Why suicide might be the one unforgiveable sin.

It's just a theory but I was talking to a few people the other day who are all believers about sin and repentance, and how even a crazy killer on death row can realize what he's done and seek true forgiveness right there in the electric chair - and will probably get it. Buuuuut, those who take their own lives are guilty of murdering themselves and according to alot of biblical beliefs and teachings, you must seriously repent and clean your slate and beg for forgiveness for all sins.........while still alive. But during a suicide the murder of yourself and the life God has given you occurs after death which leaves that person no chance to repent, because the actual sin committed will result in that person being dead and therefore unable to clean their slate for that sin while still alive.

Again only a theory and not the gospel.

 

you forgot one important thing. With God all things are possible. One has to be insane to commit suicide. What about Masada? Do you think they all went to Hell? I don't.

 

That is the generally accepted notion, i.e., suicide is an act of insanity--irrational, permanent solution to a temporary problem, etc. I have dealt with many suicidal people in my career. Within the last few weeks, I spoke to all the counselors from our school district about this, and, of course, I would never tell any of them publicly or even privately that I am not sure it is always an irrational act. Whether or not it is always a sin is a different question. I can't see how one could hold traditional Christian beliefs and not see it as a sin. Being the only unpardonable sin and why is yet another topic for discussion and an interesting one, but not one I choose to enter. I won't even expound on why I think it isn't always irrational unless someone really wanted to know.

 

I am not talking about someone not in their right minds but people who just decide to give up and throw in the towell, or who might be trying to punish everyone else by taking their own lives. My own personal feelings are that person is going to have a very hard time answering for that sin - and may not be able to.

 

Romans 6:23..."For the wage paid by sin is death."
Death wipes out sin, you are dead and you paid your debt. And too, God can read hearts and minds to know the reason for such an act. It isn't natural to want to die, therefore a person is not well at all when that decision is made, for whatever the reason may be for doing that. God knows what the person really is like in their hearts beyond the pain and mental anguish that led them to chose death to stop the pain. Just my thoughts and like Jim I have no wish to debate or convince anyone why I believe like I do. God is much bigger than man's thoughts on the subject could ever be.

 

That's an interesting thought about it Burd; and my own personal take is that life is a gift from God, and what you do with that life is the gift that you are going to give him in return. And if someone takes there own life and plays God that might not be a good thing to be giving back to him.

 

I applaud Jim and Burds comments on this subject.

 

A sin is a sin, no sin worse than another except rejecting God from what I understand in the bible.

 

Suicide (self murder) is murder. Therefore, despite intentions, it is a sin. All sin is forgivable. Unbelief is the unpardonable sin.

I have debated this with theologians and they have asked me to shut my pie hole. (in my case, it should be cake hole or cookie hole). Regardless, I think they fear that the majority of the people in the room would end it all after hearing what I have to say.

Once you're a child of God all your sins are forgiven. Remember we are in a state of sin; meaning we are 24/7 sinners (in thought, word and deed); fully engaged in sins of commission and omission. However, God's grace covers it all. When you are a child of God, you are also in a state of grace 24/7. The sin nature comes from "Old Adam" - can't shake him. The grace comes from God - can't shake Him. That's the dilemna that Paul talks about. We've got God living in us and yet we still are sinners.

We ask forgiveness from God throughout our days, about those sins of which we are aware. But we can't be aware of them all. And we can't go around 24/7 saying "forgive me!" "forgive me!" "forgive me" lest we be mistaken for having OCD. Forgiveness doesn't depend upon how many times we ask forgiveness; it depends upon the grace of God that covers us 24/7. Forgiveness does not depend upon what I've done, but upon what He's done.

~Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done, but because of Who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
Vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord you catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours~~

Remember Eph. 2: 8 & 9:

'For by GRACE you have been saved through faith and this NOT of yourselves. It is a GIFT of God, NOT by WORKS, so that no one can boast.'

We are saved purely by the grace of God, not because of our station in life or because of anything we have done-good or bad. Only non belief separates man from God.

Theologians argue that suicide expresses non belief. If that is true, then does all other sin express non belief as well? Was Jesus so picky when he died on that cross. "Forgive them. For they know not what they are doing ... well, except for the suicide thing."

He bore it all, He suffered and died for it all ... so that we could enjoy the freedom that comes with the state of forgiveness.

These are just some of the random thoughts I have about this.

 

Hittin this one late in the game it seems ...

My opinion? What Donna says - Suicide (self murder) is murder. Therefore, despite intentions, it is a sin. All sin is forgivable. Unbelief is the unpardonable sin.

And I believe that when you chose to be God's property, you're His - and nothing can take you away from Him - during life OR death.

RE "Suicide is an act of insanity" - Whoa! Wait a doggone minute! I can't go along with that one at all. (On the other hand, it depends on a person's definition of "insanity"...) My husband has been suicidal. Last fall his depression was bad enough that he absolutely did not want to continue living. Was he insane? No. Was he SICK? Absolutely.

My dad talks about taking his own life after Mom dies. Of course we tell him it would be a horrible thing to do (to us - the survivors). We tell him God will take him on God's schedule. We tell him he will still have reasons to live. But when the woman he's lived with & loved for over 50 years dies, if my dad does take his own life, I will not believe he was "insane" OR automatically bound for hell. I will believe he was 'human' & in the most pain he'd ever experienced in his seventy-some-odd years & chose not to continue living. And I believe - because Dad is sincerely a Christian - that he'll be in Heaven the moment his soul leaves his body.

