Current Events and God’s Concern for Justice

Social media and news outlets have been abuzz the last few weeks with the current conflict between Israel, Iran, and the involvement of the United States. In light of Pastor Scott’s sermon Sunday dealing with God’s concern for justice, today we ask – How should Christians think about the war with Iran and Israel? There are six Biblical principles that I want to highlight.

 1. God is Sovereign over the nations

“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Ps. 103:19, ESV).

When we survey Scripture, we are reminded of God’s absolute sovereignty over all peoples and events. That includes political conflicts. The London Baptist Confession reminds us that God is “the good Creator of all things, in infinite power and wisdom, (and) doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures and things.” (LBC 5.1) The Israel-Iran conflict, like all wars and rumors of wars, unfolds as part of God’s sovereign plan. As Christians, we should trust that God is accomplishing his eternal purposes, even when human understanding falls short.

2. Distinguish between Old Covenant Israel and the Modern State of Israel

A quick search on X (formerly Twitter) or on YouTube will reveal that many are reading the current news into their Bibles. In other words, instead of starting with God’s revelation, we are starting with current events and trying to make sense of them using our Bibles. One of the main flaws to this approach is that many blur the lines between ethnic Israel (modern geopolitical state) and Biblical Israel (God’s covenant people under the Old Covenant).

At this point, we should consider a few verses:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:28-29)

In these verses, Paul highlights that union with Christ erases cultural, ethnic, social, and gender barriers in terms of spiritual status. He highlights that all believers in Christ (Jew or Gentile) are considered to be the true children of Abraham. Furthermore, Paul states that inheritance of the promises comes by faith…not by ethnicity.

In Romans 9:6-8, Paul says something similar:

“Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel... it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise.”

Paul defines true Israel here by distinguishing between spiritual Israel and ethnic Israel. The promises to Abraham are ultimately fulfilled by those who have faith, not those who are physical descendants.

In light of these truths, we must be careful not to conflate modern political Israel with the covenant people of God. The New Testament consistently teaches that the true heirs of Abraham are not defined by ethnicity or geography, but by faith in Christ. To interpret current events through the lens of Scripture, we must begin with Scripture itself—God’s authoritative revelation—not with headlines. Only then can we rightly understand God’s purposes for His people and resist the temptation to distort biblical prophecy to fit modern political narratives.

3. Don’t Panic

In Matt. 24:6, Jesus says: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." Wars and rumors of wars speak of political and military battles which have been frequent throughout history. The point that Jesus makes here is that we are to not be alarmed when such things come to pass. Jesus warns his followers not panic or assume that such events mean that the end is immediately upon them. These events are all part of God’s providence but are not of themselves definitive signs that the end has come.

4. Just War Theory

Ecclesiastes 3:8 says that there is “a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” The Bible does not necessarily condemn war. In fact, in Hebrews 11:32–34, the author commends men of faith who “conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions... became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” Christians have long looked at biblical principles to evaluate the morality of warfare (Just War Theory). From Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, to modern thinkers, Just War Theory provides biblical principles of justice for evaluating the morality of war.

Traditionally, Just War Theory has been broken in to three parts: Justice before war, Justice during war, and justice after war. Below is an overview to help you think through your own evaluation of the Israel/Iran conflict.

1.  Justice Before War – When is it right to go to war?

• Is there a just cause for going to war?

• Is the war called by a legitimate authority

• Do the parties involved have the right intention (is the aim justice or peace and not revenge or conquest)?

• Is war a last resort (have all other measures been exhausted)?

2. Justice During War – How should war be conducted?

• Civilians must not be intentionally targeted.

• The amount of force used must be proportional to the objective. In other words, an atomic bomb is not proportional to a cyber-attack.

3. Justice After War – How should war end and peace be restored?

• The outcome of the war should secure just and stable peace.

• Efforts should be made to rebuild and reconcile, not humiliate or punish.

·      War Crimes should be prosecuted.

The above principles will help us apply Biblically rooted concepts to the way that we think about the Israel/Iran conflict.

5. Pray

The most important thing that we can be doing right now is praying. Paul told Timothy:

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people… that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”—1 Timothy 2:1–2

We should be praying for peace both in the Middle East and globally. We should be praying for  world leaders –for their salvation and that they would act justly and wisely. We should be praying for the church, especially believers who are suffering in the war zones. (The church in Iran is one of the fastest growing churches even though Iran is also among the top 10 countries for Christian persecution). Finally, we should be praying for the gospel to advance.

6. Hope in the Christ

Wars often remind us of just how fragile worldly peace is. Whatever peace we find on earth is only temporary. But the gospel promises the arrival of a new kingdom. A kingdom where Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). And this kingdom has already begun. It began with His life, death, and resurrection (Mark 1:15), and He will consummate it at His second coming.

The wars of this present age cannot thwart the everlasting peace that comes with Him. Isaiah 2:4 gives us a beautiful picture of what this peace will look like:

“He shall judge between the nations,and shall decide disputes for many peoples;and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation,neither shall they learn war anymore.”

Wars, treaties, and governments rise and fall. No human effort will usher in lasting peace. But the gospel says peace has a name—Jesus—and a throne that cannot be shaken. Christians do not look ultimately to presidents or armies for safety. We await a King who will reign in righteousness and bring perfect justice (Rev. 19:11–16).