The Traditional Hell
In the Unity Series, I’ve been rethinking long-held beliefs about judgment, restoration, and what we call “hell.” This reflection looks at hell not as an eternal torture chamber, but as the painful truth of who we are without God.
Rethinking Hell: Shame, Revelation, and the Unchanged Heart
I’ve been thinking again about the traditional belief in hell. In its simplest form, that belief says this: if a person has not accepted Jesus as Savior and made Him Lord of their life before death, they will go to a place of never-ending torment—a place they can never leave.
Before I go on, I want to be clear: I do believe Jesus is the Messiah. He died for the sins of the whole world— the good, the bad, and the ugly. Through His work, God can keep us. I have asked Jesus to be Lord of my life, but not because I fear a place called hell. In fact, I don’t believe hell is a “place” in the way many imagine.
At the same time, I wrestle with this, because Jesus said some things that sound like a place. One example is the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. Lazarus dies and is comforted with Abraham, while the rich man finds himself in torment and asks that Lazarus be sent to warn his brothers.
Yet Revelation says something different: death and Hades are destroyed, thrown into the lake of fire. Before that destruction, the dead in Hades are released and judged along with everyone else. So how do these fit together?
What strikes me about the Lazarus story is this: the rich man hasn’t changed. He still treats Lazarus as someone beneath him—“send him to cool my tongue.” He sees Lazarus as an “other,” even in death. That detail matters. It suggests that whatever this “place” is, it is not the final judgment. It is a state of being where a person remains exactly who they were—unchanged, unrepentant, unhealed. A temporary condition, not the end of the story.
Revelation confirms this by showing that Hades (what many call “hell”) is not eternal. It is emptied, judged, and then destroyed (Revelation 20:13-14). This brings me back to what I believe: I believe hell is shame—the painful exposure of who we are without God. Hell is the moment when the truth of our lives is revealed, and we see ourselves clearly. And if I don’t want to be ashamed of the things I’ve done or failed to do, then I need the Holy Spirit—the One I received when I asked Jesus to be Lord.
Scripture says our good works are wrought in God:
“But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
— John 3:21 (NASB)
Merriam-Webster defines shame as “a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety,” “a condition of humiliating disgrace,” and “something that brings reproach or regret.” If you begin to think of hell in this light—not as an eternal torture chamber, but as the shame of the untransformed self—many scriptures fall beautifully into place.
And this understanding reveals something essential: God truly is love.
As this Unity Series continues, my hope is not to erase judgment, but to see it in the light of God’s restoring love— a love that exposes, heals, and ultimately makes all things new.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Light of the world,
let Your truth shine into the deepest places of my heart.
Where I am blind, open my eyes.
Where I am hardened, soften me.
Where I am ashamed, cover me with Your mercy and transform me by Your Spirit.
Teach me to see others not as “less than,” but as brothers and sisters You love.
Let my deeds be wrought in God, so that when I stand in Your light,
I stand not in terror, but in trust.
Amen.
