SUICIDE - EUTHANASIA
I have these thoughts - Is
this considered murder – Is this in the Bible - Is this a sin?
Scripture treats all human
life as sacred. - Your life is a gift from God - You were created in His image.
- Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. – You are not your own.
Both are violations of the
sixth commandment
Thou
shall not kill.
Ex 20:13 – The sixth commandment
13 "You shall not murder.
NIV
Gen 1:27 – Created in the Image of God
27 So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
KJV
1 Cor 6:19 – You are not your own
19 Do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You
are not your own; NIV
1 Peter 3:7 – Life is a
gift
7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you
live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as
heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. NIV
Eph 2:8 – Our salvation is
a gift
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- NIV
Eccl 7:17 – The wicked die before their time - Suicide
17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool- why
die before your time NIV
Tribulation Suicide Rabbit
Trail
- In the end times men
will be in such fear and agony that they
will seek death, but they will not be allowed to die.
Rev 9:6 – Death will take
a vacation in the end times
6 During those days men will seek death,
but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them
NIV
Amos 9:2-3 – Death will
elude them - they cannot hide
2 Though they dig down to the depths of the
grave, from there my hand will take them. Though they climb up to the
heavens,
from there I will bring them down.
3 Though they hide themselves on the top of
Carmel
Thoughts of suicide
- Thoughts
– This
is where it all begins – a seed that either gets watered or dug up.
- Many people have thoughts
of suicide – Like their life is over – Like they are nothing to anybody
and would just be better off dead. – They have nothing to live for.
- Death
is an escape
– the end of weariness – the end of physical as well as mental pain
– the end of hating yourself or your life – the end of guilt over your
actions. – Death will finally bring peace and quiet and rest
from the turmoil.
- These thoughts are
much more common than you might think.
People just don’t tell you what they are thinking.
- These thoughts are
not sin,
but they didn’t come from God either.
Satan is the trickster. He
came to kill, steal and destroy. – Many a good man has had these thoughts;
Jonah, Job, Elijah, Moses and Paul – Consider yourself in good company.
- Paul said while he would prefer to leave this
world, but it would be far better for his family if he stayed.
- Job’s
thoughts
- I am including just a few of the thoughts that were going through Job’s
troubled mind. - Some of these thoughts just may have been what you are
thinking. – But remember in the end, Job was restored.
- You are
not alone
– It’s God’s will that you have life and have it more abundantly.
Jer 8:3 – When things are
bad, people will consider death.
3 Wherever I banish them, all the survivors of
this evil nation will prefer death to life, declares the LORD Almighty.'
NIV
Rev 9:6 – When Life goes
wrong – people seek death to escape.
6 During those days men will seek death, but will
not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.
NIV
2 Cor 5:8 – Paul
preferred to die and be with Christ
8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to
be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
NIV
Phil 1:23 -24 – I’m torn, but its better I stay with the family
23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart
and be with Christ, which is better by far;
24 but it is more necessary for you that I
remain in the body.
NIV
Num 11:15 – Moses felt dejected. – preferred to die
15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put
me to death right now--if I have found favor in your eyes--and do not let
me face my own ruin."
NIV
1 Kings 19:4 – Elijah
felt his life meaningless and wanted to die
4 while he himself went a day's journey into the
desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might
die. "I have had enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life;
I am no better than my ancestors. NIV
Jonah 4:8 – Jonah
thought he had failed God – Wanted to die
8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east
wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to
die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."
NIV
Job 3:1 – Job said,
I hate the day I was born
1 After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the
day of his birth.
NIV
Job 3:11-13 I wish I had
died at birth – I would be at peace
11 "Why did I not perish at birth, and
die as I came from the womb?
13 For now I would be lying down in peace; I would
be asleep and at rest NIV
Job 3:16 -17 – I wish I had been stillborn – I would be at rest
16 Or why was I not hidden in the ground like a
stillborn child, like an infant who never saw the light of day?
