Should Christians Vote for Trump?
Subscribe
We have an election coming up. A very important one. One where the stakes are very high for many reasons.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden
With President Donald Trump you have a candidate with character flaws, but really good policy and law
With Vice President Biden you have a candidate with character flaws, but really bad policy and law
It’s not like Donald Trump is horrible and Biden is this complete Angel of a human being.
These are two flawed, sinful human beings.
When you are voting for President, as a Christian we are not called to vote for “the least sinner”
This is not a binary choice between Donald Trump vs the imaginary perfect candidate you wish was running. You may say “Bc Donald Trump has character or moral flaws I can’t vote for him as a Christian”. We deserve better.
No this is a choice between 2 candidates. Period. Trump and Biden. Do I wish we had a Presidential candidate with impeccable moral character and good policy? YES. 100% but that politician doesn’t exist
Your vote matters:
Polls
Evangelicals are overwhelmingly voting for President Trump. Almost 80% according to Oct 5 Pew Research poll.
Non-evangelical Christians are voting for Trump over Biden by a 53 to 43% margin.
Biden is winning support among Jews (70 to 27%), Hispanic Catholics (67 to 27%) and…. Atheists (83% to 11%) worth pondering
Christians in America don’t have the luxury to not vote. Persecuted Christians around the world are dying for their Faith. While American Christians face little persecution in comparision. We experience all of this blessing and freedom.
And to just say: “I’m just not going to vote” / do you know the arrogance of that?
Christians have a biblical mandate to be exemplary citizens; it’s a key part of our ability to show the nature of Jesus Christ to our fellow countrymen. It saddens me to see so many of us have lost this perspective.
In God’s way of doing things, good citizenship begins with being good citizens: “Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling” (Titus 3:1-2, NLT
How many Christians slander the President? For his past sin?
God says this: “… pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity” This is good and pleases God our savior.
(1 Timothy 2:1-2, NLT).
Whether you agree with Trump or not. As a Christian have you prayed for the President? Have you prayed that God will give him wisdom? That is what we as Christians are called to do.
Not voting… odds are you are in that majority for President Trump. Because of the slim margin and the size of this voting block, by not voting your vote hurts Trump more than it hurts Biden. Not voting as a Christian IS a vote for President Biden, based on math not emotion.
We are exiles
Sometimes we vote as if this is our final home. No we are voting for flawed people in a sinful world. That is the point. We are not in heaven yet. We are exiles.
(1 Peter 2:11) Peter calls us cexiles. The fact that we are exiles on the earth does not mean that we don’t care what becomes of culture or government.
When the Israelites were in exile in Babylon.
Jeremiah 29:7. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
I think there are two important questions to ask:
What is the responsibility of Government? Is there a difference between God and Caesar? Or the Church and Government?
Should Christians only vote for Christian candidates? Pg 67
What is the role and responsibility of Government? Is there a difference between God and Caesar? Or the Church and Government?
I’m voting for Biden because his policies most closely resemble Jesus.
I am advocating for my neighbors who are less fortunate than me.
Jesus Meme : Feeding 5000
Matthew 5:42 ESV / 2,216 helpful votes
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
James 1:27 ESV / 2,076 helpful votes
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction
Luke 12:33-34 ESV / 1,816 helpful votes
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with money
Proverbs 19:17 ESV / 4,740 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
A point that many people miss. I see so many people taking Jesus words and commands to individuals and applying them to Government. It is completely wrong.
Jesus never said “Rome (who was governing authority at the time) should tax you, and then we will use that money to help the poor”. Wrong.
He said YOU help the poor. YOU feed the needy. YOU visit those who are sick. The fact that some Americans think that the government forcing individuals to pay taxes through penalty or worse jail if they don’t comply, is somehow fulfilling the commands of Jesus, couldn’t be farther from the truth.
As Christians WE as individuals are called to help the poor through our own free will NOT by taking money from other people through taxation, funneling it through the waste and bureaucracy of government and giving it to whoever, for whatever reason with little accountability.
Jesus never called for the government to become “God”. We as people are supposed to be Gods hands and feet on the earth.
I think many Americans are unintentionally selfish.
They do very little to actually help the poor on their own, sit back and pat themselves on the back and think voting for every social welfare problem let’s them check the box of “doing good”, while they personally do nothing. Wrong.
This is the worst possible situation for a Christans.
The Bible doesn’t describe government as a food bank.
Church (hands and feet of Jesus) or Avenger Punisher ekdikos
There is this concept in the bible of sphere sovereignty.
