Is suicide a sin? Do you go to hell for it?

[Brighthouse]

And you are correct RJ!! except for one point. Can one ever repent after ones death? Suicide is an act of being God yourself. Is not suicide Blasphemy? Taking a creation from God and killing it without his approval? Since we both know that the act itself separates us from the Lord forever, Hebrews 6:4-6 takes effect for that person,does it not? One can never renew one who is dead.

 

[RJ]

And you are correct RJ!! except for one point. Can one ever repent after ones death? Suicide is an act of being God yourself. Is not suicide Blasphemy? Taking a creation from God and killing it without his approval? Since we both know that the act itself separates us from the Lord forever, Hebrews 6:4-6 takes effect for that person,does it not? One can never renew one who is dead.

No disrespect, how can you say that, suicide is no more an act of being God than getting run over by a car. You can not put carnal or worldly views to this and say anyone committing suicide has also committed Blasphemy; saying that to me is as much as making yourself as God as anything...like judging!! . How do you know what is in a persons heart?
I am sure there is as much chance for some people who commit suicide to have gone to hell and those who may have gone to heaven.
How do you know that some of these people may have not had Christ in their heart but were in some state of mind beyond our reasoning.

I also, with all love, disagree with your use of Hebrews 6: 4-6.
Paul is talking about individuals who were not saved in the first place.
In fact, that is why he said it is impossible to "Fall Away" once you have been saved.

 

[AudreyNicole]

The options provided do not take this into consideration.

If it were a Christian (or not) then yes it is a sin, and a Christian would not go to Hell, and a non Christian would.

Agreed. Suicide is a sin. But if you're saved you go to heaven... if you're not saved you go to hell.

 

[ForumAddict]

Absolutely! It could not be any clearer.

 

[s.i.e.]

No offense was taken! Sorry, I didn't mean to come across that way! My sincere apologies.

Life is too fast right at the moment and I need to slow down and smell the roses.

thanks ForumAddict. As for stopping to smell the roses? Yeah...I'm in your camp...I need to slow down too.

Thanks FA.


Hey thiscrosshurts: you want to share, on your no/no vote? I'm curious.

 

[Greenfrog]

From one who has contemplated this question on many occasions I can not answer for God as to whether he would condemn or forgive the act of suicide but I can totally empathise with those who click on this thread with the hope that the answers will confirm our eternal security regardless of our actions. So many events in life bring us low.....for me it was the death of my mother, my husband, my brother, my sister in law, my dog and my breast to cancer......all in this four year period....depressed did not begin to describe my desolation. I gradually found the key that tells me my mind is the control of my destination and, as I think, so I am.

I can't tell you that there are no days when I wish I could depart this life but my cat is dependent on me for food so I have to hang around. Trust is the key to survival..trust in Him....I hope anyone contemplating suicide will first talk to Jesus because he might have a particular purpose for you! To end your life without his consent is saying you do not trust him to make things okay.

 

[4wheelpeel]

Im with brighthouse on this one. How do you repent after your dead. Obviously only God knows the real answer.

 

[RJ]

Im with brighthouse on this one. How do you repent after your dead. Obviously only God knows the real answer.

I think that this type of repentance is a common untruth.

You have to only repent one time and your saved. Repentance is not a matter of going in and out of repentance and salvation.God knows whats in a persons heart at the moment of death, we don't.

Here is a point to think about. Say there is no doubt you are "Born Again" and completely saved. Now, for what ever reason, you become so distraught that you go insane, loose your mind and kill yourself....
are you now not saved, is this the type of condition where you say that you can't repent after your dead?

 

[Brighthouse]

Untruth??? we do not sin daily ,to you? so way back when I was little, and I repented, I never need to repent again? plus!! no matter what I do because I say I believe ,I am saved to??WOW!!!

