A Serious Question

Pic quote Words of Jesus

A couple weeks ago on Twitter, there was a Christian asking a serious question.  He wanted to know if Christians (meaning born again believers in Jesus Christ) would go to hell if they committed suicide.  The question really bothered me because Christians should know the answer to that based on our core belief in Jesus.  This will be a longer post (1,700 words) due to the seriousness of the question, so get ready to dig into God’s Word on this one.

First off, the answer to that question is NO, they would NOT go to hell.  People most likely think they would go to hell because of Catholic lies they’ve been told regarding salvation.  People who base their salvation on works are never assured of their salvation.  People who base their salvation 100% on God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ are 100% assured of their salvation!  The only reason a person loses Heaven is by rejecting Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son.  A believer in Jesus Christ has not rejected Him and suicide cannot separate us from Him.  Nothing can!

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Jesus speaking in John 3:16-18

Works based false preachers are still living in fear of death.  Jesus set us free from that slavery!  It is the evil one who holds the power of death and that is why people are afraid of death.  Jesus destroyed the devil’s work!  There is no fear of death for the born again believer in Jesus Christ!  Someone who trusts in their own works for salvation will always fear death and they will always worry that something they do wrong will send them to hell.  That is not the Way of faith in Jesus Christ!  Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life and because of Him I have no fear of death!  He was right there with me when I stopped breathing in 2012 and there was absolutely no fear!  There was no pain either. Just perfect peace, and it was more beautiful than I can explain.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil–and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Hebrews 2:14-15

“…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

1 John 3:8 (2nd sentence)

“There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:18

“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9

If you believe in Jesus Christ, then stop living in fear of death!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you will never be condemned!  If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are NOT appointed to suffer wrath!  You are appointed to receive salvation through Jesus!!!  Praise God and rejoice in your salvation!!!  Give Jesus the praise and glory He deserves!!!

If someone has accepted Jesus Christ by faith, then they are saved and nothing can snatch that person out of His hand.  The Holy Spirit resides in the born again believer and the Holy Spirit is God’s seal on us that proves we belong to Him and proves our salvation is guaranteed!  No matter how the believer in Jesus dies, the believer will be in Heaven with Jesus forever.  We are redeemed by His Blood shed on the cross for us and nothing can change that or take that away.  Once you are His, you are His forever.

Pic quote John 10 v 28

Pic quote Eph 1 v 13 v 14

Our salvation is not dependent on human effort, but only on the finished work of Jesus Christ!  When will people understand this?!  Jesus saves us!  We cannot save ourselves!  That is the whole reason Jesus died for us!  It is terribly sad if the tragedy of suicide happens, but if the person believed in Jesus, then they are saved.  His blood covers all of our sins; past, present, and future.  Suicide does not change God’s promises or His faithfulness to a person who believes in His one and only Son.  You cannot snatch yourself out of His hand once you have given your life to Jesus Christ by faith.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:19-23

Depression is a major problem in every society because depression exists everywhere on earth.  It is an unfortunate reality of living in a sinful fallen world.  Nobody is immune to it.  I struggled through a very dark depression for several years while fighting Celiac and it’s by God’s grace that I’m still alive.

A few months before I published my testimony and started this blog, I went to see our Pastor at our old church.  The disease had really taken its toll and beat me down.  When I walked into the church that day, I had pretty much given up hope and I just wanted to die.  I just wanted to be home with Jesus and be free from the pain.  I actually cried out many times for the Lord to take me.

I talked with the Pastor about the disease and all the suffering.  I told him about the crushing sadness and hopelessness and I broke down in tears.  He listened and prayed for me and gave me some words of encouragement and it helped give me a better perspective on things.  He also introduced me to a Christian counselor and I talked with him a couple times too.  It’s okay to talk to somebody.  We need that fellowship, so please get help if you need it.  Don’t suffer alone.  God loves you and you are not alone!

