Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 4/9/2007

Question
My girlfriend's dad shot himself a while back and she was crying the other day because it was his birthday and she didnt know if he was in heaven or hell. I didnt know what to tell her, because sad to say, i am not familiar with the verses of the bible and i can not tell her what is true. I know people have asked you quetions on suicide before i've read them. On one of them you talked about Saul and how he killed his self. but i dont see how that can relate to someone illing themselves because of stress. What im trying to say is that her dad killed hiself because he was tired of life and didnt care any more. not becasue he knew he was going to die soon like saul. Saul didnt give up on God's strength to save his life. Her Dad did. I guess im just asking you to show me scripture on suicide. I wasnt to read every verse that has to do with suicide and if it can lead to eternal damnation. i dont know if i am even making sense right now. She said she thinks he was saved, she doesnt know. Assuming he is saved, do you think he is in heaven?

Answer
Hi Wade,

Thanks for this great question.  I will try to help you.

1.  There is no verse in the Bible stating that suicide is an unforgivable sin.

2.  Saul serves an an example that Suicide, for whatever reason is not unforgiveable.

3.  To answer your question, if he was saved, he is in heaven, period!  There is no sin that can wrench you out of the Grip of our Savior, once He has a hold on you.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

According to these verses, even Suicide cannot seperate us from God's love if we have already been declared to be righteous upon salvation.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

I hope that this helps you

In Christ
Pastor Don