This is why the Church is in the dumper!! Churches teach an easy religion,Does not matter how you live,repent?? what for I am saved??really!!(Philippians 2:12-13) This must be a lie to. Also please check out Job he was rightous as well!! Then pride hit him, thinking he could do no wrong either! Why did he lose so much until after he repented again!! for his stupidity!

Please read chapter 38 of job, you instruct the Lord?? Communion only needs to be done once to?? You have angered me,you proclaim knowledge,and judge mine?What is truth to one,is not always truth to all.this goes for me as well as you!!

 

[RJ]

Untruth??? we do not sin daily ,to you? so way back when I was little, and I repented, I never need to repent again? plus!! no matter what I do because I say I believe ,I am saved to??WOW!!!

This is why the Church is in the dumper!! Churches teach an easy religion,Does not matter how you live,repent?? what for I am saved??really!!(Philippians 2:12-13) This must be a lie to. Also please check out Job he was rightous as well!! Then pride hit him, thinking he could do no wrong either! Why did he lose so much until after he repented again!! for his stupidity!

Please read chapter 38 of job, you instruct the Lord?? Communion only needs to be done once to?? You have angered me,you proclaim knowledge,and judge mine?What is truth to one,is not always truth to all.this goes for me as well as you!!

You didn't quote me but since your reply was right after mine, I will take it as such.
With all due respect, here is how I answer you statement:

Untruth??? we do not sin daily ,to you? so way back when I was little, and I repented, I never need to repent again? plus!! no matter what I do because I say I believe ,I am saved to??WOW!!!
Go back and count the different times and ways God has said: " And I will look at there sin no more"... Please give me your interpretation of that.
So, how many times do you repent, each time you sin?...What if you don't realized you just sinned or you just didn't repent for that one sin at that time, where do you get repentance for those sins? How many times do you think Jesus is going to climb back up on the cross? Repentance is good and called for, I do it all the time but don't confuse repentance with salvation!


This is why the Church is in the dumper!! Churches teach an easy religion,Does not matter how you live,repent?? what for I am saved??really!!(Philippians 2:12-13)
And what makes you think that my church has taught me this? That is an insult that you put words or thoughts in my mouth by insinuating that it doesn't matter to me how you live. Please go back and show me and the other readers where I said that.

If you honestly believe that you must continually repent for each sin you comitt, then that is the sort of thing that puts people into bondage of untruth. As a Christian, when you realize you have sinned, you have remorse, thank the Lord for what he did on the cross and work on it and move on.
Again, here is your scenarion as I see it:
What if you make it a goal to be in constant repentance for all your sins, say you are a Catholic and you go to confession every day. So what do you do if you don't go one day, a week or more. Unless YOU think you haven't sinned during this period, what now. You were saved before but now,since you failed to repent, you are not saved now...until you officially repent...talk about bondage!...that my friend is being held to bondage to Satin and the bonds of the Law. Satin has just convinced you that you are not saved. God said that is by Faith that you are saved and not of your own works. Your sinning and then repentance, sin, repentance, is by the law of requirements and is a Yo-Yo salvation. God's Grace is a gift and it is free and the exact opposite of the Law.
This must be a lie to. Also please check out Job he was rightous as well!! Then pride hit him, thinking he could do no wrong either! Again, and insult! I NEVER said that you could do no wrong...those are your words!
Why did he lose so much until after he repented again!! for his stupidity!
Job live under the Law, the Law of requirements; we live after the cross and under Grace. In this discussion, Job has nothing to do with us.

Please read chapter 38 of job, you instruct the Lord?? Communion only needs to be done once to?? Totally irrevelant, communion is an acknowledgement, witness to the return of the Lord, it has nothing to do with salvation or this discussion. You have angered me,you proclaim knowledge,and judge mine? I really regret that you got angry over a discussion about truth, please show me where I have judged you as you have done here.What is truth to one,is not always truth to all.this goes for me as well as you!!

 

[Brighthouse]

Because I know anger can cloud judgment,and because this is a believers site,and many young ones are on here as well,I want to be kind! Salvation in fact!! Only comes at the end of our life,my only point to salvation is this.

