Can a person commit suicide and go to Heaven?

(HillTop;56004)
This subject in particular has been weighing heavy on my mind since my brother-in-law took his own life last year.My wife and I are both Christians, and obviously my wife has taken this the hardest since it was her brother. I cannot judge whether or not he was a "Christian", but I do know he did not lead the life of one.I never really gave the subject much thought until it hit close to home. I asked two pastors at our church this question... "If he had asked Christ into his heart just before committing suicide, would he go to Heaven"?What I got were two distinctively different answers.One pastor said that once you ask Him into your heart, you can never lose your Christianity- so in his opinion he would be in Heaven. (Maybe just telling us something he thought we wanted to hear?)The other pastor said that God wouldn't accept that type of pre-emptive prayer because only He can choose when or not we live or die. A true Christian would not consider taking his/her own life, but rather choose to lead a life that God has planned for them.For my wife's sake, I am open to any scriptural references regarding this subject. I want her to have peace of mind, good or bad, of what is the truth.Thank you for reading.Scott
Suicide is murder in itself. In short, one murder themselves.Exodus 20:13 - Thou shalt not kill.Matthew 19:18-19 - He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.Is murder the work of the Spirit? I say unto thee. Nay.John 7:24 - Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.John 14:15 - If ye love Me, keep my commandments.

A better question is what makes you think anyone has gone, or is, going to heaven?

Hilltop,while clearly suicide is a grave sin, there is no reason to presume we can judge that it automatically precludes salvation or automatically condemns a person to Hell. God is our judge, not man. We cannot not possibly know the heart of another, but God does. Could think of many reasons that mitigate such action, making each act very different from another. Only God could judge between those. I do not think those that would give blanket answers to cover all cases have a clue what they are talking about. Forget that situation, consider we can only judge by external cues and even in the case of those appearing most holy to us, we could be very wrong about the heart.My sympathies to your wife and her loss.

(HillTop;56012)
So in short, what you are deducing closely relates to my own reasoning. I do not believe man has any special privilege or right to know how God will interpret another person's heart. I don't feel that I would be entitled to Heaven if I take my own life, but that's my opinion. However, suicide is distinctly different from murder based on the fact that you are able to ask God's forgiveness and repent afterward. Not so with suicide. That's why I have a hard time with this topic.I appreciate your thoughts and sympathies.God Bless.
So, what you are saying in effect that if we ask forgiveness and/or repent before we die we are entitled to heaven? Therefore a suicide victim does not go? Let's not delude ourselves. We are saved by grace. Repentance means turning from one way to another (i.e. God's way). If one believes that they are entitled to heaven because they repented one last time convinces me they are lost in reality.I would say it's safe to say that suicide is lumped in the same category as murder---- although heinous, is forgivable. In the case of suicide, one may have an imbalance where they can't think straight. A mentally incompetent person is the same way, but they can still be saved.The whole question of salvation rests on the fact that God calls us and saves us, we cannot do it ourselves.Suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness (or craziness), but it is a sin like any other and can still be forgiven. I'll let God call that one, but I do not teach that ALL suicide victims are automatically lost. (c.f. Romans 8:38-39)

(HillTop;56012)
So in short, what you are deducing closely relates to my own reasoning. I do not believe man has any special privilege or right to know how God will interpret another person's heart. I don't feel that I would be entitled to Heaven if I take my own life, but that's my opinion. However, suicide is distinctly different from murder based on the fact that you are able to ask God's forgiveness and repent afterward. Not so with suicide. That's why I have a hard time with this topic.I appreciate your thoughts and sympathies.God Bless.
my thoughts are that as the judge of all, he would be able to discern motive and reasoning for any act and that the resulting verdict would not be the same for all. It would be hard to see God treating all murder, the taking of the life of another human equally. The same with suicide. So to suggest it is an automatic sentence to me is removing the ability of the Judge to use His discretion. It is hard for me to see God as a Judge with his hands tied by some rule/law. And again, beyond speculation or revelation about any particular individual's fate we cannot possibly say we know where they are (or going).

