I received another excellent question, “What does the Bible say about suicide?”  The suicide of comedian Robin Williams shocked the nation and has brought both depression and suicide back into the public eye.  Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation, as well as a lot of careless words thrown around.

So I appreciate it when someone asks the good question, “What does the Bible say?”

As is often the case, we have to look deeper than a few verses here or there, for there is no direct section in the Bible which teaches about suicide.  There are, however, many principles that apply to suicide.  Here are a few of them:

Life is sacred.  God made human life in His image and He values it (and teaches us to value it) highly.

Any Murder is sin.  You need look no further than the sixth of the Ten Commandments to recognize that murder is a sin.  There are cases in the Bible where taking human life may not be a sin (war, capital punishment, etc.) but suicide is by definition a murder.

Suicide is not “unforgivable.”  I know that there are religious groups that teach that it is unforgivable, but there is no Biblical teaching whatsoever that would indicate this.  Suicide is a serious sin and it has very obvious and very permanent consequences and brings hurt to many people, but God can and does forgive those who commit suicide.  Christians who commit suicide (even when we don’t understand the reasons) have sinned, but their sin will be forgiven.

Salvation comes by grace through faith, and no sin can take that away.  If you could earn salvation, then you could “unearn” it and lose it by committing a horrible sin.  But salvation is a gift of God, when He never takes way.

Nevertheless, suicide is a devastating sin that hurts far more than the one who commits it.  And though the Bible doesn’t have a particular verse that gives a definitive teaching on the subject, there are at least seven people mentioned in the Bible who committed suicide in one way or another.  (1) Abimelech (Judges 9) asked his armor bearer to kill him because he didn’t want it said that a woman had killed him.  (2) Samson sacrificed his own life (Judges 16) to destroy the Philistines.  (3) Saul, who gave evidence of mental illness, threw himself (1 Samuel 31) on his sword, as did (4) his servant.  (5) Ahithophel (2 Samuel 17) hung himself.  (6) Zimri (1 Kings 16) set the king’s palace on fire and died in the flames.  And, (7) Judas (Matthew 27) hung himself after betraying Jesus.  Each one of those (even Samson, who is presented as a hero in this final act) is an ugly story that caused much pain and misery.

As horrible as it is, suicide has become a very real issue in today’s world, and no family is completely immune to its danger.  Mental illness is not yet well understood, but various forms of mental illness are very strong risk factors for suicide.  Abuse of alcohol and other drugs contribute greatly to suicides. Verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and bullying sometimes lead to suicides.  Broken families and relationships are often listed as factors.  Sometimes, doctors tell us, the very medicines that can help us contribute to a heightened danger of suicide.  And, puzzling as it may be, sometimes there are no apparent reasons or factors.

I have a picture in my office of a baptism–just me and a young man I knew and loved and baptized.  When he committed suicide, I couldn’t explain it.  No one could.  He had a history of mental illness, but all of us saw incredible progress and even joy in his life–until the moment he committed suicide.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he believed in God, loved God, and served God.  I can’t explain his actions, but I know that he is with God and that some day, I will see him again.

Suicide hurts. It is sin. But it is not unforgivable. As a church, we need to extend God’s love and forgiveness (and some hope) to those who have experienced this tragedy in their family.  And even more to those who are contemplating it.