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Question: Suicide – A Way Out?

Published since 21. Sep. 2025
Bible passages:
Ps 31:16; Eccl 8:8; John 10:17, 18; 1 John 5:16, 17; 2 Cor 1:8; 1 Kings 19:4

Psalm 31:16: "Make Your face shine upon Your servant; Save me for Your mercies' sake."

Ecclesiastes 8:8: "No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it."

John 10:17-18: "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

1 John 5:16-17: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death."

2 Corinthians 1:8: "For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life."

1 Kings 19:4: "And he prayed that he might die, and said, 'It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!'"

I was recently asked the question of whether someone who has committed suicide can be in heaven. In fact, suicide is a topic that people prefer to avoid. However, in this day and age, there are enough cases that make it seem sensible to rethink the subject. Hence, the attempt in this article to approach this problem from a biblical perspective.

Time and again, we read about well-known personalities voluntarily departing from life, as they say. Perhaps you know a young person around you who also took their own life some time ago. It must have shaken you.

Sometimes, it is people close to us who choose this path out of life. It is often a matter of social, material (economic), or health (also psychological) problems – sometimes also purely spiritual or theological ones. People see no other way out than “free” death, although this term, which is often used for suicide today, is a euphemism for what is really behind this act. Suicide occurs when one's own life is deliberately ended by intentional action or deliberate omission.

But is suicide really a “good” way out? What does it profit to the person who has chosen it? And does it really set you free?

 

Does Man have the Right to this Way out?

Of course, it is humanly understandable that a sick person who is in constant pain wants to end their life to end this suffering. Or a person who feels there is no way out for themselves and their “cause.” Or someone who is constantly suffering from depression or who feels mentally unable to cope with life. But does a person even have the right to this “exit”?

We know from Colossians 1:16 that the Lord Jesus not only created everything but also created it for Himself. Everything, including our biological life, exists through Him, who is the Savior of all people (1 Tim. 4:10). If I take my own life so that I no longer have to live, then I am encroaching on the rights of my Creator, who alone has the authority to give and take life. “No one has power over the day of death” (Eccl. 8:8); "In your hand are my times" (Ps. 31:16). This clearly shows that there is no such thing as a “free” death – it is a matter of disobedience to God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There is only one person who had the right to give His life voluntarily: “Therefore the Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I have received this commandment from my Father” (Jn. 10:17, 18). The Lord Jesus Christ received this right from His Father – it was an explicit commandment from God, His Father. We are told this so that we do not get the wrong idea and think that we Christians can do the same. Our Lord did not commit suicide either. He gave His life to death in order to save people who were enemies of God. He did this in agreement with and for the glorification of His Father, whose commission He was carrying out. This is totally different from any suicide that can be committed today.

 

Suicides in the Bible

Incidentally, the Bible only reports on suicides in which we find no reference to a personal faith in God. These are Abimelech (Jdg. 9:54), Saul (1 Sam. 31:4), Saul's armor bearer (1 Sam. 31:5), Ahithophel (2 Sam. 17:23), Zimri (1 Ki. 16:18, 19) and Judas (Mt 27:5).

This does not mean that there are only suicidal persons today who do not believe in the Lord Jesus! We also know of cases where Christians who were very ill or in an emergency situation acted in this way. We do not want to “pre-empt” God, who alone is entitled to pass just judgment on this, and on the other hand, we do not want to play down this suicide.

 

With Suicide into the Eternal Lake of Fire?

By committing suicide, people who have no new life deprive themselves of their last chance to escape eternal damnation, which the Bible calls “the lake of fire.” And those who enter this place will never be able to leave it again! Therefore, you should preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to anyone you know who is in danger of committing suicide! And, of course, provide the necessary medical and/or pastoral help if they accept it.

Do we also have an eye for people who are so consumed by worries that they see no other way out? Perhaps we need to relearn to look out for our fellow human beings and brothers and sisters so that we don't have to reproach ourselves later. Our Lord was sensitive to the needs around Him. He always helped when people let Him help. We are not omniscient and cannot look into the hearts of our counterparts. But with a little more sensitivity, we may be able to better interpret faces and gestures. And then to help!

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): “Suicide is a deadly sin and the gravest of all sins.” – In the Bible, we do find sins in the life of a believer in which God must end the physical life in His ruling action (as with Moses after his disobedience when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, cf. also 1 Jn. 5:16, 17), but there is no “deadly sin” in the life of a believer in the sense that one could forfeit heaven through such misconduct (cf. Jn. 10:28, 29).

 

Believers in Emergency Situations

People who have eternal life and a Savior in Jesus Christ are called upon in the Bible to persevere when they have to suffer. We are introduced to the “perseverance of Job,” who experienced terrible things. The end for him was good because he – like us – had a Lord full of compassion who is merciful (James 5:11). Paul also writes: “For the lightness of our affliction, which is quickly passing, causes us an eternal weight of glory beyond measure” (2 Cor 4:17). It is true: this is easier written than practiced. And sometimes – humanly speaking – there is no improvement, e.g., in the case of illness.

