Do Real Christians Commit Suicide?

FaithWalkDaily November 26, 2008

Yesterday I was reading a forum from a loving group of Christians in Idaho. One comment hit me like a punch in the gut, "*Bob committed suicide last night, please pray for him." (*The name has been changed to protect privacy.)

I had to back-track up the column of posts to see what kind of "conversation" had taken place with Bob, to see if there was any clue to his depression. He had indeed asked for guidance as he had come to faith just a couple years prior and was under spiritual attack.

I can tell you from personal experience, spiritual warfare is real and common. When one gives their life over to Christ, initially they may experience a kind of euphoria similar to what newlyweds feel. You don't see your spouses warts and foibles until you've been married for some time. The process is gradual as the lovers' facades eventually fade away. No honeymoon lasts forever as reality sets in sooner or later. The high of new faith also dwindles. Faith, like love, after all, is not a feeling, but an action.

By the grace of Christ, I'm transformed, but life on planet earth is still insane, with a hungry wolf on the prowl for defenseless lonely lambs.

When a Christian dives into the Bible and begins to grow deep roots of faith, Satan sits up and takes notice. The enemy goes for the throat to spiritually strangle a man's faith. I believe God allows this, based on the testament of Job and the lives of David and others.

Satan's offensive tests both the new believer and those in their faith community.

Something went terribly wrong for Bob. I don't know whether he failed to communicate the intensity of his struggles or if the body of Christ simply didn't think it was anything to be concerned about. But it wrenched my gut to read that line, "Bob committed suicide last night, pray for him."

It also struck me as imprudent that the girl would write, without thinking it through, "pray for him." Sorry folks, he's dead, there's nothing to pray for. It's over.

The people we need to pray for are family and friends left behind who wonder how they could have missed seeing the depth of Bob's despair, asking themselves over and over, "how could I..."

So where's Bob now? Well, I'm no theological genius but I do spend a good amount of time studying the Bible and have an inkling about God's heart. He's a loving, merciful Father. He cares for us. Peter said, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6-7) Humble yourself; call on God; God cares.

Aw, what did Peter know? Well. this guy denied Christ three times just as Jesus said he would. Out of fear, Pete told the enemies of Jesus he didn't know Him. His denial of Christ was certainly not Peter's first mistake nor was it his last. (John 18)

If I'd walked in the presence of God Almighty Himself and someone asked me "do you know this Man?" denying Him just doesn't make sense to me. But I didn't walk in Pete's shoes and I don't know what Bob's family and friends experienced as he plummeted in a downward spiral that ended in self-destruction. We have a human tendency to make light of the serious, to keep our distance from anything too emotional, to placate someone in trouble. Fortunately for us, God isn't like that. Those are Satan's tactics - apathy, shallowness, sarcasm, fear, ignorance, denial...

Let's face it, God could strike us down at any moment because He's God. With all the sick and crazy things that go on in this world you'd think He would. But He doesn't because He loves us. Why? You'll have to ask Him that. Personally, I'm not that nice - I'd have wiped us all off the face of the planet a long time ago. We're a bunch of ungrateful, selfish, filthy pigs who have not properly cared for this beautiful planet or one another. We don't deserve what we've been given. If we got what we deserved, we'd all be dead and in hell forever. Aren't we all glad I'm not God? Forgive me, I digress.

Back to the point. Jesus called Peter a Rock, (Matthew 16) which means he designated him unmovable, dependable, permanent. The whole Christian church was based on what Jesus taught Peter and commissioned him to share. Forgiveness is definitely in the picture here.

So what do we know about God? He created us, He loves us, He knows we're dirt bags and not worthy of the soil under our feet and He forgives us.

Wow, I ask again, where do you think Bob is now? Bob gave his life to Christ a couple years ago. He is a child of God. You can't take that away, no matter what. You can't say there wasn't fruit so he wasn't really a Christian. He was giving his best in faith. Just like Peter fearing for his life, when he was troubled and hurting, Bob faltered. He reached out for help but something went amiss. I am certain that despite his sin, Bob is in the arms of our Savior right now.

I heard a similar story when I attended a Christian women's leadership conference recently. A woman who was loved and nurtured by a Christian congregation after she got saved somehow hit a bottom no one saw coming. She committed suicide. Everyone asked, "how could I..."

Real Christians do commit suicide. Just like real Christians commit many other sins like adultery, fornication, lying, stealing...We all fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

I'm NOT saying suicide is acceptable any more than adultery. It is NEVER acceptable. It's a tragedy of epic proportions. The one thing that has always kept me from ending my own life when the devil tells me I'm no good, is to think of my husband, sons and friends and what it would do to them. I don't want them living the rest of their lives asking that question, "how could I..."

Pain is a reality, whether emotional or physical. It's not an option. Every human being suffers certain pain at some point or points in our lives. We can't say to God, "hey, I didn't sign up for the agony portion of this existence so can we just skip this part?" We don't get to choose our trials. We do get to choose how we handle them.

Prayer works for me. It keeps me sane and it keeps me alive. It keeps me thinking of others. Perhaps it is just a wee bit selfish...Hm, I'll have to ponder that a bit. Next blog maybe...

Heavenly Father, how we praise You that You are God and I am not! You are the God of mercy, love and hope. We don't understand a lot of things about his crazy world Lord, but we thank You for Jesus, that You sent that part of You that created the world into this world, to walk among us and experience our pain. In that process, You suffered beyond our imagining and died a death that we deserved so our sins could be covered. Thank You! Thank You that You are faithful to keep Your promises, that You will continue the work You've begun in each of us for Your purposes and glory. We may not understand pain, but we accept it as the refining fire that will enrich our lives, strengthen and temper us, and create that mirror shine which reflects Your image in each of us. Grant us the courage to face each day with the grace of Christ in the same way He faced the torture and death we so deserved. In Jesus' holy name we pray, amen.