On January 20th, many Americans (the majority according to votes) gave a sigh of relief that Donald J. Trump would now be our new president. In spite of his character flaws and legal troubles, Americans have decided that 4 more years of Donald, ‘trumps’ 4 more years of Kamala Harris and the Democrats. I would have to agree.
I am grateful to see some of the policies and positions that the Trump administration is promoting. However, I am also troubled by some of their positions, and I’m not sure about some of them. It will be an interesting future to say the least. Donald Trump has been quoted as saying, ‘God saved me from my assassination attempt to make America great again.’ Is that true? God only knows the specifics of that statement. In this brief blog, I would like to share a few things that I do know based on my understanding of Scripture:
* I do know that God has used flawed men throughout history; even men who did not love and worship Him. I also know that God uses flawed men like me to accomplish His will. (Joshua, Moses, David, Peter) (1 Corinthians 1:27)
* I do know that God is sovereign over this world and over the affairs of the United States of America. No matter who is in office, God is ultimately in control (Hallelujah!) (Romans 13:1) (Daniel 4:35) (Psalm 103:19) (Ephesians 1:11) (Proverbs 21:10)
* I do know that though we have a responsibility to be involved in politics and culture, our ultimate marching orders as Christians is the Great Commission, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded (Mathew 28:19-20).’
* I do know that the church of Jesus Christ is to be the ultimate catalyst for moral reform in the world; not a political party (though God may choose to use a political party in some ways) (2 Corinthians 5:17)
* I do know that Jesus Christ changing a heart is far superior to a law or policy changing human behavior (though I am grateful for laws that restrain evil) (Ezekiel 36:25-27) (Ephesians 2:1)
* I do know that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. He is the only one who can save mankind from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day the presence of sin. There is no president or political party that will ever accomplish these things. (Acts 4:12)
* I do know that no matter who is in office, we will have tribulation in our sinful world. Presidents cannot bring inner peace. God can and does. (John 16:33)
* I do know that the heartbeat of the local church is for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. (It is not to promote a candidate, a party, or even our great country.) (Ephesians 4:11-12)
* I do know that the ‘best of men’ are ‘men at best’ and they WILL fail us. (God will never fail us) (Hebrews 13:5)
This blog is obviously only scratching the surface for discussion on some of these topics, but I hope my point is clear. Neither any political party nor president is the savior of our country or world. Jesus Christ is the only true Savior. Along with many other Evangelicals, I am grateful for some of the positive things that I see being done in the early stages of Trump’s presidency. I too want to see a better world for my children and grandchildren. I also believe that we should be involved in politics both nationally and locally. But make no mistake, it is the early stages and we are going to have to endure the bad with the good. President Trump and the Republican party will let us down along the journey. I am grateful for our Constitution and moral laws of the land, but ultimately, we must have a much tighter grip on God Almighty and His written Word; the Bible. I believe we should pray, vote, and work to make America a great country. But what if it doesn’t happen? What if everything goes south? Are you trusting in God or are you trusting in a political leader?
There can certainly be balance in answering questions like this. But at the end of the day, no matter what happens in the United States of America or this world, we are still all going to die. In fact, over 62 million people will die in the next year and in the next 40 years over 60% of the present population will be dead. Hebrews 9:27 proclaims, ‘It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement.’ Are we preparing people for judgement with as much passion as we have for politics? I would encourage you as a Christian to be involved in our present world, but I would encourage you with much more zeal to be involved in the Great Commission. Remember, all of your neighbors and friends, no matter their political affiliation, are going to meet God in the very near future. Let’s make sure they know that we are much more passionate about Jesus than we are about our political views. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me (John 14:6).
MY PRAYER: ‘Heavenly Father help us to live lives that are balanced and prioritized by the Word of God. May we be ‘in the world’ but not ‘of the world’. May our work in politics never supersede our passion for the Great Commission and our desire to further the Kingdom of God. May we be led by Your Spirit and guided in wisdom by Your Word and for Your glory. In Jesus name. Amen!
