Q. What happens to Christians who commit suicide?
Answer:
The same thing happens to Christians who commit suicide as to those who murder, steal, covet, lie and break the other Ten Commandments. The apostle Paul says plainly,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV).
Saved by Grace Through God’s Gift of Faith
Isn’t this reassuring and loving? I thank God that we are saved by grace through faith – which is itself a gift from God. There is nothing that you or I can do to merit salvation on our own. If we had to do something to gain salvation none of us would succeed. We all fail. Romans 3:10 states:
No One Does Good
“as it is written:
‘None is righteous, no, not one.
No one understands.
No one seeks for God.
All have turned aside. Together they
have become worthless.
No one does good,
Not even one'”
(Romans 3:10-12)
Nothing Separates Us From God
Nothing can separate us from God’s love, not even suicide or murder. Romans 8:38-39 says,
“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” (NIV).
God Prepared Good Works For Us To Do
Having said that, no Christian should take his own life because God says we are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
What He Did Counts
For those who are contemplating suicide, we have no right to circumvent God’s plan for our life. Nevertheless, the good news that saves us is that “Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NLT).
What you or I “do” does not save us from death or sin. It is what Christ did that counts. He is the one who died for our sins and was resurrected from the dead. The focus is “Him,” not us. Always remember this fact.