- Dec 20, 2019
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Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people under the age of 24. The sad news is that you or someone you know will likely be impacted by suicide during your lifetime, if you haven’t already.
What does God say about suicide in the Bible?
Today’s topic is a very difficult and serious one. Our team strongly recommends that you read and discuss this article with your family. Suicide is a very real issue, and we want you and your loved ones to understand how to respond to it biblically.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please don’t keep it to yourself. Talk to someone you trust and consider counseling. Don’t feel ashamed for asking for help. If you don’t have anyone else to talk to, call us. Focus on the Family wants to help you in your walk. You can contact us Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Mountain time) at: 855-771-HELP (4357) or help@FocusOnTheFamily.com.
If someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, it’s important for you to tell a trusted adult. You’re protecting your friend by helping them get help, even if they accuse you of breaking their trust.
If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Suicide, like any other death, means the end of a unique human life created by God. Throughout Scripture, God makes it very clear that He places a high value on human life. Verses like Psalm 139:13 show how God purposefully creates every life: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Verses like Genesis 9:6 show how seriously God takes murder: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” God values human life because every individual on earth is created in His own image.
Suicidal thoughts often stem from lies that move into your brain and don’t leave. I’m worthless. I’m ugly. No one could ever really care about me. My family would be better off without me. I’m all alone in this. No one sees me. This depression will never leave. God is angry with me. He must not love me.
The danger of lies like these is that they can be incredibly powerful and convincing. Satan is the father of lies, and he’s had plenty of practice.
Peter wrote to the early church, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
First, Peter makes it clear that we have a strong enemy who hates us. Like a hungry lion, he is watchful, crafty, and bold. There’s nothing he wants more than to hurt Christians, and he’ll do anything to make it happen.
But that’s not the end of the story. Peter encourages us to resist the devil, standing firm in our faith. The truth is that we can resist Satan’s attacks on us through the power of Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The fight against Satan’s lies and temptations is never hopeless because we know that Jesus has already won the war. We can become more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus.
When you’re being tempted, remember 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
There’s another important truth in Peter’s letter. Peter reminds the Christians he is writing to that they are not alone in the suffering and temptation they are experiencing. That’s as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. You may feel like no one else can understand the pain you’re experiencing, but Christians all over the world and across history have experienced the same emotions you might be struggling with.
You probably know that the New Testament was written in Greek and then translated into the English copies we have today. Translating something from one language to another isn’t easy—if you’ve ever used Google Translate, you know this is true. Words or ideas in one language don’t always translate neatly into another.
Here’s an example. The word “you” in English can mean just one person or a whole group of people. But in Greek, there are different words for a singular and a plural “you.” In the passage above, Peter uses the plural “you” over and over again.
Why does this matter? Peter is reminding the Christians that they share a common enemy. They aren’t fighting alone; Satan is after everyone who follows Jesus. When Satan harms one believer, it hurts the whole church.
Teens often think that committing suicide will help them “get revenge” on people who may have hurt them. Or, they may only think about escaping their own pain, believing that those around them will be better off without them around.
These ideas are simply not true. In reality, those who end up hurt most by suicide are the people who care most about the victim—family, friends, and church community. Suicide is devastating and extremely painful for those left behind, causing emotional wounds that never fully heal.
Another big contributor to teen suicide is the way the teenage brain works. A teen’s brain is kind of like a house with two floors; the ground floor is where the fight or flight reaction lives, while the logical, analytical, thinking processes live on the second floor. In stressful situations, the upstairs brain can override the downstairs brain, keeping you from reacting impulsively.
During your teenage years, your brain is growing and developing, and your upstairs brain isn’t fully developed. This means that you’re much more likely to reactive impulsively and without thinking about the long-term consequences of your actions. Maybe someone at school says something cruel about you or you go through a messy breakup. Instead of thinking about the situation rationally, your brain goes into fight-or-flight mode, causing you to feel like you can’t keep living. Suicidal thoughts in teens can come from this kind of situation; suicide often seems like the only way to escape.
The truth is that suicide survivors almost always say the same two things. First, they say that they didn’t really believe they would die; they were just trying to escape the pain or send a call for help to the people around them. Second, they talk about how glad they are that they didn’t die.
What can we learn from this? The urge to escape your pain may feel overwhelming, but suicide is not the way to do it. Reaching out for help and confiding your struggle to your parents or another trusted adult may feel impossibly awkward or painful, but it is absolutely worth it. You won’t regret giving yourself another chance at life.
Because of the value God places on human life, He strictly condemns taking someone else’s life unjustly. If murdering another person is a sin, murdering yourself is too. But if someone who claimed to be a Christian commits suicide, does that mean their faith wasn’t real after all? Does the Bible say that suicide is a sin?
To understand how suicide affects Christian faith, let’s look at how sin in general fits into the Christian life.
