Suicide Will Not Send You to Hell

Question: I had a friend of mine take her own life and I am a little frrustrated because my mom said that it was ashamed because she would go to hell. I can't find anything in the Bible about suicide and I have a hard time believing that. She was a great person and was a Christian. Did she go to hell? - Nathan, Temecula, CA

Nathan,

Thanks for writing me.

First of all. I am sorry for the loss of your friend. There is little more difficult than having to cope with a death of someone very close to you. On top of that, it must be doubly hard to deal with someone you love ending their own life, especially when you may not have seen it coming whatsoever... so my deepest sympathy.

You ask a question that is very common. Suicide is a very serious issue, and particularly among the religious community, there has been the ongoing answer that suicide gives you a one-way sure fire ticket to the gates of hell. I apologize for using what may seem like an insensitive depiction but I want to relay and paint a picture of how this topic has been treated-- as I'm sure at this point you know.

First of all, yes, the Bible does speak of suicide on a couple of occassions. In the Old Testament (1 Chronicles 10:4) King Saul when in a losing battle of war chose to "fall on his own sword" rather than face the torture of his enemies. In the New Testament, Judas, who betrayed Jesus felt so bad about what he had done, he killed himself as well. (Acts 1:16-18). So the situation of suicide is not new. There is really nothing new under the sun.

Suicide Does Not Automatically Send You to Hell

My answer is controversial, but my answer is no. Suicide does not automatically send one to hell. The Bible does not support that fact. I know that is an unpopular belief in the religious community but again the Bible does not support that fact. There are several factors to consider:

1. How does one make it to heaven: There is nothing that you can do to qualify yourself for heaven. The Bible says that there is one way in and that is to believe in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by works, but by grace. (Ephesians 2:8)