The following audio message has been placed here to help those who have suffered because of suicide, those who are suffering from suicidal tendencies, those who wish to understand this difficult issue, and those who want to help save people from suicide.  Please listen to whole message to hear the entire context, and share it if you think it could help someone:

Suicide; A Biblical Response
​by Kenny Batson

1. Is it possible for a Christian to commit suicide?
  • The better question here is, "Is it possible for a Christian, a true Christian, to sin...to sin REALLY badly?"
  • All true Christians know the answer to this is "yes."
  • So listen with your good ear: suicide is a sin, just like murder is a sin. 
  • Suicide is against God. 
  • Suicide is one of the worst sins a person can commit.  
  • POINT?
              *The only sin the Bible says is unforgivable is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31; visit our "media" page to listen to a message about what this is). 
              *I want to give you some food for thought so you can answer people in a biblically mature way on this sensitive topic:
             **ILLUSTRATION: If someone gets truly saved, and gets drunk/high, they are still saved even though they are sinning by doing this (I am not talking about LIVING in sin, but failing).  It is very possible, especially if this person is prone to suicidal tendencies before, to have suicidal tendencies enhanced per alcohol and drug abuse.  
              What's my point?  Just as someone might be much more prone to commit adultery in such a state of mind, or even murder someone...it is also possible that suicide could happen.  Yes, even a true Christian could possibly find themselves doing something totally bizarre with just a few bad decisions, mixed with alcohol/drugs, mixed with bad news, and don't forget the devil's potential influence.
             Any true believer that has been saved for any amount of time knows that they have failed God miserably after they were saved.  Everyone fails differently, because different people have different sin tendencies.  This is a helpful thought as we try to understand this difficult question.

2. Is suicide the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which is the only unforgivable sin?
  • No.  The Bible never says suicide is an automatic trip to hell, nor is it the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
  • The reason many people believe that everyone who commits suicide goes to hell, is because many think either, 1- You weren't saved to start with, or 2- you couldn't ask for forgiveness before you died.  Both thoughts are erroneous, even though the first one is probably usually true.  The second statement is seriously flawed because the Bible does not say that we must have confessed every single sin before we die or we will go to hell.  The Bible says we are saved by God's grace through faith in what Jesus did on the cross...past, present, and future.  It is basically "works" based theology to say that a person will go to hell based on their "confessing" of the last sin they committed...why?  Because true Christians are not saved by that but by their confession in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.....based on what HE did on the cross...not our works/asking for forgiveness, for each sin before we die.   In fact, I would venture to say that most, if not all, true Christians die without having confessed sins they did not even realize they committed in their lives.
  • The Bible never says that it is impossible for a Christian to sin/murder/commit act of adultery/even suicide...it says it is impossible to be a Christian and LIVE in sin/unbelief.
  • In fact, the Bible says Christians DO sin, they just don't PRACTICE (not slaves to) sin: 1 John 2:1 (NKJV)  "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."
  • James 3:2A (NKJV) "For we all stumble in many things...." 
  • BOTH of these verses are speaking of true, born again believers, in the context.
  • REMEMBER, CHRISTIANS DO NOT PRACTICE SIN/REBELLION, AND IF THESE THINGS ARE APPEALING (if said person is being tempted to ANY sin) A CHRISTIAN MUST RUN TO JESUS, PRAY, GET AROUND TRUE BELIEVERS FOR SUPPORT, AND GET INTO GOD'S WORD.
3. Who typically commits suicide?
  • I would say that true Christians RARELY commit suicide.
  • Why?  A true believer will generally not put themselves in a situation in life that will cause them to believe this would be ok.  Just as I would say that it would be rare for a true Christian to murder someone.
  • BUT...WE MUST REMEMBER...NOT EVERYONE IS A MATURE BELIEVER, although they may be a true believer.
  • NOT EVERYONE HAS THE SAME GENETIC PRE-DISPOSITIONS, although they may be a true believer.
  • NOT EVERYONE EXPERIENCES THE SAME DEMONIC ATTACKS, although they may be a true believer.
  • What we must remember, is that ALL people, Christians and non-Christians alike, have flaws and imperfections and genetic "glitches/short-circuits" because of sin in the world.
  • Some "glitches" can be seen in physical birth-defects...but other birth defects of the brain may not be seen...all of which did not exist before sin came into the world.
  • In other words, whether you are a Christian or not, you are still going to die if Jesus tarries.  Not only is this death seen as we age physically, but it is also true on the inside, in our brains, our internal organs etc.
  • So, we must remember that we will not be totally perfected until we die and receive our immortal bodies in heaven.
  • Some Christians do not understand this and they know that we die physically, but they do not take into account that our physical "dying" (which we are all involved in, saved or not) includes chemical imbalances in the brain sometimes, possibly other issues of internal organs, and emotional problems.
  • I am saying that suicide can be influenced by real mental problems that are genetic, and true Christians still have genetic flaws.
  • True Christians still might be prone to be short tempered, abuse drugs/alcohol, fornicate, etc...even though they are TRULY SAVED (but as they walk in grace they will become more like Jesus and less sinful over time).
  • These imperfections will not be TOTALLY eradicated until the true Christian goes to heaven and receives their new/perfect body that sin has never touched (1 Cor 15:53-54).
4. Facts about suicide:
  • It's a sin, and a very severe sin.
  • Most people who commit suicide do go to hell, not because they committed suicide, but because they were not a true believer.
  • It's one of the most selfish things a person can do.
  • It's not ok, and if you are contemplating it you are very likely not a Christian and should immediately cry out to Jesus to rescue you from this evil temptation from hell.
5. The Holy Spirit will NEVER tell a believer to commit suicide.
  • In the Bible, King Saul committed suicide, and we know by reading about him, that he fell away from right standing with God.
  • King Saul was upright at one time, got proud/self-sufficient, started to rebel against God, started to go to witches/demons for counsel instead of God, and eventually committed suicide.
  • CONCLUSION?
  • Suicide is from hell...either directly or indirectly or both.
  • Indirectly- all people are born in sin, hence, "messed up" as death is at work in the human race because of sin.
  • Directly- demons are real and they DO speak and influence suicidal tendencies.
  • Indirectly and directly- these two work together in a powerful way at times to cause people to commit suicide.
  • What we need to do as Christians is pray, pray, pray for people to be saved from sin, self, and satan.