Suicide Is Not the Unpardonable Sin....

There’s a misinformed theory out there that has been accepted as fact, that needs to be brought into the light. It involves Suicide. Many people have believed the notion that suicide is part of the unpardonable sin. When someone takes their own life, they seal their destiny in Hell. I’ve done some research and found this false notion has been amplified by the Catholic Church. Thomas Aquinas promoted the notion that if you committed suicide, God would not forgive you. This meant that if you took your own life, you wouldn’t be able to ask God to forgive you. It was the unpardonable sin. If you look at this concept in light of the Gospel, you’ll clearly see this can’t be true. If Jesus died on the cross, rose after three days, and defeated death, that means that through faith in Him we are forgiven of our sin. That includes our past sin, our present sin, and even our future sin. It’s our faith in what Jesus did that saves us, not what we do. The unpardonable sin (that Jesus explained), is not believing in Him; not putting our faith in what He did on the cross. Think about that. How can God forgive our sin if we don’t do the very thing He requires us to do in order to be saved? How can we be covered by the blood of the Lamb if we never believe it happened. How can God forgive us if we don’t believe Him, that He provides a way for us to be forgiven. We can’t. And that’s the unpardonable sin. If someone commits suicide, that doesn’t equal not believing in God. It doesn’t mean they aren’t a believer. It just means that they had a lapse in judgement for a brief moment and did something outside of their faith. It doesn’t mean they didn’t have faith. Think about it: have you ever made a mistake, a bad decision? Did you do it because you don’t believe God exists? It was probably because you had a lapse in judgement, a selfish moment. It’s human nature to have these moments. Fortunately, most of us don’t go with our feelings to the extreme, and act on them. Now-a-days, with society basing everything on how it makes people feel, I see the suicide rate increasing. Again, not to send people to Hell, but just to end their life. Do you think Satan loves suicide? Of course He does. Why? Because it takes a believer out of this world. It’s one less person He has to fight against. Well, I’ve think I’ve made my point clear; suicide is not the unpardonable sin. God has, can, and will forgive believers who have taken their own life. Is it a sin? Yes, murder is a sin, but it’s one that is forgivable, just like lying, stealing, and adultery. Is God happy when it happens? Of course not. But it’s not an unforgivable sin. Now, in today’s passage we read about King Saul visiting the witch of Endor. He asks to call up the Spirit of Samuel (who had died). When he does, Samuel, responds by telling Saul that he will die tomorrow, and be where Samuel is. With that thought, this question arises: if Samuel was a prophet of God, the last of Israel’s Judges, and he lived his life pleasing God, how then would Saul, whom God abandoned, and was told that his kingdom would be given to a David, when he died that next day, be in the same place Samuel was? Interesting, isn’t it? Chew on that thought awhile....

17 The Lord has done just as He said He would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. 18 The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out his fierce anger against the Amalekites. 19 What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.” 1 Samuel 28:17-19