On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the presidential election. Some people are elated. Other people are devastated. Many are in between. And as my Election Day Special episode suggested, all people should trust in God’s sovereignty and providence. Are you elated? Are you devastated? Are you somewhere in between? Make sure your eyes haven’t shifted from Christ and his absolute supremacy in and over all things. Make sure your mind hasn’t shifted from the mission of the church. It hasn’t changed.
Perhaps this podcast is mostly for Christians who are gaga over Trump. I think sometimes during elections, Christians can’t detect just how much trust they’re placing in a sinner-politician. They hang their hope on one sinner-politician. They think a sinner is the answer to countless problems. Even Christians fall into the error of consuming political and media rhetoric as if it is gospel truth. Tucker Carlson, Matt Walsh, Joe Rogan, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News are not speaking gospel truth!
In the heat of the moment, we hear a statement and possibly cheer without discerning its truthfulness and merit. Half-truths are lies. Sometimes political statements are missing a few words that would make all the difference, but as they are, they are foolish, pompous, and godless, meaning they don’t acknowledge God. What if our hearty “amen” to political and media rhetoric arose more from the American spirit than from the Holy Spirit? What spirit is motivating our cheers, our optimism, our pessimism? Some American sentiments are at odds with the gospel and supremacy of Christ. We need to think carefully and cheer about the right things.
I listened to Donald Trump’s full acceptance speech, and I tried to listen with discernment, and sure enough, I heard things that conflict with God’s sacred and authoritative Word. I’m not going to dissect politics or policies. I just want to consider a few statements that struck me. In case you think I’m picking on Trump, I could do the same thing with Harris’ rhetoric. You and I can’t judge Trump’s or Harris’ motives, but we can certainly evaluate their words and test them against Scripture. I’m hoping to challenge the way you think, especially if you’re gaga over Trump, so that you don’t trust in politicians or policies and instead trust in Christ and God’s truthful and always relevant written Word. I want to help you discern what you hear when you’re perhaps gaga over Trump, or Harris for that matter.
When Donald Trump spoke, he was standing behind a podium with the following slogan emblazoned on it: “Trump will fix it.” I hope that sounds off to your ears. Is one powerful sinner the answer to America’s problems? Will Trump fix America? Does he have the power, control, that sovereignty to fix a country?
The primary problem in America is not abortion or illegal immigration or transgender ideology or wokeism or men in women’s sports or inflation or the weakened dollar. The primary problem in America is unbelief and humanism. All of America’s problems overflow from the primary problem in the hearts of all Americans: sin. Most people in America don’t know God through Christ, don’t care, and are quite comfortable putting themselves and humanity ahead of God. Trump can’t fix the biggest problem in America, and every problem Trump seeks to fix is only a symptom of a much bigger ongoing problem.
What kind of mediator and savior are you seeking? Refresh your memory by meditating on Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Days five and six.
Perhaps the podium would’ve been more honest had it read, “With all of his human imperfections and limitations, Trump will do his best in the office God has assigned to Him and try to make America better while recognizing that only God, in His divine mercy and grace, can change the hearts of Americans and bless Trump’s efforts, and only Christ the King can and will redeem all the world from all its problems.” That doesn’t sound as punchy or confident as “Trump will fix it,” nor does it fit nicely on a podium, but at least it would be true.
During his speech, Donald Trump said:
We’re going to turn it around. . . . We’re going to do it in every way. . . . We’re going to make our country better than it ever has been. . . . Together we’re going to unlock America’s glorious destiny. We’re going to achieve the most incredible future for our people. . . . Promises made, promises kept. We’re going to keep our promises. Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you the people. We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful, and free again, and I’m asking every citizen all across our land to join me in this noble and righteous endeavor.