(HillTop;56016)
I appreciate your thoughts on this.This passage from 1COR is also insightful... 10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.But according to this passage, is V15 asserting that there may be differing levels of heaven according to one's Christian walk on earth? What exactly is Paul referring to in V14 "he will receive his reward" as opposed to V15 "he himself will be saved, but will suffer loss"? This passage really has me baffled.
Yes, there are differing levels of heaven as you say in accordance with how we built our life of faith. Some people get saved, and may be truly saved, but if their concerns (to put it colloquially) are more on the church potluck dinner just to fund raise or to draw people in (as opposed to the ways of the bible), then since that is something of the flesh, it will be burned up and won't go to one's spiritual account so-to-speak.I personally believe we will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ in heaven. This is not for salvation, but based on how we used what Christ has given to us, thus the "rewards" and our rank in the kingdom. And notice I said with the kingdom as I believe the saints will rule and reign with Christ here on this earth. We will have access to heaven, but will be where he is until the creations of the new heaven and earth.And again, I see the judgment seat of Christ being fulfilled for the believer in a type of "Day of Atonement" where Satan will be there trying to accuse the brethren before God but will be case out of heaven's access to be confined to this earth the last days of this earth (c.f. Revelation 12)

Murder, hate, lust, envy, and in fact anything that is not in faith, is sin (Romans 14:23). Since suicide is not only murder, but likely the result of a number of sins... I say yes, I say yes, a person can go to heaven after suicide.But, that is only because Jesus died for every sin. If He didn't do that, then I would say there isn't a chance on Earth anyone is getting to heaven.What about if a person has a strong disagreement with someone when they die? What if they hate that person when they die... and never have a chance to reconcile the issue? Do we have to be completely perfected in the flesh before we die? Now. Galatians 3:1-6. Should we now perfect in the flesh what began in the Spirit? Do people who believe in Jesus sin? Yes. "Oh, but no great sin... not suicide," someone might say. Oh really? You don't think so? And, tell me... where and when did you draw the line on what sins would be covered and what sins would not?The simple answer is yes, a person can. I pray we would comprehend the GIFT of salvation that we have IN CHRIST'S FINISHED WORK ALONE.Romans 8:35-39We have been saved, by grace, through faith--not of works, lest any man boast.Is suicide a work of the Holy Spirit of God? NO. Tell me. What sin is?

I believe suicide is the result of an illness in the mind, and this illness is no different than any other illness that God can heal. Why He doesn't heal them all here on earth I do not know. But, I cannot believe God would send someone to hell because of an illness He can heal. No, I'm not blaming God for suicide. I'm simply saying that only God truly knows the heart of man. When the mind of man is ill the heart can become overwhelmed. I believe all God is truly interested in is whether or not someone has been saved by the Blood of His Son Jesus. 1 Samuel 16:7, "The LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." ray3: ray3: ray3:

While it is true that suicide is a forgiveable sin, but it is impossible to ask to be forgiven if they already committed suicide and dead already... Once we died (in the flesh), after that comes the judgment (future time) We know sin can not enter Heaven.After all, God is the Judge of all.

(thesuperjag;56043)
While it is true that suicide is a forgiveable sin, but it is impossible to ask to be forgiven if they already committed suicide and dead already... Once we died (in the flesh), after that comes the judgment (future time) We know sin can not enter Heaven.After all, God is the Judge of all.
So you're saying that our salvation is dependent on what state we are in when we happen to die? So say, theoretically, I live a good life, manage to avoid almost all sin, and when I do sin I ask for forgiveness. Two years go by, and I'm doing really well - no sin at all! Then I slip up, I lie to someone to save face for some reason. And immediately after this happens, I turn and cross the street and get hit by a bus, dying instantly. Do I go to heaven? I didn't even have time to ask for forgiveness from God. But I'm a Christian, and I've trusted in God - I just happened to slip up once, coincidentally right before I died.No, I don't think that our salvation is based on our state of sinfulness when we die (assuming one is a Christian). Jesus died for our sins - all of them - and we have accepted that death, so God has declared us justified. To say that we go to hell because we didn't ask forgiveness for one sin, when we know that we are still human and still trying to take off the old self, is simply unreasonable. People who commit suicide going to hell is only justifiable under a Catholic thought process with the distinction between mortal and venial sins, where murder separates us from God, and works justify our faith. But I reject that, so I reject that a suicidal Christian would go to hell.

