Is committing suicide a sin?

[CWH]

Is committing suicide a sin? I believe so. Did God gave us the right to take our own life in our own hands? One of God's 10 commandments say, "Thou shall not murder". That includes murdering yourself. Life is created by the creator and it should also be ended by the creator and surely not by ourself.

What say you all? What about euthanasia?

Many Blessings.

[CWH]

1st Corinthians 6:19
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.."

1st Corinthians 6:20
"you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Hi VoinGharst,

Thanks for your prompt reply. You may be right with your quoted verses from 1Corinthians. But the verses seem to say to keep your body clean and holy and not to be dirtied with sins. They does not specifically apply to committing suicide.

Many Blessings to you.

[alec cotton]

Hello wee
Allow me to say in all humility that I consider the question to be patronising at best. I have said before that it is easy to be good when temptation is far removed. Consider the human in utter despair ,isolated and lonely. If the spirit of God is in our heart we do not ask if it is right or wrong
or justifiable for that person , in total desperation to seek escape in death and oblivion. It is no use saying that if he or she believed in God things would be different. Of course they would. There would be hope in the heart then. When the spirit grips our heart we are constrained and yearn to loose the bonds and ease the burden. Then our hearts grow heavy because we lack the means , the power or the authority to do anything. We stand on the sidelines and watch with an aching heart. Faith, Hope and love are essential to human existence. When you have these you are rich , but when hope is diminished and faith fades and and love dwindles then the prospect of death becomes very attractive. A strong spirit may bear an infirmity ,but a broken spirit no one can bear. If I was able and willing to love my neighbour as myself I would need a heart like a lion to bear the burden of sorrow that goes with it. It was Helen Steiner Rice who wrote ' God enters the heart that is broken with sorrow and he opens the door to a brighter to-morrow. For only in suffering can we recognise the tear that lies in another's eyes.'
Alec

[CWH]

Hello wee
Allow me to say in all humility that I consider the question to be patronising at best. I have said before that it is easy to be good when temptation is far removed. Consider the human in utter despair ,isolated and lonely. If the spirit of God is in our heart we do not ask if it is right or wrong
or justifiable for that person , in total desperation to seek escape in death and oblivion. It is no use saying that if he or she believed in God things would be different. Of course they would. There would be hope in the heart then. When the spirit grips our heart we are constrained and yearn to loose the bonds and ease the burden. Then our hearts grow heavy because we lack the means , the power or the authority to do anything. We stand on the sidelines and watch with an aching heart. Faith, Hope and love are essential to human existence. When you have these you are rich , but when hope is diminished and faith fades and and love dwindles then the prospect of death becomes very attractive. A strong spirit may bear an infirmity ,but a broken spirit no one can bear. If I was able and willing to love my neighbour as myself I would need a heart like a lion to bear the burden of sorrow that goes with it. It was Helen Steiner Rice who wrote ' God enters the heart that is broken with sorrow and he opens the door to a brighter to-morrow. For only in suffering can we recognise the tear that lies in another's eyes.'
Alec

Hi Alec,

You seem to agree that on certain circumstances, it is ok to take our own lives in our own hands. You seem to agree that it is ok to euthanasize if the pain or suffering is unbearable. But is the easy way out the solution? Would God be happy over this option? I think God would be happier if the terminally ill were to spend their last days doing good and trusting and praising God than to be a broken spirit giving up every hope. I believe it is a sin to commit suicide as an easy way out of their problems because God wants us to be courageous to face the problems head-on and try to solve them ourselves and ultimately to seek Him as a last resort. Remember Matthew 24 : 9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

Many Blessings to you.

[alec cotton]

Hello wee
We are not in disagreement. We are looking at the problem from different angles. The verse which you quoted is so important for our understanding. I can see that you are fiercely opposed to euthenasia and quite rightly so. I have a slightly different view ; But human nature being what it is. I think that opposition is the most discreet option. Kindest regards to you
Alec

[alec cotton]

Sorry but to me that is like a greasy tit . Hard to grasp
Alec

[Edward Goodie]

Is committing suicide a sin? I believe so. Did God gave us the right to take our own life in our own hands? One of God's 10 commandments say, "Thou shall not murder". That includes murdering yourself. Life is created by the creator and it should also be ended by the creator and surely not by ourself.