Sometimes life can knock us down so hard that it seems impossible to get back up, but suicide is never the answer.  We go to Heaven through our faith in Jesus alone, but we should go home when He calls us home.  Just make sure you don’t condemn the brother or sister who was suffering depression.  Those believers that have fallen to suicide for whatever reason are safe in the arms of Jesus.  They don’t lose their salvation and there is not a single verse in the Bible that says they would lose it.  Our salvation is secure and finished through Jesus!  We are justified, redeemed, forgiven, and saved by His blood alone!

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

Romans 5:9

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”

Ephesians 1:7-8

“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Galatians 2:21

Richard Wurmbrand was a Romanian preacher who was imprisoned and tortured by the Soviets during World War 2.  In his book, “Tortured for Christ,” he talks about a day when he and his fellow brothers were being tortured by the prison guards.  The beatings were so bad during the torture session that one of the brothers in Christ couldn’t take it anymore and he jumped out of a window to his death.  Richard talked about the love and compassion of Christ and how his brother in Christ was forgiven.  The brother is not in hell.  He is in Heaven because He overcame by the Blood of Jesus through his faith in Jesus!  Is it your right to judge the man’s pain and how he reacted?  Is it your right to judge his devotion to Jesus and doubt his salvation?  No, it is not.

The true heart of the question regarding Christian suicide and hell comes down to whether you trust Jesus for your salvation or you trust yourself and your own effort to save you.  Legalistic false preachers who preach a works based salvation are never secure in their salvation because they are not saved.  Your works will never save you!  I have said it before and I will say it again, you either believe in Jesus or you don’t.  If you believe in Jesus, then trust in Him 100% with all your heart and take Him at His Word when He tells you nothing can snatch you out of His hand!

Nothing can separate us from Jesus once we believe.  Nothing can snatch us out of His hand once we believe.  Not even death.  Jesus is the resurrection and the life and He will raise us up at the last day just as He promised!

Grace and peace to you all!

pic quote john 11 v 25

 

 

 

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2024 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

42 thoughts on “A Serious Question”

  4. Good answer. When dealing with this question, I am always careful to point out that suicide is wrong, that a person considering suicide should get help instead. But I entirely agree that Christ’s death on the cross covers all sins, even suicide. J.

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  5. It is positioning ourselves to determine/judge who goes to heaven or hell that sends us straight to the latter. The Lord does everything he can to save each and every one of us until the very last “moment”. This fear of condemnation is indeed very typical of religious people, and simply can not exist in a believer who follows Jesus.

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  6. Such contentment Jesus gives us with his loving words of belonging to him forever once we believe in Him. A powerful post,Ryan…your words in explaining are so very helpful, loving, and direct along with the scriptures you used. Hallelujah, we cannot be snatched from Him once we believe in Him! Thank you, Jesus!

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  7. Thank you for writing this. You have written the truth. My precious son committed suicide at the age of 36. I have never doubted that he is in the arms of God. I have listened to so many of my Christian friends condemn him to eternal fire and I pray for them. It is articles such as this one that will ease the ache of those who have lost loved ones to suicide.

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  12. God Bless you for tackling such a tough subject. Our pastor for years lost his father-in-law to suicide….it surfaced this very question from different members of the congregation…..nothing mean or negative, more of “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that”. Our pastor addressed it the way you did. At the core of that one was depression. My wife lost a niece and brother-in-law to depression. A lot of people struggle with depression from mild to severe and I have struggled with it off and on over the years. There have been times where I to0 asked for Him to just take me home. I so remember the immediate response…you are one of my bright beacons of light showing my love to the world. Bless your work for Him, Ryan!

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    1. Thanks Kirt! That is very sad about the pastor’s father-in-law and your wife’s family. What a great hope and comfort we have in Jesus. I’m glad we made it through brother, praise God! Amen, we have to keep shining for Him! God bless!

