When Life Hurts Too Much: What the Bible Says About Suicide

By a Contributor to Faith For U Today

Let’s Talk Honestly

I’ve stood by graves of people who took their own lives. I’ve looked into the eyes of mothers who are still waiting for their child to come home, even though they know they never will. I’ve sat in silence with teenagers who can’t speak a word after their best friend’s suicide, because grief has stolen their voices.

This is real. This is heavy.
And it’s not the end of your story.

What Does the Bible Say About Suicide?

The Bible doesn’t use the word suicide, but it does tell the stories of people who ended their lives in despair:

• Saul fell on his sword after being wounded in battle (1 Samuel 31:4).
• Ahithophel, the betrayer, hung himself after his counsel was rejected (2 Samuel 17:23).
• Judas Iscariot, overwhelmed by guilt, took his own life after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:5).

Not one of these deaths is described as noble or peaceful. They are tragic, lonely, and full of regret. The Bible gives us these stories not to condemn, but to warn us that hopelessness apart from God leads to destruction.

God never intended you to carry this weight alone.

Is Suicide the Unforgivable Sin?

No. The blood of Jesus is more powerful than any sin, even the sin of suicide. Salvation is not based on whether you died with all your sins confessed. Salvation is based on whether your heart truly belonged to Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 10:9).

But this is not a permission slip.

Suicide is not escape. It’s devastation.
It destroys the body, shatters the soul, and leaves wreckage in its wake. It breaks God’s command not to murder (Exodus 20:13)—including self-murder. But more than that, it breaks the heart of God.

Why?
Because He loves you.

The Pain Is Real—But It Doesn’t Have to Win

Let’s be honest: life gets brutal sometimes.
Some of you reading this have lost everything.
Some of you were abused, abandoned, betrayed.
Some of you lie awake every night screaming into a pillow so no one can hear.

You wonder where God is. You wonder if He even cares. You might even hate Him right now.
But He’s still here. And He has not let go of you.

You are not your pain.
You are not your past.
You are not your diagnosis.

You are His.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
– Matthew 11:28

Jesus doesn’t wait for you to clean yourself up. He comes for you at your worst. When you feel too far gone, too broken, too ashamed—that’s when He moves toward you, not away.

What Suicide Doesn’t Tell You

It doesn’t tell you about the mom who will blame herself forever.
Or the brother who finds your body and lives with that image in his mind every night.
Or your best friend, who will check their phone and see a missed call they’ll never forgive themselves for not answering.

Suicide says it’s an escape. But it’s really a transfer of pain—from you to everyone who ever loved you.

I don’t say this to shame you. I say it because you deserve the truth.

And the truth is: there is another way.

So What Do I Do When I Can’t Take It Anymore?

1. Talk to Someone Right Now.

Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.

Call a friend, a parent, a pastor.
Text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 in the U.S.
They are there for you. You don’t need to have the words. Just say, “I’m not okay.”

2. Cry Out to God—even if you’re angry

He can handle your honesty. You don’t have to fake it with Him.

The psalmist wrote,

“Why, O LORD, do You stand far away? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1)

God is not afraid of your grief. He meets you in it. Pour it out.

3. Get Help for Your Mind and Body

Going to therapy doesn’t mean you’re faithless. Taking medication doesn’t mean you’re weak.
You were made in God’s image—mind, body, and soul. Getting help is not giving up. It’s fighting back.

“In the multitude of counselors there is safety.”
– Proverbs 11:14

 

Jesus Stayed So You Could Stay

He knows your suffering.
He knows betrayal, loneliness, rejection.
He was whipped, beaten, spit on, nailed to a cross—while people mocked Him.

He had every reason to quit.

But He stayed.

He endured the cross so that you wouldn’t have to walk through your pain alone.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
– John 10:10

 

This Is Not the End

If you’re reading this and thinking about ending your life, please—stay.

Breathe. Let the tears fall.
Repent of your unbelief.
Turn your eyes to the One who bled for your rescue.

Jesus is not offering you a quick fix. He’s offering you Himself.

He is the resurrection. He is the life. And if He can raise the dead, He can pull you out of this pit, too.

Please, don’t go. Stay and fight.
Even if you feel no strength left—Jesus will carry you.

You are not done.
You are not alone.
You are not forgotten.

And you are still loved.

Need Help Right Now?

• Call or text 988 – Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.)
• Text HELLO to 741741 – Crisis Text Line
• Find a Christian Counselor: https://www.aacc.net