Christian voters overwhelmingly supported Trump in the 2024 election^[1] and now that his administration has started acting on his vision for the country, we must think clearly about how to respond as Christians to ongoing developments.  For example, we hear occasional reports of Trump voter “remorse,” yet these reports are widely overshadowed by the positive response to Trump’s actions.  We might hear, on one hand, news outlets and Democrats crying foul, tying things up in courts, and suggesting that Trump’s policies and orders are creating chaos.  On the other hand, many Trump voters claim this is exactly why they voted for Trump. From another viewpoint, data has been revealed that demonstrates the inbred corruption of the political establishment and Trump’s critics claim that pulling funding from these programs is leading to difficulties for the poor, and even death, if these monies are not restored.  In response, many Americans are pointing to the immoral and inappropriate purposes for these funds and the overall wastefulness of federal spending.

In the midst of the arguments for and against Trump’s actions stated in public discourse, there are at least three things for Christians to keep in mind in the days, weeks, and months ahead: that the government is to be a minister for good and to punish evil, that men are not angels, and that Christians must be compassionate. 

A Minister for Good and for Punishing Evil

Since the unfolding of events in 2020, the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 13 have often been poorly interpreted and wielded as a hammer against Christians and Christian communities.  The statement to “be in subjection to governing authorities” (Romans 13:1) was promoted by many as a command to roll over and do whatever any and every government official said to do – without questioning.  Resistance to the rising authoritarianism was said to be unbiblical as though Christians were expected to turn a blind eye to the threat.  As the authoritarianism gained strength it spread beyond lock downs and arbitrary rules into regulations and rules that attacked the sacredness of conscience and led to a widespread erosion of cultural stability as evidenced in forced layoffs, firings, fines, and more.

Once the supposed threat of widespread disease began to diminish, we saw the Biden administration take the lessons learned from the COVID panic and apply it to other arenas.  Citizens were now accustomed to doing what they were told, so the government proceeded to push through protections for immorality, corruption, and all sorts of inappropriate social behavior.  Now that these things were “protected” by law, we were once again expected to “be in subjection to governing authorities” and live with it.  Isn’t that the biblical thing to do?

In short, the answer is “No.”  Paul is not teaching that government may violate our conscience, nor place itself as a supreme authority over every man, woman, and child.  Now that Trump has begun taking unprecedented steps to set things right, we can see the need to think more clearly on these things, and to do so there are two specific principles that we must carefully explore.

First, we recognize that those who govern are given authority by God.  That is clear.  However, that authority is to be a “minister of God to you for good” (Romans 13:4).  Since it is an authority established by God, we must assume that the “good” is defined by God, and not by government.  In other words, just because a government decides something is “legal” does not make it “good.”  As a minister for good, the Founding Fathers had it right that the government was to protect the citizen’s ability for goodness (i.e., life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) and to create an atmosphere that promotes goodness.  Paul defines what goodness looks like in society in Romans 12:9-21.

Second, the governing authority has another ministry in that it “does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, and avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil” (Romans 13:4).  The role described here is one of judgment upon those who are doing “evil.”  Again, evil is defined by God and not by the government.  Christians citizens should expect their government to defend them when assaulted by the rise of evil influences such as we are seeing today (immorality, corruption, ethical decline, etc.).  Paul clearly defines these evils and how they show up in culture in Romans 1:18-32.

A president’s actions must be assessed, at least by Christians, from these perspectives.  As the governing authority, is he wielding the sword for punishing evil and protecting good?  If the answer is “No,” then Christians are obligated to resist such a government.  It appears on many fronts that the Biden administration exemplified the rewarding of evil and punishing of good.  If the answer is “Yes,” then we should support the efforts of such a government.  Trump seems to be taking actions to do so.

We are not angels

Taking into account all that has been written above, we must also remember that we are all humans.  Every person in political office is human and full of various faults due to the presence of the sin nature.  In addition, the resulting culture created within institutions is inherently infected with the same leaning toward sinfulness (a concept generally called systemic sin).  This is why James Madison reminded us: 

“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In forming a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” – The Federalist No. 51

Compassion

Recognizing the difficulties that confront us in living under governmental authority, it is important for Christians to consider a response that reflects biblical norms.  While we may appreciate the reforms that are being brought into the government by President Trump and his team, we must still look on the people affected by those decisions with compassion.  And we must pray for them with these things in mind.

We might first notice that some struggle because their hope is fixed on political solutions to spiritual problems.  The Apostle Paul teaches that Satan blinds the eyes of the unbelieving (2 Corinthians 4:3-4), and the result is they cannot see the light of the gospel.  In being blinded in this way, the hope they place on political solutions is a slippery slope that they know, deep down, is inadequate.  Only by placing faith in Jesus Christ can they find true hope that will meet their deepest needs.

Another way that unbelievers fail to find true solutions for spiritual problems is their own denial of God’s existence and refusing to live by norms established by God for social interaction among humans.  The Apostle Paul explains a spiral of denial, immorality, and corruption (Romans 1:18-32) that ultimately leads to complete depravity that is both internalized (affecting the person) and externalized (they lead others into the same depravity).  The destructiveness of this depravity is alarming, yet what Paul describes is clearly what we see in many aspects of our society today.

Finally, we must recognize that the believer, too, must be careful to understand a biblical view of current events and social movements.  Later in 2 Corinthians, Paul reminds believers that we must “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (10:3-6).  We are actively engaged in spiritual warfare in which believers can be deceived, and we must therefore turn to Christ for guidance and solutions – not to politics– for ultimate victory.  While we cannot, and should not, avoid participating fully in the political arena, we must understand that ultimate sovereignty is in God’s work in the world and our partnership with Him in restorative and redemptive activities.

To conclude, Christians must carefully consider the role of government authority, the real sense that government is inflicted with sinful tendencies, and that we must have compassion.  As the pace of change ebbs and flows with the weeks and months ahead, let us remember to pray for our leaders.  Let us also remember to pray for those who are struggling, whether they struggle due to deception or their own unbelief, and to ask for God’s grace to flow through us as we interact with others from day to day.

^[1] PRRI, Analyzing the 2024 Presidential Vote:  PRRI’s Post-Election Survey, Dec. 13, 2024 (https://www.prri.org/research/analyzing-the-2024-presidential-vote-prris-post-election-survey/)