FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 7, number 41, October 9, 2008

. . .and he (Elijah) requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers,” I Kings 19:4.

Suicide

This, of course, is a terribly sensitive issue and much too prevalent of a problem in our culture, even among professing Christians. At the outset I must say that suicide is the height of selfishness, cowardice, and cruelty. Is this too strong a statement? It is selfish because the one contemplating it, or who has gone through with it, is so preoccupied with himself, thinking too much about his problems, being so self-absorbed, given to such a degree of self-pity, that he forgets the impact this has on loved ones. It is cowardice because the person is unwilling to face up to his problems. He is not acting like a man, as it were. Instead he is like one cowering in a corner from fear. And it is the height of cruelty because of what it does to loved ones left behind in the wake of his self-inflicted demise. Parents, siblings, dear friends are left behind wondering, “Did we not do enough, did we not say enough, did we put too much pressure on him, did we not spend enough time with him, why did we not see this coming?” Friends and loved ones are left to sort through these questions, usually overwhelmed with a terrible sense of guilt for the rest of their lives. How cruel!

Am I being too harsh in my assessment of suicide? I think not, especially for the Christian. I say this because for a Christian to kill himself means he is denying the doctrine of God, that our gracious, Triune God is one of incomparable condescension, inexhaustible love, immutable goodness, unfathomable grace, unsearchable wisdom, immeasurable immensity, undeniable veracity, and unmitigated transcendence. Thus Isaiah was able to say, “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and who has marked off the heavens by the span. . .who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or who as His counselor has informed Him?” Isaiah 40:12ff. God holds the incomprehensible vastness of His universes in the palm of His hand.

Ravi Zacharias has noted how the red knot, a sand piper, begins his northern migration from Tierra Del Fuego each February, flies 9000 miles to the Hudson Bay, stops at the Delaware Bay in May, precisely at the time the sand crabs are laying their eggs, stoking themselves with 135,000 eggs each, to fuel the rest of the flight. Male and female red knots mate, the female laying exactly four eggs, both the male and female incubating them, the females flying 9000 miles back south, the males leaving one week later. After the new born red knots gain strength they fly without aid of parents back to the precise location of their parents. Astounding! Makes you want to fall down and worship the Creator, doesn’t it? Can we not, therefore, argue the lesser to the greater? If God can care for the red knot in such remarkable ways, then can we not trust our great Creator with our lives! Suicide is terrible because the person who does it fails to worship and trust our great God of creation and redemption.

Those contemplating suicide also fail to remember the doctrine of man. David rejoices and is in awe that God has placed man a little lower than Himself, and has made him to rule over the works of His hands, Psalm 8. The truth is, no matter what your lot in life, no matter how much you have, whatever your status, you are made in the image of God and thus the crown of His glorious creation. Especially since Ralph Waldo Emerson and his Essay on Self-Reliance, man has thought more highly of himself than he ought to think; and this with damning consequences. Yes, man is the crown of God’s creation but he is not transcendent. He is below God. He falls into terrible trouble when he forgets who God is and who he is.

And suicide is terrible because it denies the doctrine of Christ. Jesus is the Son of God but also God the Son. He is both 100% God and 100% man. He is sinless, though He was tempted in all things as we are. In His humiliation He came to earth as a man, suffered and was tempted, was beaten and scourged, was crucified, and experienced hell. In His exaltation Jesus was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits now at the Father’s right hand in glory, and He will come again on the clouds with glory, establishing His eternal kingdom on the new earth. All of creation will bow down to Him, ascribing to Him the glory of His name.

This is why Paul could say, “I am convinced that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that awaits us.” Paul has just finished telling the Romans that there is never again any condemnation for those in Christ, that they are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, that all they can ever need is summed up in Christ. So to commit suicide, or to entertain the notion of it, is a flat denial of Christ’s utter sufficiency. Our faith is far too small. We begin with ourselves instead of God and depression and suicide are often the result.

But what happens to those who commit suicide? Do Christians who have killed themselves still go to heaven? First, any unbeliever, anyone who is outside the body of Christ, who dies goes to hell. The issue is not suicide, rather the important thing is one’s standing with God. Are you covered in the righteousness of Christ? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? If not then you will end up in hell, no matter what you did or did not do, including suicide. Jesus said that those who believe in Christ are not judged but those who do not believe are judged already because they did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God. See John 3:17. What about the Christian who kills himself? He still goes to heaven. I know I am treading on dangerous ground here, for to make this statement could cause believers who want to kill themselves to go ahead and do it. I suppose those in such terrible mental, emotional, or physical pain, if knowing they are going to be with Jesus when they die, could opt for an early exit. But for me to say otherwise is to be less than biblical, and I cannot go there. A justified sinner, one declared not guilty by God through Christ’s imputed righteousness cannot lose His salvation. God has sworn His faithfulness to His people because He swore by Himself that He would be a God to us, and we would be a people to Him. Still, a Christian killing himself is the height of selfishness, cowardice, and cruelty. Surely, he who loves his neighbor as himself ought to refrain from bringing such anguish on those whom he loves. We need a strong, virile growing awareness of God and Christ, depending on the indwelling Spirit, to forge within us the strength necessary to stand firm when the waters of doubt and self-destruction come in like a flood. Constantly talk to yourself, affirming what you know.

FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS is a weekly devotional by Reverend Al Baker, pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.

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