“The Will Of The Living”

Monday, February 20, 2017

I understand that rejecting God's gift is a major sin (suicide).  When facing tough medical decisions, is it tantamount to suicide if I refuse medical treatments and medicines in order to hasten my death, end my suffering, and be with God?  I am afraid that if I decide to not accept treatment, it will be seen by the Father as a rejection of the beautiful life that He has granted me.  Is it wrong to die naturally?  Thank you, Father, for your help.

Sincerely,
Dignity In Death

Dear Dignity In Death,

Call no man 'father' – for there is only one 'Father' (Matt 23:9).  We are just men and servants of God like all others.

The act of purposefully taking your own life is definitely wrong, but refusing to prolong a terminal illness is a much murkier area.  There is no doubt that suicide is sinful (read “Victim Was The Assailant” for further details), but when someone doesn’t accept surgery, chemotherapy, life-support, etc. – that isn’t suicide.  ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders, living wills, and other such decisions are a matter of wisdom and conscience.

God very clearly teaches that we should be people who value life.  It isn’t our right to presumptuously choose the moment of our death (Eccl 8:8).  Just because we are suffering isn’t necessarily a reason to stop fighting for life.  Suffering can be a very important part of our life here (Eccl 7:14).  The general rule should be to seek to preserve life – even our consciences tell us this.  It is called the “survival instinct”.

On the other hand, there comes a point when continuing to poke, prod, and prolong the life of a body that is obviously dying can offend our conscience as well.  This is where wisdom comes in.  God tells us to ask Him for wisdom (Jas 1:5) and to make conscientious decisions (1 Tim 3:9).  There is no magic answer to your questions – only principles to follow in a very difficult time.

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