17 There the wicked cease from turmoil, and
there the weary are at rest. NIV
Job 6:8-11 – Crush me – I
have no hope
8 "Oh, that I might have my request, that God
would grant what I hope for,
9 that God would be willing to crush me, to
let loose his hand and cut me off!
10 Then I would still have this consolation- my
joy in unrelenting pain- that I had not denied the words of the Holy One.
11 "What strength do I have, that I should
still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?
NIV
Job 7:1-3 – I am in misery
– longing for the end of the day.
1 "Does not man have hard service on earth?
Are not his days like those of a hired man?
2 Like a slave longing for the evening
shadows, or a hired man waiting eagerly for his wages,
3 so I have been allotted months of futility, and nights
of misery have been assigned to me.
NIV
Job 7:15-16 – My life has
no meaning – I despise it.
15 so that I prefer strangling and death,
rather than this body of mine.
16 I despise my life; I would not live
forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning. NIV
Job 10:1 – I hate my life
"I loathe my very life; therefore I
will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.
NIV
John 10:10 – God wants you to have life – Satan wants you dead
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly.
KJV
Suicide
- The word suicide does
not appear in the Bible, neither are there any laws relating
specifically to it by name, yet the implications are there based on the 6th
commandment, “Thou shall not kill”.
- There are examples of
Suicide in scripture – A jailer almost
took his own life, but was stopped – A disgruntled man hangs himself –
Fearing the worst a man sets himself on fire – another with remorse and
guilt commits suicide by taking his life.
- Suicide is murder - It is not condoned
in scripture, it is a sin - However it’s not the un-pardonable sin
– This sin can be forgiven.
- Assisted
Suicide –
Jonah knew it was wrong to take his own life, so he asked others to
throw him off the ship to calm the sea. – King Saul asked someone
else to take his life.
- Ultimately man is
responsible for his own actions, - however your actions may have contributed
to someone else taking their own life. – By purpose, you may have
provided the means and assistance for the loss of this life, or perhaps
you inadvertently contributed to “the environment” and “thought
process” which led up to the loss of life. – This complicity is
something that you should seek God’s forgiveness about. (I know this is a heavy statement)
- Refusing
Medical Assistance – Can refusing to take “medical options” be considered
suicide? Absolutely not. – It’s not
a sin to desire to be with the Father. – What if my motive is not of
Faith, but of just wanting my family not to suffer mentally and
financially. – The answer is still no, it’s not a sin. You are motivated by your family’s
needs.
Acts 16:27 -28 – The jailer almost committed suicide.
27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison
doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he
thought the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We
are all here!"
NIV
2 Sam 17:23 – A disgruntled man takes his own life
23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not
been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown.
He put his house in order and then hanged himself. So he died and
was buried in his father's tomb.
NIV
Matt 27:5 – In shame Judas
hanged himself
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
Then he went away and hanged himself.
NIV
1 Kings 16:18 – Fearing the worst a man sets himself on fire
18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went
into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around
him. So he died,
NIV
Jonah 1:12 – Jonah asked for assisted suicide.
12 "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,"
he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this
great storm has come upon you."
NIV
1 Sam 31:4 – Saul asked
assistance in suicide.
4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw
your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and
run me through and abuse me." NIV
1 John 5:16 – Sin that leads to death
16 There is a sin that leads to death. NIV
Matt 12:31 - The unpardonable sin
31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy
will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be
forgiven. NIV
1 John 1:8-9 – If we
confess sin, He will forgive
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. NIV
Sacrificial Suicide
- Sacrificial
Suicide
- Would giving your life jacket to another be a sin? – Would starving
yourself so that your child could eat be a sin? Not at all. – No greater love has a man,
than to lay down his own life for another. – Jesus laid down His life for
us.
- Sampson
prayed
for strength to kill the Philistines, the enemy of God, knowing he would
be committing sacrificial suicide. – Note: God gave him the strength he prayed for.
