Chapter 12.16
Suicide, Euthanasia
If you take your own life, do you lose your
salvation?
I have these thoughts; is this considered murder?
Is this in the Bible, is this a sin?
First Word
Scripture treats all human
life as sacred, your life is a gift from God.[1] You
were created in His image[2] and
your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; you are not your own.[3] Suicide and Euthanasia are
both violations of the sixth commandment; Thou shall not murder.[4]
FAR OUT and
INTERESTING side note: In the end times men will be in such fear
and agony
that they will
seek death; suicide, but they will not be
allowed to die, they will not be able to kill themselves; death
takes a vacation.[5]
Thoughts
of suicide
Thoughts: This is where
it all begins, a seed that either gets watered or dug up. Many people have thoughts of suicide; like
their life is over, like they are nothing to anybody and would just be better
off dead; they
have nothing to live for.[6]
Death is an escape; the end of
weariness, the end of physical as well as mental pain, the end of hating
yourself or your life, the end of guilt over your actions.[7] Death will finally bring peace and quiet and
rest from the turmoil. These thoughts are much more common than you might
think; people just don’t tell you what they are thinking.
These
thoughts are not sin, but they didn’t come from God either; Satan is the
trickster, he came to kill, steal and destroy.[8] Many a good man has had these thoughts; Jonah,[9]
Job,[10]
Elijah,[11]
Moses[12]
and Paul, so consider yourself in good company. Paul
said while he would prefer to leave this world, but it would be far better
for his family if he stayed.[13]
Job’s thoughts: I am including
just a few of the thoughts that were going through Job’s troubled mind. Some of these thoughts just may have been what
you are thinking, but remember in the end, Job was restored. Job said, I hate the day I was born, I wish I had died at birth
then I would be at peace.[14] I wish I had
been stillborn then I would be at rest.[15] Crush me; I
have no hope,[16]
I am in misery; longing for the end of the day.[17]
My life has no meaning; I despise it.[18] I just hate my life.[19] You are not alone; it’s God’s will that you have life and have
it more abundantly.
Suicide
The word suicide does not
appear in the Bible, neither are there any laws relating specifically
to it by name, yet the implications are there based on the 6th commandment, “Thou shall not kill”.[20] There are examples of Suicide in scripture; a jailer
almost took his own life, but was stopped.[21] A
disgruntled man hangs himself.[22] Fearing
the worst a man sets himself on fire.[23] Another
with remorse and guilt commits suicide by taking his life.[24]
Suicide is murder; it is not condoned in
scripture, it is a sin, however it’s NOT
THE UN-PARDONABLE SIN;[25] this sin can be
forgiven.[26]
Assisted Suicide: Jonah knew it
was wrong to take his own life, so he asked others to throw him off the ship to
calm the sea.[27]
King Saul asked someone else to take his
life.[28] Ultimately man is responsible for his own
actions, however your actions may have contributed to someone else taking their
own life. By purpose, you may have
provided the means and assistance for the loss of this life, or perhaps you
inadvertently contributed to “the environment”
and “thought process” which led up to the loss
of life.
This complicity is something that you should seek God’s forgiveness
about.
(I know this is a heavy statement)
Refusing
Medical Assistance: Can refusing to take “medical options” be considered
suicide? Absolutely not, it’s not a sin to
desire to be with the Father.[29] What if my motive is not of Faith, but of just
wanting my family not to suffer mentally and financially? The answer is still no, it’s not a sin. You are motivated by your family’s needs.
Sacrificial
Suicide
Sacrificial Suicide: Would giving your life jacket to another be a
sin? Would starving yourself so that
your child could eat be a sin? Not at all, no greater love has a man, than to
lay down his own life for another;[30]
Jesus laid down His life for us.[31]
Sampson
prayed
for strength to kill the Philistines, the enemy of God, knowing he would be committing
sacrificial suicide. [32] Note: God gave Sampson the strength he prayed for to do the deed.
Euthanasia
Should you withhold medical
options in order to stop prolonging death or agonizing pain or a
vegetable like existence of a loved one? If they are dying, scripture says you
should make them as comfortable as you can; even with strong drink.[33] If
the physicians conclude that the condition is irreversible, then those making the
decisions should not feel any guilt on their decisions.
The greater question on guilt is the MOTIVE for the decision; is it driven by the physical demands
and financial burdens it makes on those making the decision or is it in
self-interest, or is there financial gain
to be received?
