“911" -When we think about that fateful day a myriad of images spiral forth from that emotional moment few of us want to revisit. There is one iconic photograph, however, that for me at least, still illustrates the darkness of that day: the Falling Man. Conjecture, conjecture, conjecture. Was he “blown” out of a window on the upper floors of the WTC? Was he pushed? Did he jump? It is this last question that has been the subject of more conjecture than any other.
As Christians, we find the concept of suicide almost too grievous to consider. Self-murder, we call it. A direct violation of the 6th Commandment - “You shall not murder.”
- Exodus 20:13. And for many professing Christians such a sin bars one from heaven for eternity. But Holy Scripture tells us that there is only one ‘unforgivable sin’ - “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” - Matthew 12:31. Every sin will be forgiven . . . even suicide, provided that the individual was truly saved at the time of his or her death. More conjecture.
Why would someone who was truly saved even consider such a dire act as suicide? First of all, suicide is not something that a healthy mind contemplates. Remember that it is the condition of the heart that sets the bar for what is a sin and what is not a sin. We have all read or heard of the selfless act of a soldier throwing himself upon an explosive device to save his brothers and sister in arms. That is not an act of suicide; that’s an act of heroism.
We can’t emphasize enough the effect of mental illness has on a typical act of suicide. It has been suggested that no less than 90% of those who’ve taken their own lives were suffering from some form of mental illness or substance abuse at the time of their deaths. While the list of risk factors contributing to suicide is exhaustive some of the more common links involve severe depression, previous physical or sexual trauma, anxiety, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury (TBI), feelings of hopelessness, or extreme psychological pain. The bottom line is that for a vast majority of suicide victims, mental illness is at the root of the act. It wasn’t necessarily about a sinful heart. It was about a sick brain. A mentally healthy individual does not want to take his or her own life. In such cases the heart is the last place to look for “the reason.”
With all this in mind we must consider the state of the suicide’s state of grace at the time of their death. If one isn’t saved before the time of their death it won’t matter if they commit suicide, are murdered, drown, die in plane crash, of natural causes, or in their sleep. Their eternity has already been decided - “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” - John 8:24.
But there is still good news. “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” - Hebrews 10:14. Christ has saved believers with His own holy blood. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.’” - Romans 10:8-9. The salvation of believers is secure. Were it not, then Christ’s blood was wasted. If even one pernicious act could separate us from God’s grace then we would be more powerful than God! We would have effectively halted the will of God!
A man cannot earn his salvation. It is by the grace of God that we are saved. If we cannot earn our salvation then once we have been truly blessed with it . . . we can never lose it!
One cannot know what enters the mind of a person who is contemplating suicide except for a note and even then we can’t know the gravity of their angst or the true nature of their sickness. Believers are no more immune to depression than unbelievers. We are all ‘fallen men’ and we all suffer from the maladies that fallen men suffer from. But with true believing faith in Christ we can be assured that even a believer’s suicide cannot circumvent what God has determined from before the foundation of the earth. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” - John 6:37-39. May we continue in prayer and supplication for all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
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