We ended yesterday’s blog with a question: What is a peace-loving society to do when presented with Islamic hatred? We have moved from the personal response, which is to love people as creations of God regardless of their personal beliefs and try to convince them of the truth of the gospel, to a national response of one state verses another which does not adhere to the same set of rules and instruction from the Bible.

The Bible teaches that individuals should handle their disputes between each other if at all possible, and through the proceedings of law when not. Inside a nation the rule of law is to be trusted and obeyed (Romans 13.1-.7). Not all nations adhere to the same laws, however, and sometimes nation-states come into conflict. How is such conflict to be settled? Peacefully if possible, of course, but war is a valid option for a government in order to protect its people from evil (Ezekiel 33.11). While no one likes war, it is sometimes unavoidable in our sinful world and, even when it is avoidable, it is sometimes still the best option as we learned from the treaty of Al-Hudaybiyah.

Some in the media have suggested that the non-violent majority of Muslims should stand up against their “radicalized” counterparts. What they do not understand is that to do so would be to break fellowship with the very people who can condemn and kill them for being apostate – and apostate you are if you dare speak out against the Quran and Muhammad’s teachings of jihad. Even “moderate” Muslims are sidelined, for while they may not agree with the violence through which their brothers act, they deeply revere the passion and commitment they have achieved. So even if the vast majority of Muslim’s do not participate in jihad, they must unquestionably support it, even if only intellectually. There is, therefore, no hope coming from the Islamic community.

The only hope a nation has against evil is to either convince the evil nation to change their behavior or to strike them down (assuming you have the power to do so). In the case of Iran peace can only be achieved through victory. It does not matter if that victory is achieved through negotiation where Iran ends its nuclear program voluntarily or through the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program militarily. Unfortunately the negotiations President Obama is currently undergoing with Iran accomplishes neither of these and is therefore, in itself, perpetuating more evil.

Again, to be as clear as possible, over the past few weeks we have shown that Islam is a religion of evil and results primarily in evil deeds. Even so, it is not appropriate for individuals to exercise war against another. Our role as followers of Jesus is to attempt to persuade evil-doers to repent and turn to God. Only the governing authorities have the right to execute evil-doers and to declare war when appropriate. This is God’s model to keep evil at bay in a sinful world.

Let each of us pray that a world leader will rise up and exercise the right of just law and convice Iran to turn from their nuclear program and that they will instead find life. In the words of Ezekiel 33.14-.16:

Suppose I say to the wicked, ‘You must certainly die,’ but he turns from his sin and does what is just and right. He returns what was taken in pledge, pays back what he has stolen, and follows the statutes that give life, committing no iniquity. He will certainly live – he will not die. None of the sins he has committed will be counted against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.

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