One Saturday I received a call that our church member had taken her own life. I called a deacon who knew the family well. We rode to the member's house only to find her son-in-law hauling away the recliner in which she'd done this deed. (Thread.)

Just up the road, her daughter mourned in the front yard of their house, the remainder of the family milling about, smoking, expressing disbelief, feeling guilty and confused. I stood there with my Bible. A ministry of presence. I had nothing to say. There was nothing to say.

But the daughter boldly strode over and broke the silence. "Alright. Where is Momma now?" I had to process the question, since I thought she might be asking about the physical whereabouts of her body, which I'd just been near down the street. She was asking about more than that.

She was asking a number of questions packed into the one. She was asking about the grief caused by her mother's suicide. She was asking about the shame. She was asking about the sinfulness. She was asking about her mother's eternal destination. All at the same time.

I turned in my Bible to Romans 8. I told her that her mother professed faith in Christ. I read the passage. She thanked me, touched me on the shoulder, and walked away, seemingly satisfied with and strengthened by the reply. I prayed with the family before we left. Not much else.

Yet the Bible has much to say regarding depression and suicide. I’m speaking here of depression in relation to suicide; suicidal thoughts. Though such thoughts aren’t something we’d normally want to think about either experientially or as observers, they’re real.

Before I go on, if you need help, stop reading this thread and get it, now. Call a suicide hotline. Reach out to a family member, friend, or loved one. Don't let your shame or worry about what might happen get in the way. What you need is someone to lean on. It will help.

But I want to provide more than that practical word which many have likely heard before. The Bible provides the context of truth in which the senseless begins to make more sense. But can Christians suffer from depression and suicidal thoughts? Yes. We shouldn't even question it.

Thus Moses:

I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness. (Numbers 11:14-15)

Elijah:

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1 Kings 19:4)

Jeremiah:

Cursed be the day
on which I was born!
The day when my mother bore me,
let it not be blessed!
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,
“A son is born to you,”
making him very glad.

Let that man be like the cities
that the LORD overthrew without pity;
let him hear a cry in the morning
and an alarm at noon,
because he did not kill me in the womb;
so my mother would have been my grave,
and her womb forever great.

Why did I come out from the womb
to see toil and sorrow,
and spend my days in shame?

(Jeremiah 20:14-18)

Job:

After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. And Job said:
“Let the day perish on which I was born,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived.’
Let that day be darkness!
May God above not seek it,
nor light shine upon it."

(See all of Job 3:1-26)

Physical features of the world and our bodies interact with non-physical features of our persons in often complex but empirically verifiable ways, for good and for ill:

It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine,

or for rulers to take strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
and wine to those in bitter distress;

let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more. (Proverbs 31:4-7)

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)

Traumatic experiences also bring about grief and mental anguish.

Jacob:

Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.”

Thus his father wept for him. (Genesis 37:34-35)

David:

And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

(2 Samuel 18:33)

Grief can deceive a believer into thinking there is no hope.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Some sinless sorrow is strong enough to drive a person to the grave.

Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38)

Lest you believe yourself 'above' what you consider the sin of a depressed and suicidal state, or lest you believe yourself incapable of continuing under the burden of urges to succumb to your depressed and suicidal state, remember what the word of God says:

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape,

that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13)

Look to Jesus:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

But Is Suicide Sin?

Yes, suicide is sin. Specifically, suicide is the sin of murder.

The Sixth Commandment says:

You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13)

Suicide sheds the blood of man who is created in God’s image:

Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image. (Genesis 9:6)

Scriptural examples of suicide involve shame and disobedience to God.

Abimelech:

And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’”

And his young man thrust him through, and he died. (Judges 9:52-54)

Saul:

The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.

And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. (1 Samuel 31:3-5)

Ahithophel:

When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father. (2 Samuel 17:23)

Zimri:

And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house over him with fire and died, because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD,

walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin. (1 Kings 16:18-19)

Judas:

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,

saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. (Mathew 27:3-5)

But suicide is not the unpardonable sin. Here is where the hope comes in.

A Christian is not defined by what he or she did but by who he or she is. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. We are his children. Adopted and sealed for the day of redemption.

And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. (Luke 22:31-32)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

And so to the passage I read that precious family that day.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,

will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 8:31-39)

We should not look to the past or speculate about causes if we want to comfort ourselves. A Christian’s comfort is not found in past causes, but in future reward. End.