Trinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give

The Pastor's Blog

By Jacob Reaume

Assisted Suicide: A Sad New Reality

By Jacob Reaume | March 8, 2016 | Leave a Comment |
Tagged: assisted suicide, culture of death, euthanasia

In February 2015, in the Carter vs. Canada decision, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of physician assisted suicide. The Court has given the federal government until June 2016 to bring forward legislation on assisted suicide. Doctors have already assisted in suicides in some provinces, but starting this summer assisted suicide will take place nationwide. For Christians, this is very sad.

Christians believe in a God who placed the first man and his wife in the Garden of Eden to live. He told them to be fruitful and multiply, and said they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He didn’t want them to die. Satan, the enemy, convinced them to eat of the tree, and death entered the world.

The rest of the Bible tells the story of God rescuing humanity from death. The rescue plan climaxed when His Son was crucified to bear the death that His people deserve, and then instead of staying dead the Son of God was raised to life. God promises everlasting life and forgiveness of sins to all those who who believe in Him. The God of the Bible gives life, and Satan brings death. In Jesus’ words, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Human value does not come from any perceived strength or weakness within our beings, but from God Himself. He gave us dignity when He stamped His image upon us. He assigns dignity to all people, regardless of colour, race, religion, ability, sex, ethnicity, or age. An assault upon a human being is an assault upon the image of God.

Scripture encourages us to yearn that suffering ends, but Scripture never sees death as that end. Instead, suffering will finally end when Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom on earth. Until then, God tells us to hope while we suffer. Saint Paul wrote, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Truly, the Bible is the history of God’s people learning to trust Him while they suffer.

Christians believe that time is a gift from God, and we are to steward it for His glory and the good of our neighbours. Suffering or not, Christians are to see their lives as useful. A simple smile, quiet prayers, and the display of genuine hope are only a few examples of how Christians can serve others while suffering. As long as God gives us breath, our mission is to love our neighbours and trust our God. We cannot opt out.

While some may see death as a quick way out of the suffering, momentary happiness and instantaneous relief from pain are not the greatest good. Christians understand that the greatest good is to enjoy God by faith, even when life is difficult.

God’s heart is a heart that loves all life, and human life especially. From that heart springs the sixth commandment: “You shall not kill.” Even before that, God punished the first murderer, Cain, who killed his brother Abel. The Revelation of John says of murderers, “their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” God loves life, and because of that He hates murder.

Not once in Scripture is suicide condoned. It is sin. King Saul, suffering military defeat, killed himself. King Zimri of Israel hanged himself after his failed reign. Likewise, Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord hanged himself in shame. The Apostle Paul talked the Philippian jailer out of killing himself and pointed him to the hope of Jesus Christ. Murder is wrong, and suicide is murder of self.

St. Augustine of Hippo articulated the Christian view well when he said, “Certainly anyone who kills himself is a murderer,” and, “We take the command ‘You shall not kill’ as applying to human beings, that is, other persons and oneself. For to kill oneself is to kill a human being.”

Canadians have been deceived. Our Supreme Court and many of our lawmakers have been lured by a Siren song of freedom that only brings death. When the law no longer recognizes human life as intrinsically valuable, we are in deep trouble.

One thing is sure: faithful Christians will stand out more and more in this culture of death. We will continue believing in strange things like a crucified Christ who rose again, and we will end up doing strange things too, like choosing to live amidst enduring and intolerable suffering.

In the early Roman Empire, Christians were burned alive in the streets and fed to lions in the coliseum. Christians stood out because we were willing to die for Christ. In modern times, Christians may soon stand out because we are willing to live for Christ.


SHARE


Comments

Related Posts

  • We Lost our Constitutional Appeal: Now What?

    By Jacob Reaume | March 14, 2023

    The week before last the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled on Trinity Bible Chapel’s constitutional challenge.  I’ll talk about that in a moment, but first let me offer some background. Back in 2020 and 2021, the Canadian people got scared because the news said we were facing a death-dealing pandemic.  Our provincial government granted PremierRead more

  • Wine at the Lord’s Table: Our Broken Tradition

    By Jacob Reaume | February 9, 2023

    Paul, when admonishing the Corinthians to be orderly and proper at the Lord’s Supper, said, “For what I received from the Lord that I also delivered to you” (1 Corinthians 11:23).  In other words, the institution is a tradition that is passed hand to hand and generation to generation.  Starting with Jesus, He passed itRead more

  • The Rainbow Flag, Local Council, and Elmira’s Streets

    By Jacob Reaume | August 23, 2022

    Elmira is Ontario’s latest community to look at painting a trendy rainbow on one of it’s streets.  Apparently, the Canadian Association of Mental Health has requested that the municipality paint one on a local crosswalk as a show of support for the LGBTQS2+ community.  Those letters — LGBTQS2+ — are likely the latest alpha-numeric codeRead more

  • A Gay Bar with Free Math Lessons

    By Jacob Reaume | June 15, 2022

    I have been advising parents to pull their children from public schools for several years.  The primary objective of education should be to foster Christian virtue in the hearts of children.  Apparently this view was once shared by the majority of Ontarians to the point that they had it enshrined in law.  Section 264.1.c ofRead more

  • Protect Your Children from Public School

    By Jacob Reaume | June 9, 2022

    A few months ago, I reported (here) of a Waterloo Region public school teacher who the WRDSB chair censored at a board meeting.  Her offence?  She questioned whether school officials should be teaching children that hormone blockers are a good idea.  She did so while quoting a public school library book that presented hormone blockersRead more

Newer PostOlder Post

Top 5 Trending

  • What does “makes her commit adultery” mean? (Matt. 5:32)

    October 25, 2018
  • We Lost our Constitutional Appeal: Now What?

    March 14, 2023
  • Wine at the Lord’s Table: Our Broken Tradition

    February 9, 2023
  • Yes, Bruxy Cavey Is A False Teacher

    July 11, 2018
  • King Alfred and Why He’s Called “Great”

    June 21, 2018

Latest Posts

  • We Lost our Constitutional Appeal: Now What?

    March 14, 2023
  • Wine at the Lord’s Table: Our Broken Tradition

    February 9, 2023
  • The Rainbow Flag, Local Council, and Elmira’s Streets

    August 23, 2022
  • A Gay Bar with Free Math Lessons

    June 15, 2022
  • Protect Your Children from Public School

    June 9, 2022

About the Author

Jacob Reaume

Born and raised in Guelph, Jacob holds a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He became pastor of Trinity Bible Chapel in August, 2009. Jacob is married to his high school sweetheart, Joanna, and together they have six children.

CHURCH LOCATION
Address:    1373 Lobsinger Line
Waterloo, ON, N2J 4G8

Phone: 519-658-6333
Email: info@trinitybiblechapel.ca

NEW HERE?

  • Service Times & Location
  • Welcome to Trinity!
  • What Should I Expect?
  • How Can I Be Saved?
  • University Bus Shuttle
  • Our Mission
  • Our Doctrinal Statement

OUR MINISTRIES

  • Trinity Kids
  • Trinity Youth
  • Small Groups
  • University Bus Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
  • Sunday Support
  • Evangelism

GET CONNECTED

  • Step 1: Connect
  • Step 2: Consider
  • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
  • Step 3: Commit to Serve
  • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
  • Get Baptized
  • Events Calendar
Trinity Bible Chapel on Rumble
Copyright © 2022 Trinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give
Trinity Bible Chapel