Re: What Would Stop a "Once Saved, Always Saved" Believer From Committing Suicide?
As always, a goodrelevant question Seoulsearch. And we all should take the questionseriously especially with modern views on euthanasia etc.
Your question isspecifically aimed at those who hold to OSAS/Eternal security andwhat I would hold to ‘perseverance of the saints’. So I will trymy best to answer from that view point, others have given very goodanswers indeed.
The first thing iswhat is the sin that keeps us from eternal life with Christ? In thefirst place it is our own actual sins stemming from our own sinfulnature (Isa 53:6; cf. Rom 3:9-20) - for all sin is against God (Psalm51:4). No one is righteous (Eccl 7:20). This is where we need tostart..Man’s predicament.
God is Holy, Justand Righteous. Man in his fallen state is unrighteous, living in andloving his sins and even encouraging others to do so (Rom 1:32), noone measures upto to God’s Holy Standards (Rom 3:10,23). Basicallyall humakind is in rebellion against God. The penalty of which isdeath (Gen 2:16-17; Rom 6:23a) and not just physical death. Theperson who dies in this state will go to everlasting punishmentwhether they committed suicide or not.
The good news, as weall know, is that although the wages of sin is death --- God in Hismercy and love for His people and faithfulness to his covenant withAbraham, gave us a free gift (Rom 3:23b), that gift of grace was Hisson – dead to sin and alive in Christ (cf Rom 6:11), Christ paidthe price of our rebellion and defeated sin and conquered death inour stead (Gal 3:13-15), He was our substitute.
Even though Christhas set us free from the ‘bondage ‘ of sin, we still wrestle inthis age with residue of our sinful selves. We are dead to itscontrol over us so that we can come to obey our Lord and saviour. This is a tension we live in now and its not a new experience to usthe Apostle Paul also struggled with these same issues (Rom 7:19-20). The Holy Spirit with us empowers us to overcome temptation, yet wemust strive to do it. We live in an already but not yet reality.That is to say Christ Has conquered and inaugurated His Kingdom andyet it will not be consummated until His return. We also live withinthis tension or conflict, we are already - but not fully, yet one day - will be glorified.
So the Christian whodies will have unconfessed sin when he dies, or even when Christreturns. The difference being is that his sin has been bought andpaid for By Christ His Lord and Saviour (1 Pet 1:17-21).
So then, theunbeliever is already spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-3) and will at somepoint die Physically. The believer on the other hand is spirituallyalive eternally, for those whom the Father gives to the Son, the Sonwill never cast out or lose (cf.John 6:36-40) - And will somedaydie physically, to await a new physical body (perfect) to be enjoyedin glorifying Christ in the new heaven and earth, the age to come.
Sorry to go on, butthe above is very important in understanding the answer to thequestion.
The Christian whowould commit suicide would do it for two reasons:
1) Mental Healthissues
2) Fear of pain andsuffering (no matter the cause, illness or captured by an enemy).
First of MentalHealth can be and most usually is an illness, however, we should notneglect that it might be a spiritual issue as well or both. God canuse illness to teach His children something, maybe to trust in Himfor all their comfort or to change their pride in their ownendeavours or even for you to understand a lesson that only you andhe knows about. Many saints can testify that they have come into adeeper relationship with God through suffering (including me).
If someone who isgenuinely saved and safe in Christ’s fold, then even suicide cannotrob them of the redemption that is in Christ, for they did not get itfor themselves in the first place – Christ did on their stead!
However, we need toanswer the question about suffering and that includes those withdepression etc. No one wants to suffer in any way, shape or form, yet suffering is a mark of a true Christian. We will sufferbecause He (Christ) did. Some will fall into temptation either fromthemselves or from an outside influence and try and end theirsuffering by taking their own life, but that is not the correct moral choice, depressed ornot. emphatically God says we are not to kill.
When it comes toillness many of us prolong our suffering by taking medications thatonly serve to prolong the pain, and I can fully understand thereasons why. We also live longer with aches and pains, even severeaches and pains because of the marvels of modern medicine. I have noreal opinion here except to agree with Paul (concerning terminal illness and not taking medication)(1 Phil 1:21 (incontext)).
When we put all ofthis in the context of OSAS, we are referring to the assurance ofSalvation in Christ because God Himself does the saving, God gave thepromise of his grace starting with Abraham, God is the Faithful one,God is steadfast, and His redemptive plan will accomplish Hiswill and this is not based on man, less any boast in his own merits. He will save His own Sheep!
Often, we need tobe still, and let God’s grace be enough. Ifanyone suffers from depression read some Charles Spurgeon, oftencalledthe prince of preachers. His life will be a good lesson and hesuffered severe bouts of melancholy (depression), and yet, he restedin the joy of God’s grace. Lastly, Physical death is areminder to all humankind that death is not good, and that it ispunishment for rebellion against their Sovereign creator. Christians need to learn how to die well!! Pray that Gods shows us how to die well!!
Justin case anyone says I do not know what I am talking about. I havesuffered severe depression with all the problems that comes withit..suicidal thoughts aswell.. Yet I can look back and see how Godhad me in His hand. Something that seems an impossibility when youare in the depths of the storm, yet my advice to anyone withdepression, is to ask God to take you into the eye of the storm wherethere is peace and keep you safe through grey clouds. God isSteadfast, merciful, caring and the great comforter. Keep Christ asyour focus, and only focus on him, always! As He will not lose nor cast out any who are His.
I have not "noticed" that because that is not my aim here on CC nor has it ever been. That is what "you" have said about me many times because you fancy yourself some kind of mind reader and feel constantly free to judge my heart. But in actuality you are clueless as to what my aims and goals and heart are about. Your accusations are as old and annoying as usual. 
Whew! Feel better? At least you got to directly attack, instead of implied attack! Whew! Lightens the load on you for a little while anyway.
