would God forgive suicide due to mental illness?

[Oliver23]

My friend is pretty messed up I have tried consoling him as a Christian but he often asks me what will happen if I died? would I go to hell? I try to comfort him best as I can and say it would not be good if he killed himself and had to explain his actions to God.

As someone who is spiritual and believes in God and Jesus I have to ask all of you.....what would happen to someone who was mentally ill who committed suicide? many would say yes he would go straight down to hell but SURELY he cannot be held accountable for his actions if he is confused and mentally sick. The person would not even think of such a thing if they were not messed in the head.

I have done a lot to get this individual help and at the end of it all I am still worried he will end up killing himself. Its sad as he used to be a very vibrant and happy individual now he is a sick and confused individual.

Anyway your views on this Q please.

 

[mandelduke]

My friend is pretty messed up I have tried consoling him as a Christian but he often asks me what will happen if I died? would I go to hell? I try to comfort him best as I can and say it would not be good if he killed himself and had to explain his actions to God.

As someone who is spiritual and believes in God and Jesus I have to ask all of you.....what would happen to someone who was mentally ill who committed suicide? many would say yes he would go straight down to hell but SURELY he cannot be held accountable for his actions if he is confused and mentally sick. The person would not even think of such a thing if they were not messed in the head.

I have done a lot to get this individual help and at the end of it all I am still worried he will end up killing himself. Its sad as he used to be a very vibrant and happy individual now he is a sick and confused individual.

Anyway your views on this Q please.

Tell him to think about what he would be doing to the people that loved him. When someone takes his or her own live, it leaves a terrible void.

 

[Spunkn]

This is a very dangerous question to answer. It's almost as if the person is asking to have an excuse to commit suicide in that they won't feel guilty about it.

I don't think you should answer yes or no, but rather something like I think God loves you and would not want you to commit suicide. I think God wants you to find healing and hope. Tell Him that there is hope in Jesus Christ, and that relationship with God has the power to change your life because there is forgiveness and also purpose in Christ.

I dont think it is our place to say who is going to hell and who isn't. Those who do not believe in Christ as their savior will go to hell, but as for knowing who exactly those people are we do not know exactly. Only God can truly know what's on a person's heart.

I do know that it says everyone will have had a chance to come to Christ. No one will be condemned that wasn't given a chance. But that is in God's power, not ours.

 

[sharoneiri]

Very good question,one have asked myself as my twin brother recently took his own life.I too suffer with mental illnness and know how confused and dark things can get but know that the only answer is to trust God and taking my life would not be doing this.

 

[joyfulbunny]

just continue to comfort him until he see the light.

 

[Luna1991]

Sent your friend the link to 'suicide read this first' (just google - usually a first result when you search anything on the topic of suicide. It's not a cure, but it has delayed me in my plans many times.

And yes, if your friend is a Christian, they will be forgiven for dying by suicide. Doesn't make it right, but Jesus died for all our sins, even suicide.

 

[Luna1991]

Tell him to think about what he would be doing to the people that loved him. When someone takes his or her own live, it leaves a terrible void.

Not trying to pick on a well-meant response, but I don't think this attitude is very helpful. When you are told this when you are feeling suicidal, you tend to take it as someone trying to guilt-trip you into living. It brings about that idea that suicide is the ultimate selfish act, which just doesn't match up with the frame of mind you are in when you are feeling suicidal. And that's just not a lasting solution.

When you feel suicidal, all that just washes away. It's hard for me to get my head around even now, being a little while since I've felt that low. But all you see is black - your entire world is death - you sort of see sickness and darkness in everything. And that fight or flight response kicks in - and if you have limited/no coping tools to 'fight' with, it makes sense that you would feel you only have one option left.

"When pain exceeds pain-coping resources, suicidal feelings are the result. Suicide is neither wrong nor right; it is not a defect of character; it is morally neutral. It is simply an imbalance of pain versus coping resources."

 

[Jeshu]

it is hard to repent from committing suicide, neither can it be undone! Yet all God's children are saved, (1 Tim 4:9-10, 1 John 2:1-2) a good wash of our spirit before we arrive in Heaven though!(Heb 4:12-13) but that happens to the best of us.

 

[drjean]

This is indeed always a difficult subject and question. And there are many of those who believe no one who commits suicide can go to heaven, and then there are those of us who believe that Christ Jesus died for all sin and nothing can remove the seal of the Holy Spirit... and as another posted, the key element is whether or not the person has had a genuine repentant conversion.

My Bible tells me that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. Well, yes... and I do believe that (I'm still here)... but I know of true Christians who completed (Judas comes to mind and there are others in the Bible who did so.) Is it God's will for us to give up? Of course not. Can the devil influence our thinking and cause us to do this horrible act? Yes indeed.

No one who is in full control of their mind commits suicide imo. So that means "everyone" who does this is mentally unwell at the time.

Now, the important part (after assurance of salvation) is to realize that anyone who discusses ending their life generally doesn't want to end their life, but wants to END THEIR LIFE AS IT IS NOW. Encourage them to know that each hour they can begin again with a clean slate. Nothing in their life is totally unchangeable and try to get them to consider just what it is they find unbearable, and then ways to change it. I daresay, even leaving family and getting a new job for the time being is better than suicide, right? Most don't need that drastic a change though. Most need the hope that they can change things .... and even if we can't, GOD can.