 

I dunno it sounds like some of you are saying that just by believing in God or by just dying that we're immediately pardoned and forgiven for everything, and if that's the case then let's all just go out and not live by any rules and do what we want to because we are..........christians(and everyone goes to heaven). From what I have been taught the act of repenting is being sorry for something and asking God for forgiveness, and then either trying to stop or completely stopping the act you're sorry for. And if you don't do exactly that then you're not going to be forgiven unfortuneatly.

 

Good posts and agree You can nit pick and say well what about the drug addict who knows he may die from the drug and does it anyway, or the smoker thats just a slower death but still self induced. I believe God knows are hearts our struggles and he knew before we were born what our lives would be. Romans is the place I tell people about when sin comes up. " so no man can boast"

 

Chris what about sins that have been forgotten, say I forget to ask forgivness for a sin such as gossip and i die will I go to hell? It says believe in me and you will be saved, the rest is our walk with God. Of course your life should change once you believe. I don't think anyone is saying do what you want, we are human and struggle with all sorts of stuff in our lives. We know we will sin thats a given its our walk with God thats important.

 

By accepting Christ I am telling Him that I will TRY my best to live a godly life - that I'll turn away from my past life & live for Him. He knows I'll sin & I know I'll sin - I don't just go on intentionally sinning because I know He'll forgive me. I love Him & want to make Him happy with my life & my actions. I believe God CHASTISES us for sins sometimes - if we perhaps don't really try to stop committing that particular sin. And I believe we are allowed to experience the results of our sins. For example, an alcoholic who cannot stop drinking - he CAN be forgiven & if he gives his life to Christ, he WILL be forgiven. His salvation & forgiveness aren't based on anything HE does - but on Christ's grace & mercy. And through Christ's grace, the alcoholic may eventually end up dying because of his addiction - the result of that particular sin - but if he's truly saved, he'll go to heaven, regardless of the fact that he wasn't able to stop his drinking.

 

Chris,

My comments are directed to believers, not to unbelievers. If you are truly a child of God, then you are always His. And you will always struggle with sin. You don't want to sin, but you sometimes do. You don't want to have sinful thoughts, but you sometimes do. You don't want to say sinful things, but you sometimes do. That's the dilemna Paul struggled with. However, you fully realize that when you sin, there are consequences to yourself and to others. Consequences are a curb to sin; a godly conscience is a curb to sin. Non believers live according to their own world view; their own view of right and wrong; we turn to Scripture. Sometimes they do great and wonderful things; and sometimes we do, too. But non believers live as if their own good works are the height of perfection. We understand that God is the height of perfection; a goal that we can never reach. Our most benevolent and selfless acts are like garbage to a holy God. And yet, that holy God is so filled with love that He reaches down and offers us forgiveness. Forgiveness is an act of mercy (unmerited grace); it is not offered or given because of our good works; it is not denied us because of our sinful ones. And that is the point. God is merciful to sinners. Those who think they are sinless don't need Him.

Is the person who is contemplating or has committed suicide out of God's grace? As others have already stated so well, only God truly knows the heart of a man.

This very topic was covered in the past at this very forum. Oh my, that was fun!! NOT!!! Thus far, I think this group has been much more gracious than those of us who participated in this discussion then. It warms my heart to see this again, done nicer.

 

Who am I to judge another person's motive for suicide? Do I understand the pain, the despair that fuels such a thing? I believe the struggle of living is taxing, very difficult, exhausting sometimes, so ike Charisse said, "We are human and we struggle...". "God is merciful to sinners". Yes, I think this is so, but it is so tempting to judge those whose sin seems grievous to me. I am not making excuses for anyone, but I try not to judge because I am so busy with the struggle I don't need the distraction. I sure struggle a lot and my own salvation is hopefully at the end of the struggle. I remember the discussion about which Prima Donna refers. It was untasty, unkind, a nasty thing.

 

whenever this topic comes around I always post about my first counseling patient years ago. He was horribly depressed and one night he shot himself in the head with a .38 revolver. My struggle with his decision was immense. I cannot imagine the immensity, depth, and dimensions of his struggle.

 

Also too, there is a big difference between a person that is truly deliberately evil to the core, and a good person struggling to keep themselves afloat through mental distress or mental illness. That kind of mental illness or distress, whether from life experiences or chemical imbalance, distorts "normal" thought processes, and decisions made in that frame of mind are a side effect of being ill. God knows these things. And he knows the heart.

There are really great comments on this thread.

 

I have been through it a few times in my life. You so desperately want the pain to stop. I am a sinner but I am not evil. And I know God loves me, and I know he would still love me if I followed through during those darkest times because he would truly know the anguish I was in. I know he would not have condemned me.

 

Here's a certain slant on this question...Jesus Christ could have saved Himself, but CHOSE death on the cross. The suicide "victim" CHOOSES death as well. When Peter stepped forward to protect Jesus, which had he been successful would have prevented His death on the cross, Jesus spoke directly to Satan saying, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." So when Satan wanted Him to live, Jesus was intent on dying and would not have it any other way. That was God's way. But in allowing this to happen, Jesus asked natural death to come to Him, just as the suicide victim asks the same. Yet in doing so, Jesus provided a path to salvation for mankind who believes that He was who He was, and did what He did. So regardless of the manner in which one dies natural death, to receive salvation, believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and that He died for our sins seems to be the only requirement. I said it was a slant...