Everything you do and say counts. When Jesus returns, some will enjoy a great inheritance in heaven and others, a diminished one. Think about what you can do today to secure your eternal estate.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope.
As you know, we’re all about giving the Gospel, making Jesus real to people with disabilities. But as of late, it’s a lot more broader than that. I am surprised at how many questions I receive from people, Christians, who are contemplating suicide; depression has just gotten the best of them, and they are ready to throw in the towel. The other day, I received an email from Nancy whose daughter, a Christian, took her life during a period of deep depression a year or so ago. And although Nancy’s grief is still very real, her questions were so lucid and well-thought through. Basically, Nancy was curious about her daughter’s place in heaven. Did suicide cancel out her salvation?
Well, I'm no theologian, but because suicide statistics are so high in the disability community, it’s a subject I’ve researched in God's Word. And let me tell you what I shared with Nancy. If we are a true disciple of Christ, (like her daughter was) we can never lose our salvation. But, we can lose our heavenly inheritance. There are many references to receiving heavenly rewards for the way we live on earth. Matthew 25 talks about the parable of the talents, and 1 Corinthians 3 describes a day when we’ll all stand before Jesus to be judged for our service: did we serve with an eye to God's glory, or did we serve with a focus on ourselves?
I told Nancy, that as Christians, everything we do down here on earth has a direct bearing on our eternal capacity for worship, service, and joy in heaven. Everything we do and say counts. We are either laying up treasure in heaven, or we’re not. And on that day when we gather at Jesus’ feet, some will enjoy a great inheritance in heaven; and others, a diminished one. Now this is where Nancy wanted more clarification, so I pointed her to what Jesus says in Matthew 5:19. he tells his disciples this (now get this), “Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Right there you can see that there will be believers in heaven who will be called “least” in the kingdom; and others will be called “great”. Now, how does suicide play into this?
How does it affect a believer’s eternal estate? Well, if the person who commits suicide is indeed, a believer, remember, his salvation remains secure (thank the Lord for that, I’m so happy for Nancy’s daughter). But her inheritance will be diminished. That’s because suicide is self-murder and Exodus 20:13 says thou shall not murder. So, suicide breaks a very important command from God. Sadly, to take your own life not only breaks that commandment, but your example influences others – your example is a way of influencing others to do the same. So, yes, the Christian who takes his own life may well find himself least in the kingdom of heaven, but hey, at least he’s in heaven. Now how or to what degree one’s eternal estate is increased or diminished is entirely up to the Lord, the judge. Our responsibility, is to rest our eternal estate in his hands, his wise and merciful hands and, simply live godly, righteous, and sober lives on earth.
Oh, and one more thing, when we serve the needy, we also please God and it’s why I want you go over to my radio page today at joniradio.org and ask for our Joni & Friends newsletter. It’s filled with opportunities for you to serve people with disabilities in the name of Jesus. Oh, and I have to add one more – just love Jesus because nothing pleases the Father more.
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