The Suicidal Christian

II Corinthians 1

8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Some people think that a Christian can not be suicidal. This is not the case. Christians can fall into very hard times. Elijah wanted to end his own life. He thought there was no hope. Even the great apostle Paul at times got very low. The bible is full of broken people. There are people in the Bible that took their own life. Sampson is one, he pulled down the pillars of the temple and was crushed to death. Saul is another, he fell on his sword and his armor bearer did too. These were men of God and I believe they are now in heaven. Another misconception is that if a Christian commits suicide, they will go to hell. This is not true either. The Bible never specifically addresses suicide. Suicide can instead be addressed as sin. All sin is brought under the judgement of God. That is unless you have Jesus Christ to forgive all of your sins. Suicide, is the same as any other sin. Now, I am not condoning suicide, I am just clearing up misconceptions about it.

What would lead a person who has the Holy Spirit, to fall into such despair. The first thing that comes to mind is sin. Some people after they get saved live anyway they want to and God has to step in and correct them. The Bible refers to this as the chastening of the Lord. God will not allow his children to live like the world. God will destroy their life in most cases to separate them from the world and the sin they love. This can have devastating affects on a persons life. All their hopes and dreams can go up and in smoke. If a Christian holds to tight to this world, their life can be destroyed when it is taken away. If you are a suicidal Christian, ask yourself where the pain is coming from? If it is coming from the world, it may be God separating you from the world. If you were living in habitual sins and your life suddenly fell apart, God may be trying to separate you from those sins. My advice to anyone that may be under the chastening of the Lord, is to draw near to God in prayer and ask him for help. God requires Christians to serve him after they get saved. If a Christian chooses to disobey and live for themselves, their life will become miserable. Submit to God and live for him in all you do, be a good employee, be a Godly parent, go to church every week, be honest and kind in all things. Make yourself as much like Christ as possible, and in time things will turn around.

Another reason for wanting to commit suicide, is God is breaking is you. God works with broken vessels. He does not have a lot of need for big shot people. If a person thinks of themselves higher than they ought, God will bring them low if he needs too. This is not the case for everyone, just certain people. Other people are broken for a particular purpose, not to lower them. Being broken by God is an extremely painful experience. Much like going through chastening. In order for a person to serve a particular purpose for God, he must get them to a place where he can use them. If you think that God is breaking you, seek him out in prayer. Be patient and God will reveal his calling for your life. When you realize what God wants for you, do it. Your life will turn around and the joy of the Lord will come in.

The last reason for a suicidal Christian is that God is testing you. If you say you love God, he may find out how much. If you thank God for all his blessings, he may find out if you love him or the blessings. God can test people by taking away things they love, in order to see how much they love him. He may go as far as taking a child from a person. This seems like the most cruel of all the 3 reasons given. How can God be so mean to do that to someone. He can take away all their hopes and dreams, to see if they love him. This can make people very bitter and drive some to suicide. God's greatest desire for our lives is to put him first. Whatever he does to us, good and bad, has to be accepted as his will. We have to put ourselves second, if we truly want a victorious Christian life. God also wants us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ, and he will do what it takes to get us there.

All of these explanations have the same end goal. That is to put God first, submit to his will, and become like Jesus Christ. Some suicidal Christians never figure this out and wind up killing themselves.

Hebrews 10:31-It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

God must be approached with fear, he has the power to destroy anyone. We must submit ourselves to him. This can be painful and it takes time. God does not want us to be miserable and suicidal, but he also does not make compromises. Learn about who God is and find out his plan for your life.

For anyone not saved, this is the time to do so. This world is falling apart and time is running out. The only way to heaven is by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. We are all sinners in need of a savior. The only payment for sin is pure innocent blood. Christ died for your sins, when you believe that, you get saved from hell. No amount of good works is ever good enough to get anyone to heaven. Only the precious blood of Jesus Christ can take away sins.

Hebrews 9

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

I Corinthians 15

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Ephesians 2

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.