Why should a christian NOT commit suicide?

[Jonathan Mathews]

A "Christian" is a person in whom dwells the eternal Spirit of God. So what does God say about His temple? Read the Word of God from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."

Anyone who belongs to God and is being tempted with suicide (which is from Satan) needs to meditate on this verse. God tells Christians two truths
1) Your body is the Holy Temple of God (Love and Grace)
2) You destroy God's temple, God will destroy you (Fear of the Lord)

If the person contemplating suicide is NOT Born of God (not a Christian, possessing the Holy Spirit of God), that person is ALREADY DAMNED under condemnation of God UNLESS they receive the Holy Spirit of God thru faith in Jesus Christ.

 

[timewerx]

To live ones life in Love actually increases the desire for Life

Just to be clear, that means loving others in the Truth.

Because Jesus actually warned against loving your life:

John 12:25
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
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.
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[jerry kelso]

Just to be clear, that means loving others in the Truth.

Because Jesus actually warned against loving your life:

John 12:25
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
.
.
.

timewerx,

I agree with you and that is why I think God may make an exception in cases of real chemical imbalances that one cannot make a rational decision on their own.
You would have to read the context of what I posted.
I definitely would not say this would be the same in every single case.
I also believe that we have to leave it in God's hands for he alone would know for sure.
It does make one wonder when it hits close to home and not to judge to quick, but this would only be in extreme cases that really fit the bill.
I am a realist and believe in the truth of the word and don't believe in preaching people into Heaven but I suppose one day we'll know. Feel free to comment. Jerry kelso

 

[khristosanesti]

God forgives sin through the Holy Mystery of Confession, you can't confess your sins and ask for absolution if you're already dead so therefore suicide will land you in hell.


Please don't do it, there is help available. Someone cares about you.

 

[thesunisout]

If a christian kills himself, he still goes to heaven, right? If God truly forgave him and accepted him in his kingdom, he won't change his mind later. Even if a sin like self-murder is commited.

So, other than perhaps not being a usable tool in God's earthly projects (such as bringing others to christ), and perhaps bearing a bad testimony to those left behind, why shouldn't a child of God prematurely die (that is, not by a "natural" cause, but by a willful choice)? I understand the motives may be selfish, but still.

If we will die anyways, and if we'll go to heaven anyways, then what's wrong with hastening it? Selfishly speaking, it only seems advantageous. Are there only altruistic reasons for not doing it?

Thoughts?

We're not supposed to commit suicide because it is a sin to kill anyone, including yourself. Our life belongs to God and robbing God of the glory He wants to get through our lives so we can get to Heaven faster is a grievous sin in my opinion. The desire itself reveals a problem in the persons relationship with Christ, or perhaps that they don't know Christ. That is a scary place to be heading into eternity.

 

[makeajoyfulnoise100]

Take it from someone who has attempted suicide and wrestled with their sin nature. In that moment before near death, I asked myself what was the point of living? I have what's called synesthesia (Synesthesia - Wikipedia), and when I was with my best friend we'd see a person's "aura." To me, it'd make sense that Bob (hypothetical person) was emitting green or yellow energies based on his mood and since, to me, the name Bob has color. B is yellow and O is light blue. When combined you have light green and still yellow. Bob is happy. Yet my friend would still have a different experience based on what color associations she saw. Whatever.

And I've always had this. When I was kid I told my parents I lived in the "Square World" (which the outline of a square is red to me) and it was basically not wanting to except that the Earth was round. Haha.

There were other reasons too around wanting to take my own life, but before I was dead God reminded me of Jackson Wang (Cantonese Kpop star who has claimed Christianity) and reminded me of the goodness Jackson was towards women. It was that God told me he existed and that He was the Divine Creator of the Universe and that He was breath and He was life. And where would my soul go if I had died in that moment?

I didn't know. Hell is endless torture. Endless. Infinite. Forever. Beyond our understanding. The first commandment says not to kill. Murder and war is forgivable because the individual who murders and kills still has life. But asking for forgiveness and repentance shows God that you care about your life and that He cares and loves you. Loving yourself enough not to kill yourself shows that you have value. Having value to the Author of the Universe is amazing. It means God still wants to write your story.

 

[dayofgrace]

There are lots of reasons why people commit suicide, some can be sinful reasons (Like escaping a jail term) or non sinful reasons (Like suffering from depression)

Our father in heaven knows each heart and why they killed themselves, so he will judge them on that.

 

[Anguspure]

Just to be clear, that means loving others in the Truth.

Because Jesus actually warned against loving your life:

John 12:25
Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
.
.
.

Yes, Agape Love, the Love of God, as opposed to love as in the love we have for sex or chocolate...or the other things of this world.
If we are called to die to anything it is to these things so that we can truly live in Agape according to the will of our Lord.

