(Image: Annie Spratt)
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
In September 2019, late Pastor Jarrid Wilson made Christian and mainstream headlines after taking his own life. He was 30 years old with a birthday on the way. In addition to his noble profession as a pastor, he was a husband, a father of two boys, and a mental health advocate. As the pastor of a megachurch with a sizable social media following, Wilson was loved and adored by many, and in the days following the news of his death, those who knew and followed his ministry took to social media to say their goodbyes, express their condolences and to honor his memory. Wilson’s story also gave way to a larger conversation on Christian suicide, and as many utilized social media to grieve his death, many also took to social media to try to make sense of his actions.
Unfortunately, many did so according to their own understanding.
Compromised Compassion
Perhaps in a sincere effort to cope with legitimate grief or compassionately address the subject of suicide, many, unfortunately, began to espouse misinformation, false hope and Biblical error. And it was false hope and error that could actually encourage more suicides rather than discourage them.
What seemed to begin as an understandable outpouring of compassion and mourning with those who mourn quickly became an exercise in undermining and twisting the Scriptures. I was horrified by what I saw, as professing Christians (inadvertently) began affirming suicide! To be fair, they did count suicide a terrible act, but they did so to only turn around and assure Christians that losing all hope and taking their own life doesn’t mean they no longer have hope in eternal life with Christ. Frankly speaking, this argument is not only inconsistent, but troubling.
As one young lady wrote on the subject:
“Believer, Jesus’s blood is not insufficient or so weak as to not reach those whose lives have been permitted by the sovereignty of God to end by their own hand.”
With all due respect to her...WHAT?!
It’s unclear to whom this young lady was directing her statements, but if she wrote this to be compassionate to those considering suicide, did she really think this would encourage someone away from the act? If her Tweet was directed at a professing Believer who was successful at taking his or her own life, was she not aware that the dead can’t hear her (Ecclesiastes 9:5)? And if she was blaming God for suicide, didn’t she know that while He is sovereign, HE does NOT tempt us with evil, but we commit it when we give way to our sinful desires (James 1:13-14)? Didn’t she know that there is NO TEMPTATION except that which is common to man (because of indwelling sin), but the Lord is faithful to give us a way to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:14)? Moreover, if we follow her sentiments to their logical conclusion, why then would an unbeliever even need to repent? Does the requirement for repentance mean Christ’s blood is too insufficient and weak to save those who reject Him? It’s clear she didn’t understand the grace and love of God.
No doubt, her words confused and frustrated me deeply, just as similar commentary from other professing Believers did. So I jumped into the discussion hoping to contribute Biblical soundness and reason back into the conversation. Nevertheless, I was immediately rebuked (attacked) and charged with being unloving, lacking compassion and offering commentary some deemed ill-timed.
Admittedly, I’d never heard of Jarrid Wilson before his death, I didn’t initially know all of the details surrounding his passing, and I wasn’t fully knowledgeable of his suffering. But I spoke then and do now not according to what I know of him, but from Who I DO know and what I know about Him. I know Christ. I have heard and received His Gospel, and I am knowledgeable of His suffering on my behalf. I fully believe and accept the details surrounding His death, burial and resurrection, and I accept his charge to follow and abide in Him. As such, I knew enough to know what I was seeing was just...wrong, and I had enough compassion for Believers still living out their faith to know what many were saying was just...dangerous!
I was horrified, and I was immediately concerned for those tempted to despair who might also see such rhetoric. For if what these folks were claiming is true, that would mean...
Jesus lied when He told us we must endure to the end.
We don’t have to LIVE by faith.
We don’t have to suffer well through this life’s guaranteed trials, but can instead escape them via suicide and go straight Jesus!
We don’t have to repent of our sins after our initial confession of faith and are thus free to do as we please
Christ doesn’t keep us in perfect peace and
through infinity <Insert countless other heresies>
As such, I hope this piece will not only offer a thoughtful case against suicide, but will demonstrate what suicide ultimately reveals about our faith. Through an honest examination of this topic per the Scriptures, my goal is to encourage Believers to pause and examine ourselves whenever we are tempted to despair and to remind us to walk by the very faith God says His people are to LIVE by until the Lord sees fit to call us home, or until Christ returns to redeem us, whichever comes first. With the Christian in mind, I explore this topic across four facets 1) Suicide + the Bible, 2) Suicide + Mental Illness, 3) Suicide + Repentance, and 4) Suicide + Faith, which concludes the series. The full series may be accessed below.
