Some people may be reading this page with more than casual interest. Therefore, we must remind you that we are not Christian counselors and each person must seek one for help with a serious issue like this. When choosing to work with a Christian counselor, it is each person’s responsibility to ask pertinent questions before beginning to confirm their qualities and abilities.

The Key Issue

That said, the first thing to consider with this question is, did the person get right with God and live right for God before they died? People do not make it to heaven, regardless of how they died, if they had not yet accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. That is, suicide is not the issue regarding whether a person goes to heaven. Getting right with God is the issue. You can learn how people get right with God by clicking on this sentence.

Is Suicide Murdering Yourself?

You are probably aware that the Bible strictly forbids murdering anyone. Therefore, some people have stated that people who commit suicide will be judged as murderers (of themselves) and therefore could not reasonably expect to go to heaven. However, the Bible reveals that people can not murder themselves.

As one example, look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, verses 1-17 (Exodus 20:1-17). The first four Commandments specify our behavior towards God:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image. . . . 3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain. . . . 4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

The last six Commandments specify our behavior towards other people:

5. Honor your father and your mother. . . . 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet . . . anything that is your neighbor’s.

Notice that with the exception of the sixth commandment, you can not do them to yourself. This makes sense when you realize that the book of Exodus is one of the books of The Law. That is, it primarily defines civil laws: the type of laws that would be tried in a court today. Therefore, applying such laws against yourself makes no sense. You would find the same concept in other areas of the Bible - murder applies to killing other people, not yourself.

Suicide is not OK

That does not mean that suicide is OK. It only means that it is not specifically forbidden. However, other guidelines lead us to believe that suicide is wrong in God’s eyes. For example, suicide generally is a result of depression, and the Bible does teach us something about that:

God uses all sorts of people in the Bible, but He never uses anyone who is depressed or discouraged. You might find reading 1 Kings chapter 19 instructive. Satan does not care what non-Christians do with their lives.

However, once people become Christians, they have "entered the ball game" and can expect more opposition than when they were "warming the bench." New Christians often report being depressed, because depression and discouragement are two of Satan’s most powerful tools against them.

Further, for those of us who have gotten right with God, several guidelines apply to suicide:

1 Corinthians 10:31 reveal that the Holy Spirit dwells in those who are saved. It is our responsibility to treat Him with respect, and suicide is not appropriate. Genesis 1:26,27 (and similar verses) reveal that we are made in the image of God. This is one of the reasons we are not allowed to murder (see Genesis 9:6,7), so again suicide would be a bad thing.

The Bible teaches us to trust, depend on, and believe in God throughout its length. (Romans 8:28 is one example.) To take your own life would show no faith in God. Notice that although the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Christ were persecuted, tortured, and put to death; they did not commit suicide for an "easy out." They "fought the good fight" to the end (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Be aware of how suicide affects other people’s opinion of the person who died. It is common for people to wonder if someone who commits suicide went to heaven. (That is the reason for this page - get it?) That is a poor testimony for a "Christian warrior."

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