Our Lord Jesus Christ can be an incentive for us to accept difficult circumstances, even persecution and rejection from the hand of God: He endured the trials of God and the worst pain on the part of men to the utmost and was prepared to trust his God and Father in everything.

Job, a man with the same feelings as us, is a motivating role model for us here. It can perhaps be said that he suffered from depression in the time after his terrible experiences, so he even cursed the day of his birth (Job 3, like Jeremiah, cf. Jer 20:14-18).

However, God not only had a goal with these sufferings – above all, He had a way out of Job's troubles. He also has this way for each of us if we cannot get away from such helpless fear over a longer period of time. It is almost impossible for an outsider to understand the plight of a person suffering from depression, for example, and then react with empathy. Recently, I read a reference from a devout psychiatrist that around 10% of patients suffering from severe phase depression kill themselves at some point.

“It is the illness that drives them to their death. And they don't throw their lives away lightly. In humane psychiatry, suicides cannot be completely prevented,” says Dr. Manfred Lütz. This also indicates why a person chooses this path of suicide. The reasons are simply very diverse because they can be linked to illness, excessive demands, self-will, wrong decisions, etc.

None of this should be used as an excuse: “It's not my fault.” The examples in Scripture show that God also has a way of peace for such troubled people. The experience that Paul speaks of also testifies to this: “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers ... that we were excessively weighed down with wealth so that we even despaired of life.” (2 Cor 1:8) This makes us wary of judging harshly others who are in seemingly hopeless situations.

Now, the starting point for this article was: Will we find suicides in heaven, or can a born-again Christian commit suicide? Perhaps it would be better to ask: Does a Christian have the right to commit suicide? If we look at the examples in Scripture, we can say: No, a Christian should leave the hour of his end on earth to his Lord. And yet we know people of whom we are personally convinced that they are born again because they have shown the fruits of life and yet committed suicide. As a matter of principle, we say: “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Martin Luther (1483-1546): He coined the word “suicide” for taking one's own life, which he regarded as a serious offense.

Someone who possesses eternal life cannot lose it again, not even through suicide (cf. John 10:28, 29).

However, no one should do this lightly: gamble with their life. Suicide is no small matter. It is a terrible sin if you do it in full awareness. As I said at the beginning – you make yourself the master of your own life and take away the right that belongs to God alone. In the case of suicide, there is also no longer any possibility of confessing this sinful act to God on earth. This also makes such a sin very serious. Thank God – there is still the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10), where everything will be ordered according to God's will.

 

Help

One thing is to be able to give an evaluation of suicide based on the Bible. It is at least as important to help people who have such thoughts. We have already briefly touched on this topic with regard to unbelievers. And what about believers who have suicidal thoughts? It used to be thought that someone who talks about suicide is not really at risk. Today, we know from several examples that this theory is no longer tenable.

In addition to a direct indication of an intended suicide, there are almost always other signals that need to be picked up. If someone constantly makes gloomy predictions about the future, no longer sees any meaning in life in society, or if he (or she) only talks about the afterlife, alarm bells should ring. There are no universal indications of impending suicide. Often, you cannot (and should not!) go so far as to turn a gloomy mood into an intended suicide.

Above all, it is important – even if this may sound like a truism – that we are “available” to such people and have time for them. They often want to talk and talk about their problems. In such conversations, those affected can tell exactly whether we mean what we say and are talking to them honestly. The last thing they need in a crisis is accusations and phrases (“How can you ...” or “It'll pass,” “It's not that bad”). As very few of us have been in such crises, we should hold back on giving advice and not react too hastily. Reading a word from the Bible together and praying together is certainly good. Integrating a young person into the youth group is undoubtedly also important. Actionism, on the other hand, will tend to put such a believer off.

Ultimately, you will often have no choice but to go to a doctor with someone who is having suicidal thoughts. Unfortunately, most psychiatrists and psychotherapists are either unbelievers or use unbiblical methods. Nevertheless, there are professionals who are faithful and recommendable. If anyone is looking for help here, they are welcome to contact the editorial team: [email protected]

 

The bereaved

Finally, I would like to briefly point out a problem that is easy to overlook. After someone's suicide, grieving people are left with many unanswered questions. Are they to blame for the suicide? Why were they unable to prevent such a suicide? Why did they not see the whole thing coming? Why were the deceased's friends unable to help?

There will be no answers to many questions in the near future. Even those of us who try to comfort will not be able to change that. We should avoid hasty and cheap answers. Consolation here can primarily consist of dispelling false self-reproach, reducing feelings of guilt, and strengthening trust in God and his care. We may not be able to say Romans 8:28 to such mourners: “But we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.” But comfort can be passed on based on this verse. Above all, we should open or strengthen the mourner's channel to God. There is nothing better than praying to God in such circumstances.

 

_____________________

Footnote:

[1] People who have not converted and die today are not yet in hell after their death, but in Hades, until they are judged before the great white throne (Rev 20:11 ff.).

 

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