Please do not treat it as if salvation is a given, because we ourselves wish to think that it is. Matt 7:13-24 verse 24 they that believe,or say they do does not save one.Salvation is faith yes,I sure agree,but faith without works is dead. here again as in James 2:19-26 we see saying we believe,does not mean we believe unless action is associated with it.

By grace we are saved through faith.( eph 2:8-9) this grace we have,to me is never to be taken for granted, is the point. Staying humble in Jesus very much is to me. I do not care if you agree with me or not,but truth sets one free.And to me the only truth comes by action associated with what one says. I will not talk further on this.I just wanted you to understand where I am coming from here.blessing to you.

 

[RJ]

Because I know anger can cloud judgment,and because this is a believers site,and many young ones are on here as well,I want to be kind! Salvation in fact!! Only comes at the end of our life,my only point to salvation is this.

Please do not treat it as if salvation is a given, because we ourselves wish to think that it is. Matt 7:13-24 verse 24 they that believe,or say they do does not save one.Salvation is faith yes,I sure agree,but faith without works is dead. here again as in James 2:19-26 we see saying we believe,does not mean we believe unless action is associated with it.

By grace we are saved through faith.( eph 2:8-9) this grace we have,to me is never to be taken for granted, is the point. Staying humble in Jesus very much is to me. I do not care if you agree with me or not,but truth sets one free.And to me the only truth comes by action associated with what one says. I will not talk further on this.I just wanted you to understand where I am coming from here.blessing to you.

I am truly sorry that you have anger over this, none of this is worth that.
I too have concerns about the "Young Ones" I will have to atleast address your comment on Salvation because it is a fundamental difference that we have.

For me, our salvation is already here. As a believer, Christ lives in you and it is His Righteousness and Holiness that God calls us blameless.

"These things I have written to you who believe in the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.(1 John 5:13)." Notice that the Apostle says you now have eternal life. We don't get eternal life after we die... we have it right now, when we believe.

Now, let's follow this idea to its logical conclusion. If we know we have eternal life when we believe in Jesus, how long does eternal life last? Can you have eternal life for a year? A week? A day? If words mean anything at all, then eternal life must be eternal. It must last forever! Eternal life by definition cannot be lost.
Our works has nothing to do with your salvation or our conversation, except like our love for one another, it is a sign that we are Christians and with out both works and love our Faith is meaningless.
In Christ's Love,
God Bless

 

[4wheelpeel]

I try to repent daily, forgive me Father if I have hurt you in any way. Even if nothing comes to mind. I know nomatter how good ive have grown in the lord Im still very far from being Christ like.

 

[s.i.e.]

Untruth??? we do not sin daily ,do you? so way back when I was little, and I repented, I never need to repent again? plus!! no matter what I do because I say I believe ,I am saved to??WOW!!!

This is why the Church is in the dumper!! Churches teach an easy religion,Does not matter how you live,repent?? what for I am saved??really!!(Philippians 2:12-13) This must be a lie to. Also please check out Job he was rightous as well!! Then pride hit him, thinking he could do no wrong either! Why did he lose so much until after he repented again!! for his stupidity!

And to me the only truth comes by action associated with what one says.

Here are a couple verses that come to my mind, that seem to be at odds with the above reasoning:

John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast"

Romans 3:20, 28 "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin...For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."

Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

I John 1:8 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
​

There is a difference between being a slave to sin versus sinning. We all sin. Probably, we all sin daily. To say you don't, is self deceit, as I John says.

I used to have a degree of fear, based on my wondering about what would happen if I died on a day that I sinned, but I died before I was able to repent for it.

Is that Biblical?

I don't have that fear anymore, because if I can't believe that God's Grace is big enough for that...then He's simply not a big enough God for me, and we would all be destined for hell depending on the sequence of how our sin/repentence patterns shook out in our end-of-days.

