This week, Steve, Rich, and Sarah continue last week’s conversation on what the Bible says about suicide. Early in the discussion, they address a difficult and often-asked question: If a Christian dies by suicide, do they still go to heaven?

To explore this, Steve references several accounts in Scripture involving suicide and briefly touches on some Catholic perspectives that have historically viewed suicide as a mortal sin. Ultimately, though, he brings the conversation back to the central question of how someone enters heaven in the first place. As Rich reminds listeners, eternity is not determined by individual sins alone but by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way.

At the same time, the discussion acknowledges the deep and unique grief that surrounds the loss of someone who takes their own life, recognizing that God is the ultimate giver of life. Every person experiences suffering and brokenness in this fallen world. While some endure darker and more overwhelming levels of pain, that suffering does not mean there is something inherently wrong with them, but rather reflects the reality of sin and brokenness in the world around us.

Steve also speaks to the role of counseling and medication in the life of a Christian facing mental health struggles. Rich adds an important reminder that people are not merely “biochemical machines,” and that wisdom and discernment are needed even as we recognize the value and help that medical and therapeutic resources can provide.

Above all, the conversation points back to God as our ultimate source of comfort and hope. This world cannot provide what only He can.

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Text or call 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Check out Resident Strangers Episodes 63 & 64 on suffering (audio only)

Ryan Risselman's testimony on The Stories Collective podcast, Episode 53

*available wherever you listen to podcasts

Care & Support ministries at Desert Springs (local counselor referrals at the bottom of the page)

Watch Resident Strangers on YouTube 🎥

Sign up for the Resident Strangers email list

Questions or comments? Email [email protected] 

If you’ve enjoyed today’s episode, we’d be so grateful if you’d subscribe and leave a review as it really helps us reach more people with this message. We’d also love it if you’d share the podcast with your friends, on social media, or anywhere you connect with others. Join us again next Tuesday as we continue the discussion on how to think like a Christian in this foreign world.