Christians and Israel: A Defining Question for the Church

There’s a question forming in the minds of many Christians, whether they realise it yet or not: what do I actually believe about Israel, and why?

It might arrive through a headline, a conversation with a Jewish neighbour, a social media argument, a sermon, or a news bulletin about the latest violence in the Middle East. Sooner or later, most believers find they have to say something. And for many of us, the honest answer is, “I’m not sure.”

A recent commentary on The Daily Declaration from the ministry Celebrate Messiah calls this “a defining hour for the Christian Church” and urges believers to build their view of Israel on Scripture rather than on headlines. It’s a fair challenge, and it’s worth taking seriously.

This post looks at why the question has become so pressing, what the Bible passages in the discussion actually say, what the numbers show, where thoughtful Christians genuinely disagree, and how to form a view that is faithful, humble and kind.

Why the Question Is Getting Louder

For most of us, opinions about Israel don’t start in church. They start on a phone.

News cycles, short videos and social media posts shape our emotions long before we’ve opened a Bible. And emotion has a way of hardening into judgment. A claim repeated often enough begins to feel like common knowledge, even if no one has ever checked it. That’s true for every position, in every direction.

The writer’s concern is that Christians often lack a solid biblical framework to test what they hear, so the loudest voice wins by default. We’d say that’s a concern worth sharing, whatever view you end up holding. A faith that has never examined its own assumptions is easily pushed around.

There’s a second reason the question is pressing. Many Australians have Jewish friends, colleagues and neighbours, and many have family connections to the region. Rising antisemitism, and strong feelings about the war and its human cost, make this more than an academic debate. How Christians speak affects real people.

Four Questions Every Christian Should Be Able to Think Through

Rather than starting with politics, it helps to start with the questions the Bible itself raises.

1. Does Scripture still speak of a future for Israel?

This is the heart of the disagreement.

Many Christians read Romans 9–11 as saying that God has not finished with the Jewish people. Paul writes that God has not rejected his people (Romans 11:1), that a partial hardening has come on Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25–26). Those who hold this view argue that God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob remain in force.

Other Christians, particularly in covenant and Reformed traditions, read the New Testament as showing that the promises find their fulfilment in Christ and in the church, which Paul at times describes in language once reserved for Israel. They point to passages such as Romans 9:6 (“not all who are descended from Israel are Israel”) and Galatians 6:16 (“the Israel of God”). Many in this camp still affirm that God loves the Jewish people and hopes for their salvation, but they’re cautious about linking biblical promises to a modern nation-state.

There’s a wide range of positions in between, and both sides appeal to the same chapters. Even the meaning of “all Israel will be saved” is debated: some see a future mass turning of Jewish people to Christ, others see the full number of God’s elect gathered across history.

2. What is the significance of Jerusalem?

The commentary highlights Jerusalem as the place where God put his name. That’s solidly rooted in the Old Testament: both 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles speak of Jerusalem as the city God chose for his name to dwell.

It also points to Jesus’ words in Matthew 23:37–39, where he laments over Jerusalem and says its people will not see him again until they say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Some read that as a promise tied to a future Jewish recognition of the Messiah. Others read it as a statement about Jesus’ return and judgment more broadly. Either way, Jerusalem matters in the biblical story.

The writer also cites Zechariah 12:2–3, which describes Jerusalem as a cup of trembling and a heavy stone for the nations. Again, interpreters differ on when and how the prophecy is fulfilled, whether in the last days, in events already past, or both.

3. How should we read the “return” in Ezekiel 36?

Ezekiel 36:24–28 describes God gathering his people from the nations, cleansing them, giving them a new heart and putting his Spirit within them. Many Christians see the modern gathering of Jewish people to the land as at least a partial echo of this passage, with the spiritual “new heart” still to come. The commentary takes this view, noting that most Jewish people in Israel today don’t follow Jesus.

