Hell: A Conversation with Jesus

Machele and I had dinner with a couple and eventually our conversation steered toward Christianity. The genuine concern revolved around the implications of those who do not believe the gospel of Christ. For good reasons, they did not think God would judge "good people," religious or not. Such a judgment that warrants hell, in their eyes, would be unjust. 

One thing is true when it comes to Jesus. He spent a lot of time addressing the topic of hell. Yes, he was a great moral teacher, and a faith healer, and someone who had no problem showing compassion to others—but he also talked about hell, a lot! Jesus, spoke about hell more than all the biblical writers combined. Luke 16:19-31 is one of these conversations, where once again, he addresses this unpopular, yet significantly important issue.

Luke 16:19-31

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.

6 The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’

27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers7—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

It is obvious from this text, that hell is not a place where anyone wants to end up when he or she dies. Yet, as unpleasant as it seems, there are features about hell, which Jesus mentions here, that Christians must be willing to share if pressed. In light of the recent media attention on hell, the first thing that needs to be communicated is that the Bible teaches hell is a literal and physical place.

1. Hell is a Literal and Physical place

The idea of hell is so repulsive that many conclude that it does not exist, it is a made up belief by the early church to win Christian converts. Rob Bell, an evangelical pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recently wrote a book called, Love Wins, (Note: He just resigned from his pastorate 9-22-2011) to argue that hell is not a real place, but rather a state of being, caused from the hardships people experience in their lifetime (i.e. their own personal hell). In the end, he concludes, that everyone will go to heaven because Love Wins.

However, this is not what Jesus is describing in this text. Instead, he is talking about a real destination that is a physical location. He goes on to illustrate that hell consists of anguish and a permanent separation from God. In other biblical passages, Jesus mentions hell as a place associated with eternal fire and even outer darkness (Matthew 18:8-9, 22:13-14).

Now a growing number of scholars agree that Jesus is using metaphors to project an 

alarming mental image associated with hell (Fire & darkness). Nevertheless, whether these images are literal or figurative, the more important issue revolves around his depiction of being separated from God. In the book of James, the apostle teaches that everything that is good comes from God, every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Without God, then, hell is a place that lacks the good things in life. Imagine living in a place where, eternally speaking, there is nothing good; no love, no peace, no comfort, no charity, etc., etc. Such is the life of a real person, in a real place, according to Jesus and the Scriptures.

Several years ago, my best friend asked me to do a memorial service for his father, whom he stressed was not a Christian. While performing the eulogy, although I tried my best to comfort the people, in good conscience, I offered no hope that my friend’s dad was in heaven. Eventually, during the sharing time, one or two friends tried their best to communicate their belief this man was in heaven. I know why they did it of course; they wanted to bring comfort and assurance to the people.

Nevertheless, ultimately, their attempts were misleading, despite the good intentions, according to Jesus. In reality, he teaches that heaven, like hell, is not an idea or a concept, whose purpose is to bring comfort to others during hard times. Instead, both are real places, where real people choose to go based on their willingness or unwillingness to trust Jesus, the Christ, as their Savior.

2. Hell is not what God wants for us, it is something we choose
Many times, our culture gives God a bad rap here, which is not fair from a biblical perspective. If hell is true, many reason, then God is wrathful and lacks the compassion and justice to love. He does not really care for people based on what He will eternally put them through after they physically die. However, Jesus refutes this popular belief by showing in the Bible that God is in the rescuing business, he actually sent Jesus as a 9-1-1 response because He deeply cares about people, despite their sin. 

John 3:17-18

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

1 Timothy 2:3-6

³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Both these passages teach that at the very heart of God is the desire that all of humanity be saved. However, God does not force us to choose Him; He allows us to make our own decisions about Jesus, which is why the text concludes that ultimately condemnation lies in our court.

According to Jesus, God has gone out of His way so that everyone, every nation, tribe, and tongue, can have a relationship with Him in heaven. But here is the reality, many do not want anything to do with Jesus, or what many refer to generically as “religion.” What does this mean? In hell, inevitably, people get what they want, no religion. That is, no God, no Jesus, and definitely not their followers.