What say you all? What about euthanasia?

Many Blessings.

Suicide is a sin only if you believe murder is a sin...

[CWH]

Suicide is a sin only if you believe murder is a sin...

Hi TS,

I don't get you, you mean murder is not a sin?:confused:

Many Blessings.

[CWH]

Hi alec and TS,

To put it in another way, Is the lawful killing and murdering of the enemy in a war a sin? Is lawful euthanasia a sin? Is capital punishment a sin? I would think so even if it is lawful because it is not ordained by God but by humans. Of course, I believe the sins from such lawful actions are of a lesser degree of sin compared to unlawful ones. And I believe mercy will be shown. Paul who once persecuted many Christians which was lawful during his time and which he deemed a good deed stated so in 1 Timothy 1:

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

It is not a sin if God ordain us to kill another human being; these occurred several times in the Old Testaments such as in the Book of Joshua and Exodus. I believe God has good reasons to do so. I believe that was what went into Abraham's mind when he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac for God without question.

Many Blessings to all and Merry Christmas.

[Edward Goodie]

Hi TS,

I don't get you, you mean murder is not a sin?:confused:

Many Blessings.

I merely said that the same relationship exists:

If one believes murder is not sin, then one believes suicide is not sin too.

If one believes murder is sin, then one believes suicide is a sin too.

I think the answer is obvious but it all depends upon what one believes about murder, doesn't it?

[CWH]

I merely said that the same relationship exists:

If one believes murder is not sin, then one believes suicide is not sin too.

If one believes murder is sin, then one believes suicide is a sin too.

I think the answer is obvious but it all depends upon what one believes about murder, doesn't it?

Hi TruthSeeker1959,

So it is ok to murder and it is ok to kill oneself? If it is ok to murder and kill oneself, why is there a commandment among the ten commandments that "Thou shall not kill(murder)"? Why is there a national law that condemn unlawful killing and murder? Why did the Lord said,"Love your enemy and those who persecute you"?

- There is such thing as lawful killing such as in capital piunishment, is that sinful?
- There is lawful killing such as in a war to kill the enemy. But is that a sin?
- There is killing in the name of self-defense, is that a sin?
- There is accidental killing, is that a sin?
- How about mercy killing, is that a sin?

Anything done lawfully is not a crime but it may or may not be sinful; anything done unlawfully is a crime but is not necessarily sinful.

I believe all killings and suicides are sinful but there are several level of sin in regards to killing and suicide. It is probably less sinful to kill someone lawfully than to kill someone unlawfully; it may be less sinful to kill an evil man than to kill a good man. It is less sinful if the killing is unintentional than intentional. All killing ordained by human is sinful but all killing ordained by God is not.

Some food for thoughts in regards to killing to support my views:

Exodus 21:12 "Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. 13 However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. 14 But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.

20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.

22 "If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely [e] but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

28 "If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible. 29 If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death. 30 However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded. 31 This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. 32 If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels [f] of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned.

Exodus 22:2 "If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; 3 but if it happens [a] after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed.

Exodus 23:7 Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty.

Many Blessings to all.

[Codger]

There was a prophetic word to a man about to committ suicide back in the mid 90"s that contained the phrase: If you reject life - you have rejected me (Jesus).

Years ago I read an account of several Christian women in history who committed suicide rather than be degraded by their horrible life situation. I think there are cases that are going to have to wait for Gods perfect all knowing judgment. I don't think that we can exactly cast this in stone.

But God said he would not give us more than we can withstand so it is a matter of us petitioning him for his help. To committ suicide is a total lack of faith that God can rescue us from our problems and supply our needs.

Larry

[CWH]

When I was a kid, my mum use tell us the following wise words which I always remembered and I would like to share:

1) When we are born, remember we (everyone) will have to die one day.
2) Whenever one is born, one carried a death sentence because one do not know when one will die.
3) When one wants to commit suicide, might as well don't be born in the first place.

Many Blessings to all.

