| |
Suicide - A Christian Perspective continued....
IS SUICIDE A SIN?
This is a theological question, and the spiritual
implications of such an act cannot be ignored. There are Christians who have
taken their lives, but self-murder is still murder, so it must come under the
prohibition of the 6th commandment. 'You shall not murder'. It is therefore an offence before
Almighty God.
Some may question the 'murder' element in suicide on the
grounds of what Jesus said in His sermon-on-the-mount when He inferred that
murder was motivated by hate for its victim. Such a feeling
could not be said to be present in suicide, but it is still the taking of life,
even if it is one's own. It is an enormous protest against life, which is the
gift of God, and He alone has the right to terminate it. It may also be the
result of a total frustration with one's circumstances, but for whatever reason
its sinfulness cannot be denied.
It has been said that those who commit suicide, because of
its very nature, have no opportunity to repent and seek forgiveness, and while
that is true, is not that fact also true of us all (Christians included) who
die with any unconfessed sin? This is a challenge to all who have a spiritual
concern.
Return to the Homepage |
