One of the things that I started to do with questions that have been posed to me regarding our readings in the Transformation Journal is to post the question and my response here on the blog for a wider audience to receive. I always do so only after receiving permission from the person presenting the question. [I wouldn't want anyone to be afraid of asking me a question. Confidentiality is vital and I would never seek to compromise that] Today, I wanted to share a response to this question I received this week.
With the economy being the way it is and the recent suicide of some of the executives I have a question for you: If someone commits suicide and right before they die they ask for god’s forgiveness does that mean they will go to heaven or hell? I don’t know why but that question popped up in my head yesterday after hearing about the executive from Freddie Mac.
Here’s my response. If you have some additional thoughts or questions, feel free to email me or post a comment below.
That’s a great question that I know for many people is a very difficult one to even consider because of the pain of losing someone you love coupled with the realization that their loved one played a part in bringing about the end of their own life. To speak generally, it makes me nervous to ever answer a question in reference to “who get’s in, who doesn’t.” God makes those decisions and because grace is the key for salvation for any of us, that means that grace is God’s gift to give and God gives that gift as he sees fit. That helps me in my mind clarify what I’m responsible for and what I’m not.
I believe with all my life that Jesus is the Savior of the World, and because Jesus is the Savior, he does the saving. The goal of our life [as least as I understand it] is to point people towards Christ. I don’t know how God feels about suicide. On one hand, someone is essentially participating in an act of violence against oneself. It seems like a dramatic rejection of God’s divine image in which God creates all of us. On the other hand, most individuals who commit suicide find themselves broken beyond repair and I know with all my heart that God’s heart breaks for the broken and mine should as well.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the way we live our life matters. I think Jesus is very clear on that. At the same we believe that God longs to express grace to God’s people.
