This article asks the fundamental question: Are soldiers going to hell? Are all soldiers treated the same? Is there a difference if someone killed or not? Is there a difference if someone volunteered or not?
But I want to make a statement at the beginning and justify it later and offer a way out: It doesn’t matter if someone is a soldier or not. All people go to hell. There is only one way out – and that is Jesus Christ.
Whether you have heard this truth before or not: Let’s go into the details!
Table of Contents
Why are soldiers “threatened” with hell?
Whoever asks the question “Will soldiers go to hell?” has at least a feeling that hell exists. Thus, this person is already further along than the vast majority of people. Presumably, these people also know who is going to hell: evil people.
So people who have done something evil during their lifetime. But where does this “evil” begin? If we stay with the example of the soldier: Is it enough to have a profession that has the possible killing of people in its goal? Or does the individual person have to shoot someone? Is it enough if the soldier only has the will (or courage) to shoot someone, but is never sent on a mission? And if a soldier is never sent abroad, is it enough if he supports his comrades in logistics so that they can kill? Speaking of killing, does it really have to be killing or isn’t pure aggression towards people enough?
I ask these many rhetorical questions to point out one thing: The boundary when something is good or evil is set very differently for people. I am sure that different people would give different answers to these questions. But that means: people themselves try to draw a line between good and evil. However, it is not people who distinguish between heaven and hell.
It is God alone. And He has a fixed line: a single violation of guidelines and a person ends up in hell. Quite simply. Quite brutally. Unfortunately real. Feelings, emotions and thoughts are the human way to hell. (Read more here)
If it sounds now like simply everyone is going to hell, we find confirmation of that in Romans 3:23. Everyone is guilty to God and is going to hell – soldier or no soldier.
How soldiers avoid hell
The better question now is: How can a soldier get out of this predicament? The Bible knows one way: confess your sins to God, turn from the way of sin (sin is all actions and thoughts that are not pleasing to God) and try to lead a life that is as godly as possible. You will not always succeed, but God has provided for that as well.
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bear all our guilt. If you ask God to do this, your guilt of your whole life will be “passed on” to Jesus Christ and you will be free and go to heaven. So simple and so difficult: life without sin is a difficult one. But the beginning can be made by a soldier (like any person) with a prayer of surrender of life.
Are Christians allowed to be a soldier?
If you have given your life to Jesus and meant it, you will notice changes in your behavior, thoughts and thought patterns. Of course, this can also affect your job as a soldier. Making the right decision here is difficult.
Trust in the Holy Spirit to guide you so you can make the right decisions. A big one might be the balancing act between “I must obey the authorities” (Romans 13) and “I must not kill” (10 Commandments). I think which choice to make and when is up to the individual and must be made with trust in the Holy Spirit.
My advice would be nevertheless: I recommend, as soon as legally possible, to step out of the fighting troop. This way the balancing act can succeed better. Should a soldier still sin or have a bad conscience, he can and should “lay it before God” by confessing his guilt to God and asking for forgiveness. This is always granted, thanks to Jesus and the love of God.
Whether a Christian is allowed to be a soldier or not is basically clear to answer. The highest commandment is always to love one’s neighbor. Therefore, whoever shoots someone as a soldier is usually not acting according to the prayer of charity and hates his enemy, although a Christian should love him.
Conclusion: Do soldiers always go to hell?
Soldiers go to hell, but not because they are soldiers, but because they are people who sin by themselves. The only way out of hell is to trust in Jesus Christ.
