What does the Bible teach about suicide?
Hi, welcome to today's lesson.
We're gonna talk about a very sobering subject, the subject of suicide.
Let me start off by saying, if you're thinking about committing suicide and that's why you're
watching this video, please keep watching it.
It's only gonna last about eight minutes and then there's probably going to be a part two
that I encourage you to watch as well.
All right.
But if you're thinking about it, obviously I'm going to try to talk you out of it, because
people who are considering suicide are looking at it as a solution to their problems, and
I'm going to say right from the outset that it's not a good solution in the large majority
of cases.
Okay?
First of all, it's an epidemic problem in our world today.
It is estimated that in the United States, anywhere from 100 to 120 people every day
take their own lives, and about 20 to 30 times more than that make an attempt at taking their
own lives.
So we don't know how genuine their attempt was, they might just be very distressed and
trying to get someone's attention and be crying out for help, and so that's why their suicide
attempt was not successful, that they really didn't want to kill themselves and they were
hoping that somehow they'd survive.
Around the world it's not much different, about 2,200 people every day take their own
lives and 20 to 30 times that amount make an attempt.
Suicide globally is the second leading cause of death of those between the ages of 15 and
29.
And so, it's a big problem, and our hearts go out to people who are in that frame of
mind, where it seems to them that the best solution to what they're facing is to take
their own life.
You know, that those folks are distressed and make no mistake about it, they're thinking
that this is a solution to the crisis, or the problem that they're facing.
Well, what does the Bible have to say about that?
Well, of course the Bible never says, "Thou shalt not commit suicide."
But Bible does say, "Thou shall not commit murder," murder is taking the life of another
person, I don't think technically it's defined as taking one's own life.
But for that reason, because God said, "Thou shall not murder," many Christian teachers
and commentators and theologians are quick to say, "Well, suicide is self murder, and
so it's forbidden by God."
Well, I would agree, God doesn't want anyone to commit self murder, anymore than he wants
them to commit what would be more technically defined as murder, the selfish killing of
another person.
But I'd also want to point out, in some degree of, I think sanity and sympathy, that murder,
the taking of someone else's life, that's a selfish, horrendous, horrific act, and no
one has any right of course to do that, because it's pure selfishness.
But people commit suicide, they're not motivated by hatred, normally, for other people, they're
desperate people who can't see a way out of their situation, and so it's a solution to
them to end their problem.
And I'm certain that God has sympathy for those people, and his attitude is not so much
of, "Thou shalt not murder," but, "Oh my goodness, I want to help you to get a different reference,
a different frame of mind, a different understanding, so you can see it from a different perspective,
so you're not looking at suicide as a good alternative or a solution to what you're facing."
Okay?
Scripture does list some people that committed suicide, and for the most case, I think it
was like six people altogether, and the majority of those cases are people who knew they were
going to die anyways.
There was a judge by the name of Abimilech, you can read about him in the ninth chapter
of Judges and he wasn't a good guy, he killed a lot of people unrighteously, just a rotten
person.
And in one of his escapades, his exploits of trying to murder some people who had all
gathered in a big stone tower, a woman dropped a rock from the top and hit him in the head,
and it fatally wounded him.
And he said to one of his buddies, "Hey, kill me, run your sword through me," lest that
anyone would go say that a woman killed him.
What a pathetic situation right?
The last thoughts that you're having is, "I don't want people to be saying a woman killed
me after I'm dead," and that's your primary concern.
He should have been saying, "Oh, pray for me, I'm about to die, and God has let this
woman kill me, and maybe God is not happy with me, and maybe I better repent and ask
his forgiveness."
That's what people ought to be thinking about.
And let me then add to that, that if, looking at it from what the Scripture has to say,
that that's the big consideration when it comes to suicide.
Because the Bible teaches that there is an afterlife, and that we do reap what we sow,
and there is the possibility of eternal life and forgiveness, because we're all sinners,
forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
But the person who doesn't die in the state of being forgiven dies in the state of being
under the wrath of God, and going into eternity with their sin still on their account.
So you see that, as you consider, is suicide the best option for me, well, for a person
who doesn't have their sins forgiven suicide is not a good option.
You're, you're jumping out of the frying pan, as it were, into the fire.
Because you might think that what you're facing is overwhelming, but going into eternity without
your sins forgiven, and then guaranteed to reap what you've sown, that God in his justice
is going to repay you exactly what you deserve, so you don't want to kill yourself, you want
to live at least as long as you can to get in a different state with God, a different
standing with God that you'd be forgiven.
Okay?
So that's about the most important thing I can say in this first of probably, maybe two
or three little lessons on the subject of suicide, if you're considering suicide, may
I ask you, please stop and consider Jesus Christ.
The son of God came to this Earth, became a man, and he lived, and he died, and he came
back to life.
And he revealed to us a lot about the afterlife, and he has a right to reveal that because
he's the creator, he's God.
And so, if Jesus is the son of God, you don't want to commit suicide, because you know you're
going to stand before him to give an account for your life.
And you if you're going to commit suicide, that's a good indication that Jesus is not
your Lord, you're not living to serve him.
So the final act of your life is a sin, and now you're going to go stand before him and
give an account for all of your sin, okay?
So you don't want to commit suicide.
What you want to do is believe in Jesus and become his follower, and then look to him
to help you work through what it is that's giving you the thought that maybe you should
commit suicide.
Okay, well, I'm out of time for this little lesson, I'll pick up right here in the next
one.
I hope to see you then.