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About Martin W. Eldred
Expertise
I have been a Lutheran Christian for 47 years and a Lutheran pastor for almost 19. I can answer most general questions about Luther, Lutheran History, Lutheran Theology, and a Lutheran approach to Biblical Interpretation. I am ELCA, for those who know what that means, and I tend to be moderate theologically. I hope that I can converse with those that are either more conservative or liberal than I, and especially with those who are really just seeking.

Experience
Pastors are "generalists" and generally have a working knowledge on many subjects. We are also used to working with a variety of answers from a variety of people. I teach a great deal, especially in the area ofthe New Testament. I particulalry enjoy the Pauline literature.

Organizations
I have been a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, an international gathering of biblical scholars and teachers, since the late 1980s.

Publications
I have written a few book reviews for the journal, "Lutheran Quarterly."

Education/Credentials
I have a B.A. from Pacific Lutheran University in Religion (Biblical Studies)and a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary.

You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Christianity - Protestantism > Lutherans > Salvation and Suicide

Lutherans - Salvation and Suicide

Expert: Martin W. Eldred - 10/25/2009

Question
Actually, I have two questions.

#1 - What is the ELCA belief about suicide? Can a person who has been saved lose that salvation by committing suicide?

#2 - Is there any way that we can lose our salvation

Answer
Janet:
Thank you for your question. Suicide is one of the most painful things that sometimes happens with people we know and love and it raises all sorts of questions and emotions. Those who are left behind often wonder, "Could I have done more?" and "What happens to them now?"

Obviously, suicide represents the depth of despair and a the totally inability to see any other options but immediate death. As such, some have said that suicide is the ultimate turning away from God, a complete lack of faith. Thus, many teachings regard suicide as an "unpardonable sin" consigning the person to hell as a result. Some of that attitude, however, stems from a pre-modern view of the human being, and an ignorance of human psychology. Most physiologists tell us that the person who commits suicide suffers from a mental illness-- often depression, but also additional maladies such as schizophrenia, or bi-polar disorder. What ever the reason, at the time of their suicide, the person is literally not in a right-minded state, they are ill enough to over-ride the basic human need to prolong life at all costs.

So if a person committing suicide is ill, how can we then condemn him or her? Would we likewise condemn person with cancer or Alzheimers? I don't think the God of compassion and mercy could do that. One of the powerful aspects of God's grace is that God's faith is stronger than my own, and God's faithfulness is greater than any human fidelity could ever be. It is in the very midst of my despair, that the Jesus who called, "My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?" comes to me. He understands the darkness and he has overcome it. Suicide is a tragic failure. A failure for the person killing themselves to see beyond despair, a failure for the people around her to help, and failure of our human brokenness to heal ourselves and each other. But Jesus also understands failure and brokenness, ad when we are weak, he is strong. When despair overcomes us, he is there with his faith to hold us up. Let me be clear, suicide is never a good option, it is never a good thing, or the right thing to do. But even when we commit this ultimate act of despair, I think God's grace and compassion takes care of us.

This leads into the second part of your question, can we lose our salvation? I see it his way. We are children of our earthly parents and no matter what I do, I am still connected to them. I may reject them and move away, but--at least in most cases--they will always love me and welcome me home if I ever chose to return. Generally, the will also respect my desire to have nothing to do with them, even though it would break their hearts.

For Luther, it is a similar thing with God. We are God's children, indelibly rebron from above through the water and word given to us in baptism. But God does give us the freedom to say no to that childhood, and to reject the free gift of grace given to us in Jesus. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15) leaves his father's house and considers his father dead (thus, he gets his inheritance). That is a pretty radical break. The father never stops loving him and in his heart has already welcomed him back (that is why the father runs to him when the son does return). But while he is in the pig-sty, the son is separate from his father by his own choosing. Were he to die there, he would die separate from the blessing of his father's house. That is the classical Lutheran view of "free will" that Luther spells out in his book, "Bondage of the Will." We are free to say no to God and God will respect that. So, if we told, "I no longer wish to be your son or daughter. I no longer wish to have the blessing of your grace, your love, or my place in your house" I suppose that Gd would honor that, with a broken heart.

But I also wonder, how deep IS God's grace? Does it go beyond of small, human way of thinking ad embrace even those who dare to reject it? If that Prodigal Son in Luke 15 had died in the far country, would the waiting father gone and brought his body home and still have told his servants, "Go, kill the fatted calf, for the son I lost is now returned?" Some scholars pose this question. It does make me wonder if God's grace is so much more powerful and wonderful than we can ever imagine.

So, I give you the more traditional Lutheran teaching, and one that is a bit more speculative.
I hope that this is helpful,
Martin Eldred

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