Is Suicide the Unpardonable Sin?

One gentleman writes about his overcoming battle against suicide. He relates the following. “I sat in my car in front of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I had just driven back from a three-day gambling binge in Atlantic City, where I had lost more than $5,000. I had maxed out my credit cards trying to recoup my losses that now surpassed $300,000. My past flashed before me as I tried to get up enough nerve to jump five hundred feet into the Delaware River. I was a decent sort until my marriage broke up, and I began womanizing, drinking, and betting on anything anywhere, I thought.

I am a retired chief master sergeant of the Air Force. I had previously won numerous awards, including Citizen of the Year in Delaware and Sergeant of the Year in the Air Force, and I had shared the National Freedom Foundation’s highest award. My works of patriotism were entered into the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate. Back then, I had a purpose in life. Now I was an addicted sleaze. I took a swig of the drink I had carried out of the Resorts Hotel and Casino, opened the door, and walked toward the bridge. A state trooper came by and yelled, “Car trouble?” “No, sir, just getting some air,” I said. I climbed back in my blue Sprint and drove home, where I spent a lot of lonely hours contemplating my failures. It was 4:00 a.m. on a Sunday. I drank more booze to help me sleep.

About 3:00 p.m., the phone woke me up. It was Jim, an old friend who always wanted me to go to church with him. He said, “I prayed for you this morning, Joe,” and invited me to go with him that night to hear a guest speaker. I said OK, figuring he would buy me a hamburger after church. At the Pentecostal church, the visiting speaker gave an eloquent sermon and then invited individuals who were hurting to come forward. A long line of people went to the platform. The pastor stood in front of each. Several fell backward. “Those people are being slain in the power of the Holy Spirit,” my friend explained. “Let’s go up.” I waited until there were only a few people left. When I got close to the pastor, he asked, “What can God do for you, my son?”

I blurted out something about my asthma. He raised his hand, closed his eyes, and began to pray. I felt a peace come over me. The next instant, I was lying in Jim’s arms. Did he push me down? I wondered as I glanced around and saw I was the only one left on the platform. “How long have I been lying here?” I asked. “About eight minutes,” Jim said as he helped me to my feet. From that day on, I began to walk in Christ. Today I think of how wonderfully God works. If my friend hadn’t called, if I hadn’t been hungry for a hamburger, if the visiting pastor had not grabbed my interest, I might have ended my life jumping off a bridge.¹

What if Joseph Pfister had jumped off the bridge? What would have happened to him? Does God think that suicide is an unpardonable sin? That’s our focus today, that’s what we are talking about in this week’s Light on Life.

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Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put into operation.
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Get it settled in your heart and then fight the good fight of faith against your head. Cast down imaginations. Cast down reasonings. Know that God has a plan for your life and that He is not through with you yet.

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Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony. Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11).
This week’s question is:

Question: How did you overcome thoughts of suicide? Please consider leaving your story in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

You can find additional information on the subject of John’s Gospel in the resources listed below.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 40 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. Both he and his wife Sharon of 35 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is both the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

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Podcast Notes

The Question of the Day

We are going to start off this sensitive and serious podcast with the question of the day.
And, here it is.

“I want to know about suicide and our guaranteed salvation, and how we reconcile those things. If I understand the Bible correctly, we are forgiven for all of our sins, past present and future. I am also interested in the counter argument that suicide is a ‘mortal sin’ that can’t be forgiven. — Please advise.”

This question came from one of our military veterans involved in the Iraq conflict in 2004.
I don’t know if you know, but veterans are committing suicide at the alarming rate of twenty-two per day, so this question is a valid one.
What happens to a person when they commit suicide?
Do they go to hell?
Is the action of taking one’s life a sin so grievous that God does not forgive it?
Well, the answer to that is absolutely, positively, NO.
Let’s take a look at why the answer is no.

Seven Suicide References in Scripture

There are at least seven suicide accounts in the Bible.
Here are the seven.

