BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW: Political Israel, Natural Israel, and Spiritual Israel - A Theological Perspective on Distinction and Support

The modern conversation about “supporting Israel” is often muddled by a lack of theological precision. In political discourse, “Israel” may refer to the modern nation-state established in 1948. In Scripture, “Israel” may mean the ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (natural Israel). In covenant theology, “Israel” also finds its fulfillment in Christ and His people, the church (spiritual Israel). Unless we carefully differentiate these, we risk confusion—supporting a political entity as if it were equivalent to God’s covenant people, or neglecting the church by focusing only on national or ethnic categories.

Our theological tradition, rooted in covenant theology, insists that clarity here is not optional. To know who to support and how to support them, we must distinguish what God has revealed in His Word.

Political Israel – The Modern Nation-State

Political Israel refers to the State of Israel, founded in 1948 as a homeland for Jews after centuries of dispersion and persecution. It is a geopolitical entity, with elected officials, national borders, and military defense.

This modern state must be understood as a nation among the nations—subject to the same common grace, providence, and justice of God that apply to every civil government (Romans 13:1– 7). It does not enjoy covenantal status with God simply by virtue of its existence. The promises of land given to Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 15:18–21) were fulfilled historically under Joshua and Solomon (Joshua 21:43–45; 1 Kings 4:21). Therefore, we cannot conflate the political state today with the redemptive promises of God.

How to support Political Israel:

• As with any nation, Christians may support just causes: defense against unjust aggression, humanitarian relief, and the protection of human dignity (Proverbs 14:34; Amos 1–2).

• Our support is prudential and moral, not covenantal. We weigh Israel’s actions by the same biblical standards of justice and peace applied to all nations.

Natural Israel – The Ethnic Descendants of Abraham

Natural Israel refers to ethnic Jews—the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul acknowledges their unique place in redemptive history: “to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises” (Romans 9:4). They were the stewards of God’s revelation and the lineage through which Messiah came.

Yet, Scripture makes clear that not all who are physically descended from Israel truly belong to Israel (Romans 9:6–8). Ethnicity alone does not secure covenant blessing. Natural Israel’s privileges were always intended to point forward to Christ, in whom the promises are “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

How to support Natural Israel:

• We are to pray for the salvation of the Jewish people, as Paul himself did with “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” (Romans 9:2–3; 10:1).

• We should commend the gospel to them with humility, remembering they remain “beloved for the sake of their forefathers” (Romans 11:28).

• Support means evangelism, relationship, and intercession, not an uncritical endorsement of cultural or political agendas.

Spiritual Israel – The People of God in Christ

Spiritual Israel refers to the true Israel of God, those united to Christ by faith, both Jew and Gentile. Paul declares that “a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit” (Romans 2:28–29). He calls the church “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16) and describes Gentile believers as grafted into the same olive tree of God’s covenant promises (Romans 11:17–24).

Here is the heart of the matter: Jesus is the true Israel, the faithful Son who fulfilled the covenant where Israel failed (Matthew 2:15; Hosea 11:1). All who are in Him share in Israel’s blessings and calling (1 Peter 2:9–10). The church is not a “parenthesis” in God’s plan, but the eschatological people of God—the fulfillment of His covenant purposes from Abraham onward.

How to support Spiritual Israel:

• Our greatest loyalty belongs here: to the church of Jesus Christ, the true covenant people.

• We support the church through prayer, discipleship, missions, financial generosity, and sacrificial service (Ephesians 4:11–16).

• Supporting spiritual Israel means strengthening the body of Christ in every nation, until the gospel has been proclaimed to all peoples (Matthew 24:14).

Conclusion: Distinctions That Direct Our Allegiance

The failure to distinguish political, natural, and spiritual Israel leads to theological confusion and misplaced loyalties. Political Israel, as a modern state, must be treated with justice but not confused with God’s covenant people. Natural Israel, the Jewish people, should stir us to prayer and gospel witness, longing for their inclusion in Christ. Spiritual Israel—the church—demands our primary allegiance, for here God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ.

Our support, then, is threefold:

• Political Israel: Support with justice and prudence.

• Natural Israel: Support with prayer and evangelism.

• Spiritual Israel: Support with primary allegiance, mission, and covenant loyalty.

In so doing, we honor God’s Word, keep His covenantal distinctions clear, and labor for the coming Kingdom where every nation, tribe, and tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.