I admit this sounds harsh, but I am trying to clearly communicate what Jesus says about this unpopular, yet important issue. Namely, that condemnation is not God’s fault; instead it is all on us. For whatever reason, some think it is worth the gamble to rely on their own accomplishments, instead of trusting in those belonging to Jesus. When you study the "hell passage" in Luke, you can surmise the rich man does not really want anything to with heaven, God, or His goodness.

1. There is no repentance. Not once does he show remorse for his actions. Not toward Abraham (i.e. God, the Father), nor toward Lazarus.

2. He still has a sense of entitlement. He wants Lazarus to be his servant. His thinking is the same as it was when he was alive on earth; the focus revolves around his needs and concerns.

3. He does not ask to leave Hades, only for Lazarus to come visit him. I suspect it is because he really does not want to have anything to do with the folks on the other side, which includes God, Jesus, and their followers.

4. He finds fault with God’s plan of salvation. He says the Bible is not enough to keep his family from avoiding hell. God needs to do more, come up with a better plan. He proposes that Lazarus go to his father’s house, allowing his household to see him come back from the dead.

It is the same in our culture today. Religious Pluralists, for example, find God’s plan for salvation in Scripture too narrow, too exclusive, and too inadequate. Like the rich man, they have a better plan, one that allows more people to become saved. The irony here, of course, is that inevitably, God grants this request in Jesus, whom the Bible teaches rose from the dead.

From a biblical perspective, we have to be fair here; it is not God's fault, He has done everything He can to save us, with one exception. Inevitably, He does not force you to choose Jesus; in the same way; that He does not force children to love their parents. With parenting, one only hopes that based on their sacrifice, their actions, and their commitment, that their children will love them back.



Tying it all Together
Maybe, you have harbored a wrong perception of God when it comes to this conversation about hell. Before I was a Christian, I did, without question. I hated the reality that Christians I knew held this damnation theology over my head. Ultimately, they made me feel that just because I went clubbing, or watched a certain type of movie, even listened to secular music, that I was in danger of going to a place where it is eternally hot and you're without sunscreen. As a result, I was more concerned about holding fast to my pride than I was to being open to the possibility that some of the things they said were true (that is, about Jesus, not the other stuff).


My hope, is that you will take some time to reflect on what has been said, even talk to God, because there is no question that in the Bible, hell was a big conversation with Jesus. In the end, you talk repeatedly about the things that are most important to you. With Jesus, this reality was not to hate on you, but to warn you so that would never be a part of your reality. Remember, God's desire is that everyone be saved, which definitely includes you or anyone else that hasn't accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But He will never force you to choose Jesus.


Make this about Jesus, not about me or about you.

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Epilogue: Popular Objections            

#1 What about those who have not Heard of Christ                                      This is a great question, especially if there is genuine concern behind it. Ultimately, we must think through this issue on two levels, the first one being what theologians refer to as general revelation. General revelation teaches us that God has revealed Himself through His creation. In other words, we should believe in God from all we see around us, the sun, the mountains, the stars, the trees, the water, the animals, etc., etc. This is the gist of what the Apostle Paul says in this very important section in Scripture.

Romans 1:18-20

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Frankly, God’s signature is present through all that He had made in creation. We did not create this beautiful canvas of life that permeates our planet and the cosmos. In the end, there is no excuse to deny the reality of God’s obvious and blatant intelligent design.

Unfortunately, there is an educational fraternity, in our public school system and college campuses, who collectively work hard to convince us otherwise. Nevertheless, on the fist level, men and women are without excuse here, everyone from the academic elite to the tribal member that lives in a remote third world country. So we must first answer the question, are they suppressors of the truth, or does creation prompt them to acknowledge God?

On the second level, special revelation, focuses on what information God revealed specifically about Jesus. Here of course, is where this topic can get complicated because the argument is hypothetical. Nevertheless, the Scriptures address this issue from a knowledge-based standpoint. Below is a parable by Jesus, which focuses on the degree of punishment a non-believer experiences during the end times.