The apostle Paul wrote in the book of Philippians, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ…that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Paul’s greatest desire is to enjoy eternal life with Jesus Christ, and he is willing to set aside all other hopes or triumphs or successes or desires so that he can focus on this goal.
He continues, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Paul isn’t living a perfect life, and he isn’t completely free from the temptations of sin.
The bottom line is this: no Christian will experience perfection and complete freedom from sin until he or she is resurrected. Sin will have some foothold in your life as long as you are living in a fallen, sinful world.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we have the freedom to sin as much as we want to. We have the power to resist sin, to say no to its temptations, and we should use it. But when you fail, remember that God is always ready to receive you with love and mercy when you come to Him in repentance.
Jesus’ blood has covered the sins you committed yesterday, last week, and last year, and the sins you will commit tomorrow, next year, and ten years from now. This should bring great comfort and relief.
So is it possible for someone who truly is a Christian to commit suicide? Based on what we see in Scripture, it seems that the answer is yes. Suicide causes incredible pain, both to God and to the victim’s family and friends who are left behind to mourn them. Suicide is extremely displeasing to God, like any other sin. But the grace of God is deep enough to cover every sin committed by the person who trusts in Him for salvation. If someone you thought was a Christian has committed suicide, don’t give up hope. Instead, trust the mercy and love of God for His children.
Maybe you’re not dealing with suicidal thoughts yourself, but someone in your life has committed suicide. If this is the case, you’re dealing with a lot of complex emotions and trying to figure out how to deal with an incredibly painful situation. Here are some tips to help you as you work through this difficult time.
Want to learn more about suicide prevention for teens? Check out Focus on the Family’s resource Alive To Thrive.
Read:
Watch:
www.focusonthefamily.com
The post What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
What does God say about suicide in the Bible?
Heads Up!
Today’s topic is a very difficult and serious one. Our team strongly recommends that you read and discuss this article with your family. Suicide is a very real issue, and we want you and your loved ones to understand how to respond to it biblically.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please don’t keep it to yourself. Talk to someone you trust and consider counseling. Don’t feel ashamed for asking for help. If you don’t have anyone else to talk to, call us. Focus on the Family wants to help you in your walk. You can contact us Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Mountain time) at: 855-771-HELP (4357) or help@FocusOnTheFamily.com.
If someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, it’s important for you to tell a trusted adult. You’re protecting your friend by helping them get help, even if they accuse you of breaking their trust.
If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
Life Matters
Suicide, like any other death, means the end of a unique human life created by God. Throughout Scripture, God makes it very clear that He places a high value on human life. Verses like Psalm 139:13 show how God purposefully creates every life: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” Verses like Genesis 9:6 show how seriously God takes murder: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” God values human life because every individual on earth is created in His own image.
Fighting the Enemy
Suicidal thoughts often stem from lies that move into your brain and don’t leave. I’m worthless. I’m ugly. No one could ever really care about me. My family would be better off without me. I’m all alone in this. No one sees me. This depression will never leave. God is angry with me. He must not love me.
The danger of lies like these is that they can be incredibly powerful and convincing. Satan is the father of lies, and he’s had plenty of practice.
Peter wrote to the early church, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
First, Peter makes it clear that we have a strong enemy who hates us. Like a hungry lion, he is watchful, crafty, and bold. There’s nothing he wants more than to hurt Christians, and he’ll do anything to make it happen.
But that’s not the end of the story. Peter encourages us to resist the devil, standing firm in our faith. The truth is that we can resist Satan’s attacks on us through the power of Jesus Christ.
Paul wrote in Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The fight against Satan’s lies and temptations is never hopeless because we know that Jesus has already won the war. We can become more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus.
When you’re being tempted, remember 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
You Are Not Alone
There’s another important truth in Peter’s letter. Peter reminds the Christians he is writing to that they are not alone in the suffering and temptation they are experiencing. That’s as true today as it was 2,000 years ago. You may feel like no one else can understand the pain you’re experiencing, but Christians all over the world and across history have experienced the same emotions you might be struggling with.
You probably know that the New Testament was written in Greek and then translated into the English copies we have today. Translating something from one language to another isn’t easy—if you’ve ever used Google Translate, you know this is true. Words or ideas in one language don’t always translate neatly into another.
Here’s an example. The word “you” in English can mean just one person or a whole group of people. But in Greek, there are different words for a singular and a plural “you.” In the passage above, Peter uses the plural “you” over and over again.
Why does this matter? Peter is reminding the Christians that they share a common enemy. They aren’t fighting alone; Satan is after everyone who follows Jesus. When Satan harms one believer, it hurts the whole church.
Teens often think that committing suicide will help them “get revenge” on people who may have hurt them. Or, they may only think about escaping their own pain, believing that those around them will be better off without them around.
These ideas are simply not true. In reality, those who end up hurt most by suicide are the people who care most about the victim—family, friends, and church community. Suicide is devastating and extremely painful for those left behind, causing emotional wounds that never fully heal.
