Why War (Like The US/Israeli-Iranian Conflict) Is Sometimes Justified & Righteous
Word-of-the-Day: ‘(27) Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel (28) without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.’ (Philippians 1:27-28a); ‘Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.’ (Psalm 144:1)
The conflict that has risen between the US and Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran is unfortunate. No sane person wants war to break out, as it leads to people killed or injured and nations long suffering from the destruction and chaos it causes. While war should be avoided at great cost, it sometimes is inevitable and sometimes justified.
Externally, we find Iran guilty of promoting terrorism; against Israel, the US, and its neighbors. Internally the mullahs had ordered those who opposed the regime to be killed through either arrest and torture or by its internal police force shooting protestors. The government is, or perhaps it is appropriate to say ‘was’, of the Shia denomination of Islam. Among Islam, it is the minority sect as ten percent (10%) follow the Shia philosophy, a zealous application of Islam through the reestablishment of the Levant and using intimidation and force to promote and grow the influence of Islam. It generally opposes the majority Sunni denomination (roughly ninety percent or 90%) in philosophical terms to promote Islam and on occasion will clash with it.
Being a pariah nation that, since its inception in 1979 has caused many deaths and conflicts, especially in opposition to the United States, Israel and its neighbors, it comes as no surprise that it has, finally, come under attack. The initial Israeli salvo eliminated the ‘Supreme Leader’ Ayatollah (or ‘high cleric’) Ali Hosseini Khamenei and roughly forty other top government and religious leaders, and since the attack by the US-Israeli coalition started, its command-and-control systems, missile capabilities, and terrorist network all have been severely degraded, although the remnants of the regime are still counter-attacking and dangerous.
War is something that has been done between people since Cain declared war on Abel; in its lowest common denominator it is conflicts, usually physical, between two individuals and from there expands to conflicts between families, tribes, nations, and coalitions. War may not always be justified; using force to get your way or what you want is not Biblical. However, war can be justified if it is to stop unrighteousness that is threatening others, especially the Righteous.
The Lord wants us to be prepared to defend ourselves, or to confront evil – even when it is necessary to strike preemptively upon the threat of war. David, in authoring Psalm 144, praises God for remaining steadfast to him and for preparing him for battles. Jesus advised His disciples to be prepared for war, to ‘sell their cloak and buy a sword’ in order to defend themselves (John 22:36), as Jesus understood it would be naive for His followers to simply fall to the whims of their opponents.
A justifiable war or conflict is one where Righteousness is defended, when evil must be stopped to harm good. Paul is not directly stating this in Philippians 1:27 as he is more advising the Christian to live in a Christ-like manner, to live in the context of the Gospel and be a representative of Jesus. But part of being a Christian, and being a representative of Jesus, is to understand as Paul points out in Philippians 1:28, is to be courageous, be fearless, and stand up to those who oppose you and the Gospel message. This ranges from polite but firm rebuking of improper and ungodly comments to physical confrontation to protect yourself and those around you.
Jesus, of course, showed us it is sometimes the best defense is a good offense. In his confrontation with the moneychangers and illicit traders in the outer courtyard of the Temple (Matthew 21:12), it is assumed that Jesus told them to leave, and it is likely they did not only do so but possibly gave Him some ‘lip service’ to have Him leave them alone. It may even be that they threatened Him first with physical violence. What we do know for sure is Jesus physically whipped them and tossed them out of the courtyard of His Father’s house. He did not cower in fear or attempt to avoid a confrontation but met evil with Righteous anger and determination to stop it.
It is my opinion the actions of Israel and the United States is just. The nearly five decades of terrorism and threats have made this action long overdue. There are those who oppose it, and some of those are people who we consider normally Righteous. But like many who are Christians, they fear all conflict in the unrighteous belief that conflict is evil, and to be a conscientious objector. Jesus’ own example and Paul’s exhortations to be courageous and stand up against evil, though, proves this point-of-view, to be objecting against confronting evil, is incorrect.
Pray for our military for Righteous victory and protection of harm. May the revival in Iran, where many have come to Faith in Christ, grow unfettered and may His peace come, if only for a short time, to the Middle East and the world through the successful completion of this action.