J. D. Vance said during his spotlight moment during Trump’s speech, “We’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership.” Hey, I hope Trump and Vance can bring positive change to our beloved country, can help make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful, and free. Though Trump overpromised, I hope Trump keeps the good and achievable promises he made. However, it doesn’t sound like Trump and Vance carefully considered James 4:13-17 before they spoke their triumphalist words. Here’s what James said:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
It would serve Trump to remember he is but a vanishing mist. Trump seemed to be boasting in his arrogance, and if my assessment is correct, his boasting was and is evil. God’s sovereignty and providence are missing from Trump’s speech. He seems more confident in his abilities than in God’s sovereignty and providence. Trump is a humanist, not a Christian, which should come as no surprise considering Trump’s former pastor was Norman Vincent Peale. One article from Politico Magazine is titled, “How Norman Vincent Peale Taught Donald Trump to Worship Himself.” Right. That was the danger of Norman Vincent Peale’s humanistic and “believe in yourself” theology. Trump believed his pastor! Be careful who your pastor is and what church you join. In a bad church, Marble Collegiate Church in New York, Trump was trained to believe in himself more than he was trained to trust in Christ and God’s sovereignty and providence, and that’s why Trump’s words are almost entirely empty of God’s sovereignty and providence. Theology matters. Church choice matters.
During his speech, Trump said, “This will forever be remembered as the day the American people regained control of their country.” I think I know what Trump meant, but again divine sovereignty and providence are missing and seemingly being ignored. Who’s in control of America? God is. Donald Trump can do absolutely nothing apart from the sovereign providence of God! The American people can do absolutely nothing apart from the sovereign providence of God! Read Heidelberg Catechism 26-28, Article 13 of the Belgic Confession, chapter five of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and Westminster Larger Catechism 18-20 on God’s providence. Political rhetoric doesn’t often reflect the truth that God is in control. Instead, it sounds like human beings are in control and that the state of countries lies in their hands.
I wonder how many Christians heard Trump’s speech and were thoroughly offended when he said of the presidency, “This is the most important job in the world.” That is false. The Bible teaches otherwise. Your job in manufacturing, plumbing, sales, construction, homemaking, homeschooling, healthcare, business management, and law is just as important as the presidency. We need a good theology of work and vocation. Read William Boekestein’s book Finding My Vocation. It’s good and will help you better understand your work and vocation. Meditate on Heidelberg Catechism 124 to better understand the Lord’s Prayer and how all of us are called to carry out our important office faithfully. Trump’s actions as president are no more important to God than your changing diapers, washing dishes, providing a product or service, etc. In fact, when you do your work by true faith in accordance with God’s commands for God’s glory, God counts your labors as good works that are pleasing to Him. Not the case with unbelievers.
Trump said, “I will not let you down.” Well, my friends, that is a pompous and delusional lie. Trump may do many things that benefit you and our country, and I hope he does. But one thing is certain, Trump will let us down just like every other president let us down. If you voted for Trump and are elated about his win, remember that Trump will fail you, likely in some big ways. But there is one who never fails you. His name is Jesus Christ, and he alone reigns and rules over all things. He is upholding the universe by the word of his sovereign and supreme power (Heb. 1:3).
One last thing. Trump said, “Success will bring us together.” There may be some truth to that statement and Trump’s other statements, but success is not what unites us. It must not be what unites us. Success is not a replacement for the one thing that can unite us, the truth of the gospel. Christ alone mercifully and graciously unities sinners to himself, his church to himself, and in Christ alone we, the church, have and enjoy our true unity. We must remember this because we’ll end up hating a brother or sister who voted differently than we did. Our unity is not in our national success or political party or education or skin color or interests. Our unity is in Christ alone. Those who are in Christ are accepted and loved by God as His family, and those who are outside of Christ are God’s enemies. When it comes down to it, political affiliation will mean very little on Judgment Day. What gets us across the threshold of heaven is our mutual trust in Christ and the mercy and grace we’ve received from God in Christ.
I think the moral of this episode is what the Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:1: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” There are false prophets in politics and media that say wrong things that often sound right and good, and many Christians eat it all up. We need to test the spirits to determine their truthfulness, merit, and goodness. We need to test them all by the standard of God’s Word. Think carefully, dear brothers and sisters. As Paul said, “But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). Let us think like Christ, then. Exercise discernment. And by God’s grace and Spirit at work in you, trust the Lord in all things and make sure you are not being deceived by worldly philosophy and being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4:14). Make no mistake, and think carefully about this absolute truth: “Christ will fix [all of] it.” He will return and complete his redemptive work, and then, and only then, will we experience the world at it should be.
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