How should Christians respond when their country is attacked?

 In the last three years Ukraine has been attacked by Russia; Israel has been attacked by Hamas; Gaza has been attacked by Israel; Iran has been attacked by Israel and the USA.

 In the Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Iran there are many Christians: how should they respond?

 Weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15)

 War is miserable and so the first response should be to draw alongside those who are suffering and weep with them. It is not the time for political, theological, or prophetic speculation.

 When a loved one has been blasted away by a soldier’s bullet, or their house blown up by a precision bomb, it is a time to mourn. To be a comforting and caring presence, with many tears and few words.

 To work for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:60)

 Jesus taught that before His Second Coming God’s Kingdom would be out of the public eye. A seed in the ground, hidden, unseen; or leaven in bread. When war breaks out, the Kingdom of God is still active. The Christian’s task is to see how to proclaim the Kingdom: serving the victims of the bombing raid, opening our homes to the refugees, sharing our bread, explaining our hope of Christ’s coming Kingdom where there will be no more war.

 If the war is just, to support its cause (1 Peter 2:17)

 Nowhere in the New Testament do we find either John the Baptist, or Jesus, or the apostles telling soldiers to leave their profession. In the Bible it is taken for granted that in a fallen world there are wars, and so soldiers are necessary. Then Augustine and later Aquinas developed the doctrine of the ‘just war’, which finds itself expressed in the UN Charter as a war waged for self-defence. There is of course a lot of grey, but no Christian should feel guilty fighting to defend their country. If the war becomes clearly unjust, then the Christian has a case for withdrawing their support.

 To intercede (1 Timothy 2:1 – 3)

 There is no mystery as to how we are to intercede. We are to pray 'for all people’ and, crucially, ‘for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour’ (1 Timothy 2: 1 – 3). There is nothing here about praying for one king to be removed, and for another king to come. Indeed, the general emphasis in the New Testament is that believers should repect the government: Jesus 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's', Paul 'Be subject to the governing authorities', and Peter, 'Honour the Emperor', who at that time was probably Nero. 

Here are four Christian responses to the outbreak of war – to weep with those who weep, to work with the Kingdom of God, to be loyal to our government if the war is just, and to pray for people to have quiet lives. All can be found in the New Testament. 

If these four responses are embraced, this will help stop Christians getting drawn into commenting and speculating about a war.  This is when they claim to know what the political outcome will be; or what God is doing; or, that the war is the fulfilment of some prophecy in the Old Testament. This type of conversation swings the camera away from what Christ has called his followers to do - preach the Gospel, build up the church, serve the poor. If this happens, usually the focus goes to a nationalistic agenda where the political future of a particular country becomes more important than God’s Kingdom and His church. Ultimately this is a sub-Christian outlook, to be eschewed by genuine believers. 

 

June 2025