Why is suicide the "unforgiveable sin"?

Maybe it's because once you are dead you can't ask to be forgiven?

 

When I was being raised as a Catholic, I was taught that way too Christine. In fact, if a Catholic committed suicide, they were not even allowed to be buried in a Catholic cemetery. I don't know if that has changed or not.

Now that I am a born again believer; I know the only unforgiveable sin (the one that will send you to hell) is not accepting Jesus Christ as your personal saviour because, by doing that, you are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit i.e. you do not believe Jesus is the Son of God and are attributing works of Jesus to the devil.

Sue

 

Some would say that suicide, like any other sin, is forgiven, because when the believer receives Christ his sins are forgiven "past, present, and future". Others would argue that forgiveness for sins, even for the believer, is contingent on the believer continuing to confess and repent of those sins he may commit (and also on the believer forgiving others). Therefore, proponents of this second position would deduce that since a person can't confess or repent of suicide after he/she is dead, then that sin is therefore "unforgivable".

 

I don't believe it is an unforgiveable sin. There is absolutely no scriptural support for that, unless you believe in a very fragile security of the believer. Suicide occurred a number of times in the bible, and I doubt that all of them are now in hell because of it, or that ANYONE is in hell simply because of it.
NOTHING says that if a Christian does something wrong he's banned to hell until he confesses it in this mortal life. If there is, show it to me.
Gina

 

I agree that suicide is not 'the unforgiveable sin.' I believe the unforgiveable sin is one, while it obviously involves what has been stated, is not wholly that. In other words, the relationship between Israel and God is that, they saw not the Trinity, when the Pharisees attributed to Christ of working through Beezebub, this was then blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, by which He really worked, and a denial of the Trinity now revealed at the Baptism of Christ.

There is no sin for the believer that is unforgiveable--Romans 8 declares this.

Bro. Dallas

 

I can see no scripture that could convincingly prove that suicide is an unforgivable sin.

Sometimes the Church seems to put its head in the sand with this issue. We need to talk about it and find answers. Many Christians have done this.

We need to be there for these people.

 

Suicide is not an unforgivable sin. God's mercy is such that when He saves, He saves forever. Suicide, like any taking of life is aserious thing, but salvation depends on God, not us.

Regards
Bob

 

Dear Christine:

I believe you might be referring to the scripture at 1 John 5:16 "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death."

All sins are forgiven thru the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Col. 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature. God made you alive, with Christ. He forgave us ALL our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

So from this scripture I would say even if a Christian commits suicide, the blood of Christ, forgives that sin. We do not know what state the Christian's mind was in at that moment, but please remember that a child of God is never forsaken. Heb. 13:5 ....because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I believe God's word here "Never means Never" once we have accepted Christ.

So there is one sin that could never be forgiven by God to any of us, that sin would be rejection of Jesus Christ. For rejecting Christ as our Lord and Savior is the unforgiveable sin. Remember the Pharisees, in Matt. 23, the many woes to the Pharisee's for their unbelief in Jesus Christ. Unbelief in Jesus Christ is the unforgiveable sin.

In His Grace, Pam

 

Dear Christine:

I believe you might be referring to the scripture at 1 John 5:16 "If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death."

All sins are forgiven thru the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Col. 2:13-14 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature. God made you alive, with Christ. He forgave us ALL our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

So from this scripture I would say even if a Christian commits suicide, the blood of Christ, forgives that sin. We do not know what state the Christian's mind was in at that moment, but please remember that a child of God is never forsaken. Heb. 13:5 ....because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

I believe God's word here "Never means Never" once we have accepted Christ.

So there is one sin that could never be forgiven by God to any of us, that sin would be rejection of Jesus Christ. For rejecting Christ as our Lord and Savior is the unforgiveable sin. Remember the Pharisees, in Matt. 23, the many woes to the Pharisee's for their unbelief in Jesus Christ. Unbelief in Jesus Christ is the unforgiveable sin.

In His Grace, Pam

 

The Holy Spirit does the work of bringing us to Christ, so to reject Christ is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the unforgiveable sin.

Hope this helps.

Pam

 

What a terrible indictment - being smart. May you continue to be guilty of that all your life!

 

The unforgiveable sin is blaspheme of the Holy Spirit, refusing the gift of salvation.

Can a Christian commit suicide and go to heaven? Of course!

The Bible records seven suicides.

Abimelech
(Judges 9:52-54)

Abimelech lacked personal identity.


Samson
(Judges 16:25-30)
Samson died for a cause he believed in and for revenge.


Saul
(1 Samuel 31:4)
Stressed out, unable to live up to certain expectations; felt rejected and a failure


Saul's armor-bearer
(1 Samuel 31:5)
Impulse, he wanted to die with his boss. 40% of teenage suicide is impulse.


Ahithophel
(2 Samuel 17:23)
Ahithophel was bitter because his advice was not followed


Zimri
(1 Kings 16:15-20)
Rebellion; Zimri had a problem with authority


Judas
(Matthew 27:3-5)
Depressed, Judas felt trapped by materialism and guilt


Augustine argued in the fifth century that suicide was a violation of the sixth commandment, "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). Later, Thomas Aquinas, being catholic and believing that confession of sin must be made prior to departure from the world to the next, taught that suicide was the most fatal of all sins because the victim could not repent of it.

The problem with his view is that it represents a gross misunderstanding of eternal security, which Scripture clearly teaches. We are saved by the grace of God, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9) and nothing can separate a Christian from the love of God (Romans 8:37-39).

Other verses that clearly teach assurance of salvation for the believer are:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
-John 5:24

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand."
-John 10:27-29

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."
-1 John 5:11-13


However, suicide is not what God wants for anyone. We have a God who loves us and cares for us and promises to meet all of our needs if we place our trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

But what does the Bible say about taking your own life?


1. God has a great plan for your life. God has created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). He created us for a purpose. God has a specific plan in mind for everyone.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

2. God's plan is for life, not death. The Bible teaches that both physical and spiritual death are the result of our sin and disobedience to God, but eternal life is a gift to those who receive it.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

3. Jesus taught that death and destruction are the work of "the thief" (Satan). He said, "The thief comes only to steal and destroy;" (John 10:10). John 8:44 says that Satan is a "murderer" and the "father of lies". The feelings of despair that lead to suicide are caused by some of his lies.

4. Jesus wants us to have life. He said:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
(John 10:10)

5. Life belongs to God. It is never our place to take our own life or someone else's life.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

The info above is from a number of pages off www.Christiananswers.net

 

Here's some more info:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/127/42.0.html

 

As far as what I can remember reading, the unforgivable sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Laurenda

 

You can repent of the act which resulted in death before death actually occurs. Example: instead of putting the gun to your head and pulling the trigger, you can jump out of a tall building and ask forgiveness on the way down.

Even if you put these silly formalities into 'confession,' you can take some cyanide along and inject it into yourself while just before you walk into the confessional, and you can probably get the words out before you croak.

 

God forgives sins of the saved, past, present and future. If you are saved and committ suicide {although I MOST DEFINATLY DON'T RECCOMEND IT!} you will still go to Heaven. God won't undo salvation. Anything God does is so perfect that nothing can undo it, especialy not something that we weak humans could do.
~Abby

 

Then how did Adam and Eve spoil His perfect world? (or do you not think He perfectly created it?)