Useful Life: should not be
the deciding factor, nor should love or guilt advocate postponement of death at any cost. You are free to
refuse assistance that would SLOW DOWN death, but you are
not free to seek assistance that would speed it up. (There is no specific scripture)
Salvation Lost
Can suicide send a man to hell? The bigger
question is, have they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior? Although suicide is a sin, it does not affect a man’s
salvation.[34] All have sinned and come short of the glory
of God;[35] thank
God for His
Grace and Mercy.[36]
Don’t
give up
If there was ever an example
of someone suffering and wanting to die it was Job. While some of Job’s friend’s answers gave
partial satisfaction, none really had the answer for his calamity. There is an enormous gap between what man knows
and what God knows. Even with all of Job’s thoughts of death, he
did not give up on his relationship with God, and could live with the unanswered questions.
Today we have the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Paraclete, the one who comes along side of us
and teaches us, reminds us and intercedes for us with JEHOVAH GOD.[37]
Christ’s
death did not make our salvation a possibility;
He
made it a certainty.[38]
[1] Ecclesiastes 7:17 – The
wicked die before their time; Suicide -- 1 Peter 3:7 – Life is a gracious gift
[2] Genesis 1:27 – We are
created in the Image of God -- Ephesians 2:8 – Our salvation is a gift of God
[3] 1 Corenthians 6:19 – You
are not your own, your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
[4] Exodus 20:13 – The sixth
commandment; "YOU SHALL NOT MURDER”.
[5] Revelation 9:6 – Death
will take a vacation in the end times -- Amos 9:2-3 – They cannot hide from
God’s wrath; Death will elude them
[6] Jeremiah 8:3 – When
things are bad, people will consider death.
[7] Revelation 9:6 – When
Life goes wrong, people seek death to ESCAPE.
[8] John 10:10 – God wants
you to have life and Satan wants you dead
[9] Jonah 4:8 – Jonah thought
he had failed God and just wanted to die
[10] Job 3:1 – Job said, I hate the day I was born
[11] 1 Kings 19:4 – Elijah
felt his life meaningless and wanted to die
[12] Numbers 11:15 – Moses
felt dejected and preferred to die
[13] 2 Corenthians 5:8 – Paul
preferred to die and be with Christ -- Philippians 1:23-24 – Paul says; I’m
torn, but it’s better that I stay with the family of Believers
[14] Job 3:11-13 - I wish I had died at birth; I would be at peace
[15] Job 3:16-17 – I wish I had been stillborn; I would be at rest
[16] Job 6:8-11 – I have no hope; crush me,
[17] Job 7:1-3 – I am in misery; longing for the end of the day.
[18] Job 7:15-16 – I despise my life; it has no meaning
[19] Job 10:1 – I hate my life
[20] Matthew 4:5-6 – Satan
promotes suicide and says it’s a good thing.
[21] Acts 16:27-28 – The jailer ALMOST committed suicide.
[22] 2 Samuel 17:23 – A disgruntled man takes his own life; suicide
[23] 1 Kings 16:18 – Fearing
the worst a man sets himself on fire in Suicide
[24] Matthew 27:5 – In shame Judas commits suicide
by hanging himself
[25] 1 John 5:16 – THERE IS A SIN
THAT LEADS TO DEATH --
Matthew 12:31 - THE UNPARDONABLE
SIN;
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven; this is the rejection
of the Gospel of Christ.
[26] 1 John 1:8-9 – If we confess sin, He is
faithful and just to forgive
[27] Jonah 1:12 – Jonah asked for assisted
suicide.
[28] 1 Samuel 31:4 – Saul asked assistance in
suicide.
[29] Philippians 1:21- Our
life is Christ and being with Him is a plus
[30] John 15:13 – Greater love
has no one than to Lay down your life for another.
[31] John 10:18 – Jesus laid
down His life to save us.
[32] Judges 16:29-30 – Sampson
kills himself and the Philistines; the enemy of God
[33] Proverbs 31:6 - Give strong drink to the one who is perishing, and wine to those who are in anguish - Proverbs 31:6-7 – Give Southern Comfort and Coke
to those who are dying.
[34] John 10:27-28 – The Believer will not perish neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand. -- Romans 8:38-39 – Suicide
cannot separate us from God; nothing can. -- John 6:37 – If you TRULY came to the Father, you
are His
[35] Romans 3:23 – Everybody
has fallen short of the standard of God’s glory
[36] Acts 15:11 – It is the GRACE of our Lord Jesus that
saves us
[37] John 14:26 – The Holy
Spirit, the Counselor will teach you and remind you of everything I have taught
you. -- Romans 8:26 – The Holy Spirit helps us by interceding for us as we pray
[38] Ephesians 2:8 – We are
saved by His Grace through our Faith, it is the gift of God
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