To my friend in Christ who is considering suicide,
My heart aches for you.
I've been in a place myself where I seriously considered suicide. I even
attempted it several times. I understand the desperation of just wanting to be
DONE with all of this and be at peace in God’s arms. But that was before I
understood the length and breadth and width of God's love for me. If you truly
love God and have made that decision to follow Him, then no, suicide is not an
unforgiveable sin, but it is a sin that you cannot repent from. If it turns out
that you haven't received the gift of salvation, perhaps misunderstood or
didn't understand what it really meant, suicide (if successful) isn't something
that you can turn to God afterwards and ask forgiveness. And please remember
that it isn’t simply belief that saves you. I’d encourage you to check out http://www.gotquestions.org/believe-not-saved.html
and http://www.gotquestions.org/signs-saving-faith.html.
But in the meantime, one way that you can know that you are truly saved is told
to us in 1 John 2:3, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep
His commandments.” And again, Jesus tells us in John 14:15, "If you love
me, you will keep my commandments."
He commands us not to murder. Exodus 20:13, “You shall not murder”. This includes murder of self. If you plan to kill yourself and follow through with it, this is a refusal to obey a commandment of God. What does this say about your love for God? Willingness to commit this act should be enough to cause you to question your status with God. Friend, I know that you're in a dark place right now. But this is not something that you can afford to be wrong about. After all the consequences are ETERNAL! What you're suffering now is bad enough. Imagine suffering this way x10 for all eternity. Again, you simply cannot afford to be wrong. Please know that I am praying earnestly for you.
I want you to sit down and
open your bible. If you don't have one, you can find a free one online at
www.bible.com. This site is run by YouVersion and they also have a free app for
smartphones if you have one. Here are some verses that I'd like to encourage
you to meditate on.
2 Corinthians 1:8-10; Psalm
143:3-11; Psalm 94:17-19; 2 Corinthians 7:10; John 11:4; Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter
5:7; Psalm 34:17; Joshua 1:9
Friend, I also want you to know that you are NOT alone! The
article found at http://www.gotquestions.org/suicide-Bible-Christian.html
talks about other “people
in Scripture [who] felt deep despair in life. Solomon, in his pursuit of
pleasure, reached the point where he “hated life” (Ecclesiastes
2:17).
Elijah was fearful and depressed and yearned for death (1 Kings 19:4). Jonah was so angry at
God that he wished to die (Jonah 4:8). Even the apostle Paul
and his missionary companions at one point “were under great pressure, far
beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians
1:8).
However, none of these men committed suicide. Solomon learned to “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Elijah was comforted by an angel, allowed to rest, and given a new commission. Jonah received admonition and rebuke from God. Paul learned that, although the pressure he faced was beyond his ability to endure, the Lord can bear all things: “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).”
In the end, the Christian is obligated to obey God even in their deepest despair. But He gives us the tools to do this when we follow Him. Through prayer and reading of His Word we find comfort. He also provides help in the form of His people. So that’s your next step, I'd like to for you to talk to someone one-on-one. I am absolutely here for you and am ready to answer any questions that you have or just be a listening ear, whatever you need. But sometimes we just need a hug! I wish I could provide that. Do you attend church? If you do, just walk into the church office and tell them what you need. Even if you don't, I'm sure that isn't a Christian church out there that will turn you away. If you feel that you can't do that and there isn't anyone that you can talk to, a great free resource is Hopeline: http://www.hopeline.com/ or 1-800-442-4673.
In addition here are some
articles that you might find helpful to read through.
One more thing. I
found the following at www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com. I'd like to share
it with you. They are some things that you really need to take the time to
understand.
Understand
the Depths of God’s Love for You
God so
loved you that He sent His only Son to die for you so that you could have
eternal life and not have the wrath of God placed upon you (Rom 6:23,
3:23). What we deserved, Jesus received (John 3:16).
Understand
What God Thinks of You
God has
daily thoughts of you that can not even be counted like the grains of the sand
(Psalm 139:17-18) and has actually inscribed your name on the palms of His
hands and your dwelling place [where you live] is always before His eyes
(Isaiah 49:14).
Understand
God Has Plans For You
God has
plans for us too wonderful to even describe (Psalm 40:5) and these plans
include His purpose to prosper us (Jer 29:11, Psalm 115:9).
Understand
God Predestined You Before Your Birth
God not
only predetermined to save you (Rom 8:30) but He chose you before the earth
even existed to adopt you as His own son or daughter (Eph 1:5).
Understand
That God Came to Rescue You and Die for You
God sent
Jesus, the Son of God, to come and rescue you from death (John 3:16) and by no
mere chance or accident He sought you out (Luke 19:10) and ransomed His own
life to save yours (Mark 10:45).
Understand
that God Choose You to Be Rulers in the Next World
It is
shocking to many that not only did God come to die for us, to save us, but to
make us kings and priests in the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Peter 2:9) and we will
actually rule with Christ (2 Tim 2:12, Rom 8:17).
Understand
that God Promises to Supply Every Need We Have
God has
given His unbreakable word to supply every need we will ever have (Phil 4:19)
and we will never, ever need to beg for anything, even our daily sustenance
(Psalm 37:25, Isaiah 41:17).
Friend, I hope this all
helps you to put things into perspective. I'm praying for you. Please write me
back to let me know what you think of all this.
Your friend, Embassador J
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