Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

I would say that, from a Christian standpoint, suicide is not an unforgivable sin, but it is still a sin. Only God, or His appointed earthly legal authorities, have the right to terminate a life. One can sympathize with the plight of a person in such a situation (especially if there is physical pain present), but (again, in my opinion) for the afflicted individual (especially if he or she is a professed believer in Christ) to ask another person to assist in the act of suicide only compounds its wrongfulness, and even more so because of the clear premeditation involved. All available alternatives or palliative measures should be explored, but, in the final analysis, for the Christian (as Paul noted in Romans 8:17), endurance of any adverse earthly situation is a sharing in Christ's sufferings, and is a prelude to eternally sharing in His glory after this life.

November 26 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Grant Abbott Child of Father, Follower of Son, Student of Spirit

The Christian view of assisted suicide is wrapped up in the Christian view of the sanctity of life. Christians believe that life is a precious gift from God and is to be treasured until God decides to take us home to heaven.
Here are some thoughts on the value of human life:
1.	God knows every human spirit before a human being is conceived.
“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:15)
2.	God knows every human being before they are born.
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13)
“Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place” (Psalm 51:6)
3.	Every human being belongs to God from the moment of birth.
“From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God” (Psalm 22:10)
4.	God knows every detail about every human life.
“And even the very hairs of your head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30)
5.	God knows the number of days ordained for every human life.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16)
6.	God is present with every human being all the time (24/7).
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.” (Psalm 139:1-4).
7.	God delivers the gift of eternal life to every human being who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17).
8.	God has a plan and purpose for every human life until their end of days.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” 9Philippians 2:13)

Since life is so precious in the eyes of the Christian, why would any Christian want to end it before God’s appointed time? Life in this world is very hard. Depression, anxiety, fear, pain, suffering, loss, shame, guilt, etc, resulting from a myriad of difficult life events and circumstances, can lead a person to believe there is no hope for the future and no reason to live. 

But for the Christian there is always hope for the future. The bible is full of God’s promises to hold onto. The challenge we have is often taking our focus off our life circumstances and putting our focus on God, his plans for our lives and his promises for the future.

We also must remember that we are in a spiritual battle. The values and beliefs espoused by the culture of this world are driven by Satan and his demonic hordes. His strategy has always been to steal, kill and destroy. He wants the culture of our world to diminish the value placed on human life. Satan has convinced our world it is okay to kill unborn babies; to allow millions of people to starve to death every day; and now to allow and even encourage people to end their own lives before their natural death.

The Christian church has always stood courageously and unequivocally for the sanctity of all human life, from the moment of conception until the final breath of natural death. A Christian who is contemplating assisted suicide, desperately needs the help and support of their Christian brothers and sisters to; 1) trust in God’s promises, 2) strengthen their faith to please God, 3) persevere through suffering, and 4) live in the hope of eternal life.

December 14 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report