Suicide Reference Number One: Abimelech

Abimelech was the son of Gideon, the judge.
After Gideon dies, Abimelech hires mercenaries to murder his seventy brothers so he can assume power.
You know in life, you reap what you sow.
And so, Abimelech ends up having his skull crushed by a woman who drops a millstone on his head from a tower up above.
Because he didn’t want men to say that it was a woman who was responsible for his death, he asks his armor-bearer to slay him with the sword.
So, Abimelech’s pride has much to do with his demise.
Now you find that account in Judges 9:50–57.

Suicide Reference Number Two: King Saul and His Armor Bearer

A similar story surrounds King Saul and his armor-bearer.
Saul, while in battle, is struck by archers.
His wounds are not mortal, but he doesn’t want to die at the hands of his enemies, nor does he want to be tortured by them.
So Saul and his armor-bearer fall on their swords.
You find that account in 1 Samuel. 31:1–7.

Suicide Reference Number Three: Ahithophel

Ahithophel committed suicide in 2 Samuel 17:23.
He was a brilliant man, a counselor of kings.
He was, in fact, King David’s counselor.
The words of advice in his mouth were like the very words of God.

2 Samuel 16:23 (ESV) — 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.

After his military counsel to Absalom was rejected, he “went off home to his city, … set his house in order, and hanged himself.”

Suicide Reference Number Four: Zimri

Zimri, who reigned only seven days as King of Israel, set fire to his house and died in the flames when things did go his way militarily.
Check out 1 Kings 16:15–20 for that story.

Suicide Reference Number Five: Judas Betrayer of Jesus

Most believers know that Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, hung himself.
You may be more familiar with his account as listed in Matthew 27:3–5 than some of the other accounts we’ve talked about above.

Suicide Reference Number Six: The Jailer in Acts

Acts 16:27–28 (ESV) — 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

According to Roman law, if a prisoner escaped, the jailer who had charge of him was compelled to suffer the penalty that was to have been inflicted on the prisoner. This accounts for the despair of the jailer in this case. He preferred death by his own hands to the death by torture, which probably was the fate awaiting some of the prisoners whom he thought had escaped.²

Suicide Reference Number Seven: The Prophet Jonah

Jonah 1:11–15 (ESV) — 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the LORD, “O LORD, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

What was Jonah thinking about when he asked these men to throw him overboard?

Why Is Suicide Not an Unpardonable Sin

Suicide is a sin but it’s not the unpardonable sin.
Here are some reasons why.

Suicide is Not Located in Any of the Sin Lists of the New Testament

Galatians 5:19–21 (TNIV) — 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

In Galatians five, the works of the flesh are contrasted with the works of the recreated born-again human spirit.
Take note that suicide is not on this list.
Here is another sin list in the book of First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 (TNIV) — 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Sin is missing the mark.
It is breaking God’s Law or Word.

What about the Ten Commandments?

The Ten Commandments are on display in Exodus 20:1–17.
The sixth commandment is the one we want to look at.
It states: You shall not kill.
Listed that way in the KJV leaves some open questions like what about when a soldier goes into combat for his country?
Is he in violation of the sixth commandment when he takes a life in battle?
Well, you could make a case for that if the sixth commandment did indeed read ‘you shall not kill.’
But it doesn’t.
The word kill means ‘murder’ in the Hebrew.
You shall not murder, is how the sixth commandment reads.
Again, you don’t find a prohibition against suicide in the Ten Commandments unless you think it’s the Sixth Commandment and you would have to have it say this way, ‘You shall not murder yourself.’
It’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?

Life is the Will of God

Now, it is super easy to tell what God’s will is where the subject of suicide is concerned.
Suicide is the realm of death, and God is a God of life.
There is no death in Him.
Listen to the following verses.

Choose Life

Deuteronomy 30:19 (TNIV) — 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

So, the Lord admonishes us to make a choice, and He gives us a little help with that choice.
He said, ‘I Have set before you life and death.’
And, then He follows that up with a gentle nudge, and a wink in his eye, He whispers ‘choose life.’
So, the right choice is always life.

