Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Will a christian suicide go to heaven?

  1. #1
    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Everett, Washington
    Posts
    1,629
    Thanked: 1786
    Blog Entries
    1

    Will a christian suicide go to heaven?

    Suicide affects entire families and friends of the person involved in such a tragedy causing untold grief and sorrow.

    I found four suicides mentioned in the Bible:

    *Saul (1 Sam 31:4-5).

    *Ahithophel (2 Sam 17:23).

    *Zimri (1 Kings 16:18).

    *Judas (Matt 27:5)

    Even though some would say Sampson was a suicide, I would disagree.
    I feel he died combating forces of evil and gave his life in the work of God.
    He knew his actions would mean certain death, yet he gave his life. His purpose was to destroy the enemies of God's people and thereby perform a tremendous service.
    I would not classify it as a suicide (my opinion).

    It is my personal belief that the 4 people mentioned above died lost. There is no record that any of these people got right with God in the closing moments of their
    lives. It can also be stated that each of these suicides followed a long series of disobediences to God that climaxed in the taking of their own lives.

    What about a Christian, or even a pastor who has committed this deadly act. Is there hope for them to make heaven, or are all suicides eternally lost?
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    14,487
    Thanked: 5793
    Saul's death is close to being disqualified as a suicide :

    1 Sam 31:3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
    4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”
    But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

    He was mortally wounded and there was no remedy for battlefield wounds like that in those days. Getting killed by someone else than the enemy meant two things, they didn't get to torture him and then kill him themselves and the word of their deeds wouldn't be spread afterwards, creating added despair in Israel and possibly greater war frenzy among the enemy. You would quite possibly have done the same thing yourself in his situation. That doesn't mean that Saul died a believer because there is nothing that suggests that he was one prior to that act.

    Samson's death was technically a suicide, a matter of ending his own life prematurely. They had blinded him and made him a slave and were making him perform at a feast for their idol but that doesn't mean that they had any intention of killing him in the near future. His bringing down the pillars on the Philistines made him a war hero but it was also a suicide. That doesn't mean that his act is comparable to other cases of suicide and that is the point, the situation and intention going into the act matters a whole lot. We know that Samson was a believer at this point because it was God he asked to aid him in bringing down the pillars, which proves that the act of suicide in and of itself didn't disqualify him, to the contrary God aided him in the act.

  3. #3
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    16,274
    Thanked: 14131
    Blog Entries
    1
    I pretty much believe what I heard Bro Hagin say years ago. A Christian can get sick in their mind just like they get sick in their body. A Christian that would commit suicide (or anybody for that matter) isn't in their right mind. So the determining factor is not how they died, but were they truly born again. So yes, I think a true Christian could commit suicide and go to heaven. Christians do all sorts of other things that might directly or indirectly contribute to their death such as smoking, being overweight, etc. We believe they still go to heaven. They seem different on the surface but not really if you really analyze it.

  4. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to fuego For This Useful Post:

    curly sue (08-26-2017), GodismyJudge (08-26-2017), HEAVEN (08-26-2017), Quest (08-28-2017), Romans828 (08-26-2017), tschau (09-02-2017), Valiant Woman (08-27-2017)

  5. #4
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    14,487
    Thanked: 5793
    Judas Iscariot's death seems more hellbent. Some people do commit murder against themselves and suffer no more from insanity than most people on death row do.

  6. #5
    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Everett, Washington
    Posts
    1,629
    Thanked: 1786
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by fuego View Post
    I pretty much believe what I heard Bro Hagin say years ago. A Christian can get sick in their mind just like they get sick in their body. A Christian that would commit suicide (or anybody for that matter) isn't in their right mind. So the determining factor is not how they died, but were they truly born again. So yes, I think a true Christian could commit suicide and go to heaven. Christians do all sorts of other things that might directly or indirectly contribute to their death such as smoking, being overweight, etc. We believe they still go to heaven. They seem different on the surface but not really if you really analyze it.
    If a Christian became mentally disturbed to a degree such as experiencing severe depression or a number of other mental health issues, the results could lead to temporary or total insanity.
    If a born-again believer progressed to such an adverse hopeless mental condition as this, and took their own life, I would hope God would not hold them responsible for such an act.
    The better part of me would say that this type of suicide would die in a saved condition. Of coarse, no one could answer that but God. He alone would know the state of such an individuals mind. In any case, I would commit the situation into God's hands. "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right ?" (Gen 18:25).
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  7. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Smitty For This Useful Post:

    njtom (08-29-2017), Quest (08-28-2017), Romans828 (08-26-2017)

  8. #6
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    14,487
    Thanked: 5793
    So you believe that anyone who dies with sin unrepented of goes to hell ?

  9. #7
    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Everett, Washington
    Posts
    1,629
    Thanked: 1786
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    So you believe that anyone who dies with sin unrepented of goes to hell ?
    No! I don't believe that. If I did I would have been in hell a long time ago. God is merciful and deals with us as a heavenly Father. I've been to the wood shed many times. He who is without sin cast the first stone. It certainly won't be me.
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  10. #8
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    14,487
    Thanked: 5793
    Quote Originally Posted by Smitty View Post
    No! I don't believe that. If I did I would have been in hell a long time ago. God is merciful and deals with us as a heavenly Father. I've been to the wood shed many times. He who is without sin cast the first stone. It certainly won't be me.
    Then the most basic question is if the act killed the person's faith. If it's essentially an act of self murder then it is very likely to do so. As with other acts that involve killing a human being it doesn't have to amount to murder.

  11. #9
    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Everett, Washington
    Posts
    1,629
    Thanked: 1786
    Blog Entries
    1
    Older news article on pastor suicide increase.

    Schaeffer Institute says;
    70% of pastors fight depression while 71% say they are burned out.
    72% say they only study bible for sermon prep.
    80% believe ministry has had a negative affect on their family.
    70% say they don't have a close friend.
    https://www.charismanews.com/opinion...itting-suicide
    If you put God First, you have Him at Last.

  12. #10
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Oslo, Norway
    Posts
    14,487
    Thanked: 5793
    Quote Originally Posted by Smitty View Post
    Older news article on pastor suicide increase.

    Schaeffer Institute says;
    70% of pastors fight depression while 71% say they are burned out.
    72% say they only study bible for sermon prep.
    80% believe ministry has had a negative affect on their family.
    70% say they don't have a close friend.
    https://www.charismanews.com/opinion...itting-suicide
    That most likely includes non-charismatics, which I find believable having talked to many of them on a different forum 15-20 years ago.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Has your Ford Mustang warranty warranty expired? Get a fast online quote from CarWarrantyUS today. Enjoy the open road and leave the repairs to us.