the name of God because of you."
please study these scriptures to help you understand the seriousness of sin and the importance and necessity of repentance:
Leviticus 5:5,17
Numbers 15:27-31
1 John 1:9
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Romans 2:21-24
Luke 13:1-9
Acts 2:38
Acts 17:30-31
2 Peter 3:9
Revelation 3:19
Acts 3:19-20
John the Baptist was a man sent from God to prepare the way of the Lord. and in order for that way to be prepared, repentance was necessary. it is still the same in our lives today. in order for the way of the Lord to be prepared in us (for God to show through us and in our lives), then true repentance is necessary. now God would never require anything of us that His grace does not enabe us to attain. so, yes, true repentance is possible by the grace of God and is necessary in our lives.
Yes Jesus did say that we can be forgiven for all our sins, but that is not all that He said. check out what He said in Luke 13:3. He says, "...unless you repent you will all likewise perish." so it is important to note ALL that the Bible teaches so that we get the most accurate view of these things.
when trying to understand the seriousness of sin, think about it this way: sin is so serious in the eyesight of God that He sent His only Son to die because of it. He broke up His family in heaven, to do something about the sin down here on earth. that's how much it catches His attention. that's how serious it is to Him.
I think the whole thing about not being able to repent for suicide because you're already dead is picky and makes the Lord sound like a snippy school principal, while He is kind and forgiving and loves each and every human on the planet.
God is kind and forgiving and loving, but we must also remember that that is only
PART of His nature. while He is all of those things, at the same time God is holy and just and He has a wrath side too. The Bible calls the Lord a Man of War (Exodus 15:3). He must punish sin, because it is His nature to do so. just like it is His nature to love us. while He loves every human on the planet, every human on the planet is not His child. we are all a creation of God, but not all of us are a child of God. in order to be His child you must be born again into His family. it is by the Spirit of adoption that we cry out "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15). it is very important that we consider His whole side, especially when it comes to sin.
also, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit means to speak against the Holy Spirit, the movement of the Holy Spirit in the church, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. it's much more than just hating God or yelling at God. it's when you deny the operation of spiritual gifts for today. it's when you deny the existence of the Holy Spirit. it's when you give Satan the credit for the work of the Holy Spirit. and when you do that you cause the Holy Spirit to be extremely grieved. it's sort of like how you feel when someone has stolen your homework and put their name on it in school, or when someone takes the credit for your idea on the job. it causes you to be grieved in spirit. that is how the Holy Spirit feels when He is blasphemed. blaspheming Him basically means speaking and being against anything that is connected to the Holy Spirit. like when you hear someone saying that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for today's church. that is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, because the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a move of the Holy Spirit and to deny His movement is to grieve Him and blaspheme Him. we blaspheme Him when we make such comments and cause Him to be grieved, which the Bible encourages us not to do. what i observed and found funny about this is that most churches that do this don't believe that this sin is unforgiveable... i just thought that was ironic
but, i pray that this helps to clear up some misunderstandings. i know that this thread was about suicide but i felt a need to explain repentance, because it is such an important part of our faith. without it there is no faith. so we need to have a clear understanding of what it means. we cannot truly walk with God unless we walk in true repentance, and in order to do that we must understand what true repentance is and is not. it is not simply feeling bad for your sins with no change of heart. it is much more than that.
God bless each of you.
