Theology Q&A【Can we Christians pray for someone who has committed suicide? – Part 1】
To help us think about this question based on Scripture, it is useful to divide it into three parts:
- Can we Christians pray for people who have already died?
- Can a person who has committed suicide go to heaven?
- How can I comfort people around me when someone they know has committed suicide?
This time, we will think about the first question together. Look for the second question and the third question to be posted in the next few months.
Part 1: Can we Christians pray for people who have already died?
Prayer is talking to God. In prayer, our petitions ask God to use his power to take action for people. Whenever we Christians use the Lord’s Prayer, we say “your will be done.” We know that God is our Creator and we humans are his creatures, so our knowledge and ability cannot compare with his. His will is key for our origin, our present, and our future. And because of Jesus our Savior, we also know that God is good and that his will is good.
Thus, each time we pray in Jesus’ name, actually the concept of “your will be done” is implied in our petitions. Our heart of faith relies on our good God and his good plans. Our petitions come from this heart of faith, because we know God loves us on account of Jesus’ cross and is willing to hear us.
So, when we think about whether we can pray for people who have already died, it seems that we are really asking: what is God’s will and plan for people who have already died? Several parts of the Bible speak about this question.
One example is Hebrews 9:27 — “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” God tells us that, once people die, they face his judgment. Then, the souls of people who die in faith are taken to the comfort of heaven (Luke 23:43; Acts 7:59; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Revelation 6:9-11), and the souls of people who die in unbelief are taken to the agony of the fire of hell (Luke 16:22-25). The Bible tells us that people cannot cross from hell to heaven or from heaven to hell (Luke 16:26). God says this plan (that unbelievers will perish, separated from the Lord and under his wrath, and believers will be with the Lord) is everlasting — forever (2 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; John 3:16,36).
Because God has already told us his will — what he will do — regarding people who have already died, we do not need to ask God to take action for them. People who died in faith already enjoy the perfect comfort of heaven, so our prayers cannot improve this or make it last longer (God has said it will be forever). People who died in unbelief are already in the agony of the fire of hell, and our prayers cannot lessen this or make it shorter (God has said it will be forever).
This is a sobering message, but it reminds us how important it is to pray for other people while they are still living. Jesus died for the sin of the whole world, and God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:3-6). Likewise, it is important to use our time and money be friends to other people and preach the gospel to them while they are still living. God’s good plan is that people would become believers by hearing the word of Christ, and then we can rejoice with these fellow believers forever in heaven (Romans 10:14-17; Luke 16:9)!
Next time: Can a person who has committed suicide go to heaven?
Over the years, our professors have been asked many questions in the classroom. Much of the time these questions repeat or have a similar theme. This is because they are important and are on the hearts and minds of our students who truly desire to serve God’s people well and share his truth with the lost. “Theology Q&A” is a response to those questions. Each month a question will be posted with an answer by an ALS faculty member. The answers are not meant to be a full theological/doctrinal treatment of the matter, but rather a pastoral answer that seeks to allow the person asking the question to speak the truth in love to the person in need in the most appropriate way possible. We pray this resource is a blessing to you and those you serve. God bless!