Judg 16:29-30 – Sampson
kills himself and the enemy of God
29 Then Samson reached toward the two central
pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand
on the one and his left hand on the other,
30 Samson said, "Let me die with the
Philistines!" Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the
temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he
died than while he lived. NIV
John 15:13 – Love – Lay down your life for another.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay
down his life for his friends. NIV
John 10:18 – Jesus laid down His life to save us.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down
of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it
up again. This command I received from my Father."
NIV
Phil 1:21- Our life is
Christ – Being with Him is a plus
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.
NIV
Matt 4:5-6 – Satan
promotes suicide – Says it’s a good thing.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had
him stand on the highest point of the temple.
6 "If you are the Son of God," he said,
"throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He will command his
angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you
will not strike your foot against a stone.'" NIV
Euthanasia
- Should you withhold
medical options in order to stop prolonging death or agonizing
pain or a vegetable like existence of a loved one?
- If they are dying,
scripture says you should make them as comfortable as you can.
- If the physicians
conclude that the condition is irreversible, then those making the
decisions should not feel any guilt on their decisions.
- The
greater question on guilt is the motive for the decision – Is
it driven by the physical demands and financial burdens it makes on those
making the decision? – Is it self interest? Is there financial gain to be
received?
- Useful
Life – This
should not be the deciding factor – Nor should love or guilt
advocate postponement of death at any cost.
- You are free to
refuse assistance that would slow down death, but you are not free to seek
assistance that would speed it up. (There
is no specific scripture)
Prov 31:6-7 – Give
Southern Comfort to those who are dying.
6 Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to
those who are in anguish;
7 let them drink and forget their poverty and
remember their misery no more.
NIV
Salvation
Lost
- Can
suicide send a man to hell? – The bigger question is have they accepted
Christ? - Although suicide is a sin, it does not affect a man’s
salvation.
- All have sinned and
come short of the glory of God – Thank God for His Grace and Mercy.
Rom 3:23 – Everybody has fallen short
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God,
NIV
Acts 15:11 – His grace saves us
11 We believe it is through the grace of our
Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
NIV
John 10:27-28 – They will
not perish
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
KJV
John 6:37 – If you came to
the Father, you are His
37 All that the Father gives me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
KJV
Rom 8:38-39 – Suicide cannot
separate us from God
38 For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
KJV
Don’t give up
- If there was ever an
example of someone suffering and wanting to die it was Job.
- While some answers gave
partial satisfaction, none of Job’s friends really had the answer for his
calamity. – There is an enormous gap between what man knows and what God
knows.
- Even with all his
thoughts of death, Job did not give up on his relationship with God
and could live with the unanswered questions.
- Today we have the Holy
Spirit, The Comforter, the one who comes along side of us.
- Christ’s death did
not make our salvation a possibility; He made it a certainty.
John 14:26 – The Holy Spirit
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you
of everything I have said to you. NIV
Rom 8:26 – Helps us – intercedes for us
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in
our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes
for us with groans that words cannot express. NIV
Eph 2:8 – We are saved by
His Grace through Faith
8 For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- NIV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I
otherwise ever could have.
An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words – W.E. Vine
Biblical Ethics
– Robertson McQuilkin
Bible Almanac:
The – Packer Tenny White
Bible Dictionary – Harper
Expositor’s Bible Commentary; The – Frank E. Gaebelein
Great Doctrines of the Bible: Soteriology – W.A. Criswell
Historical Atlas of the Bible; The – DR. Ian Barnes
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelson
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The – Tyndale
International Dictionary of the Bible: The- Zondervan
International Dictionary of the Bible:- Douglas - Tenny
King James Version of the Bible – KJV
Nave’s topical Bible - Zondervan
New International Version Bible - NIV
Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The– Zondervan Tenny
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible - Guideposts
Unraveling the Big
Questions about God –
Kenneth Boa
Victor Journey through the Bible: The – V. Gilbert Beers
Webster’s New World College Dictionary – Webster
Where to find it in the Bible – Ken Anderson
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