Billy Graham on God's Forgiveness for Attempted Suicide
Depressed Christians need to see their second chance at life as a blessing and know God has forgiven them for their suicide attempt, the Rev. Billy Graham says.
Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote in a recent blog post for the Kansas City Star that those who have attempted to take their own life need to move forward instead of wallowing in past mistakes.
The evangelical leader indicates that God will in fact forgive those who have contemplated such a horrific act because he is full of unlimited grace and goodness and wants to offer His forgiveness to those who ask.
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"God loves you, and his goodness to you is proof this is true," the Baptist minister writes, citing Psalm 116:7-8 which reads: "Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death."
As seen through Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross, God has an infinite amount of love for all of His children.
"If you had been the only person in the world who needed to be forgiven, Jesus Christ still would have sacrificed his life for you," Graham writes.
Ultimately, no one is perfect, yet God offers us grace anyway, as seen in Titus 3:3-5: "At one time we too were foolish. [...] But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us."
"By a simple prayer of faith accept God's gift of forgiveness by asking Christ to come into your life today. Don't carry your burden of guilt and doubt any longer, but joyfully hand it over to Jesus," Graham concludes.
The topic of suicide has been hotly disputed in the evangelical church, with some Christians arguing that the act of taking your own life, a gift given to you by God, is an "unforgivable sin" that destines you to hell.
Kay Warren, wife of Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California, lost her son to suicide in 2013 after he suffered years of mental illness.
Kay told The Christian Post in 2015 that despite the belief of some Christians that suicide is an "unforgivable sin," she believes her son is in heaven with God.
"I am completely confident Matthew's salvation was sure. Is suicide a sin? Yes, suicide is a sin because it short-circuits the plan and the will that God has for us. But Jesus died for all of my sins including that one when He died on the cross," she told CP.
"Is it unforgivable? No, not from what I can understand. I think about Romans 8 where Paul says there is nothing, life nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor demons, nor things above. Nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. So I have complete confidence in those who have trusted Jesus for their salvation. That's how they should remain strong and sure and steady," Kay continued.
Kay further said: "It doesn't matter whether I take my own life or whether I die of cancer, or whether I get hit by a car. If my salvation is in Jesus then it's safe. So I'm really confident and I love to be able to reassure grieving family members who write to me who are very confused or anxious about where their loved one is."
