[Today’s Christian, March-April 2003]
Is Suicide Unforgivable?
Q. We got into a discussion in my Bible class about whether Christians who commit suicide go to heaven. I always thought that God forgives everything, except the unforgivable sin of not accepting him. But others in my class hold different views. I have two questions: (1) Do Christians who commit suicide go to heaven? and (2) What is the “unforgivable sin”? —Carly M. Spokane, Washington
A. Taking a human life is an extremely serious sin, and while a murderer can repent, there is no chance for repentance after death. However, it’s another thing entirely if the person who committed suicide was emotionally imbalanced or mentally ill. We might even say that the person didn’t kill himself but mental illness killed him—like cancer or heart disease could kill someone else.
Remember the man who brought his epileptic son to Jesus for healing? The illness was caused by a demon, the father said, that “has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him ” (Matt. 17:14-18). It wasn’t the boy’s own will but an evil force that was trying to kill him. If a believer suffers confusion and despair, if he can no longer “judge with right judgment” and turns to suicide with profound regret, God will receive him far differently than he will someone who acts with haughty self-determination.
Suicide is not related to the “unforgivable sin,” however. The Gospel of Mark shows that the unforgivable act is a strange kind of blasphemy: to say that the spirit of power in Jesus—the Holy Spirit—is an evil spirit. People make all kinds of oddball statements about Jesus these days, but this particular charge went out of style 2,000 years ago.
Why did Jesus say that blasphemies against himself could be forgiven but not against the Holy Spirit? Early Christians searched the Scriptures and discovered that Hebrews 6:4-5 is the only other place where something is described as unforgivable. “It is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have become partakers of the Holy Spirit if they then commit apostasy.”
Around 225 A.D., The Christian theologian Origen explained that someone who has fully embraced the faith and received the Holy Spirit has to work hard to deliberately “defeat the counsels of the Spirit that is in them.” That would be defiance, not forgivable ignorance. To receive the Holy Spirit, then treat it with contempt, is the unforgivable blasphemy.
But one more thing on the subject of suicide: Today’s proponents of euthanasia seek to present suicide as an honorable and compassionate practice. In fact, the “Death with Dignity” crowd has its roots in a school of thought that had its heyday during the early New Testament era. The Roman philosopher Seneca, a passionate defender of suicide, extolled the virtues of controlling one’s own fate. “The wise man … will always think of life in terms of quality, not quantity,” he said. When faced with a lingering death, he added, “why not reach for the easier way?” It is this kind of cool-headed, “I’m in charge” suicide that Christians have always condemned.
Of course, there can be good reason to decline extraordinary measures at the end of life, but deliberately expediting the process is another thing altogether. God never promised us dignity as we approach death. As Jesus climbed Mount Calvary covered with blood and sweat, nobody said, “My, doesn’t he look dignified!”
Why Worship God?
Q. My brother, although raised as a Christian, is now both an ex-Scientologist and an agnostic. He asked me this question: “What kind of God would require worship?” —Karen W., Virginia Beach, Virginia
A. In an episode of The Simpsons Homer is asked a similar question. He replies, “God is very powerful, but also very insecure, like Barbra Streisand before James Brolin.”
If you picture God as being like a giant-size human being, that makes sense. But in the Scriptures, the main thing people who have encountered God say is that he’s the opposite of ordinary humans. He’s holy—in Hebrew, the word is qadosh-meaning “other” and “set apart.” Those who meet him say, “You’ve never experienced anything like this before. It made my hair stand on end.”
Their first reaction seems to be fear, since the first thing they are told is usually “Do not fear.” Then, as they continue to stand in God’s presence, they become overwhelmed with awe and love for him, and they start seeing their own failings very clearly. Strong light makes long shadows. Isaiah sees God “high and lifted up” and reacts, “Woe is me!” Peter sees Jesus perform a miracle and falls to his knees saying, “I am a sinful man.”
That’s what people who have “been there” report: God is “other,” he’s inexpressibly wonderful. When you experience him, you suddenly see how much you need to change. And that’s worship in a nutshell. God doesn’t command us to do this; it’s more like he warns us that this is what will happen. Get ready, because his presence is going to knock you over. I hope your brother will continue to evolve and soon be an ex-agnostic.