Satan is a liar. He is a liar by nature (John 8:44) and became the father of lies when he told the very first lie, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4-5). All he does is distort, twist, and pervert the truth, which brings nothing but heartache and destruction. But one of his greatest and most devastating lies is when he tells someone, “It would be better if you were dead.”

Sadly, the troubling reality is that tens of thousands of people every year believe that lie. In the United States, during 2020, almost 46,000 people committed suicide. That’s about 125 people a day, making it the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S., the second among ages 20-34. The Bible tells us that every life is precious to God from the moment of conception to the day of one’s final breath. Therefore, every life must be precious to us as well, which means that this is 46,000 lives too many.

Another troubling reality is that suicide is an attack against God and a rejection of his sovereignty. Whether a person realizes it or not, suicide essentially says to God, “I determine the number of my days, not you.” Suicide is also murder (Exodus 20:13), being an intentional destruction of one’s own life, a life that was given and sustained by God, a life that is to be protected and cherished.

Suicide is a prime example of the disastrous results of someone who has exchanged the truth about God for a lie (Romans 1:25). When this exchange happens, there are many mental, emotional, and spiritual paths taken which bring a person to the dark and desolate place where one believes that taking his or her life is a better option than living. To battle that darkness, what is needed is the bright light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the secure hope found in the Word of God. So, here are five glorious truths from the Bible that you and your family can use to combat the lies of suicide.

The first truth is that all people have been made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). This means that every man, woman, and child possesses intrinsic value, dignity, and purpose that is not defined by friends, family, or social media but supernaturally bestowed by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Suicide tells you that you are worthless, but God gives you infinite worth.

A second truth closely connected to the first is that every person has been fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14). In the beginning, Adam and Eve were expressions of God’s deliberate handiwork, the pinnacle of his creative efforts (Genesis 2:7, 22). Today, each person is knit together in their mother’s womb as God forms each and every part of them, both body and soul (Psalm 139:13). With intentionality and creativity, the all-loving God, who does all things perfectly, intricately designs and shapes each person exactly the way he wants them to be. The lies of suicide say that you are a mistake, while the truth screams that God makes no mistakes.

Third, not only does God create each life, but he also sustains each life. He is the one who has numbered our days (Job 14:5), and he is the one who will bring each of those days to fruition. Acts 17:25 says that everything men and women have comes from God. Every breath is a gift from God (Isaiah 42:5), meaning the fact that we continue to draw air into our lungs shows that God has a purpose for us being on this planet. Satan lies because he wants you dead, whereas God speaks the truth and says, “I want you to live.”

The fourth truth and this is significant for the followers of Christ, is that not only have we been created physically by God, but spiritually we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is the good news of the gospel! In his death and resurrection, Jesus has done everything necessary to cleanse us from sin, rescue us from an eternity in hell, and give us the everlasting hope of heaven. In salvation, God also adopts us as sons and daughters, making us part of his family (Ephesians 1:5). Satan wants you to believe that nobody cares about you. Well, the truth is that God cares for you with a love so great that he gave his Son because he wants you to be with him for all eternity (John 3:16; Romans 5:10).

The fifth and final truth is the tremendous reality that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to its completion” (Philippians 1:6). Those saved by Christ have been saved to become like Christ, and this is a work that God is continually and intimately engaged in (2 Corinthians 3:18). No one who is in Christ will stay the same! Satan wants to keep people in the darkness of suicide, telling them that life is hopeless. Christ comes into that darkness to shine the bright light of his grace, giving us hope for the future as well as for our day-to-day reality.

The Bible tells us that Satan is a liar, and sadly many believe his lies, even to the destruction of their own lives through suicide. But the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ give us the greater truth that overcomes any of Satan’s deceptions, especially the lies of suicide, and brings life and hope to any afflicted soul.

For more information about the counseling ministry at First Baptist, you can visit the Grace Center home page.