Is Suicide Forgiveable?

Suicide is a final and tragic sin that a person commits against themselves and God. Is it unforgivable? According to the Bible, salvation is not dependent upon works – or a lack thereof. 

Romans 3:22-23 (NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

• Suicide is self-murder, and yet even murderers can be forgiven. 

Luke 23:41-43 (NLT) “We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

There Is An Unforgiveable Sin

Suicide is not the “unforgivable sin.” All sins are covered – past, present, and future – the moment you trust Jesus for salvation. The unforgivable sin is dying apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 12:31-32 So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

• The “unforgivable sin” is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. But what does that mean?
• This is not a sin a person can accidentally commit by saying or thinking the wrong thing one time.
• In Mark 3, Jesus is speaking against the religious leaders of Israel. These men knew the scriptures and had seen Jesus’s miracles, so they had every reason to believe he was the promised messiah. Instead, they said he was demon-possessed.
• The Jewish leaders blasphemed the Holy Spirit but their true sin was unbelief. Their unbelief manifested as blasphemy against God’s Holy Spirit.
• The unforgivable sin is rejecting Jesus Christ as God’s messiah and your savior. When we know who Jesus is yet refuse to call him our lord, we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit who empowered his ministry and proving that we do not possess saving faith in Christ.
• For those who do possess saving faith in Christ, then, every other sin is forgivable! Including suicide.
• But people object: someone who commits suicide has no opportunity to repent of that sin and ask God for forgiveness. What then?
• Forgiveness of sins before God is not based on asking for forgiveness for each and every one. We all have plenty of sins we aren’t even aware of. Forgiveness of sins is based on trusting in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross to pay for all our sins, whether they are recognized, or specifically confessed, or not.
• Consider this scenario. I’m getting ready to cross the street. As I step out, a driver comes by really fast and way too close to the curb. I sin at that moment by cursing and hating that person. As soon as he has driven by, I step out into the street to finish crossing. But distracted by that driver, I don’t see the bus coming from the other direction. It hits me, and I die. I never had the opportunity to confess or ask forgiveness for my sinful, angry response. Is that sin forgiven? If the answer is “Yes” (and it should be), then suicide is also forgiven. If the answer is “No” then anyone who dies immediately after sinning will be excluded from heaven - whether they trusted in Jesus or not.

1 John 5:12-13 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

• We’re not saying that sin doesn’t matter. It is God’s purpose that we grow in our daily victory over sin. Grace is never an excuse for sin. But we have eternal life, not by how we live, but by who we trust.

The Real Question

The real question for those considering suicide is this: are you experiencing the life Jesus envisions for you? 

John 10:10 (NLT) The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

• Satan (the thief) would love to influence you to kill and destroy yourself. Jesus wants just the opposite: to give a rich, satisfying life. Living his way is a full, meaningful kind of life.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT) By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

• God has given you everything you need for living a satisfying life – are you tapping into it all?
• We realize that people go through times of despair. Also the power of mental illness, which can lead to suicide. We live in a broken, fallen world. Not everything works the way God designed it. Jesus will heal it all in eternity. But in this life, we need to take advantage of medicines and therapies that can help.
• You can have a better emotional life. It starts with pursuing a relationship with Jesus and investing in all that provides: the presence of the Holy Spirit, the insight of the Bible, and relationships with other believers.