Nations around the world continue to legalize and expand access to assisted suicide. In 2016 the Canadian Parliament passed legislation which allows adults to seek “medical assistance in dying.” In 2024 over 16,000 Canadians died through MAID. The Netherlands recently permitted the euthanization of a child under the age of twelve. The scope and extent of assisted suicide’s application troubles many people. Many who seek death in this way speak of “dying with dignity,” a desire to be free from inescapable pain, or a readiness to anticipate the inevitable outcome of a terminal illness. The physical and emotional pain of those suffering agonizing and incurable ailments cannot be dismissed. They deserve a compassionate response.

For Christians the command, “Love one another,” is primary. Compassion toward those enduring intense suffering demands serious consideration of means to lessen or end their suffering. In some situations death is the only hope for ending the agony. In such cases suicide under the careful guidance of a compassionate physician appears as a viable option. What does the Bible say?

The Bible contains no direct prohibition against taking one’s own life. Despite this, Christian teaching has been nearly unanimous in condemning suicide as a sin. The sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill,” forbids murder. Murder is the unjust ending of a human life. The Bible only authorizes governments to take a human life, and they are permitted to do so only in the execution of justice. Sickness is not a crime. Debilitating disease is not a capital offense. Consequently, the sixth command forbids suicide, with or without the assistance of medical professionals.

Anyone who has been involved with end of life care knows the wish or prayer for death to end the other’s suffering. However, the Bible never treats death as anything other than an enemy. God has not given governments, medical professionals, or close family members the authority to end life because it is painful. This form of compassion is not compassionate. Genuine compassion ministers to the afflicted, cares for the suffering, and stays without them until the end. Outside the legitimate expression of human justice, anything which intentionally terminates the life of a person is murder.

Assisted suicide devalues the intrinsic worth of every person. Mankind was created in God’s image. The Old Testament prescribed the death sentence for any who unjustly took the life of another person, “Because in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6) The unjust taking of a person’s life desecrates the image of God in that person. Assisted suicide destroys the life of an image bearer of God, moves the value of a person away from his God-given nature and worth, and shifts the value of the person to his functionality or comfort. People not valuable because of what one can do or because life is pleasant. A person is infinitely valuable because each is a reflection of God the Creator. Assisted suicide devalues the person by suggesting life is only valuable when it is good pleasant or useful.

The rejection of assisted suicide does not necessarily require a person use every available means to prolong life. The taking of active steps to shorten someone’s life is morally different from rejecting all available means to prolong life. The medical technology available today was unknown in Biblical times. Ancient medicine offered nothing beyond artificial resuscitation for those who could not breath. Hand feeding was the only way to provide food or drink to those who could not feed themselves. The ability to sustain someone’s life by means of machinery is recent. The Bible affirms the value of medical treatments. The law of Moses provided a means to care for skin diseases and to stop their spread in the community. Paul instructed Timothy to drink a little wine as a medicine to ease his stomach troubles. However, the Bible never presents an obligation to restore life. The apostles and prophets who raised the dead did not raise to life everyone who died. Those actions which restart basic functions of life, such as breathing or sustaining a heart beat, and those actions which artificially prolong life via machinery are not necessarily required by the Bible’s teachings about the value of human life. Advanced medical directives which include do not resuscitate orders are permissible. So is the use of all available means to prolong one’s life. What is not permitted is the taking of a human life because the person is in unbearable, incurable physical or emotional agony.