And that puts the onus on me, to get myself to "act right", and "perform" a certain way, in order for me to see the pearly gates.

No, that is not Biblical.

Yes, some (too many!) Churches teach an "easy religion"...I agree. But, it's far easier to try to act/perform/do/do-not/manage-your-sin, than it is to actually trust God. Trusting God, is, in its essence, a not-doing. It is a trusting. And it is much much harder for us to take on this mode of allowing the yoke to be easy and the burden to be light. And we do that by "not-doing". We do that by trusting. Matthew 11:30

Repentence is for us. It is for our hearts. It is not for God. God has already forgiven, and His work has already been done. He does not forgive us based on when we repent. He has unilaterally, already, forgiven us even before we come and ask for repentence...if we are already in Christ. And if we are already in Christ, we are, in fact, called Saints. We are Saints, who sin...believe it or not. And that is a radical thought. One that my carnality wants to reject. Because it leaves me with relatively nothing to do. And that is quite hard. It is not a cop-out.

 

[RJ]

Here are a couple verses that come to my mind, that seem to be at odds with the above reasoning:

John 13:35 "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another"

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast"

Romans 3:20, 28 "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin...For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."

Galatians 2:16 "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."

I John 1:8 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."
​

There is a difference between being a slave to sin versus sinning. We all sin. Probably, we all sin daily. To say you don't, is self deceit, as I John says.

I used to have a degree of fear, based on my wondering about what would happen if I died on a day that I sinned, but I died before I was able to repent for it.

Is that Biblical?

I don't have that fear anymore, because if I can't believe that God's Grace is big enough for that...then He's simply not a big enough God for me, and we would all be destined for hell depending on the sequence of how our sin/repentence patterns shook out in our end-of-days.

And that puts the onus on me, to get myself to "act right", and "perform" a certain way, in order for me to see the pearly gates.

No, that is not Biblical.

Yes, some (too many!) Churches teach an "easy religion"...I agree. But, it's far easier to try to act/perform/do/do-not/manage-your-sin, than it is to actually trust God. Trusting God, is, in its essence, a not-doing. It is a trusting. And it is much much harder for us to take on this mode of allowing the yoke to be easy and the burden to be light. And we do that by "not-doing". We do that by trusting. Matthew 11:30

Repentence is for us. It is for our hearts. It is not for God. God has already forgiven, and His work has already been done. He does not forgive us based on when we repent. He has unilaterally, already, forgiven us even before we come and ask for repentence...if we are already in Christ. And if we are already in Christ, we are, in fact, called Saints. We are Saints, who sin...believe it or not. And that is a radical thought. One that my carnality wants to reject. Because it leaves me with relatively nothing to do. And that is quite hard. It is not a cop-out.

I could have not said it better s.i.e.
The truth set you free and it can set anyone free who understands the fundamental difference between Law and Grace!

Thank You!!

 

[Brighthouse]

Brother s.i.e. please consider this from what you wrote in love,and honesty. john 13:35 if you love one another.Amen can you love without showing it? Can you know that i love you unless I show this love to you??

I myself cannot, perhaps some can.2. eph 2:8-9 as I myself spoke on.

Dear Lord I sure do know no matter what I can do,can save me!! The idea behind what I am looking to convey to you is this,if we do love Jesus,we will show Jesus in us to others. rom 3:20.28 under what?? amen the works of the Law,we are not under the law, but grace,( rom 6:15)( also rom 6:1-2)the point I am making is that grace which we do have,is not to be taken as if one can just sin more because of it.

Gal 2:16 same as rom 3:20,28 1 john 1:8!! There you go!! amen to that!! When I was a child( matt 18:1-6) I repented to my dad or mom because I did something wrong,not because I did not believe that they would not forgive me,but because I wanted them to know I knew I did wrong,and wanting to stay humble,and understand I am always under authority,I repented.

