The term “euthanasia” comes from the Greek words eu (“good”) and thanatos (“death”), thus meaning “good death.” It has also been popularly called “mercy killing.” Simply put, euthanasia is putting to death someone who is terminally ill or elderly.

The 6th Commandment (Exodus 20:13)
“Do not murder” (Exodus 20:13). This command is affirmed in the New Testament (Matthew 18:19; Romans 13:9) and is rooted in the truth that mankind is made in the image of God. There is no exception to this command (i.e. “Do not murder except when a person is 85 years old or very sick.”).

King Saul’s Death (2 Samuel 1:1-16)
In this passage, an Amalekite comes to David and tells David that he found King Saul gravely wounded and that Saul begged him to put him out of his misery by killing him. In essence, Saul asked to be euthanized. In fact, the situation mirrors modern examples of euthanasia being justified: 1) The patient (Saul) was terminally ill, with no realistic hope of recovery (he had even attempted suicide by falling on his own sword). 2) The patient was in excruciating pain. He faced the prospect of even more suffering if death did not come quickly. 3) The patient explicitly requested to be put to death.  

David’s response, as a man portrayed throughout Scripture as a man after God’s own heart, however shows that the Amalekite carrying out Saul’s request to be euthanized was not an act of mercy but instead an act of murder. This passage portrays David’s decision to sentence this man to capital punishment as a murderer based upon his own confession as a fitting and morally just judgement on the man who carried out euthanasia.

It is important to make a distinction between killing and letting die. Killing is the action of doing something to accelerate or cause another person’s death. Letting die is passively allowing a person to die from other causes, without intervening. Killing is a person taking action to cause death. Letting die is letting disease, injury, or the aging process that is already happening in a person to be the cause of death. Scripture expressly forbids causing the death of another but the situation of letting someone die is more complex.

We should try to intervene and help a person to recover, not passively allowing someone to die, when 1) there is reasonable hope of recovery and 2) we are able to help. This follows Jesus’ teaching “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and “whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them” (Matthew 7:12). In fact, in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus indirectly condemns the priest and Levite for their refusal to render aid to the badly injured man (Luke 10:30-37). However, in situations where 1) there is no realistic hope if recovery, 2) it is the patient’s wish to be allowed to die, and/or 3) we are unable to render aid (e.g. a person trapped in a burning building or inability to afford complex medical treatments), it may be appropriate to allow the person to die. This is not the same as actively murdering an image bearer of God.

Allowing someone to die may mean not starting a life-support system or stopping artificial life-support. We see in Scripture cases where people realize that death is near and they entrust themselves to God’s hands and yield themselves to Him (Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59; Gen. 49:33; Heb. 2:15; 1 Cor. 15:55-57). With modern medicine, it is possible to alleviate intense suffering as they near death with morphine or opioids.

The Netherlands was the first country in Europe to legalize euthanasia. However, studies have since shown that allowing people the “choice” to be euthanized has resulted in many being put to death without expressly requesting so. In fact, when the United States Supreme Court ruled against creating a constitutional right to assisted suicide (euthanasia), it cited a 1991 Dutch government study which found in 1990 that physicians performed “more than 1000 cases of euthanasia without an explicit request” and “an additional 4,941 cases where physicians administered lethal morphine overdoses without the patients’ explicit consent” (Wesley Smith, “Going Dutch”, National Review Online, Dec. 18, 2000). The slippery slope has slidden down into infant euthanasia. The Netherlands extended its euthanasia policy to include allowing doctors to murder infants with parental consent in 2005 if it is deemed that the child is terminally ill or suffering great pain.

A society’s view of the value of human life will determine its view of euthanasia. Does the society highly value life and God’s command not to murder? If every person is made in the image of God and God has commanded us not to murder, we will value human life and seek to protect it. After all, euthanasia sets the stage for society to think some members of that society are “too old” to deserve medical care and compassion and view them more as a burden to society, rather than valuable members of that society. Indeed, unless we experience an early death, each of us reading this article will one day be in need of care and support of others in our old age.

The term “suicide” comes from the Latin terms sui (“self”) and caedere (“the act of killing”), thus meaning to cause oneself to die.

The Value of Human Life
As we have already discussed, every person is made in the Imago Dei (Gen. 1:26-27) and thus is worthy of dignity and honor. To kill a person, even ourselves, is to put to death an image bearer of God. This is why God explicitly commands “Do not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

God is the Giver of Life
As we saw in Deuteronomy 32:39 on Sunday, God says, “See now that I alone am he; there is no God but me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal.” God is the giver of life and to take a life is to attempt to act in the place of God.

God Gives Hope to Those in Despair
The Psalmist says “The Lord is near the brokenhearted; he saves those crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). God does not draw back from those in depression, but instead comes near to them. Paul even highlights this blessed truth in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 when he says “We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength—so that we even despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again.” In the midst of hopelessness, Paul entrusted himself to the all-powerful and loving God. Psalm 56 is another wonderful song of hope in God in the midst of a humanly hopeless situation. Some of my favorite lines in this song are: “In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Even in our deepest valley, we can trust and praise God for being our Comfort and Sustainer.

Some have questioned if suicide is the unpardonable sin for which there is no forgiveness. However, the only sin that is ever said to be unforgivable is found in Matthew 12:31: “Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” This blasphemy against the Holy Spirit refers to deliberate, hardened, ongoing rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus Christ—ultimately refusing salvation to the very end. It is not a single act but a settled state of unbelief. Thus, while killing oneself is a sin, it is not the unpardonable sin that some have feared.

God values every human life deeply. Each person is made with purpose and loved beyond comprehension. God loves humans so much that He gave His only Son as the sacrifice for our sin (Rom. 5:8). Suicide is not God’s will (“do not murder”) and is a heartbreaking outcome of mental, emotional, or spiritual suffering. But God's grace is greater than our darkest moments. There is always hope in Christ. Even in despair, God invites people to cast their cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and trust Him as the sustainer of life.