What does the Bible say about suicide?

Some people call suicide "murder" because it is the intentional taking of one's life. Numerous reports of suicide in the Bible help us answer our difficult questions on the subject.

Questions Christians often ask about suicide
Does God forgive suicide or is it an unforgivable sin?
Do Christians who commit suicide go to hell?
Are there suicide cases in the Bible?
7 people committed suicide in the Bible
Let's start by looking at the seven suicide accounts in the Bible.

Abimelech (Judges 9:54)

After crushing the skull under a millstone which was dropped by a woman from the Tower of Shechem, Abimelech asked his owner to kill him with a sword. He didn't want him to say that a woman had killed him.

Samson (Judges 16: 29-31)

By collapsing a building, Samson sacrificed his life, but in the meantime he destroyed thousands of enemy Philistines.

Saul and his armor (1 Samuel 31: 3-6)

After losing his children and all his troops in battle and his sanity long before, King Saul, assisted by his armor bearer, ended his life. Then Saul's servant killed himself.

Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17:23)

Dishonored and rejected by Absolom, Ahithophel returned home, settled his affairs and hanged himself.

Zimri (1 Kings 16:18)

Instead of being taken prisoner, Zimri burned the king's palace and died in the flames.

Judah (Matthew 27: 5)

After betraying Jesus, Judas Iscariot was overcome with remorse and hanged himself.

In each of these cases, except for Samson, suicide in the Bible is presented in an unfavorable light. They were ungodly men who acted in despair and misfortune. Samson's case was different. And while his life was not a model of holy life, Samson was honored among the faithful heroes of Hebrews 11. Some consider Samson's final act as an example of martyrdom, a sacrificial death that allowed him to fulfill his mission assigned by God. In any case, we know that Samson was not condemned by God to hell for his actions .

Does God Forgive Suicide?
There is no doubt that suicide is a terrible tragedy. For a Christian, it is an even greater tragedy because it is a waste of a life that God intended to use in a glorious way.

It would be difficult to argue that suicide is not a sin, because it is the taking of a human life, or to put it bluntly, a murder. The Bible clearly expresses the sanctity of human life (Exodus 20:13; see also Deuteronomy 5:17; Matthew 19:18; Romans 13: 9).

God is the author and the giver of life (Acts 17:25). The scriptures say that God breathed the breath of life in humans (Genesis 2: 7). Our lives are a gift from God. Therefore, giving and taking life should remain in his sovereign hands (Job 1:21).

In Deuteronomy 30: 11-20, you can hear God's heart cry out for his people to choose life:

“Today I gave you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I invite heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants could live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him and firmly committed to him. This is the key to your life ... "(NLT)

So, can a sin as serious as suicide destroy the possibility of salvation?

The Bible tells us that at the time of salvation a believer's sins are forgiven (John 3:16; 10:28). When we become children of God, all our sins, even those committed after salvation, are no longer held against us.

Ephesians 2: 8 says: “God saved you with his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for it; it is a gift from God ”. (NLT) So, we are saved by the grace of God, not by our good deeds. In the same way that our good works do not save us, our bad works or our sins cannot prevent us from saving us.

The apostle Paul made it clear in Romans 8: 38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of God:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Neither death nor life, nor angels nor demons, nor our fears for today nor our worries for tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from love of God. No power in heaven above or in earth below - in truth, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)
There is only one sin that can separate a person from God and send him to hell. The only unforgivable sin is the refusal to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Anyone who turns to Jesus for forgiveness is made righteous by his blood (Romans 5: 9) which covers our sin: past, present and future.

God's perspective on suicide
The following is a true story of a Christian man who committed suicide. The experience offers an interesting perspective on the issue of Christians and suicide.

The man who killed himself was the son of a church staff member. Before long he had been a believer, he touched many lives for Jesus Christ. His funeral was one of the most moving monuments ever conducted.

With more than 500 mourners gathered for nearly two hours, person after person testified how this man had been used by God. He had shown countless lives to faith in Christ and shown them the way of the Father's love. The mourners left the service convinced that what had driven the man to commit suicide had been his inability to shake up his addiction to drugs and the failure he felt like husband, father and son.

Although his was a sad and tragic ending, however, his life undeniably testified of the redemptive power of Christ in a surprising way. It is very difficult to believe that this man has gone to hell.

The fact is that no one can truly understand the depth of someone else's suffering or the reasons that could push a soul to such despair. Only God knows what's in a person's heart (Psalm 139: 1-2). Only the Lord knows the extent of the pain that could lead a person to the point of committing suicide.

Yes, the Bible treats life as a divine gift and something that humans must appreciate and respect. No human being has the right to take life or someone else's. Yes, suicide is a terrible tragedy, even a sin, but it does not deny the act of redemption from the Lord. Our salvation rests firmly in the accomplished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Bible states: "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13, NIV)