Suicide and Your Brain
Another big contributor to teen suicide is the way the teenage brain works. A teen’s brain is kind of like a house with two floors; the ground floor is where the fight or flight reaction lives, while the logical, analytical, thinking processes live on the second floor. In stressful situations, the upstairs brain can override the downstairs brain, keeping you from reacting impulsively.
During your teenage years, your brain is growing and developing, and your upstairs brain isn’t fully developed. This means that you’re much more likely to reactive impulsively and without thinking about the long-term consequences of your actions. Maybe someone at school says something cruel about you or you go through a messy breakup. Instead of thinking about the situation rationally, your brain goes into fight-or-flight mode, causing you to feel like you can’t keep living. Suicidal thoughts in teens can come from this kind of situation; suicide often seems like the only way to escape.
The truth is that suicide survivors almost always say the same two things. First, they say that they didn’t really believe they would die; they were just trying to escape the pain or send a call for help to the people around them. Second, they talk about how glad they are that they didn’t die.
What can we learn from this? The urge to escape your pain may feel overwhelming, but suicide is not the way to do it. Reaching out for help and confiding your struggle to your parents or another trusted adult may feel impossibly awkward or painful, but it is absolutely worth it. You won’t regret giving yourself another chance at life.
Can a Christian Commit Suicide?
Because of the value God places on human life, He strictly condemns taking someone else’s life unjustly. If murdering another person is a sin, murdering yourself is too. But if someone who claimed to be a Christian commits suicide, does that mean their faith wasn’t real after all? Does the Bible say that suicide is a sin?
To understand how suicide affects Christian faith, let’s look at how sin in general fits into the Christian life.
Sin and the Christian Life
The apostle Paul wrote in the book of Philippians, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ…that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Paul’s greatest desire is to enjoy eternal life with Jesus Christ, and he is willing to set aside all other hopes or triumphs or successes or desires so that he can focus on this goal.
He continues, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Paul isn’t living a perfect life, and he isn’t completely free from the temptations of sin.
The bottom line is this: no Christian will experience perfection and complete freedom from sin until he or she is resurrected. Sin will have some foothold in your life as long as you are living in a fallen, sinful world.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we have the freedom to sin as much as we want to. We have the power to resist sin, to say no to its temptations, and we should use it. But when you fail, remember that God is always ready to receive you with love and mercy when you come to Him in repentance.
Jesus’ blood has covered the sins you committed yesterday, last week, and last year, and the sins you will commit tomorrow, next year, and ten years from now. This should bring great comfort and relief.
So is it possible for someone who truly is a Christian to commit suicide? Based on what we see in Scripture, it seems that the answer is yes. Suicide causes incredible pain, both to God and to the victim’s family and friends who are left behind to mourn them. Suicide is extremely displeasing to God, like any other sin. But the grace of God is deep enough to cover every sin committed by the person who trusts in Him for salvation. If someone you thought was a Christian has committed suicide, don’t give up hope. Instead, trust the mercy and love of God for His children.
Dealing With Suicide
Maybe you’re not dealing with suicidal thoughts yourself, but someone in your life has committed suicide. If this is the case, you’re dealing with a lot of complex emotions and trying to figure out how to deal with an incredibly painful situation. Here are some tips to help you as you work through this difficult time.
- Talk to your parents or someone else you trust about the emotions you’re experiencing. Be honest and open, even when it feels awkward or painful.
- Look for practical ways to serve those who are hurting. We’re called to be the hands and feet of Christ in ministering to a broken world.
- Don’t feel the need to “fix it.” Instead, be willing to offer whatever the other person needs—a listening ear, a comforting hug, or just someone to cry with.
- Reassure yourself and others that this tragedy is not your fault. Family and friends of suicide victims often carry immense guilt, blaming themselves for failing to prevent their loved one from taking their own life.
- Don’t be afraid to talk about memories from your relationship with the person who committed suicide. Remembering positive stories and memories about their loved one can actually be comforting and help people to heal.
- Offer your pain and struggles to God. He understands what you’re feeling better than anyone else. 2 Corinthians 1 describes him as the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction.”
Further Resources
Want to learn more about suicide prevention for teens? Check out Focus on the Family’s resource Alive To Thrive.
Read:
- Christian Depression and Mental Health
- 13 Reasons Why Not
- https://www.focusonthefamily.com/get-help/facing-tragedy/
Watch:
- https://www.focusonthefamily.com/alive-to-thrive/briannes-story/
- https://www.focusonthefamily.com/alive-to-thrive/trevers-story/
- https://www.focusonthefamily.com/alive-to-thrive/god-only-knows/
God Only Knows
Luke and Joel Smallbone of For King and Country discuss the story behind their song, “God Only Knows.”
www.focusonthefamily.com
The post What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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