15 Points of Unity for Christians on Israel and the Jewish People
- Krista Bontrager, DMin
- Oct 8
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Plus, My Personal Views on the Jewish People and Israel
If you’ve spent even a few minutes online recently, then you've probably noticed that discussions about Jews, Judaism and Israel have grown increasingly contentious. Much of this stems from a single question: Does the modern state of Israel have a right to exist? (I discuss that a bit in this short video.)
This prompted me to reflect on foundational points that all Bible-believing Christians, regardless of denomination, should agree on regarding Israel and the Jewish people. I've outlined fifteen such point below, hoping they can foster unity and grace in our conversations, even where we may differ.
1) Jewish ties to the land of Israel are biblically and historically grounded. The Bible (Genesis 12:1-3, Joshua 1) and archaeology (e.g., Merneptah Stele, 1208 BCE) confirm their ancient connection to the land. In fact, a small Jewish population has inhabited the land of Israel since ancient times, with approximately 6% of the region’s population being Jewish in 1900.
2) The Jewish people are central to salvation history, playing a key role in God’s redemptive plan, with Messiah Jesus and the Twelve apostles all being Jewish (Romans 11:1-2, John 4:22).
3) Jesus’ death resulted from the actions of certain individuals, including some Jewish leaders, as well as Roman authorities (Acts 2:36, 4:10). However, Jesus freely gave His life out of infinite love to offer salvation to all sinners. His death should not be attributed to all Jewish people, whether in His time or today.
4) Even after early Jewish followers of Jesus became known as Christians (Acts 11:26), many maintained connections to Jewish practices, such as temple worship (Acts 3:1), and identified as Jews (Acts 21:39, Galatians 2:14).
5) Jewish people have faced targeted persecution, from ancient exiles (e.g., Book of Esther) to the Holocaust. Given Christianity’s historical and theological connection to the Jewish people and faith, and because all humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), Christians should condemn persecution and hatred toward Jewish people. Christians are called to show compassion and offer protection to Jewish communities in times of need.
6) Modern Judaism, often called rabbinic Judaism, differs from the biblical Judaism described in the Hebrew Scriptures, which relied on the Temple, sacrifices, and priesthood. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Jewish communities adapted to preserve their faith and traditions. (More about this issue in the podcast below.)
7) The modern state of Israel protects Christian holy sites, ensuring access to places like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb.
8) The modern state of Israel is a parliamentary democracy with free elections and an independent judiciary. It promotes pluralism, ensuring freedom of worship for non-Jewish religions (e.g., Christians, Muslims, Druze) and equal legal protections for diverse communities, including Muslims, Druze, and Christians, who can run for office and serve in the military.
9) The term “Jewish” encompasses ethnicity, culture, and religion. Not all Jewish people practice Judaism; some are ethnically or culturally Jewish while identifying as Christians, agnostics, or politically progressive.
10) Jewish people have made significant contributions to humanity in fields like science (e.g., Einstein, Salk) and culture (e.g., 20% of Nobel Prize winners are Jewish), reflecting God’s call for them to be a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6).
11) The term “Israel” denotes nationality, referring to citizens of the modern state of Israel, which includes people of diverse ethnicities, such as Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze.
12) Christianity and Judaism share a unique spiritual heritage and shared ethical principles through the Hebrew Scriptures, which form the foundation of Judeo-Christian values. These include beliefs in the existence of a transcendent Creator, human dignity (Genesis 1:26–27), moral responsibility, justice and compassion (Leviticus 19:9–10). Traditional Christians can honor this connection by working together with traditional Jews to promote a biblical vision of human flourishing.
13) Romans 11:25–32 suggests a future hope for Israel’s reconciliation with God, often interpreted as an acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. As Christians, we look forward to the fulfillment of this promise with faith and humility.
14) Christians are called to love the Jewish people, which can include respectfully sharing the good news of Jesus as the Messiah while honoring their faith and traditions.
15) Support for the modern state of Israel is not unconditional. Christians should prioritize God’s standards of justice over blind allegiance to any nation’s leaders or policies.
While these fifteen points may not resolve every question or debate surrounding Israel and the Jewish people, they offer a shared foundation for Bible-believing Christians to approach these topics with clarity and compassion. By grounding our discussions in these biblical and historical truths, my hope is that we can foster unity, extend grace to one another, and engage in conversations that honor God’s love and justice, even where differences remain.
