What can separate us from the love of God?

My mind seems to go immediately to the Bible when I'm asked a question that has to do with morality or ethics or, especially, the character of God. It's dangerous for a human being to comment about God's attitude about anything -- which is why it's necessary just to fall back on Scripture.

A popular Baptist preacher, whose presence seems ubiquitous on television and radio, is known to remark, "Friends, God is saying ..." That gives me chills. And not the good kind. Just tell us what the text says, sir, and not make such assumptions about God's attitude. We are capable of our own interpretations, and those interpretations may not agree with yours.

The other day I was asked about how God feels about suicide. Suicide is an interesting word, derived from the Latin. "Sui" means "one's own" or "of oneself" and "cida" means "one who kills." Ergo, self-slaughter is a fairly literal definition in English.

As for how God feels -- of course -- this is above my pay grade. My instinct, therefore, is not to say merely what I think because that's fairly valueless. My gut reaction instead is to quote Romans chapter eight. "Nothing in all creation ... will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Some years ago, I was invited to join a panel discussion on a St. Louis television program -- one that airs early on Sunday morning and which later I was privileged to host a few times. The program's theme was on the ethics of assisted suicide. This was back in the days when the late Dr. Jack Kevorkian regularly was helping desperately ill people take their own lives. Two other panelists were adamantly opposed to the practice. I also expressed my opposition but not adamantly.

If given the opportunity, I would counsel a desperately ill person to stay in this life and to seek pain-relieving treatment and medication, even if not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. But my opposition is not adamant. You see, I don't have a debilitating illness. I don't know what it's like to spend every conscious moment racked with extraordinary pain. I can't impose my values on a person whose level of suffering ratchets off any reasonable scale. I can't and won't.

A little over a week ago, a beautiful young woman named Brittany Maynard took her own life in Oregon, where the right-to-die is preserved in law. Maynard, 29, had inoperable cancer, a brain tumor. She was diagnosed in January and given six months to live. In early October, Maynard told The Associated Press: "I think in the beginning my family members wanted a miracle; they wanted a cure for my cancer. I wanted a cure for my cancer. I still want a cure for my cancer. One does not exist, at least not one I am aware of."

Let's talk about miracles for a moment. I believe miracles have happened and still do. But, in my opinion, and refraining from using the arrogant language, "Friends, God is saying..." -- it is God of his own sovereign choice who determines whether a miracle will happen and for his own reasons, to which I am not privy.

Some are wondering aloud whether Brittany Maynard's decision to commit suicide has barred her from heaven. After all, one of the Ten Commandments prohibits killing (or murdering, depending on the textual interpretation).

Brittany Maynard, the comedian Robin Williams, Kodak founder George Eastman -- and a handful of people I've pastored -- all have taken their own lives. So, if you ask me, as someone did earlier this month, "How does God FEEL about suicide?" -- my answer will remain:

"Nothing in all creation ... will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Let the rebuttal begin.