Others caution that we shouldn’t read prophecy off the day’s news, and that the New Testament consistently ties Ezekiel’s “new heart” to the new covenant in Christ, not to geography. It’s a fair caution. Christians have made confident predictions from current events many times before, and some have been embarrassed.

4. What does Romans 11 ask of Gentile believers?

This is arguably the most practical question. In Romans 11:11, Paul says that Israel’s stumbling brought salvation to the Gentiles “to make Israel envious.” The commentary asks a pointed question: how are Jewish people being made jealous by Christians today?

Whatever your view on prophecy or politics, that’s a challenge for all of us. Paul’s warning in the same chapter is that Gentile believers should not be arrogant toward the natural branches (Romans 11:18–21). A Christian witness that attracts Jewish people to Jesus looks like humility, love and a visible faith, not triumphalism.

What the Numbers Actually Show

The commentary offers several figures. It’s worth checking them against recent data, because statistics get repeated without checking.

Israel’s population. Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reports a total of about 10.3 million people, including roughly 7.8 million Jews and others (about 78 per cent) and nearly 2.2 million Arabs (about 22 per cent). That broadly matches the commentary’s figures.

The world Jewish population. As of 1 January 2026, the global Jewish population stood at nearly 15.9 million, with around 46 per cent living in Israel. That’s a little higher than the “roughly 15 million” in the commentary.

The 1948 comparison. The commentary says fewer than 500,000 Jewish people lived in the land in 1948. Most demographic sources put the figure higher, at roughly 630,000 to 650,000 at the time of independence. The broader point still holds: the Jewish population has grown more than tenfold since then, largely through immigration. In 1948, Israel’s Jewish community was only about 6 per cent of world Jewry.

The UN comparison. The commentary says the UN General Assembly has passed more resolutions criticising Israel than all other countries combined. A tally by the advocacy group UN Watch counts 173 General Assembly resolutions on Israel between 2015 and 2024, against 80 on all other countries combined. That supports the claim of a large imbalance, but two qualifications matter. First, “against Israel” is UN Watch’s own label, and the General Assembly keeps no such category. Second, many of the resolutions concern Palestinian rights, refugees and self-determination, and are supported by large majorities. Supporters of those resolutions say they address a genuine and long-running dispute, not an obsession with one country. Both observations are fair, and an honest post should mention both.

Messianic believers. The commentary says fewer than 0.5 per cent of Israeli Jews know their Messiah. Estimates of the number of Messianic Jews in Israel vary, but all are small relative to the population.

Where Christians Disagree (and Why It Matters)

It helps to know that thoughtful, Bible-believing Christians hold different views, so no one assumes disagreement means someone is unfaithful. Broadly:

• Those who see a continuing role for Israel in God’s plan. This includes many dispensationalists, Christian Zionists and Messianic Jewish believers. They tend to emphasise the land promises, Romans 11, and the return of Jewish people to Israel as significant in God’s purposes. Within this group, there’s still disagreement about how far to support any particular government’s policies.
• Those who emphasise fulfilment in Christ and the church. This includes many covenant and Reformed Christians. They see the church as the people of God, are wary of tying prophecy to a modern political state, and often stress that Jesus is the true fulfilment of Israel’s story. Many still love the Jewish people and want to see them come to faith.
• Those who focus on Palestinian Christians and justice concerns. Christians have lived in the Holy Land since the first century, and their communities today are small and under pressure. Voices from Bethlehem and elsewhere have argued that the church should hear from them, and that support for Israel shouldn’t mean ignoring the suffering of Palestinians.
• Those who hold a mediating position. They affirm God’s love for the Jewish people and Paul’s hope in Romans 11, reject antisemitism, but separate theology from the policies of any government, Israeli or otherwise.

Disagreement among these groups is real. None of them is “the Christian position” that everyone else lacks.

Our Take

Here’s where we’d like to add some commentary.

