Life Of David: Part 4 Series

You can almost feel the panic in your bones as you read these words. For his entire reign, Saul had battled either directly or indirectly against his enemies to the west, the Philistines. This day was no different in that they waged war against each other, but it was different in its apparent quickness. As they were battling, the Israelites were forced to flee up Mount Gilboa. Although choosing the higher ground is typically a good battle tactic, it was not here. You know how slowly a man is able to run up a mountain, which made it easy for the Philistine chariots to run them down and their archers to peg them off one by one. Even though he had been hit by an arrow, Saul was making his way up the mountain. But, it eventually became clear to him: he was going to die. His three sons had all fallen. The battle was growing fiercer and fiercer around him. So, what is Saul’s plan? He called on his armor bearer to run him down. Why? Because he didn’t want the uncircumcised enemies to do it themselves. But, his armor bearer was terrified and did not, so Saul fell on his sword.

Why? I know we heard his reasoning, but what was behind it? Was it because he was afraid of the death that they would give him? Was he so conceited he did not want to give his enemies the glory of killing mighty Saul? I don’t know. The bible does not tell us. But, one thing I can say. Saul’s final act was not brave or glorious. It was sinful. His final act was murder.

What are we to do with this? What are we to make of suicide at all? For centuries the Christian Church has treated suicide as the unforgiveable sin. We have refused to bury those who are guilty of this sin, refused to allow them in our cemeteries, and refused to believe they might possibly be in heaven. Why? Why did we go down this route?

One of the biggest reasons why is tradition. You know how hard it is to break a group’s customs and cycles once they have been set. This situation is no different. For over a millennia, the prevailing thought has been that suicide was not able to be forgiven. In fact, this tradition goes back to the days of Augustine, who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries. During his time, Christians were willfully seeking out martyrdom, placing themselves in danger, so in a sense were guilty of suicide. Augustine, a church father, realized he had to speak out in the hopes of stopping this sin. Yet, when he did so, he swung the pendulum too far to the other side. In his book, The City of God, he stated that suicide was the ultimate refusal of trust in God.

Is that true, though? Is a person who has committed suicide destined for hell? Here is where we can make a stand. Instead of relying on a man’s words and church history to dictate our practices, we can and should instead turn to the Word of God. This must always serve as our source of truth.

According to Scripture, the unforgiveable sin is when someone has blasphemed the Holy Spirit. What, though does this mean? To that, I have another question: what is the Holy Spirit’s work? His job is to work on our hearts through baptism, Holy Communion, and the Word of God. Through these tools, he both creates and strengthens faith in Jesus as our Savior. When one blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, they knowingly throw his work away and turn their backs on Christ. They reject him entirely, in spite of knowing what he has to offer. This is unforgiveable.

With that in mind, is this suicide synonymous with the unforgiveable sin? Is suicide the ultimate act of turning from God? It depends. In the case of a man like Judas, yes. Judas refused to believe that his sins were able to be forgiven. Rather, he took matters into his own hands. But, what about the young man who has been struggling with mental illness? What about the warrior who constantly lives in self disgust and loathing because it was his friends who died, not him? What about the woman who cannot distinguish the true reality from the reality that has been stuck in her head? What happens if people like this commit suicide?

To answer that, turn to Scripture. Is suicide a sin? Yes. It is murder, no questions about it. But, is it a final rejection of God? To say “yes” in all instances would be to go beyond the Word of God. That final act may have been one done in weakness, not in rejection of Christ. For, what would be the difference between that and this situation I’m about to describe? What would happen if Christ were to return and you would be in the middle of sin? Let me tell you this, everything you do is sinful. Even the very best acts of praise are guilty of it. The good you wish to do, you do not do. So, are you then doomed to an eternity of hell due to your sin?