“Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?” 1 Corinthians
6:15a. Every saint is indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. “And grieve
not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. After becoming a born again follower of
Jesus Christ our body is no longer our own. That being the case, the
last thing on an “in Christ” believer’s mind should be the destruction
of the blood-purchased property of the Creator of the universe.
A believer who commits suicide has been convinced by Satan to follow his
will instead of the will of God. This type of problem arises when we
reach a place of despair. Despair is a vantage point that the enemy
capitalizes on and builds a foothold, depression is usually the result.
As a brother or sister continues down this destructive path, sooner or
later they end up doing exactly what the enemy wants – they end their
life and the enemy wins that battle. That one Christian witness has then
been eliminated, which is Satan’s goal. Obviously, something has gone
horribly wrong when a believer reaches this point.
Depression is probably the main motivator in suicide. Depression can be
brought on as a result of loneliness, rejection, abuse, and a huge void
where hope once resided. Depression can be dealt with, even avoided,
with a loving faithful congregation of saints at one’s side.
There are many distractions in this life that are primarily of Satan and
they are designed to promote his agenda not God’s. When those
distractions become infused in the believer’s life they begin to lose
interest in Christian fellowship and Bible study. Of course, the enemy
is there to step in with whatever might be accepted as a useful
substitute, something that will provide the wayward Christian with
excitement and pleasure, howbeit ever so short lived.
After all these distractions have run their course, there’s the
inevitable feeling of overwhelming worthlessness brought on by a sense
of letting God down. The saint, when confronted with these feelings,
becomes more and more depressed. This is why the writer of the book of
Hebrews admonishes us to not forgo the fellowshipping together with our
brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian fellowship is vital to
restoring and keeping the fallen Christian soldier in a right
relationship with his/her Creator.
In most cases the enemy’s antics are achieved subtly through a gradual
change in the saint’s lifestyle. Satan has only one purpose when it
comes to those who are no longer his. Steal, kill, and destroy. When the
saint goes astray from God, hope becomes a fleeting memory. In their
minds they see no avenue for restoring their relationship with God. Thus
they become despondent, depressed. Suicidal.
This mindset doesn’t mean a person isn’t born again, just that his/her
defenses have a breach in them which the enemy recognizes instantly.
Without a loving family of believers at their side the enemy has them
cold. We, the followers of Messiah Jesus, are in constant battles with
the powers of darkness. Most of us know how to resist the enemy, but
some believers will let down their guard after a battle thinking the
enemy is at rest. But Satan never rests, he and his horde of malevolent
followers wait in the darkness for any sign that a child of God is
faltering, that’s when they once again pick up the battle.
Knowing Jesus as our Lord and Savior brings unimaginable joy and peace
into our lives. Over time, some in Christ believers lose sight of that
joy and their peace is disturbed, especially when adversity arises. As
followers of Messiah Jesus we have been fitted with a big bull’s eye on
our bodies that allows the enemy to focus his attacks with pinpoint
accuracy. This supernatural evil works to separate us from God’s grace.
That separation always comes from our own lack of preparedness. Allowing
Satan’s emissaries to gain a foothold to separate us from our God, leads
to more and more misery, eventually leading to despair. Neglecting God’s
admonitions is the first step leading to the enemy’s attacks. “Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” James 4:7-8b. This
truth is not a onetime admonition, but a fulltime challenge.
So just how is the enemy able to build such a stronghold in the life of
a saint so that that follower of Messiah Jesus would despair even of
life? It’s quite simple really. The body of Christ is lacking. There is
a lack of love and unity in the body that is so evident that even the
world can see it. “From whom Jesus the whole body fitly joined together
and compacted by that which every joint supplies not just one person,
according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes
increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians
4:16. The whole body is not fitly joined together these days. Not every
joint is doing its part in regards to edifying the body. Love, the
crucial ingredient, is missing and the Ekklesia of Christ is suffering.
The enemy destroys the wandering Christian as a wolf divides the sheep
and picks off the weak and the lame.
“But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it
hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members, yet but one body… For our comely parts
have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more
abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no
schism (division) in the body; but that the members should have the same
care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members
suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with
it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.” 1
Corinthians 12:18-20, 24-27.
