Sat, Aug 16th - 2:18PM
Is Suicide The Unforgivable Sin?
Is Suicide The Unforgivable Sin?
There have been multitudes and multitudes of news
coverage, commentaries, the blog-o-sphere being lit up, of course,
publications, etc., etc., on the subject of Robin Williams, so I had decided to
just remain silent, but then someone very close to me asked my view on it. Well, to say the least, since there is no
simple answer, I just decided to go ahead and blog my response to that
question, so here goes.
The question that was asked of me went like this:
I've
seen a lot of controversy over Robin Williams death. What are your beliefs on
suicide? Do you believe it is the "unforgivable sin"?
There really is no simple answer to that
question. To begin with, the only
"unforgivable" sin, is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which of course,
suicide could fall under that category, to a degree, as being either a way, or even
a result, of blasphemy.
The word “suicide” does not occur in the Bible (but,
then again, the word "Bible" is not in the Bible, either). Neither are there any laws relating to suicide
in the Bible, that I know of. But the
Bible does give certain contextual insight into the subject and several
examples of suicide, in which none are in a noble or positive light. Some examples include:
· Saul and his armor bearer (1 Sam. 31:4–5). Of course, Saul was in a totally backslidden
condition and out of relationship with God. In that day and culture, it was considered an honor to die along side
your king or ruler, so that could explain the armor bearer following suit.
· Zimri, king of Israel, who “burned the king’s house
down upon himself with fire” (1 Kin. 16:18), when
Tirzah was besieged.
· In the New Testament, Judas killed himself primarily because
of his shame and grief at betraying Jesus (Matt. 27:5). How sad, and how curious, that the earthly end
of one of the first of the Lord's original apostles should be that of suicide. He could have spent a lifetime of service for
God, winning souls and healing multitudes. He could have inherited eternal life and a throne over a tribe in Israel and all the
other glories of the redeemed, but he would not pay the price of going back to
the ones he had failed. He hanged
himself and then fell headlong in the valley below where his bowels gushed out
(Acts 1:18). Lightfoot, a theological commentator, says
that the devil caught up Judas and then threw him down dashing him to pieces on
the ground.
Human life is sacred, since we are created in God’s
image (Gen. 1:27 "So
God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them." ). God as the Creator has power over all
existence. He alone should control life, whether it continues or stops
(1 Cor. 6:19 - "... do you
not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God, and you are not your own?").
My basic answer to the question is "yes",
however, the final answer as to where Robin Williams is right now, rest with
God. I, nor does anyone else, have the
wisdom, knowledge or authority to declare whether he is in heaven or hell.
Suicide, and again, basically speaking, is a selfish
and cowardly act. The person is centered
and focused on self and are not thinking about those they supposedly love or
who love them. They sometimes do not
have the courage to face life anymore, hence it is an act of cowardice. That's a general rule of thumb, but then
again, sometimes the answer is not so simple.
In fact, it can become very complex. It could be because of some kind of chemical
or neurological imbalance or disorder of the brain that causes a person to do
something that they would never normally do. I have even seen and heard some good friends of mine who very quickly
just jumped to the assumption that he or anyone else who commits suicide goes
to hell - period. I do not agree with
that notion.
It is very sad that Robin, along with so many others,
felt that he had no other recourse, that he felt so overwhelmed he could think
of no other answers.
In Robin Williams' case, he was alone. No one was there with him and even if there
had been someone there, it is impossible to know what kind of encounter, if any
at all that he had with God. No one
could possibly know if in the final throes of death, that he may have asked God
for forgiveness and mercy. As long as
there is life and breath, there is always hope.
His father was Episcopalian, so who knows what kind of
seeds that were planted in his early life that may have perhaps come to
fruition and influenced what may have been his final heart's cry to God? Then again, his mom was a Christian
Scientist, a weird, off the wall cult. So, did any of that influence his thought processes?
There are fundamentally only 2 things that we know:
1.) We know
that the absolute only way to Heaven and to God is by and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. Jesus said it Himself in
John 14:6 - "Jesus said to him, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me." I know that sounds
intolerant, but that is just the way it is. That is a direct quote from Jesus.
2.) We also
know that we don't know what went on in that room with only Robin Williams and
the Lord. So, for anyone to just make a
concrete judgment in that matter, is still, at best, just sheer
speculation. I may even agree that the
odds are probably against it, but still, it is left to supposition and
assumption.
I was deeply saddened when I received the news. Although I didn't particularly care for some
of the roles he played, basically I was a fan for a great portion of the body
of his work. I, like all of America, was first
introduced to him as the quirky "Mork from Ork". But, I recognized his comedic genius and
acting brilliance with each passing project that he pursued. I really appreciated his spontaneous gifting,
which I believe was a gift from God. He
may not have used it for God, but nevertheless a gift from God, all the same.
He also, like countless others, was plagued and
haunted by a number of things, some known, others unknown. He was open about his addictions and
alcoholism and his struggle with depression.
It is a sad thing for anyone to die without God and
spend eternity in a place that was originally prepared for the devil and his
demons, but is certainly sad to think about one, such as Williams, who gave so
much laughter and enjoyment to untold millions, to spend eternity in untold
sadness and misery.
The bottom line in all of this is a spiritual
deficit. Ecclesiastes, although written
by a backslidden king/preacher, Solomon, still bears some spiritual
truths. In 3:11 it says, " He [God]
has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He
[God] has
put eternity in their [human] hearts,..."
God Himself, since creating us in His image, placed
eternity in the human spirit. That's why
people, for the most part, want to live forever. However, that eternal place in our heart
cannot be filled with anything that is attached to this temporal world. It can only be filled by something that is
eternal, and that has to be something spiritual. It also has to be the right spiritual thing,
or Person, that has to fill that empty place, and that Person can be no one
other than Jesus Christ.
Robin Williams, as well as countless others, are
classic examples that things of this world, whether money, fame, sex,
adrenaline rushes, entertainment, power or anything else associated with this
world, will never fill that emptiness. There can only be One - Jesus Christ!
I do firmly believe that if we have a solid
relationship - not religion - but relationship with God through the Lord Jesus,
barring some kind of brain disorder, suicide will never be an option.
There are volumes that have already been written and
no doubt multiplied volumes more that will be written regarding this
topic.
My sincere hope is that someway, somehow Robin
Williams was able to make that mercy connection with God and in that instant,
the blood of Jesus Christ cleansed him in a flash. And if he did, we will meet in Heaven and
laugh and laugh and laugh while the endless ages roll. However, only eternity will reveal that. Pastor Mike
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Name: Michael Parnell