(jeffhughes;56048)
(thesuperjag;56043)
While it is true that suicide is a forgiveable sin, but it is impossible to ask to be forgiven if they already committed suicide and dead already... Once we died (in the flesh), after that comes the judgment (future time) We know sin can not enter Heaven.After all, God is the Judge of all.
So you're saying that our salvation is dependent on what state we are in when we happen to die? So say, theoretically, I live a good life, manage to avoid almost all sin, and when I do sin I ask for forgiveness. Two years go by, and I'm doing really well - no sin at all! Then I slip up, I lie to someone to save face for some reason. And immediately after this happens, I turn and cross the street and get hit by a bus, dying instantly. Do I go to heaven? I didn't even have time to ask for forgiveness from God. But I'm a Christian, and I've trusted in God - I just happened to slip up once, coincidentally right before I died.No, I don't think that our salvation is based on our state of sinfulness when we die (assuming one is a Christian). Jesus died for our sins - all of them - and we have accepted that death, so God has declared us justified. To say that we go to hell because we didn't ask forgiveness for one sin, when we know that we are still human and still trying to take off the old self, is simply unreasonable. People who commit suicide going to hell is only justifiable under a Catholic thought process with the distinction between mortal and venial sins, where murder separates us from God, and works justify our faith. But I reject that, so I reject that a suicidal Christian would go to hell.No I am not saying that at all.Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.Romans 11:6 - And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.However ...James 2:20 - But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? (Also James 2:14, James 2:17)Another thing, Yes God does forgive IF they ask to be forgiven. (No lip services) He doesn't forgive if they never ask for it.God cares about the condition of the soul and the heart.

(jeffhughes;56048)
So you're saying that our salvation is dependent on what state we are in when we happen to die? So say, theoretically, I live a good life, manage to avoid almost all sin, and when I do sin I ask for forgiveness. Two years go by, and I'm doing really well - no sin at all! Then I slip up, I lie to someone to save face for some reason. And immediately after this happens, I turn and cross the street and get hit by a bus, dying instantly. Do I go to heaven? I didn't even have time to ask for forgiveness from God. But I'm a Christian, and I've trusted in God - I just happened to slip up once, coincidentally right before I died.No, I don't think that our salvation is based on our state of sinfulness when we die (assuming one is a Christian). Jesus died for our sins - all of them - and we have accepted that death, so God has declared us justified. To say that we go to hell because we didn't ask forgiveness for one sin, when we know that we are still human and still trying to take off the old self, is simply unreasonable. People who commit suicide going to hell is only justifiable under a Catholic thought process with the distinction between mortal and venial sins, where murder separates us from God, and works justify our faith. But I reject that, so I reject that a suicidal Christian would go to hell.
You are right. It is a slippery slope to think that if we have specific, unconfessed sin when we die we will go to hell. Jesus died for our SIN. We were REMOVED FROM SIN when we trusted Him as our savior. The confession of sin that results in salvation, happens at salvation (the day of our salvation). We confess our sins, but not specifically. Anyone who says they confessed every sin, individually, and specifically... the day that they were saved... is not telling the truth. The day that we repented (changed our mind about God, and turning to him), and trusted Christ for our salvaiton... HE REMOVED US FROM SIN (not just our sins specifically... but the STATE OF SIN that we were in previously).To think that we would go to hell if we had unconfessed sin when we die... includes not only suicide, but envy, coveting, lying, stealing, hate, lust, cheating, spitefulness, unforgiveness... etc... the list goes on and on. In fact, this would also include all the sins we *have forgotten* that we ever even committed at any time in our life, past or present. We are not expected to confess every single sin... individually... specifically... with the pending doom that God is otherwise going to throw us in hell. God forbid. We are simply to trust Jesus (trust God) for HIS WORK, and for HIS GIFT. TRUST HIM. Jesus has done the work. We turn to Him, and we have an advocate with the father, that IF WE SIN... he advocates for us. HE IS OUR ADVOCATE, NOT US.Praise the Lord, our Advocate, for HIS FINISHED WORK! May he HELP US not to sin... but if we do sin, He is there to plead our case before God. It is BY HIM ALONE! If you are a Christian, there is no such thing as dying in sin. Therefore if any man be IN CHRIST, he is a new creature. We have been removed FROM SIN, and placed IN CHRIST. He is the reason we are saved.

