The Ted Cruz-Tucker Carlson Debate: What Does the Bible Really Say About Supporting Israel?
Israel, an American ally, is often in the news with all the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Israel is again front and center for Americans after their recent conflict with Iran and America’s bombing of Iran’s apparent nuclear sites. These events raise several questions for Christians around the world, especially American Christians.
Are Christians biblically mandated to support modern-day Israel?
Are the Jews still God’s chosen people?
What about current Jews who reject Jesus as the Messiah?
A recent interview clip with Senator Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson from Tucker Carlson’s online program, The Tucker Carlson Encounter, has gone viral. Senator Cruz defended his pro-Israel stance amid the Israel-Iran conflict.
Cruz: Growing up in Sunday school, I was taught from the Bible that those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed. And from my perspective, I want to be on the blessing side of things. We are commanded to support Israel.
Carlson: We are commanded as Christians to support the government of Israel?
Cruz: Define Israel.
For Senator Cruz, the answer to this question defines his policy perspective on being an advocate for Israel. But who or what constitutes “Israel”
The text in question for Senator Cruz was Genesis 12.
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. – Genesis 12:1-3
In Galatians 3, the Apostle Paul, who was considered the “Hebrew of Hebrews,” shares the following regarding those verses: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.” (Galatians 3:16) Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ… “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)
Further, Paul says the following in Romans 2:
A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. – Romans 2:28-29
And in Romans 9:
The people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. – Romans 9:4-8
Christians have been “grafted in” to the people of God.
Even so, God is not finished with Israel, as noted in Romans 11 (which I will come back to in just a bit). God has said that Jerusalem will become a place of worship for the nations and previous enemies (Egypt and Assyria) will join in worship (Isaiah 2:2, Isaiah 19:23-25). In addition, we are commanded to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9).
As a whole, the modern nation of Israel is mostly made up of Jewish people who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah and Savior. Author John Piper notes: “A non-covenant-keeping people does not have a divine right to hold the land of promise which was given by covenant. Covenant-breaking forfeits covenant privileges. God said to Israel, ‘If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples’ (Exodus 19:5)…they are in a state of treason against her King who sent his Son to save the people. A people in treason against her King cannot lay legitimate claim on the King’s promise to a covenant-keeping people.”
Jesus’ heart broke for His own people who rejected him. Jesus wept over Jerusalem for they had rejected Him as their ultimate Cornerstone and did not recognize that the time of His visiting (Luke 19:41-44).
John the Baptist warned in Luke 3:8-9:
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Luke 3:8-9
Simply claiming that you are “Jewish” is not enough to warrant salvation and become one of God’s chosen people. Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul all make that clear. And yet, God still has a plan for His people Israel, as we see in Romans 11:
Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring! [...] If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! – Romans 11:11-12,17-24
God still appears to have a saving purpose for Israel, as noted above. My pastoral concern, however, is this: Merely claiming to be God’s chosen people does not make it so. If that were true, then all the Pharisees in the Bible would have been saved. Thus, Israel and Jews today who reject Jesus have no claim to being a saved child of God and have no reason to expect that they will inherit Heaven.
Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6). Jews, Muslims, atheists, or Christians who do not follow in the way of Jesus or trust in Him for their salvation are still lost.
Thus, I would urge all people to repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and everlasting life. I would urge all Christians to pray for Israel, Palestine, Hamas, and Iran, that all these people and groups would give their lives to Jesus. That is the only genuine way that the Middle East will truly experience peace. Pray, too, for the Christian church in Iran, as it is considered the fastest-growing church in the world. Pray that God would lift the “hardening” off Israel and that they would turn in great numbers to Jesus Christ.
In a recent “Church Leaders” article, Professor Ed Stetzer summarizes the Church and Israel like this:
“I think we can summarize much of the relationship of the church and Israel with three key points: The Jews are God’s chosen and covenant people. God did not end that relationship when he sent Jesus. Christians are grafted into God’s covenant program together with Israel. God has future plans to accomplish and promises to fulfill for the Jews and the nation of Israel for the benefit of the world. We can be thankful that God keeps his promises, including to Israel. We can rejoice that we are grafted into that covenant and that one day the Jews will return to their Messiah in overwhelming numbers (again, see Romans 11). And finally, we can watch how God is at work in the world as we wait patiently for the return of the Jewish Messiah named Jesus, who will bring together men and women of every tongue, tribe, and nation.”
Whatever the current American policy regarding Israel is or should be, remember this: “For there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we can be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
