I understand that rejecting God's gift is a major sin (suicide).  When facing tough medical decisions, is it tantamount to suicide if I refuse medical treatments and medicines in order to hasten my death, end my suffering, and be with God?  I am afraid that if I decide to not accept treatment, it will be seen by the Father as a rejection of the beautiful life that He has granted me.  Is it wrong to die naturally?  Thank you, Father, for your help.

Sincerely,
Dignity In Death

Dear Dignity In Death,

Call no man 'father' – for there is only one 'Father' (Matt 23:9).  We are just men and servants of God like all others.

The act of purposefully taking your own life is definitely wrong, but refusing to prolong a terminal illness is a much murkier area.  There is no doubt that suicide is sinful (read “Victim Was The Assailant” for further details), but when someone doesn’t accept surgery, chemotherapy, life-support, etc. – that isn’t suicide.  ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders, living wills, and other such decisions are a matter of wisdom and conscience.

God very clearly teaches that we should be people who value life.  It isn’t our right to presumptuously choose the moment of our death (Eccl 8:8).  Just because we are suffering isn’t necessarily a reason to stop fighting for life.  Suffering can be a very important part of our life here (Eccl 7:14).  The general rule should be to seek to preserve life – even our consciences tell us this.  It is called the “survival instinct”.

On the other hand, there comes a point when continuing to poke, prod, and prolong the life of a body that is obviously dying can offend our conscience as well.  This is where wisdom comes in.  God tells us to ask Him for wisdom (Jas 1:5) and to make conscientious decisions (1 Tim 3:9).  There is no magic answer to your questions – only principles to follow in a very difficult time.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

Where in the Bible does it say God’s ways are not our ways (if it does)?  Also, where does it say God does not ask for more than we can give?  I'm not good at English, so Scriptures that are similar would work if the questions aren’t clear enough.  Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Verse Searcher

Dear Verse Searcher,

The first verse you are looking for is Isaiah 55:8-9.  That particular verse stands as a constant reminder that God has unique wisdom and insight into life’s purpose.

The second verse is found in 2 Corinthians 8:12.  The context of that passage is dealing with financial giving, but the principle would apply to every area of life.

Hope that helps.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

How do you know you are saved?

Sincerely,
Wanting Proof

Dear Wanting Proof,

You know you are saved when you have done what the Bible says you must do to be saved.  No matter what topic, if you take the sum of what God tells you on that subject, you will have the truth (Ps 119:160).  Let’s look at the sum of what God says on the subject of salvation:

1. Hear the Word.  Faith comes through hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of God (Rom 10:17).  Until someone hears God’s Word, they are incapable of obeying it.
2. Believe the Word.  It is impossible for someone to become a christian unless they believe that Jesus is the Savior and Son of God (Jhn 20:31, Acts 16:31, Jhn 3:16).
3. Repent of your sins.  ‘Repent’ means to ‘change your mind’.  That change of mind always involves a change of action as well.  Repentance is when we change our mind about what is important and submit ourselves to Jesus and His Word.  Repentance is a necessity of salvation (Mk 6:12, Lk 13:5, Lk 15:7).
4. Confess Jesus to others.  If we have sworn our allegiance to Jesus, we must be prepared to publicly confess Him as our Lord.  If we won’t confess Jesus before men, He won’t confess us before God (Matt 10:32-33, Lk 12:8-9).
5. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for salvation.  Many groups baptize people, but very few baptize people for the right reasons.  Baptism isn’t merely an “outward showing of an inward faith” or “for membership”.  Baptism is what saves us (1 Pet 3:21).  Baptism is the point where someone goes from being lost to saved because they are buried and resurrected with Christ (Rom 6:4-5).  Baptism is the final requirement to become a christian (Acts 2:37-38, Mk 16:16, Acts 2:41).  There is not a single example of someone becoming a christian without baptism.  Baptism is just as necessary as the other four requirements.

After that, there remains nothing else but to find a faithful congregation to assemble with (Heb 10:24) that teaches God’s Word and God’s Word only (see “Finding a Church” for more details) and to continue to grow in knowledge and practice of God’s Word (1 Pet 2:2).