A Feeble 33-Point Disputation on a Particular Reformed Persuasion on Suicide According to the Infallible Scriptures

Dr. MA Petillo

Jesus, I live to thee,
The loveliest and best;
My life in thee, thy life in me,
In thy blest love I rest.
Jesus, I die to thee,
Whenever death shall come;
To die in thee is life to me
In my eternal home.
Whether to live or die,
I know not which is best;
To live in thee is bliss to me,
To die is endless rest.
Living or dying, Lord,
I ask but to be thine;
My life in thee, thy life in me,
Makes heav'n for ever mine.  (TH, 438).

1.  Suicide is the idolatry of the sin of self-murder.

2.  Suicide is not the unforgivable sin for the pre-converted elect, but before Christ all sin is unforgiven.  However, the Lord is able to bring about their spiritual salvation NO MATTER WHAT, because He is about to bring life out of death.

3.  Suicide is not forgiven for those who are non-elect in the final analysis, because they do not have a true testimony nor the real blood of Jesus Christ.

4.  Suicide is forgiven for those who have a testimony and are under the blood of Jesus Christ (true Christians), because there is no sin that the elect cannot fall into due to God removing His hand in regard to the sinner's sin (except unforgivable sin) and there is no sin that is unforgiven for those chosen by a holy God alone.

5.  Suicide is forbidden in light of practical obedience in light of the example of Jesus Christ and the moral law, but spiritual suicide is far worse than physical suicide.  What is spiritual suicide?  It is to know the truth revealed by God but embrace untruth.

6.  Suicide is brought about by the weariness of life.

7.  Suicide is brought about by thinking life is vanity.

8.  The Christian has no reason to commit suicide, because he serves a holy Triune God who brings life in every way: namely, Jesus Christ is true Life and we ought to walk in the way Jesus walked.  That is, be holy in mind, words and deeds.

9.  Suicide is brought about by anger from the past and real despair.

10.  Suicide is the essence of hopelessness, but with Jesus there is no hopelessness because He is the essence of Hope.  It is possible to feel hopeless while positionally right with a holy God, because we still have that remaining corruption.

11.  Suicide is radical and rebellion and cosmic sin.   Christians should avoid this sin, but no Christian is ever unforgiven no matter what sin he or she falls into.  Should that make us sin more?  By no means!  It should be a motivation for godly living.  What happens if grace is abused?  There is still forgiveness!  If God's forgiveness is not limitless, you will find yourself outside of His mercy.  If there is still forgiveness, should we just sin and pay no regard to God's moral law?  God forbid!  The honor of Jesus is at stake.  Remember a true Christian does not walk by the flesh.  Rather a true Christian walks by the Spirit of God revealed in the plain testimony of the infallible Scriptures.

12.  If all Christians are forgiven, does it mean despairing Christians should commit the sin of suicide?  Of course not!  Why?  It is the matter of honoring Jesus Christ in godly living, but if the elect sinner falls into sin of suicide the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient.  Those who limit the blood of Jesus Christ take away the offense of the Cross, but God is at work when sinners discover that offense.  That is, He may show them God's limitless forgiveness by the Cross that utters makes sinners disgusted!  They say, "How could God still forgive?"  God forgives His people always, but He does not forgive those whom He hates and has design in the final outcome to place in eternal torment.

13.  Suicide comes from disappointment because of failure.

14.  Suicide could come from betraying Jesus Christ.

15.  Suicide is not consistent with the Christian faith.

16.  Some Romanists and Reformed theologians say that suicide is the unforgivable sin, but I side with Dr. Luther, is this child of God any more to blame than a man who is robbed in the woods? 

17.  It is possible for Christians to have their minds influenced by Satan, because he is able to take things out of the mind and put things into the mind.  We cannot avail against him toe to toe, because he is a powerful creature.  Sinners do not have Christ-powered abilities by nature.  That is, if allowed by God he is able to influence the mind and body for evil purposes and self-destruction.  If you think you are alone, think again!  He is active when he is not supposed.  However, that does not mean there is a demon behind every door.  No, no!   There is a sense where it is good to be on the alert as much as possible, because the enemy is roaring wild beast seeking whom he may break to pieces.  