[Screaming Eagle]

One way to think about it:

For someone to agree with a liar (thoughts of suicide are not natural 'human' thoughts) one has to 'agrree' with that liar for those words to be manifested. It's in the 'agrreeing' with the liar and 'judging oneself unworthy of life) that the real problem lies. We have no rights to judge ourselves because we (as Christians) have reckoned ourselves (counted as a tally) dead and no longer of flesh and blood but as born 'of God'.

If we take upon ourselves (in essence being swept to earth/mud as 'flesh and blood') the 'right' to judge ourselves, we have turned to a lie. There is NOW no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus. It's not Him that judges us. People judge themselves by the words of their own mouths.

[Craig.Paardekooper]

Why do people feel suicidal. I would say mainly through a sense of loss and futility.

Things don't seem so bad when
1. you have hope for your future and
2. good friends you can rely on, and
3. a strong belief in a loving Creator.
4. a sence of physical health

Most of our hope for our future comes from feeling that we are happy with the work we are doing - a job we like - or a mission that we are serving. When people are plugged in like this, they thrive.

Perhaps the most important thing for a man's happiness is knowing that he has a job worth doing. Then most other things fall into place.

I have created a web site to help - see http://www.workandlearning.net
The password is "demo1"

I have also found it extremely useful to take up doing regular exercise. Somehow, being healthy and fit shakes off alot of sadness, and makes you feel strong and powerful and alive.

My belief in God and in an awesome Creator is strong. My beliefs inspire me every day to do good, and aim high.

I have created a web page to help people find belief in God - see
http://www.craigdemo.co.uk/craig.htm

Nature itself can comfort us. A pleasant and scenic environment can lift the spirits.

Regards

Craig

[The Mighty Sword]

It does break a commandment "Thou shall not kill" so yes it is a sin.

[CWH]

Hi Mighty Sword,

Great to see you are back, :welcome::yo:

The commandment "Thou shalt not kill" should be interpreted as "Thou shalt not murder" because there is nothing wrong if you killed an animal for food or as God ordained as in the destruction of the evil and the wicked. Committing suicide is murdering oneself is obviously a sin. I have yet to receive any response to the question, is it ok to kill and murder if it is legally allowed such as in wars or capital punishment or in self-defense or even euthanasia? I suspect it is still a sin to do so but is of a lesser degree. If God kills or when God's people were ordained by God to kill as in several passages in the OT, then there is no sin. Afterall, God is the creator of us all and everything on earth and heaven, does He has the right to destroy what He has created if He deems fit?

That brings up an interesting point, if someone point a gun at you and order you to kill another person, would you do it to save your life? Is it a sin in this case to kill another person?... or do we pass the blame to the person who ordered you to kill? To kill or be killed, which is better?

Many Blessings to you.

[alec cotton]

When I was a kid, my mum use tell us the following wise words which I always remembered and I would like to share:

1) When we are born, remember we (everyone) will have to die one day.
2) Whenever one is born, one carried a death sentence because one do not know when one will die.
3) When one wants to commit suicide, might as well don't be born in the first place.

Many Blessings to all.
Hello Cheow , Nice to see your back.
How shallow and feeble are the comments in this thread. So many are talking about boredom as if it was a terrible burden to bear . One recommends getting a job which is fulfilling. That is all very well but who will do the dirty work. Most people in this world are like me and have no choice but to toil in the most arduous conditions of fierce heat or bitter cold ,Where danger of death or serious injury are ever present. Or in mind numbing,soul destroying work in which minutes seem to stretch into infinity.I am now 82 years old and from my earliest recollections when I was two or three years old I have regretted being born. Those early years were full of cold and hunger and physical bullying and pain. Nothing much changed in the next eight decades except that I determined never to bring another human being into this world. Personally ,I have never contemplated suicide. I have personally known quite a few who have succeeded . I hear the feeble minded say that it is a cry for help. Rubbish! It is a scream of utter despair. When a person suffers from what is commonly called a 'nervous breakdown' That person can be in such a state of terror ,misery and despair that the only escape route possible is death. Such a state of mind can be caused by many things . Head injury ( accidental or deliberate), Accidental or incidental poisoning. Sudden bereavement ,a terrifying experience or brain tumour . No one can be held accountable for these things . Outside help is essential. No man can pick himself by his own bootstraps. I could not condemn a man for committing suicide but I do despise anyone who blames him for doing it.
Alec