Regarding the conflict we are engaged in against Iran, I would like to offer some insight into who is on the side of justice and God's will, because it certainly is not the iron-fisted Iranian government or the radical Islamist clerics that control it.
Spiritual judgment is God's alone. Only He sees the heart, knows the whole story, and understands the hidden motives, wounds, temptations, and pressures that shape a soul. Only He can separate the sinner from the sin without destroying the person. This is why Jesus warns us not to judge the soul—we can't see deep enough, know enough, or love enough. But humility doesn't mean doing nothing.
Justice in the physical realm is our responsibility. If it's ignored, if wrongdoing goes unchecked, if cruelty is left to run free, chaos takes over and evil wins. This isn't a contradiction—it's a moral division of labor. God judges the soul. We judge the deed. God holds eternity; we protect the vulnerable. God sees the heart; we uphold the law. We can pray for the souls of tyrants while also resisting them, saying both, "Christ died for these men" and "They must be stopped." That's not a contradiction—it's Christian realism.
Why Both Are Necessary
If we try to take God's role—judging the soul—we become self‑righteous, vindictive, and blind to our own darkness. If we ignore our role—pursuing justice—we become passive, cowardly, and complicit in suffering. But when we hold both together, we live as humans were meant to: resisting evil without becoming it; pursuing justice without losing mercy; fighting darkness without letting it poison the soul. This balance keeps the world from chaos, the heart from pride, and the soul light enough to rise. It's the kind of soul that returns home like rain to the earth—having resisted evil, looked for the good, left judgment to God, and done justice on earth.
What we are doing in Iran is long overdue. Not only for the thousands of Americans and others who have been killed, maimed for life, or had their lives ruined by wars of attrition that never seem to end—it is also justice for the millions of Iranians who have suffered under the despotic rule of an ancient religion that is long overdue for reformation similar to what Europe went through in the 16th century. The hatred that these radicals have for Israel and America must be eradicated, or there will never be peace in the modern world.
This is "Christian realism" in action—resisting evil decisively while leaving the ultimate judgment to God. It's not vengeance; it's containment and potential liberation. The hatred toward Israel, America, and the West's values is baked into the regime's ideology, exported via proxies. Eradicating that requires weakening the structures that sustain it.
Pray for wisdom for leaders, protection for civilians (Iranian, Israeli, American, and others caught in the crossfire), and for hearts to turn—both oppressors and the oppressed. May justice prevail without descending into unchecked wrath, and may the vulnerable find relief. Guard the good, resist the destructive, and trust the deeper story to the One who sees all.
