Does a Person Go To Hell if They Commit Suicide?

There are a number of churches that teach that an individual who commits suicide is automatically damned, simply on the grounds that suicide (self-murder) is a very grave sin, and an individual who commits suicide cannot repent of the action, on account of the fact that they are dead.  However, this rationale is based on inference, rather than the Bible itself.

The Bible is explicit that the only determinant for whether one goes to heaven or hell, is whether or not they have made Christ their “Lord”.  (Romans 10:9,10).  If they are indeed “in Christ” they are eternally secure, and are considered forgiven and righteous before God, despite whatever deeds they have done.  If an individual is outside of God’s covenant of forgiveness (ie. They have rejected Christ as savior) then their fate may not be so rosy, irrespective of how they may have died.

Some might question whether a true Christian would commit suicide, since having a healthy relationship with God would usually mean that an individual has faith in God’s sustaining power, in His provision for the future, and is likely to have more “hope” for what is to come in this life than a non-believer.  However, it cannot be denied that sometimes, true believers are overcome with pressures of the world, afflicted with depression, and even suffer from chemical imbalances that accentuate such trials in their minds.  

In such cases, we know that God, in His mercy, is not angry at His child who may have been overcome in a moment of depression and made a tragic and rash choice about taking their life.  The Book of Isaiah says regarding the Messiah that a “bruised reed He will not break”. (Isaiah 42:3).  God is filled with compassion, feels our pain and empathizes.  Taking one’s own life does essentially “short change” what God could have done with the individual for His glory, but God is not an ogre who looking for a reason to damn someone who was depressed and despondent.  He is looking to “wipe away every tear”.  (Rev. 21:4).