“Thou Shalt Not Kill” …Does this Count Killing Ourselves?

There is always a ongoing debate regarding the salvation of those who commit suicide. I’m not tackling that here. It is up to God. Only He knows the state of the person’s soul who does commit suicide.

 

Suicide is usually done in a state of mind that disconnects the frontal lobe; where the person is caught in the mindset of being controlled by their emotions. Killing oneself is wrong.It’s a permanent solution to a temporary problem that leaves lasting generational effects. However, this post is not to address the debate over the salvation of those who do commit suicide. [I’ve been in this state of mind. I do understand. It is not the answer, though.]

 

What I’m going to address today is the slow form of suicide the majority of Americans are committing by their lifestyle choices.

 

People, especially Americans, are controlled by appetite. The Bible does speak out against this. It’s called ‘gluttony.’ Paul addresses it as the ‘god of the belly.’ ‘Lusts of the flesh’ can also refer to being controlled by the passions and appetites of our carnal nature.

 

We have several verses telling us that the body is the temple of God. We are told that if we defile the temple, God will destroy us. [1 Cor 3:16-17, 1 Cor 6:19-20, Rom 12:1-2, 1 Cor 10:31]

 

When we choose appetite over practicing healthy lifestyle choices, we reduce our capacity to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives. We reduce our life expectancy. Is this not committing a slow form of suicide? This is not an act done in the ‘heat of the moment.’ This is a slow, methodical choice that leads to the destruction of the body temple.

 

Then there are those who love to practice ‘natural healing’ methods while they continue making poor, harmful lifestyle choices. When a person chooses to practice unhealthy lifestyle choices while using EOs and supplements, they are basically trying to patch the Titanic (their body) with duct tape.

 

The EOs and supplements (and prescription medications) may slow down the sinking a tiny bit, but that boat is still going to sink since the hole is not being repaired. *This also brings to mind the verses in Revelation which refer to ‘pharmakeia’ (sorceries). [Rev 18:23-24, Rev 9: 21, Rev 21:8, Rev 22:14-15]

 

However, the hole can be repaired if one is willing to make the lifestyle changes. We only need to ask ourselves if gratifying appetite with all the harmful foods/chemicals we consume is worth committing a slow form of suicide.

 

God promises to restore us when we walk in obedience to His laws. This is not only the moral law, but His physical and mental laws also.

 

What about those who refuse to acknowledge the truth of their lifestyle choices on their state of health? God tells us that those who ‘love not the truth’ will be left to their own delusions. These delusions lead to our eternal destruction.

There are two verses in Proverbs which address going forward blindly regardless of consequences. The Bible calls this type of person a fool. [Prov 27:12, Prov 14:16]

 

 

So what are the eternal consequences of those who refuse to treat their bodies as a temple of God?

 

What happens when we continue to eat/drink/live as the world does?

 

What happens when we deliberately kill ourselves (commit suicide) over decades of unhealthy lifestyle choices?

 

1 Cor 3:17 ““If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”

 

Something to think about.