1. Start with the Bible, not the feed.

The commentary’s central instinct is right: whatever you believe, test it against Scripture, and be honest about how much of your view came from headlines and social media. That applies equally to those who are strongly pro-Israel, strongly critical of Israel, and everyone in between.

2. Separate three different questions.

Much heat comes from mixing them up:

1. Theology: What does the Bible teach about the Jewish people and God’s promises?
2. Politics: What should governments do about the land, the war and the peace process?
3. Ethics: How should Christians treat people on every side, in speech and in action?

You can hold a firm view on the first and still disagree with friends on the second. And you can criticise a government’s actions without hostility to its people.

3. Antisemitism is always wrong.

Christian history has a painful record here, and the church must be unequivocal. Jewish people in Australia and around the world have reported increasing hostility, and Christians should be among the first to stand with them. A sound biblical view of the Jewish people should make us their friends.

4. So is dismissing Palestinian suffering.

Real people, including Palestinian Christians, have been caught up in war, displacement and grief. A faithful position doesn’t require us to stop caring about them. We can hold a high view of God’s promises to Israel and still weep over the deaths of children on any side.

5. Be humble about prophecy.

Christians have a long history of confidently matching Bible verses to current events and getting it wrong. Jesus himself said no one knows the day or hour. We can watch with interest and still hold our conclusions loosely.

6. Don’t make this a test of whether someone is a “real” Christian.

Believers who love Jesus, trust the gospel and honour Scripture come to different conclusions on this. The unity of the church is more important than winning the argument. Healthy disagreement, with grace, is possible.

The Other Side of the Argument

In fairness, here are some objections the commentary’s critics would raise, and some responses:

• “Israel isn’t a Christian nation, so why does it matter?” The writer himself notes that Israel is in large part an unbelieving nation. The case is not that Israel is righteous, but that Scripture treats the Jewish people as having a unique role in God’s purposes. Critics respond that this role is now fulfilled in Christ.
• “Linking prophecy to politics can excuse bad behaviour.” Some worry that a theological commitment to Israel can make Christians reluctant to criticise any Israeli government action. Supporters answer that loving someone doesn’t mean approving everything they do, and that biblical prophets criticised Israel’s leaders often.
• “The UN imbalance isn’t proof of anything on its own.” Some argue that many resolutions respond to specific, ongoing disputes, and that the number reflects the political dynamics of the General Assembly rather than a judgement on Israel’s uniqueness. Others say the imbalance is itself evidence of bias. Both positions are held in good faith.
• “Emphasising Jewish evangelism can sound patronising.” Some Jewish voices feel uneasy about Christian efforts to convert them. Christians can respond with respect, friendship and honesty about what they believe, without pressure.

How to Form a View Well

If you’re still working out where you stand, here are some practical steps:

1. Read Romans 9–11 slowly, in a couple of translations, and notice what Paul actually says.
2. Read a good book from each major perspective, not only the one you already lean toward.
3. Listen to Jewish voices about their own experience, including those who disagree with each other.
4. Listen to Palestinian Christians, who are often left out of the conversation.
5. Check statistics and claims against primary sources before repeating them.
6. Talk to your pastor or a mature friend and be willing to learn.
7. Pray, including Psalm 122:6, which calls on God’s people to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Questions to Reflect On

• Where did my current view of Israel mainly come from?
• Can I explain it from Scripture, and can I explain a view I disagree with fairly?
• Do the Jewish people I know see Christians as friends?
• How would I speak about this issue if a Jewish friend and a Palestinian Christian were both in the room?
• What would “provoking to jealousy” look like in my own life, in a way that’s gracious and genuine?

A Short Prayer

Lord, we confess how easily our opinions are shaped by noise rather than by your word. Give us humility to study, courage to speak truth, and kindness toward everyone affected by war and hatred. Grant peace to Jerusalem and to all who live in the land. Protect Jewish people and Palestinians alike. Soften hearts, heal the wounded, and draw all people to yourself through Jesus Christ. Amen.