In the above verse the Apostle Paul tells us that God has tempered
(joined) us together as one. Since we are all joined as one body, when
one of us suffers the rest of us suffer as well. When a believer has
done well it’s a reflection on the body, we rejoice as one. Suffer or
rejoice, we do it together. When we remain committed to the wellbeing of
one another there should be no room for despair. Suicide should not be
thought of as a weakness in a brother or sister, but as a failure of the
Ekklesia (the assembly of the called out) to embrace our brother or
sister with limitless love so that when despondency raises its ugly head
it can be immediately dealt a death blow.
Stop fellowship, stop Bible study and before long the enemy moves in
like a wolf attacking with a vengeance. When we stop those two Christian
essentials we become a major focus of the malevolent supernatural.
Studying God’s word draws us closer to Him, but by neglecting His word
we move ourselves away from Him. By fellowshipping I mean real
fellowship with likeminded believers in our homes or in their homes…not
merely attending services once or twice a week.
We need to be spending quality time together, we need to be listening to
one another’s anxieties and problems and doing whatever is necessary to
help alleviate these things from a brother or sister’s life. How do we
do that? By the power that God has given each of us who have become His
children – including diligent Bible study and fervent prayer.
If we have
nothing else we have love, the love of God that resides in each of us
should be a shield and a very real deterrent to the darts thrown at us
by the enemy. It would be much more difficult to despair of life when we
are surrounded by the constant love of the brethren.
In many cases the building on the corner with the big cross out front
fails horribly when it comes to huddling together under the wings of
fellowship. Our life as Christians is to be a fulltime lifestyle filled
with the joy of the Lord. Joy becomes diminished when we become
part-time Christians. It’s then that a plethora of problems begin to
beset the saint’s life. Since we are the body of Christ we should be
much more fitly joined together so let’s start acting like it. As one
part of the body goes through trials and tribulations the rest of the
body brings comfort and nourishment – we need each other. A common faith
brings us together, and a love that cannot be explained or surpassed
cements us as one. Therefore no saint should ever get to a point of such
despair that they would even contemplate, let alone follow through with,
the taking of their own life.
Let me begin my next statement with the following qualifier; in no way
am I condoning suicide as I provide the following truths. That said,
I’ll now try and help those who have lost loved ones as the result of
suicide to find peace. Once we are born again, we can never lose our
status as a child of God. “…ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of
promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of
the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” Ephesians
1:13b-14. God seals His Holy Spirit in each person as they become born
again. This action, we’re told, is a down payment to our eventual
inheritance, which is the Kingdom of God. This occurs at the instant
that we first believe on the one who God sent (Jesus the Christ). Paul
clears up any misgivings concerning our losing what God has given us.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans
8:38-39. The separation from God occurs at death for the Christ
rejecter. For the born again child of the Most High God there is no
separation from Him. Never. It can’t happen, and it won’t happen. Not
even death by our own hand can accomplish separation from God.
Many believe that suicide is the one sin that will void the salvation of
the saint. Actually that’s impossible. Salvation once received is
forever. Some will refer to suicide as the unpardonable sin since there
is no possible way to repent and ask for forgiveness after the deed is
done. First of all there is no such thing as an unpardonable sin since
all sin was covered by the blood of Messiah Jesus at the cross. Secondly
the born again have already been forgiven when we said yes to Jesus
Christ by placing our faith and trust in Him, and Him alone, for
salvation. Thirdly the only thing that Jesus said would not be forgiven
was when He referred to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He was
speaking of the Nation of Israel who had just rejected Him. Today there
is no such thing as an unpardonable sin since Jesus paid the price in
full for all sin past, present, and future. It’s not sin that condemns
but unbelief. It’s not the loss of hope, it’s not depression, and it’s
not suicide that condemns. It’s the rejection of God’s free gift for
salvation, Jesus the Christ.
Remember, caring for one another like the early Ekklesia is the key;
caring, loving, doing, being a constant part of one another’s life. Just
as our own hand is an extension of arm, we are an extension of each
other in Christ. Therefore loving one another will facilitate a much
more harmonious relationship and stave off any thoughts of suicide.
Worse than destroying the Temple of God would be to destroy the body
while it belongs to Satan. The god of this world has dominion over the
body until we stop rejecting the Son of God. Certainly destroying the
body while it remains the domain of Satan would be an unpardonable
mistake. Death by suicide will always remain on earth as an escape for
the lost of this world, as they have no hope. When that does occur they
will have set in stone their eternal destination, and it is not Heaven.
We, the children of God, have too much to live for, and much work to do
in regards to those lost folks. The lost need us, if only as a reminder
that there is a loving God who has His eyes fixed on them. Take away the
saints and suicide will increase exponentially. That day is coming –
soon.