 

[longwait]

According to you God also has the right to roast people alive forever. Is there anything at all that he doesn't have a right to do in your opinion?

He is God almighty. He can do what He wants. But then His throne is based on righteousness and justice. So He will act righteously towards everyone and with justice to all.

 

[Strong in Him]

Yes, Christians can commit suicide but that does not mean that they would be saved if they were to do so.

For the Bible clearly condemns suicide.

1 John 3:15 says no murderer has eternal life abiding in them. A person who takes their own life is a self murderer.

Yes, but a self murderer who may believe that the world is better off without them, that their pain is too great to bear or cannot believe that God really loves them and things will ever get better. If someone has endogenous depression - an illness caused by a chemical imbalance - they may genuinely believe that removing themselves from the world would be doing someone else a service.
Then again, someone might only mean to cry out for help, but accidentally overdose. I've known someone who did that; they didn't intend dying, they just got comfort/security/attention from being in hospital.

Being mentally ill doesn't stop someone from accepting Jesus as their Saviour. It was prophesied that Jesus would not break a bruised reed; surely he would show compassion for the mentally ill?

 

[teresa]

Well, I implicitly meant that in light of life's challenges, sometimes very tough, why not give up? You offered an interesting reason though.

Please don't give up.

Are you, a Christian, thinking of giving up?

Are your burdens so heavy my friend?

Please read through all of these beautiful scripture verses that people have posted above.

Study them, say them out loud, pray them daily, study the word of the living god, who gives living water to fill up your aching body and spirit.

Study the New Testament. The teachings there will give you the information that you seek.

The wisdom of mankind is folly to the wisdom of God.

Invest your time and energy in seeking the answers, the truth and the life you should live in the Scriptures only.

Who is guiding you to think that checking out is reasonable?

What are you reading?

Holy, precious scripture, the words of life, or something else?

Put away the teachings of false teachers who know not Jesus the Messiah and try and rationalize as to why they have the answers and not the God of the bible.

Mankind does not have the answers you seek.

Start with the book of John to learn about the good news of Jesus.

Then read the book of Job.

What did Job do to respond to all of his losses?

 

[Strong in Him]

A "Christian" cannot commit suicide, would never want to, because it would be catering to despair.

I've known a number of Christians who suffered serious depression and felt themselves to be in great despair.
If, during one of these times, they had taken an overdose to try to escape their pain, would God have condemned them to hell? If someone is in a deep depression, they may not believe God loves and is with them anyway, and won't be able to feel his presence. That is hell; never mind after death, they are experiencing that already.

 

[teresa]

Try listening to these verses of the bible when you feel overwhelmed:

 

[teresa]

One of my favorite verses regarding any questioning regarding pain and suffering:

Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future

What does having hope and a future look like to you?

What does it look like to you to have God prosper you?

 

[ken777]

A person very close to me committed suicide and now many years later I still feel the pain of the loss. So often people don't realize how important they are to others because we do not tell them. Be sure to tell the people in your life how much you appreciate them. This is more than just telling them you love them. We need to tell them how they are important to us.

 

[teresa]

Be sure to tell the people in your life how much you appreciate them. This is more than just telling them you love them. We need to tell them how they are important to us.

Thank you, so much for sharing this.

Reach out to others. How many of us tell people on a daily basis that we love them or care about them or just ask them how they are doing?

 

[stanria]

Committing suicide is hard. We are designed to want to live. In a logical sense, it's seems like it's possible for a Christian to be like "ok, I'm done!" but in reality, it's actually very very difficult to get to a place where we want to commit suicide because God made us with a survival instinct. In a Christian, the holy spirit is there, guiding us.

People who commit suicide (Christians or otherwise) are people who are desperate. Their life is so tough, and they are in so much pain (physical, emotional or mental) that cannot take it any more and see no way out apart from suicide.

In addition to death being hard, it is also very final. Suicide is taking a decision that's God's (when I die) and taking it into my own hands. If God were done with me, if he no longer had a use for me, then I would die. But I'm here, because he's not done with me yet. God has plans for all of us, and we die when his plan is done.

So that's why Christians don't commit suicide usually. It takes a lot of difficulty to get a person to that place (see Job) and it's too final to take lightly.

 

[teresa]

It takes a lot of trouble to get a person to that place (see Job) and it's too final to take lightly.

Thank you, good insight stanria.

What does the book of Job tell us about how we should handle suffering?

 

[stanria]

Thank you, good insight stanria.

What does the book of Job tell us about how we should handle suffering?

I'm only on Ch 4 on my bible reading, so I don't know yet! I'll google and see

 

[teresa]

I'm only on Ch 4 on my bible reading, so I don't know yet! I'll google and see

do you mean chapter 4 of Job?