Resources to aid your Understanding
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Subtitle: An Automatic Ticket To Hell?
The subject of taking of one's own life is an abhorrent thing to discuss, but I feel it is necessary because so many hold unscriptural views where it is concerned. In spite of the widely-held belief that a Christian who commits suicide loses their salvation and goes to hell, we need to be aware that nowhere in the Word of God is this concept stated! Like many other beliefs having no biblical basis, this notion had its origin in Roman Catholic dogma and has since spread throughout all of Christendom.
Any murder, including that of self, is wrong. It is a sin and the Bible says so in both the Old and New Testaments. But the only specific sin guaranteed to result in eternal separation from God--because He will not forgive it-- is found in the following verse:
"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men" Matthew 12:31 (KJV)
When we look at this verse in context, we find that the Pharisees accused the Lord Jesus Christ of working miracles through the power of Beelzebub--the "prince of the devils" (vs.24). And in making this accusation, they blasphemed the Holy Spirit because He was providing the spiritual power for the miracles of Christ. Can anyone commit this specific sin today? In our opinion they cannot because public demonstrations of such miracles to authenticate the ministry of Israel's Messiah are no longer taking place. But even if we are mistaken and it can still be done, the fact remains that this particular sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only sin that will not be forgiven to men. Suicide, then, is obviously not that sin!
Sad to say, the doctrinal concept of forgiven sin is so misunderstood by most of those who are saved that many spend their lives "looking over their shoulder" in dread of doing something to lose their salvation! In our article "The Eternal Security Of The Genuine Saint" (www.cuttingedge.org/articles/p190.htm), we show that once we are born again and become part of God's family, loss of salvation is impossible. Even though the new birth does not remove the present reality of sin (as Christians we continue to sin because of our sinful human nature, but we must strive to keep it to a minimum), positionally speaking we are now, and forever will be, sinless in God's sight! The doctrine of justification absolutely demands it. As we try to point out in the article about eternal security, justification is the judicial act whereby God declares the sinner to be "just"--literally innocent--in His sight. It is an eternal declaration of total innocence--not just a pardon. Therefore, when our sin was forgiven through Christ's atoning sacrifice on our behalf, the forgiveness is total and forever. My Christian friend, this includes those sins we will commit in the future. Remember that when the Lord died on Calvary's cross, all of our sins were yet future and for His sake they were freely and graciously forgiven by God the Father!
So with these bedrock facts in mind, can a genuine child of God ever do anything to lose his/her salvation? The answer is a resounding NO!! And that includes suicide. Surely we all agree that no rational human will ever take their own life and when it does take place, it is the irrational act of one who is mentally impaired. Can a Christian suffer from mental illness? Absolutely and I personally know some who are thus afflicted. And while some experts rightly argue the human mind is abstract and thus cannot be ill, the brain itself is a concrete entity and subject to physical illness. Theories about insanity deal with the difference between the physical organ itself and the thoughts it "processes," but one fact is irrefutable--chemical imbalances in the brain have been proven to cause irrational behavior, up to and including suicide. Some Christians are among those who suffer from bipolar disorder ("manic depressive") and must take drugs (lithium, etc.) to control the disease. Severe depression and suicidal thoughts along with "voices" urging that they kill themselves are tragic characteristics of this illness. Undiagnosed and/or untreated, this disease can and does cause individuals to do the unthinkable, but rest assured that when it happens to one of God's own--they are never in danger of losing their salvation.
If one of your loved ones took their own life and you know in your heart that they once exhibited the fruit of the Spirit in their daily walk, take comfort in that memory because the awful finality of that one sin cannot erase the fact of their relationship to Christ. The sin was forgiven before it ever took place. Praise the Lord!!
If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.
If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.
We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order—Kingdom of Antichrist—in their daily news.
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God bless you.