Pastor Chris,
Will I go to hell if I kill myself?
~ Mike
ANSWER
Mike,
Let me remind you that all sin leads to hell. We are sinners (Romans 3:23) and therefore headed for hell unless someone saves us. We cannot save ourselves. The Good News is that we have a Savior and Jesus is His name. The Bible says that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1, NIV).
There are two sides to the problem of suicide that must be considered. One is from the perspective of someone who is contemplating suicide. The other is from the point of view of a loved one who has had a friend or a relative commit suicide.
1. For the person who is contemplating committing suicide. Please remember that suicide is not God’s will or plan for our lives. It devastates those who are left behind. A person close to me who has experienced the suicide of a loved one says it is the most selfish thing a person can do. Such a one fails to consider the impact suicide has on others.
Also, consider the fact that not all suicides are successful. Sometimes they leave a person in a crippled state or a vegetative state thus becoming an ongoing burden to loved ones.
I would ask someone considering suicide if he or she wants to stand before Jesus with murder on their hands. Suicide is murder. Jesus is heartbroken when we sin.
When a believer in Christ terminates his or her own life that action profoundly hurts the testimony of the church, which is the body of Christ. Non-believers observing this action can easily conclude that Christianity doesn’t work.
2. For the person who has had a loved one commit suicide. Suicide is not the unpardonable sin. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin (Mark 3:28-29). A person ends up in hell because they refuse to receive Christ, not because they have sinned. Sins can be forgiven. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sin. When we receive Christ as our Savior we are born again and all our sins are forgiven, past, present, and future.
Someone contemplating suicide is in a dark place, consumed with pain. When that happens a believer in Christ may lose perspective. He can forget that he is a child of God, dearly loved by Jesus and others. In a state of depression he hears the voice of the enemy and fails to distinguish it from the voice of God. He listens to the lies whispered to him and falls deeper down that black hole. He feels worthless to the point of despair and makes an attempt on his or her life.
It is Satan who wants someone to murder himself, not God. Satan is a liar and the author of death (John 8:44). God is the author of life. If Satan can discourage someone enough to cause them to give up on life then he has done his worst. Nevertheless, you will see your loved one in heaven because Christ said that He holds on to His children forever (John 10:27-30).
~ Pastor Chris