Given the current U.S. military operation in Iran, I thought it would be good for us briefly to set forth the “Just War Theory.” My goal in doing this is to provide us all with a framework for evaluating war and military operations without stating a conclusion on this current operation. As you will see in what follows, this provides helpful direction for evaluating potential for war or how a war is carried out, but it does not provide an easy framework that removes all difficulty. I have benefited from this for years and I hope you will also.
Though this post was written and received its final form by me, I was aided by AI in bringing together the parts of the article.
The Just War theory is a moral framework used by theologians and ethicists to determine when it is permissible to go to war and how it should be conducted. It is rooted in the Judeo-Christian idea that taking human life without just cause is sin, but that governments have a duty to defend justice and their citizens, which means war is sometimes necessary. Romans 13:1-4 reads:
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. (emphasis added)
There are mainly two aspects to the theory: Justice in going to war; and justice during war.
Justice In Going To War
Before a war can be considered "just," it must meet several requirements:
- It must be a just cause: The war must be for a morally upright reason, such as self-defense, protecting the innocent from aggression, or restoring justice.
- It must be executed under legitimate authority: Only duly constituted public authorities (like a sovereign government) have the right to declare war.
- It must have a right intention: The ultimate goal must be the restoration of peace, not conquest, revenge, or economic gain.
- It must be a last resort: All non-violent options—such as diplomacy or sanctions—must have been exhausted before force is used.
- There must be a probability of success: Military action should not be taken if there is no reasonable chance of achieving its goals, to avoid pointless loss of life.
- There must be proportionality of ends: The expected good results of the war must outweigh the potential destruction and evil it will cause.
Justice During War
Once a war has begun, it must be fought ethically:
- There must be distinction, that is, noncombatant immunity: Military forces must distinguish between combatants and innocent civilians; civilians must never be intentional targets.
- There must be proportionality in regard to means: The amount of force used must be limited to what is strictly necessary to achieve victory, avoiding excessive or cruel destruction.
- Military Necessity must be practiced: Attacks must be directed toward legitimate military targets to help defeat the enemy.
Joyfully Seeking to Apply the Bible To All of Life With You,
Tom