Where in the Bible does it ever say anything about us going to heaven? There is no scripture, in the Bible that says: I, you, we or anyone has gone or is going to heaven!Jesus said no one has gone to heaven. Jo. 3:13 “No man has ascended to heaven but”Himself.In Mat.5:5 we are told that the meek will inherit the earth. Does that that mean the meek are going to get a different reward than some others? I don’t think that can be shown from scripture.When Christ returns He will “land,” if you will, on the Mount of Olives according to Zech.14:4 “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.”In Rev. 22:12 Jesus says that when He comes that He will bring His reward with Him. “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. Now in Jo. 14:2-3 Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place or office for us, but He is going to bring it with Him when He returns. He does not say anything about us going to heaven to receive it.Just because we are to receive heavenly gifts or a heavenly reward does not mean that we have to go to heaven to receive it.Paul wrote in 1Cor. 2:9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Although we can not know everything about our future reward, God has seen fit to reveal the basics.Jesus was born to be King Isa. 9:6-7 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.Isa. 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, (i.e. Kingdom) For (or because) the EARTH shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.The government shall be His responsibility; That government will have no end; Christ will sit on the throne of David, (a throne here on earth.) No harm will come in that Kingdom, because the knowledge of God will completely cover the earth. This Kingdom is obviously on earth. Enough said?When Christ returns, He returns to set up His Kingdom. Note; Rev. 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” Rev. 20:3-7 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.Daniel speaks of this time as a time when Christ will come and put an end to man’s misrule and set up a Kingdom that will rein forever. Dan. 7:27Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’Rulership will “be given to the saints of the Most High,” and they shall “live and reign with Christ for a thousand years.” The Lord will reign from Jerusalem Isa. 24:23 Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously. Also in Isa. 8:18 Here am I and the children whom the LORD has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the LORD of hosts, Who dwells in Mount Zion. (i.e. Jerusalem)In prophecies about the Kingdom Isaiah says the word and the law will go out from Jerusalem. Isa. 2:2-3 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain (i.e. Kingdom)of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains,(i.e. kingdoms of this world) And shall be exalted above the hills;(i.e. smaller kingdoms) And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “ Come, and let us go up to the mountain(Kingdom) of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.This Kingdom will go on to restore this earth. Isa. 51:3For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Note also; Isa. 35:1The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;There are dozens of scriptures about the time when Christ will come and set up His Kingdom on this earth.At that time the people will, once again, begin to obey God and keep his Feasts and learn what they are really about. Note; Zech. 14:16-19 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.In Titus 3:7 and many, many other places we learn that part of our reward is eternal life. “that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”We will be heirs, or part owners in the Kingdom of God. Ja. 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? What does an heir do? An heir inherits things. Once one inherits something they own it.Heb. 2:10-11 says; “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Read that again. Sons; brothers? WOW! Now in Eph. 4:11-13 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, • 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith • and of the knowledge of the Son of God, • to a perfect man, • to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ 1Jo. 3:2 Says that we will be like Jesus. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Remember that Jesus is the first born of many brethren. Ro. 8:29Receiving Eternal life, becoming brothers of Christ, being joint heirs to the Kingdom and receiving authority to rule with Jesus, in His Kingdom at His return? These are not small rewards. Are there more that we don’t know about? I have no doubt, but at this time this is more than I can wrap my head around. I will be more than happy to serve Christ, in His Kingdom, here on this earth for 1,000 years and beyond into eternity as revealed in God’s Word.

Suicide, killing yourself. It is a weapon that the devil uses. Not God. Got has never encouraged anyone to commit suicide. He encourages people to come to Him and LIVE, not die. Honestly even if a person prays before he kills himself, that person is fulfilling the will of the Devil which came to steal, to KILL, and to destroy. By whose hands he does it, to him it does not matter, its the end result that he wants. God wants us to come to HIM. Even the thoughts of suicide to a worldly man bring shruggs. It is not something even in the element of man. A man has a stimule for self-preservation. To live. Those who commit suicide gave the most precious that they have to the Devil. Come to know JESUS, not the Devil. JESUS IS LIFE, JESUS IS WAY, JESUS IS LOVE, JESUS IS TRUTH. If we do not follow Him we follow Devil. If we do not listen to Him he will discipline us as His children. Suicide is MURDER of oneself. I do not believe there is anything worse a person can do in this world than take his/her own life. It is the last thing a person does if he does that. That person needed Jesus. Thats who he needed. Devil lied to Him and closed His eyes to Jesus which was the way out. Suicide is not the way out. Its a way into Hell. If anyone asks me that even if that person was "Christian" or he repented and commited suicide if he went to heaven. He did not.

(Aleks_Kravchuk;56149)
...If anyone asks me that even if that person was "Christian" or he repented and commited suicide if he went to heaven. He did not.
When did you become the judge?