by David Zahl
And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD.
Genesis 3:8

There has been a lot of suicide in the Christian community, and I don’t want to be reductionistic about suicide, as if the cause always boils down to one single thing. It’s very complicated, and I wouldn’t pretend to understand what someone goes through before they succumb to such despair, but I will say that I think the suicides of some well-known pastors is an indictment of American Christianity.
There seems to be a link between these deaths and the widespread teaching that “life transformation took place at salvation and the power to overcome was inherent in the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Now, don’t mistake me; I’m not saying the Holy Spirit doesn’t come into someone’s life and provide change and power to change, but guarantees of certain kinds of victory are actually fueling despair, and some pastors become so frustrated that they don’t just give up their faith, but their lives.
I’m not disputing the hope of transformation; I’m disputing the guarantee of transformation, because when you guarantee transformation, you often prevent it from actually happening. A person will inevitably pretend to change, all the while getting more and more stuck in that morbid cycle of spiritual pulse-taking, of which some of us are all too familiar. You know, it’s true that a plant cannot grow if it’s being dug up every five minutes to check its growth. Law and legalism and judgment are dangerous when encountered in a gospel-less vacuum, because to talk about the law without the gospel is to isolate the suffering person even more than they’re already isolated.
What is the antidote then? What is the gospel message to those who are lonely? It’s a relationship. It’s not a theology; it’s a Person. But it’s not the kind of relationship we tend to have with other people. It’s a one-way relationship where you have real freedom because of the assurance that nothing you can do can make God love you any more or any less.

Thought to Remember for Today

It is true that God’s salvation is power to change. But it’s also true that until we are brought into glory, we will always have sins and struggles. Don’t let this reality drive you to despair. God loves you and is patient with you. Remember today that there’s nothing you can do or fail to do that will make God love you any less.

Fitzpatrick, E. (2016). Grace untamed: a 60-day devotional. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.