ASSISTED SUICIDE

Suicide used to be far more common in history, before the advent of the church. Suicide is still an acceptable way out, or in some cases a required way out, in cultures where the Gospel has not permeated the thinking of people.

The influence of the Christian church changed culture, because the church views all life as God-given. As long as there is life there is hope. From the Christian perspective, life is an opportunity for the unbeliever to come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. For the believer, there is a surrender to the will of a loving Heavenly Father who wills and purposes all things for His glory and our good. Suicide is a way to take back control over life from the Creator and Giver of life - it is inconsistent with the Christian view of the nature and character of God as expressed in Scripture.

Not surprisingly, as western culture has gone away from its Christian roots, the "right" to suicide and to assistance in taking one's life has re-surfaced as a part of the modern liberal mindset. This is occuring in the U.S. and in Europe. It is easy to see why someone who is Darwinistic in their outlook, believing that they are just a product of random chance and an accidental compilation of molecules that is destined to return to the universe, supports the right to suicide. There is no eternal soul and there is certainly no God before whom every knee will bow and give an account. Thus, controlling their own destiny, at whatever time, for whatever reason, and in whatever way they chose, is their last great exercise of self-will and a triumph of their own self-determination.

So, why should the Christian object? Why should the Christian care?

If what the Bible has to say about eternity is true, then the death of every person without Christ as their Savior means that person is headed to hell for ever and ever and ever with no more chances for the glory and blessing of heaven. The story that Jesus tells in Luke 16:19-31 is an excellent illustration of what that means - torturous agony for ever and ever and ever.

For the follower of Jesus Christ, this world and its pains and problems is the closest they will ever get to hell. For the one who has rejected Jesus Christ's gift of eternal life, this world and its pains and problems is the closest they will ever get to heaven. The great exchange of life for death is not an escape from pain and suffering, but a guarantee of the certainty of pain and suffering for ever and ever and ever.

The lie of suicide for the unbeliever is that it will end suffering. The Christian knows that the opposite is true. For the believer who is contemplating suicide as a way of escape from the pain and misery of this life and a way to get to heaven sooner, the issue is whether they want their last act in this world to be an act of self-will instead of surrender, before they come face to face with Jesus Christ. They won't miss heaven, but there is likely to be a sense of loss in not completing the course/the race of this life until the Lord was ready to take them home. For the Christian, every day is an opporunity to bring glory and honor and praise to our Savior. Often, the joy and faith of the person in pain and suffering is the clearest mark of the reality of the presence of Jesus Christ in this world. God never wastes pain.