(Image by Drew Murphy)
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
SUICIDE, SIN + REPENTANCE
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). In context, this verse appears in a letter to a body of Believers who are being encouraged to remain in right fellowship with God and one another. In fact, the whole of 1 John offers these (and future) Believers a test for a being a genuine Christian - those who confess and are repentant of sin (1 John 1), those who don’t practice willful sin (1 John 2), those who love their brother (1 John 3-4), and those who love God by keeping His commandments (1 John 4-5). And, yet, those who would make a case for suicide being a “forgivable sin” would say one who commits self-murder can be assured of Christ’s salvation, no repentance necessary.
How?
Because, as they phrase it, “Jesus died for our sins past, present and future.” And yes, this is true if one rightly applies what this means. Yet, according to their argument, by this they actually mean the individual’s initial confession of faith in Christ absolves their need to repent of present and future sins. Unfortunately, this view is heretical, and if one desires to maintain this argument, they are in company with heretic extraordinaire Creflo Dollar, who also holds this view. First, Dollar claims 1 John 1 was written to agnostics, so it doesn’t apply to those who are already Believers. He goes on to argue that the book of 1 John doesn’t address Believers until 1 John 2. (Someone should inform Mr. Dollar that Biblical chapter divisions didn’t exist at the time the Scriptures were written.) Second, he argues, that to confess our sins after we are saved is legalism - he considers it a work - which, he says, means we aren’t dependent on the work of Christ on the cross.
To make this argument work requires one to mangle the doctrines of justification and sanctification. Indeed, Jesus died for our sins! But He didn’t die for us to remain in sin - let alone die in sin. The “past, present, and future” forgiveness we enjoy in Christ stems from God declaring us justified through our faith alone (Romans 5:1). By faith, He deems us righteous on the spot, and we are thus no longer condemned (Romans 6:23, 8:1). Yet, having deemed us justified, God is also faithful to grace us OUT of sin through the process of sanctification. As we continue to live out our faith in the earth, His Spirit is in us to ensure we walk according to His Spirit in the here and now. Yes, indeed, “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” - but we have to finish the verse, for it continues on to say “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”. As it relates to sanctification, upon our initial confession of faith we turn from our past sins and receive the Holy Spirit who begins a good work in us that we don’t practice present and future sins. He guides us to all truth (John 16:13), thus He convicts and corrects us (John 14:26, 16:8; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 2:27), and He shapes us into the image of Christ from glory to glory (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Overall, while we don’t work to BECOME saved, since we ARE indeed saved, we will work OUT our own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God at work in us to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14). We are charged to bear fruit in keeping with repentance - and much of it, for Christ says this is how we glorify the Father in the earth and show we are Christ’s disciples (Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; Isaiah 1:16). God works in us to help us follow Christ, who tells us to deny ourselves and take up our cross DAILY (Luke 9:23). There is no room for us to do as we please and yet presume our initial profession excuses us, for it is written:
“nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:9-12)
And the Lord, Himself says:
“Though I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, yet if he trusts in his righteousness and does injustice, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered, but in his injustice that he has done he shall die” (Ezekiel 33:13).
And again, He says:
“When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.” Ezekiel 33:18
And again, it is written:
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
So, where do the Scriptures allow room for willful sinning unto death? Where is there a sincere case in the Scriptures for dying in unrepentant sin against the Lord, yet daring to expect His salvation? The Lord has written eternity on the hearts of all men, so we know suicide is rebellion against our creator. But a Believer SURELY knows, and the Holy Spirit SURELY convicts those who belong to God of this act. To know the truth and go on ahead and commit this act requires one to either apostatize, blaspheme Holy Spirit, or test God, which are all grave sins before the Lord (Hebrews 3:12-19; Matthew 12:31-32; Matthew 4:7). Contrary to what Catholicism teaches, purgatory isn’t supported in Scripture (Hebrews 9:27), so there is absolutely no case that can be made for forgiveness of sin - suicide or otherwise - after death. Suicide is self-murder, and it is final, which causes one to die in rebellion against God. And the Word is clear: murderers will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
