By John R. Funk

“There are certain topics that good Christians just shouldn’t talk about.” Have you ever run up against that attitude? It is avoidance. If we just ignore it perhaps we won’t ever have to deal with it. It reminds me of the picture of the ostrich sticking its head in the sand. It happens a lot in the legal profession. People refuse to address an issue until it festers and simply cannot be avoided any longer.

That attitude has no place in the Christian church because we are able to take all of our cares and concerns to our Heavenly Father. However, despite this fact, we avoid talking about a number of topics and one of those topics brings deep hurt and consternation to friends and family. That topic is suicide.

In my experience I have heard certain people speak of suicide as a weakness, as a path chosen by a coward who refuses to cope with life’s situations. They say it is taking the easy way out. Still others, and not just of the Catholic faith but also of the Protestant faith, speak of suicide as a mortal sin that consigns one’s soul to hell for all eternity.

Suicide is the act of taking one's own life. Read that again. Suicide is the act of taking one’s own life. It does not result from the natural consequences of life. It does not result from denying life-saving measures when the end result will be death. Otherwise, we would not be able to execute a “living will” or “right-to-die” document because it would be suicide. Suicide is a volitional act that results in death.

That helps but it still doesn’t make it entirely clear when suicide happens. We characterize the soldier who dives on a live grenade to save his comrades as a hero while the terrorist who straps a bomb to his body and takes his own life (along with any around him) is a suicidal maniac. Therefore, the act itself does not define the term. The term is defined by the underlying intent of the person. Hence, the soldier is a hero; the terrorist is a murderer; and the person who takes their own life because of physical, financial or emotional distress is a suicide.

While the word suicide does not occur in the Bible, we certainly see several examples of suicide. The first example of suicide in the Old Testament is when Saul as king of Israel takes his own life by falling upon his sword. After being seriously wounded by the Philistines, Saul begged his armor-bearer to run him through so that he would not be taken prisoner. His armor-bearer refused so Saul took it upon himself to accomplish the deed.

There is no following statement or description addressing Saul’s eternal resting place as a result of this one act. We do not encounter a depiction of Saul either entering into either heaven or hell because he committed suicide. The only things that we are told about Saul following his act is that the Philistines cut his head off, stripped him of his armor and hung his body on the wall at Beth-Shan. The valiant men of Israel then arose and reclaimed his body after which they burned it and buried his bones at Jabesh.

The next time we encounter suicide in the Bible is with Zimri, king of Israel. He was an evil man who despaired of his own life and as a result thereof, committed suicide.

His legacy was a life of sin and opportunity squandered. Zimri failed to follow God and led Israel to sin. However, once again, there is no mention of eternal consequence resulting from his suicide. We are not told that his soul was consigned to hell for all eternity because he took his own life.

In the New Testament the person who readily comes to mind when the topic of suicide is broached is Judas Iscariot. We see that Judas killed himself in large part because of his shame and grief in betraying Jesus.

Peter, in the book of Acts, goes on to describe the death of Judas in extremely graphic terms.

Once again, although many presume that Judas will be eternally condemned, we are not told that he was sentenced to hell for an act of suicide. He was filled with evil and became a tool in Satan’s attempt to thwart God’s plan of salvation for mankind but there is no mention of eternal consequence for the taking of his own life.

All of that being said, voluntarily cutting your time short on this earth does not honor Him but instead breaks His laws. While suicide is something that no one wants to talk about, we still need to recognize it for what it is. It is a tragedy but, contrary to what some denominations or individuals may teach, it is not an act that subjects one to eternal damnation. God knows the heart and He alone may judge. Suicide is a sin but not a “mortal sin.” It hurts and there are consequences, but, for the believer, it is not determinative of one’s eternal destination. That determination is made at the point of salvation and nothing and no one can snatch that person from the Father’s hand.

Even though suicide does not determine whether a person is going to heaven or hell, emphasis must be made that human life is sacred as we are created in God’s image. Because we were created in God’s image on the sixth day of creation, we are unlike any other aspect of the created realm. In the passages in Genesis dealing with the creation of man, it becomes clear that God gave special consideration to the creation of Adam and bestowed upon this aspect of creation attributes not given to anything else.

In the Genesis account, God demonstrates His role as the Creator over all existence and, as such, He alone should control life and determine whether it continues or terminates. Job, through his trials and distresses of life, recognized the sovereignty of God, especially over life itself.

The sovereignty of God over a man’s life is not just an Old Testament concept. We also see it reflected in the writings of the New Testament. Although Paul was addressing the physical body as the dwelling place of the Spirit and was, therefore, to be treated as such, he also gave emphasis to the idea that it is not something that belongs exclusively to the individual; it also belongs to God.

The logo on our men’s softball team jerseys is: “I bought you; I own you.” He did and He does. Life is a glorious gift to be lived each day for the honor and glory of God. Part of that daily sacrifice is to live in obedience; another part is to love unconditionally. During those times when we encounter the pain of loss, especially loss occasioned by the voluntary act of suicide, it is essential that we evidence the love of God. We should because He does. Enough said.

** A modern language quote is provided for readability together with the accompanying KJV version which is believed by many to be a more accurate representation of the original scripture.