Choose a Full Life Span

Exodus 23:26 (TNIV) — 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

Did you hear that, a full life span?
The emphasis is on the word ‘full.’
A full life span is not full if it’s cut short by suicide.
Full life span means you don’t die of diseases that shorten your life.
The Bible teaches that there are certain things you can do to lengthen your life and, at the same time, there some actions you can take that will shorten your life.
So, if God tells you what you can do to lengthen your life, then prolonging your life so you can fulfill all your days must be God’s will.
Listen to these verses in Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:1–2 (ESV) — 1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2 for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

Proverbs 10:27 (ESV) — 27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

With that thought, here’s the illustration of the day.
It’s easy to live a long life in America. Look at the statistics: Out of every 100,000 persons, 88,361 reach age 50, more than 70,000 make it to 70, and almost 17,000 get to 85 or more. Staying around a long time, however, should not be our primary goal. Rather, we should be concerned with giving significance and value to all our years and not letting them end in shame and disgrace. How we finish the race depends to a great extent on the pace we set along the way. Joseph Wittig remarked that when we write people’s biographies we should start with their death, not their birth. After all, we have nothing to do with the way our life began, but we have everything to do with the way it ends.³

Choose Abundant Life

John 10:10 (ESV) — 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

So, just from these three verses, we can see what the will of God is.
It’s all about life; it’s all about quality and quantity.
God is a God of life, not death.
But you have to choose it.
You have to choose Him.
Now, when you don’t choose what God chooses, that’s missing the mark.
And, missing the mark is sin.
Yes, suicide is a sin, but it’s not the unpardonable sin.

No One Commits Suicide Alone

Loneliness is just one factor, and there are many more, that push a person towards suicide.
But no one commits suicide alone.
They always have help.
It’s the same way with sin.
Nobody sins by themselves, they always have help.
You have the sin nature in your flesh, pushing you along.
Yes, you are born again.
Your spirit is alive unto God.
You’re a new man, a new creature in Christ.
Old things have passed away.
That’s what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says.
But, just because you are new on the inside doesn’t mean you are new on the outside.
If you were bald-headed before you got saved, you’re still that way after you commit to Christ.
The outside man didn’t change; the inside man did.
The sin nature which resides in your flesh presses on you.
As believers in Jesus, it’s one of the area’s where we have to learn to apply the fruit of self-control.
Some days you do a better job resisting the impulses of the flesh than others.
Some days, you need that passage in First John.

1 John 1:9 (ESV) — 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John is talking to believers here, not sinners.
Sinners don’t need to confess their sins.
They need to confess Jesus as Lord.

Romans 10:9–10 (ESV) — 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

So just like you had help with sin, you’ve never sinned alone, people have help committing suicide.
Several factors bring people to the edge of the cliff.
But, to jump off the cliff, people must have help, the wrong kind of help.
Help that only comes from demons and evil spirits.
You see the will to live is too strong in man.
So, the enemy speaks to people’s minds trying to break down their will.
All suicide is assisted suicide.
The enemy tells people that the world would be better off; your family would be better off without them.
It’s all a lie.
The enemy is a liar and the father of it.
It’s vital to realize where the real battleground is; it’s in the mind, it’s in the soul of man.
And, the number one weapon of choice is resistance.
Some years ago a Star Trek series called Next Generation featured an alien universe conquering race called the Borg.
The Borg would assimilate the races and planets they conquering with the slogan ‘Resistance is futile.’
It’s a lie.
Resistance is everything.

James 4:7 (ESV) — 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Resist implies ability.
Resisting means you have more power than the devil.
It means the enemy can’t force you to do anything.
Teach resistance.
Parents teach your children to resist wrong thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (ESV) — 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

If you are praying for a person who is struggling in this area, remember to deal with the entity behind the problem.
Resist the devil, and he will hit the road running.
The enemies activity is not the only answer, but it is part of it.
Next week, we will talk about what the real unpardonable sin is.

Why It’s Important You Know You Are Sons of God

References:

—Joseph J. Pfister, “The Comeback,” Pentecostal Evangel (October 15, 2000) ↩
James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 528. ↩
Our Daily Bread, February 24, 1995, Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002). ↩

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Is Suicide the Unpardonable Sin?

Podcast: Light on Life Season 6 Episode 30

by Emery Horvath

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