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  15. Samson in the old testament committed suicide. And yet he is listed in Hebrews chapter 11, in what is called the “hall of faith.”

    Having said that, I also agree, as other’s have said, that suicide is not God’s will for us. As His children, we need to take up our cross daily and follow Him, meaning that we should die to self and live for Him. When I do that, it is no longer I that lives, but Christ living in me.

    When I was 15 years old, I was in such a horrific place of abuse and hopelessness, that I hung myself. Thank God, the substantial looking pipe that I hung myself from, broke! But having done this, I know what it is like to be in so much despair that the only way out seems to be death.

    Since then, I have decided that I will not die, no matter what happens, until God calls me home. Because the fact is that we are all going to die, unless the Lord returns first. We don’t need to commit suicide because, hello, we are only going to live for a little while and then, like it or not, we’re outta here for good! 😀

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    1. There is no difference brother. Are you telling me a Christian who commits suicide has gone astray and didn’t make it to Heaven? If you believe a person can lose their salvation, then you are not trusting in Jesus and His finished work on the cross. What works can you do to save yourself? Believing a person can lose their salvation is at the core of the false works-based salvation doctrines (like what Catholics believe for example).

      We don’t get to Heaven by human effort. The works we do after we get saved were prepared in advance by God for His glory and we do them by the power of the Holy Spirit. They are for God’s glory, not our salvation. We can’t work our way to Heaven. Either you believe in Jesus and trust 100% in His blood shed upon the cross for you or you don’t. No middle ground brother.

      It is arrogant to think that we could do something to save ourselves or think any of our works could ever earn us righteousness. God does not owe us anything. We are only made righteous and justified through faith in Jesus. As Paul said, righteousness can’t be gained through the law. If it could, then Jesus died for nothing!

      And why did He die, brother? To set us free from sin and death! Our salvation is a gift. It can’t be earned and it can’t be lost once we believe. It is God’s promise that those who believe in Jesus will not be condemned, but have eternal life! God does not break His promises just because you make a mistake. He disciplines you and never leaves you or forsakes you. The only reason a person is not saved is by rejecting Jesus.

      Believers don’t need to live their lives in fear that God will break His promise and take their salvation! Of course God disciplines us if we fall into sin and we need to live holy lives, but don’t think that your works are saving you. If it wasn’t for Jesus, we would still be dead in our sins with no hope.

      You do not keep your salvation through works. The righteous will live by faith! Faith in Who? Faith in Jesus Christ alone. You never earned your salvation in the first place. Salvation is a gift of God and we are saved by His grace through faith in Jesus alone. That is the power of His Blood! And without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Remember that!

      Blessings brother!

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      2. I just proved to you there is no difference in what you said. People who trust in works are always worried about losing their salvation. You are not made perfect in love if you are still living in fear. Trust in Jesus brother. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and there is no other. We are made righteous, justified, sanctified, and saved through faith in Jesus alone. That is what God’s Word clearly states. There is only one Gospel and that is we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand and Jesus said so Himself. Argue with Jesus if you want, but you will lose every time.

        God bless you brother J-M. Your misunderstanding of Hebrews 6:4-6 haunts you.
        Remember my post:
        https://authorryanc.com/2018/11/02/people-misunderstand-hebrews-64-6/

        And this one: https://authorryanc.com/2018/11/04/why-did-paul-oppose-peter/

        And this one: https://authorryanc.com/2019/03/20/jesus-is-faithful-he-will-do-it/

        Salvation by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. There is no other way. Drop the legalism J-M and trust in Christ.

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  18. That is a tough question. Committing suicide is essentally murdering your ownself and the bible said you should not kill. That person will face the judgment of God, but we have to allow God to be the judge because He will make the decision on whether that person will be sentenced to hell or heaven not us. Our human understanding of hell is limited. Hell is a punishment. It will last as long as the earth last, but when Christ returns. He is the resurrection and life.

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