My Personal Views on the Jewish People and the Modern State of Israel
My Baptist grandparents (who were deeply influential on my life) would probably have called themselves "Christian Zionists" and gave a lot of money pro-Israel causes. I was educated at a historically dispensational college and seminary, which taught me to read the Bible within that framework.
These days, I'm somewhere between a Progressive Dispensationalist and a Historical Premillenialist (except on the days when I lean toward Amillenialism or think that the Postmillenialist raises some good points). What I am more clear about is that I don't hold to the "two peoples of God" approach of Classical Dispensationalism. This doesn't mean that I think that the story of the Jews as a people is over, however. Based on Romans 11, I do believe there will be some kind of future mass conversion of the Jewish people to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. I also believe that the church (composed of both Messianic-believing Jews and Gentiles) spiritually shares in the promises to Israel right now, but God still has a future plan to fulfill the Old Testament promises for Israel once they embrace Jesus as the Messiah. I'm fairly agnostic about the details about how all of that will work out or what it will look like. (For a semi-technical discussion summarizing the four major views of Romans 11, see here and here. I lean toward View 3.)
I don't think Jewish people as a whole are more sinful than any other ethnic group. I think every culture and ethnic group has its own share of sin struggles, both individually and corporately. The key uniqueness of the Jews, however, is their historical connection to God's law. Once they (eventually) come into a correct understanding of Jesus as the Messiah, I believe part of that will also include living out a correct understanding of God's law. What they are living out currently is a rabbinic/Talmudic understanding of the Law and it's a mess.
I do find the regathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland to be intriguing. Given the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, which was arguably the core of their national and religious identity, the fact that this small group of people called the Jews have endured since ancient times and have also reached such profound achievements is truly remarkable. Some would say, miraculous. Personally, I believe that the reason the Jews as a people are still around is a testimony to their supernatural origin and points to their future conversion. God isn't done with them yet.
I also believe that the modern state of Israel has a right to exist, to work for their own well being and to defend themselves as a nation. I base this claim on two reasons: 1) Israel is the land of Jewish ancestry (At least a small minority of Jewish people have always inhabited the land continuously since ancient times.) and 2) they have fought and won at least four wars (1949, 1967, 1973, 2023-2025) defending their claim to the land.
The main reason I support Israel is because it is a lone bulwark in the Middle East against the jihad of Islam. Historically speaking, there has been a sharing of Judeo-Christian values between the West and Israel (although it could be argued that connection is waning in light of the West falling into Islamism and progressivism). We share a mutual commitment to life, religious freedom and a concept of family grounded in Genesis 1-2. These values distinguish Israel from the surrounding Islamic nations.
That said, it is also possible to acknowledge that some of the events surrounding the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 were unfair and unrighteous in terms of how some of the land was seized from its residents. But that reality is also true in the establishment of almost any nation, including our own. The rising and falling of nations in a fallen world seems to always involve such unfair events. For better or worse, this is why wars are fought. The reality is, Israel exists. And many of their neighbors are coming into alignment with this reality.
Now let me offer some clarifying statements about my position. My support for the existence of the modern state of Israel is not connected to the theological claim that the Jewish people were promised the land of Israel by God (Genesis 12:1-3). I don't believe that Christians are biblically obligated to unconditionally support every policy put forward by the modern state of Israel. Whether a country provides military aid to Israel should be based on factors that prioritize its own interest first. But I do think that a strong case can be made that providing military aid to Israel benefits Western countries as Israel is the first line of defense in pushing back against the global colonization of Islam.
While I believe there are reasons to see Israel as a political and military ally for America, I don't believe it is an infallible one. Israel's government most likely engages in immoral tactics through spying and blackmail. Israel lobbies also our country's politicians for their own self-interest. But so does every other country. Engaging in those practices doesn't make Israel any more wicked than any other secular nation, including America.
It's probably true that some Israeli soldiers have engaged in malicious actions in conflicts with Palestinians. While the Israeli army takes many high measures to let Palestinians know their future actions, it's not lost on me that there are always going to be wicked people inside any organization. While I don't think that the Israeli army is on the same moral footing as Hamas*, I do think that it's quite likely that members of the army have done things that ought to be indefensible to Christians. This is also true of our own military members, as well. Christians who overstate their support of the modern state of Israel are vulnerable to ignoring the realities of some of the wicked practices of the Israeli government. And in all cases, Christians ought to condemn such behavior.
* For clarity, I believe that Hamas is a demonic terrorist organization animated by the principles of Islam. Christians must condemn Hamas and all of their allies. They should not be seen as freedom fighters or a liberation effort.