This was also a reminder to me,that even though I thought I could get away with sin,I in fact could not. To confess our sins to God,is of course as you said something he already knew we would do,the idea behind why,is to tell my Lord with my own mouth, which also creates larger faith in me,( rom 10:9and this biggy!! 1 John 1:9 IF we confess our sins,and like you said who does not sin daily!! This my brother, tell me we are to confess our sins. Chapter 2:1-2 of 1 John Now you can decide whether or not, not confessing sin is a sin,I like to stay safe in Christ in my own self,I confess my sins daily,if you choose not to,cool that is your bussiness. I do.

I hope you understand better where I am coming from,I do not tell others to do what I do,I just tell them, that by doing what I do,they can have the same victory in Jesus as I do.blessing!! thanks for your thoughts as well!!

 

[RJ]

I could have not said it better s.i.e.
The truth set you free and it can set anyone free who understands the fundamental difference between Law and Grace!

Thank You!!

Of course, just like the lords Prayer, there is nothing wrong with daily repentance or being remorseful on a daily basis, that is a part of being humble and, I believe that the Lord will always guide us in that direction. I even think it is a fruit of the Spirit in us to repent.

The one objection or caution I have is that you daily come into repentance because it is requirement for continued salvation, which is false and can lead to bondage. In this case, the bondage would be, if you don't repent daily you loose your salvation. Another untruth are those who hear you say this and say you beleive that you can sin all you want , which could not be farther from the truth; no "Born Again" Christian wants to sin indescriminately!

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

Eph. 5:29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church.

I know this is out of context but I find it interesting that the statement "no one ever hated his own body" is technically incorrect.

It would be better to have said "all things being equal,no one ever hated his own body" or "no one in their right mind hates their own body".

Because it must have been obvious to the author that people are driven to suicide for a variety of reasons.Most of them having to do with suffering.A broken and contrite heart he does not despise.

Even an earthly court would consider mitigating circumstances.God is not a machine or formula with no compassion.He invented compassion.

I feel it would fall more in line with the "few stripes/many stripes category.It's difficult to think of a sinister reason someone might kill themselves.But they would still have to face things done in the flesh before death.The fact that a murderer can repent and a suicide can't being a factor assumes God has no sense of fairness and will burn you on a technicality.Besides in Jesus's story of the rich man and Lazarus there is no indication that the rich man could not repent.He wanted Lazarus to come and serve him.He could speak just fine to Abraham.

I answered no for Hell,but it would certainly land you in the grave if you did it right.

 

[Fraction]

The section in james about works is directed at how we should display our faith. IN NO WAY, does it say that Faith isnt in us if we do not show it. It is only talking about how it is not put out there to prove to others and ourselves that we have faith. It says nothing about salvation or not having faith at all. Faith with works will prove to be easier in life, than faith without works. Faith with works will destroy your own doubt. Everyone has doubts, when you do something about it, they vanish.

Salvation and being saved is simple, believe in Jesus Christ. What about this repentance you keep bringing up? Stop looking in bible dictionaries to find out it means "Im sorry". That is not what the bible means by it. Its a change of mind and heart. Its going from saying OH I DONT BELIEVE to YES I DO BELIEVE. Repentance of sin is the exact way. With a repentant heart you confess your sins simply means that you know they are wrong. You dont come out and try to justify them. You are believing that they are wrong, they are your fault, and they are by your hand alone. Repentance.

You only have to repent once to be saved. You only have to agree one single time with God that through Jesus Christ you are saved. All sin has been forgiven, accept it and go about your life happier than before. This has nothing to do with the topic, im just adding this in for the record. Sorry.

 

[dannibear]

Why or why not? How does free-choice vs. predestination fit into this? God's sovereignty?



(by the way, and for the record: I'm not asking because I'm contemplating this. It came to mind from the other poll here, asking the question about euthanasia)

Oh oh! That was me!
By the way, great question, I have been wondering this for
a while, since a friend of mine did this a while ago. :/