BGEA: Our son died from an overdose of antidepressants. He had struggled with depression for years, and maybe it finally got to him (although maybe it was accidental - we'll never know). He was a sincere Christian, but if he did take his life, does it mean he committed the unforgivable sin and lost his salvation? Obviously, this burdens us very much.

Our son died from an overdose of antidepressants. He had struggled with depression for years, and maybe it finally got to him (although maybe it was accidental - we'll never know). He was a sincere Christian, but if he did take his life, does it mean he committed the unforgivable sin and lost his salvation? Obviously, this burdens us very much. — E.N.

I always pray very intensely whenever I answer a question like this, because I know someone may be reading this who is contemplating suicide - and I don't want to say anything that might encourage them to take that tragic final step. God loves them, and He wants to surround them with His love and give them hope. And He will, as they open their lives to Jesus Christ.

God knew your son's mental situation, and suicide (if that's even what it was in your son's case) is not by itself the unforgivable sin. The only sin God cannot forgive is the sin of continually rejecting Him and scorning His offer of salvation. The Bible is clear: "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). If your son had committed his life to Jesus Christ, you can be confident that he is now in God's presence forever.

May God use this painful event to draw you closer to Himself. Tragedy makes some people bitter and causes them to turn away from God; it may also fill them with undeserved guilt. Don't let this happen to you. Instead, turn to Christ and ask Him to help you discover His strength and peace during this difficult time. His promise is for you: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

7 Comments

Dan says 3.27.2013, 1:55 p.m.

Like you, Anne, only fear of hell keeps me alive. But I fear that being so miserable is, in itself, a rejection of the hope God offers. In that case, I'm going to hell anyway, so what difference does a few years here or there make for eternity.

Anne says 3.17.2011, 00:21 a.m.

I am a believer in Jesus, but I wished I was dead. The only thing keeping me from killing myself is that I think God will be angry with me. Please pray for me and post a comment. (We would like to pray and provide some encouragement. Please call 1-877-247-2426 to talk and pray with someone. There are people here who care. Or, you can send a private email to help@bgea.org. We will continue to keep you in prayer. The BGEA Internet team.)

Jeannette says 9.23.2010, 12:18 a.m.

Thank you for all that you do! It helps us a lot to know that you are there and will explain what we do not understand.

Dianna says 9.17.2010, 04:24 a.m.

My brother took his own life, almost 3 years ago. It is the most devastating experience of my life, I still am grieving and miss him terribly. I do believe that only God knows why a person would take his own life. I prayed for God to stop my brother, and I naively thought my brother would not carry out taking his own life. He was a believer in Jesus and loved the Lord. He said he couldn't wait to be with Jesus the last time i saw him, which was 2 weeks before his suicide. I know my brother was severely depressed and was mentally disturbed. I have suffered with depression most of my life, but I am happy to say that my Faith in Christ keeps me going, and now I know the pain of losing my brother to suicide and I do not wish that on anyone. Gods love and mercy have helped me through this trauma and has kept me from giving up. God is my healer and my comforter.

Cynthia says 9.17.2010, 03:28 a.m.

I tried to kill myself because of doctors mental illnesses which I never had. I was literally terrorized and tortured with massive doses of drugs for mentioning Jesus Christ as the only way to life. I was totally destroyed as an athlete artist and educated writer and did a lot of traveling. Please pray for me as I was not to blame for their actions and demonic behavior and their sins of rejecting Christ which I did not do. Thank you.

Annette says 9.16.2010, 2:53 p.m.

My heart goes out to you, and to anyone who has a loved one who has taken their own life. I believe that God knows everyone's heart and mind, and He knows the struggles they are facing--physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. I truly believe that when a person is overcome by an illness, whether that illness is physical or mental, that God is merciful and compassionate, and would not judge that person for the results of that illness. I truly believe that God would not judge a person for a mistake made while that person is suffering horribly. God knows us inside and out, and He understands suffering, and He knows what suffering can do to even the strongest person. God is loving, merciful, kind, and all-knowing, and I feel very sure that there are many souls who, because of illness, could never experience peace on earth, but who now have found perfect peace with Him.

Honey says 9.12.2010, 4:29 p.m.

My son struggled for years with a multitude of illnesses and received conflicting diagnoses from many different physicians. He started out with mono in high school and his condition would deteriorate as other illnesses cropped up, then improve as his body would heal. He was eventually diagsnosed with lupus, as was his grandmother and myself..it is definitely genetic in our family. But, his mental problems escalated as his other illnesses did. He married, had a beautiful little girl, took his family to church (he was raised in church) accepting Jesus as his Savior and teaching his little girl about Him and His love. He would call me and ask me to pray for him and tell me that he felt like he was under attack because when he tried to pray, Satan put terrible thoughts in his mind. He was eventually diagnosed as bipolar and put on extraordinarily strong amounts and combinations of medications. I watched the medications affect him in a terrible manner and I watched his mind become more and more confused and unpredictable. One day his wife found him not breathing and called 911. I had just talked to him two hours before and he seemed excited about starting a part-time job that worked around his illnesses. He hated not providing for his family and felt tremendous guilt, but seemed happy to have found something he could do. I watched him do all he could to function. When he couldn't pray he called me to do it for him. I have no doubt he loved the Lord and wanted to obey him.