Luke 12:47-48

⁴⁷ And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. ⁴⁸ But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Here, Jesus teaches, there are degrees of punishment administered by God based on how much information you know. What the nature of the lighter punishment is I do not know. Nevertheless, I trust that given His wisdom, His knowledge, His ability to know the secrets of the heart, God will judge rightly. What this means practically is that we should just let God do His job. I would not want His job—but thankfully He is the most competent to render such a true decision.

However, this is not an argument anyone should use as the basis for them rejecting Christianity since ultimately; God holds each of us responsible for what we believe or reject about Jesus. Would you choose not to eat food because you read about someone starving in a third world country? Now, you may conclude that such poverty is unfair, and it should not exist, but ultimately you would eat because your survival depends on it.

Ultimately, as previously mentioned, God’s desire is that everyone be saved, which is why He sent His son to die for humanity’s sin, including the uninformed. Inevitably, we need to let God do His job; He is the most qualified to render a perfectly righteous and truthful judgment. 

#2:  What about those who worship different religions?

Contrary to popular opinion, religious pluralism is not a new development. There have been competing religions since the days of Cain, who established the first secular city without God. Inevitably, the reality of other religions proclaiming their god as supreme is one of the primary reasons why God instituted the Ten Commandments with Moses at Mount Sinai. He was tired of His people blending in with other religious beliefs and adopting the idea of religious pluralism.

Deuteronomy 5:6-10

⁶ “ ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ⁷ “ ‘You shall have no other gods before me.

⁸ “ ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

At the core of competing religions is the idea that your god is better than mine. Likewise today, competing religions express the same message, often marginalizing or rejecting Jesus as Savior. For example, Islam accepts that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, he was born of a virgin, he performed miracles, but it denies that Jesus is the son of God who died for the sins of humanity. 

On the other hand, Judaism acknowledges the existence Jesus and that he healed the oppressed, yet rejects him as being the Messiah that will establish his kingdom on earth.

In a similar way, Buddhism acknowledges the life of Jesus, but insists one must still go through a series of reincarnations before they can ultimately be enlightened enough to realize that their religion turned out to be right. 

Consequently, all the religions cannot be right because they disagree on the nature and purpose of Jesus. If the Bible is true, and Jesus is the son of God, then to suggest there is another way is to marginalize the relationship between the Father and the Son.

Generally, religious Pluralists never consider their argument from God’s perspective if Christianity is true. If Jesus is truly His son, then emotionally this cost God something. Looking at this from another perspective, imagine having your child sacrificed for the good of humanity, only to find out that most people have rejected him or her. How would you respond as a father or mother? Would you have compassion and come up with an alternative plan? If you are honest, which is what we are aiming for with the non-Christian; you would never accept such people into your home.

#3: How could a loving God punish me forever for a finite sin

In my opinion, this secular question is the toughest one because of our intrinsic belief that the punishment must fit the crime. At first glance, there appears to be a great chasm based on the finite crime of rejecting the son verses the magnitude of the infinite sentence. In retrospect, imagine someone receiving the death penalty because he or she was caught chewing gum in class. It seems preposterous.

One reason this appears to be the case is because sin is marginalized by folks in our culture. It does not seem to be the ultimate deal breaker, and besides, it is fun. Seldom do we ever consider that from God’s perspective that sin is just that, a big deal, for a God who gave us our very existence. 

Yet despite the human perspective of sin, God knew that sin had to punished for the sake of divine justice. Consequently, He sent His son to do what we could not, that is, to live a perfect and pleasing life to God. In the end, the reality of hell only heightens the love of Jesus because he died for your sins and accepted God’s punishment on your behalf. In a sense, Jesus experienced the rich man’s torment for you because he did not want you to partake of hell. He also fulfilled the rich man’s request in order to offer you and your family more assurance.

In the end, you must ask what God is the most loving. One that gave up everything important to Himself for your personal welfare or one that lets you do whatever you want, and still saved you? One example shows tremendous sacrificial love, while the other shows a shallow form of love that is passive.