18.  Satan tempts Christ to suicide when He was in the wilderness, but Jesus resists him and passes the cosmic test by His Father's design before entering His matchless ministry.  Jesus availed for someone who cannot fight against the influence of Satan!  How should we take this?  Is this just wishful thinking?  Not at all!  For those who fail and commit suicide, Jesus is there who has taken their place in spiritual redemption.  Jesus passed all the requirements that lined up to the Father's perfect standard for His people alone through Jesus Christ alone.

19.  Why couldn't the sin of suicide be placed on the eternal Christ?  Those who limit the imputation of sin should reconsider it because it works out in the furtherance of the despair of the devil.

20.  Christians should not commit suicide because of the body's sacredness, holiness and the Spirit's work in bringing us to completion for the Day of Joy.

21.  The moral law is against thoughts of hatred, physical murder and self-murder.  That is, all of these are real sins.  However, they differ on the degree of sin.  There is no one too far away for Jesus Christ if He chooses to save and there is nothing to hard for Him. That does not mean you should make it hard for Him in an outward sense by "intentional" sin!  Every "civil goodness" is tainted with sin outside of Jesus, but an willful act of sin is something altogether even though it is outside of Christ and yet also sin.  Those who pursue a greater "sinnnership" are self-deceived and furthering deception.  Suppose you are deceived and yet a child of God?   God has got the devil even there!  How?  He has defeated the devil because He holds the supernatural secret of working out all things for the good of God's people in Christ alone.  The God who works out even the sin of deception for God's people is a God which Satan despises and fears because his "self-appointed mission" in spiritual madness is to seek to use sin for the destruction especially of God's people in Christ alone.  God is a holy God where the darkness cannot hide and everything is plain to Him.   

22.  Suffering for the Christian clings to our very flesh.

23.  Suffering is a blessed privilege by God for His people.

24.  Suffering for the Christian is never in vain.

25.  Suffering is a joy if you remember the example of Jesus.

26.  Suffering lasts for a season through God's design.

27.  Suffering is not comparable to heaven's joy.

28.  Remember we are pilgrims passing through a barren land, but heaven is our real home.  This fallen world is not our home, but Jesus' heaven is the place of our home.

29.  Sometimes suffering can be foreseen if God allows it.

30.  If you live godly, you will suffer persecution.

31.  It is possible for the enemy of God to know in advance of your spiritual conversion (God's real choice in time and space), but to persecute you before the time in light of that reality.  How do they know?  God's enemies are interested in the future through occultism, but it can happen if God allow Satan as a second cause to tell the truth.  He is able to tell the truth, but no truth is in him.

32.  Sometimes the pain caused by real reprobates and even professing Christians can cause an unsound reflection on the past and cause suicide in the deliberation of the mind.  Why is it unsound?  Are we saying that the pain did not happen?  By no means!  What are we saying?  We are saying that a reflection of real trauma can cause further real pain and end up in suicide.  The problem lies with those who caused it.  Seek not to further your own pain.  If someone does commit suicide, God is working out all for our good.  If it is the case even then, the enemy does not avail.  There is real victory for the true child of God in all things because of a God who has worked everything out for His chosen people.  Be aware that there is a company of army angels that surround us and they never stop ministering to people who are not God's people but eventually become God's people by the work of the Spirit and the Word.  Surely the Triune God and His angel armies are there for you!  Seek to redeem the time and have a thought-life that is captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ.

33.  The madness of the enemy and Satan is destruction in every way: namely, do not partake of his cosmic insanity that furthers great abuse without cause just like the historical example of ancient Job.

Jesus is all the world to me,
My life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day,
Without him I would fall.
When I am sad, to him I go,
No other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad he makes me glad,
He's my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me,
My friend in trials sore;
I go to him for blessings, and
He gives them o'er and o'er.
He sends the sunshine and the rain,
He sends the harvest's golden grain,
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,
He's my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me,
And true to him I'll be;
Oh, how could I this Friend deny,
When he's so true to me?
Following him I know I'm right,
He watches o'er me day and night;
Following him, by day and night,
He's my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me,
I want no better friend;
I trust him now, I'll trust him when
Life's fleeting days shall end.
Beautiful life with such a Friend;
Beautiful life that has no end;
Eternal life, eternal joy,
He's my Friend.  (TH, 664)