Article I on suicide discussed the statistics, and Article II discussed the signs of suicide and how someone could help a suicidal person.  Article III discusses the Biblical view on suicide.

        First of all, next to the gift of salvation, life is the most precious gift that humans have been given.  Just the chance to be alive on the earth and be a part of the grand scheme of God's eternal plan is a privilege.  However, there are times when life can become so difficult or so unbearable that many have, at one time or another, wished they were dead or that they had never been born.

         There were several people in the Bible who were depressed and wished they had never been born or wished that they could die?  It was some of the greatest saints or heroes of the Bible.

1.  King David.  Psalm 13:2-4 reads, "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall."

2.  Jeremiah, the prophet.  Jeremiah 20:14-18 reads, "Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed, Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, “A child is born to you—a son!” May that man be like the towns the Lord
overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?"

3.  Job.  Job 7:15-16 reads, "so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning."

4.  Jonah.  Jonah 4:8 reads, "When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

5.  Elijah.  I Kings 19:4 reads, "while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

        None of these men ever attempted or committed suicide but they did get depressed and some even wished to die or wished they had never been born. 

        There are some in the Bible that did commit suicide. Mostly they were ungodly men, though.

1.  King Abimelech.  (Judges 9:53-54) 

2.  Samson. (Judges 16:29-31) Samson was a godly man who sacrificed his own life to destroy thousands of enemy Philistines.

3 & 4.  King Saul and his armor bearer. (1 Samuel 31:3-6)

5.  Ahithophel. (2 Samuel 17:23)

6.  Zimri. (1 Kings 16:18)

7.  Judas.  (Matthew 27:5)

        To commit suicide is a terrible tragedy, especially for Christians, because it is a waste of a life that GOD intended to use in a glorious way.  It would be hard to argue that suicide is NOT a sin, because it is the taking of a life, which is murder. 

1.  What exactly does the Bible say about suicide?  Well, the truth is, there is not one verse in the Bible that says anything about suicide, but there are several verses that refer to the fact that suicide must be a sin. 

         1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."  

Our body is a temple, and it is not our own. We do not have the right to destroy it or end our body's life.  That right is God's and God's only.  While the Bible may not directly talk about the subject of suicide, we can conclude that God, who is the Creator and Sustainer or life, would be against it.  It also would not be in God's plan for any of his children to despair so much that they would take their own life. 

        1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

Here God is saying that whatever happens to us, he will be there to help us through those situations, and he will not let us be pushed past our limit.

2.  Does everyone who commits suicide go to hell?  You have probably heard that suicide is an unpardonable sin and whoever commits suicide is condemned to hell.  Again, the Bible does not say this. The Bible is silent on this issue. No person can say who will or will not go to hell.  That judgment is up to God and no one else.

3.  Can a Christian who commits suicide still go to heaven?  Again, there is no clear and easy answer to this in the Bible.  If someone commits suicide, they are in a lot of pain, whether mental, physical or emotional, and they are hurting and suffering.  Our salvation is based on our belief in Jesus and what he accomplished through his death, burial and resurrection.  Our salvation is based on God's grace and unmerited favor, not upon our works, so would God extend mercy, even to a believer who takes his own life? 

         Psalm 103:10-11 says, "He has not punished us as we deserve for all our sins, for his mercy toward those who fear and honor him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth."

According to this verse, God could and would extend mercy to a believer who takes his own life, but of course, that judgment is up to God and no one else. The belief is that God will judge us on our entire Christian life, rather than on a single mistake or sin, IF that person had truly accepted Christ as their savior.  God forgives all of our sins through his son, Jesus Christ. That includes past sins, present sins and future sins. 

        If you are contemplating suicide, please understand that God's grace never means that you have a free pass or a free license to sin.  In fact, those who willfully sin after knowing God's grace, are in far greater danger than those who never knew His grace.  Although you may feel that God is very far from you right now, he is much closer than you think.  He may even be speaking to you right now through this article on suicide.  Please open your ears and hear Him tell you how valuable your life is.  You are needed on this earth, God loves you, and so do many other people.  God would not be God if He could not work in your situation (no matter how unbearable it may seem to you), and he will use it for His glory and for the good in your own life.

        Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

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National Suicide Hotline Call 988 .....Available 24-7

Suicide and Crisis Hotline  1-800-999-9999.....Available 24-7

Crisis Text Line--text hello to 741741

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Read "Suicide--Part I" for the statistics of suicide, "Suicide--Part II" for the signs of suicide and how we may can help someone is contemplating suicide and "Suicide--Part IV" for someone who may be considering sui

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