{"id":2494,"date":"2009-01-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2009-01-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/contentfeeds\/2009\/01\/bible-qa-for-june-9.html"},"modified":"2009-01-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2009-01-29T00:00:00","slug":"bible-qa-for-june-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/contentfeeds\/2009\/01\/bible-qa-for-june-9.html","title":{"rendered":"Bible Q&A for January 29"},"content":{"rendered":"

What happens when a person commits suicide? I lost a brother and a son and they both believed in God and I know one of them had once been saved. But where in the Bible do we look for answers?<\/b>
\nThere is no teaching in the Bible that condemns people to outer darkness for having taken their own life in despair. The case of Judas is sometimes thought to suggest otherwise, but he was condemned for other reasons, namely the betrayal of Jesus.
\nThe Bible certainly does not encourage anyone to take their life in their own hands, for life is a gift from God. It is not a possession, or the mere property of the individual child of God. None of us are free to do with our lives as we please; we are called to live as God pleases.
\nEven during points of deep depression and despair, we are called to leave matters in God’s hands. In 1 Kings 19:4-6, a despondent Elijah prayed for God to take away his life, but he did not lay violent hands on himself. We too should leave matters in God’s hands; this includes leaving the fate of those who commit suicide in the gracious and merciful hands of the Lord.
\n—Ben Witherington III<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What happens when a person commits suicide? I lost a brother and a son and they both believed in God and I know one of them had once been saved. But where in the Bible do we look for answers? 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