There was a clear and distinct difference between the Priest and the King.
Luke 12:
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15
It wasn’t that Jesus was unconcerned about Justice:
#1 it was a legal question.. law at the time was older brother got 2/3 younger 1/3.
#2 he was all too aware that the mans covetousness would do him more harm than not having his share of inheritance.
How did we get here with this concept that Government is supposed to be the primary aid of the poor?
The church has abused this sphere We see this especially Roman Empire after Constantine converted to Christianity. Instead of a secular government running the political arena, the Church stepped in and make political and governing decisions.
God never called for this. This led mass corruption of both government AND the Church.
If you look at the origins of socialism.. it was started, especially if you read the work of Robert Owen (1771-1858) who was the first person to use the term Socialism. With disdain for the Church. They saw the church and government so intertwined that they said…
Church is bad… but Jesus good.
Let’s do the good for the poor through universal charity to the human race, but remove the church.
Charles Bradlaugh (1833 – 1891), famous atheist and socialist, “always dressed so that he could be mistaken for a nonconformist minister, or even a Roman Catholic Priest.”
Socialists meetings at the time followed a liturgy that mimicked that of Churches. They would sing hymns, that replaced the words of popular hymns at the time.
This is how socialism started: The church is corrupt. So let’s replace the Church. Let’s be a better version of the church and meet the poor’s material needs.
SO much of why I hear Christians who are voting democrats is because they believe that some Americans will get more money or resources.
If you are a Christian voting for Biden because you think he is the best to help the poor, your intention is good but your application is misguided.
As Christians we shouldn’t cheer on when the government acts like the church. When the government acts like the hands and feet of Jesus, we should cheer when PEOPLE act like the feet of Jesus.
Jesus never called the government. He never told ROME to be the source of help for the poor and the needy. It was ME. It was YOU. It was the CHURCH.
When the government acts like the Church, it eliminates the need for the church…. And that is the point. Well intentioned but disastrous outcomes.
Governments should strive to do everything they can to lift the poor out of poverty, but that is done through a job. That is done with a good economy, not through making citizens dependent on government. In essence the government becoming God.
Constitution
Instead of a totally unified central government with all legislative power, the U.S. Constitution created a federalist system with power divided between the national government and the states. Unlike the governments of most other countries, therefore, the United States has a Federal government of limited or “enumerated” powers. Congress can exercise only powers granted it by the Constitution, mostly in Article I, Section 8.
The primary goal
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
It is NOT that government shouldn’t help the poor. It is just that is not the role of the Federal government. If states want to do that. No problem. But that is not the role of the Federal government based on our constitution. And the vote for President is a vote for a FEDERAL position. Not a state position like Governor.
Very Big Difference.
If you are a Christian voting for Biden because you think he is the best to help the poor, your intention is good but your application is misguided.
Should Christians only vote for Christian candidates?
But does Bible require it?
Nothing in the Bible says that people have to be born again Christians before they can be governmental authorities who are used by God to advance his purposes.
Actually, predominantly we see the opposite in the Bible. We see thousands of years of precedent of God’s people living under kings and rulers and governments that did not always honor God.
Unfortunately there seems to be many Christians today that think they can only vote for a candidate who professes to be a Christian or acts like a Christian.
Pharoh – Joseph
Nebuchadadnezer, King of Babylon (Daniel)
Cyrus, King of Persia – Restore Jewish Exiles to homeland
Darius, King of Persia – Protect the Jewish people as they rebuilt the temple
New Testament – God used the peace and rule of law of the Roman Empire, of Caesar to travel freely and spread the gospel.
There is a long history of God’s people living under unrighteous, or UnGodly rulers.
In comparision, the choices we have for President today, even with all their flaws, are no where close to the ungodliness of some of the kings and leaders that God’s people have lived under historically.
If we understand the proper role of government. Based on what the bible says about government and what our constitution says. As Americans we should vote for the candidate that we feel will uphold the constitution, enact justice = punishing evil and rewarding those that do good.
That we should pray for those that are in authority over us. The Bible doesn’t just tell us to pray for “Christians” who are in government but “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” 1 Timothy 2:2
No where in the Bible does it say to only vote for Christian candidates
No where does it say to only vote for evangelical candidates. Catholic candidates. Morman candidates.
No where in the Bible does it say to vote for Sinless candidates
All political candidates are sinners.
Question: How much sin in someone’s personal life is acceptable to be president? It can’t be no sin because we are all sinful. Only Jesus is perfect.
THIS IS NOT CONDING SIN. This isn’t condoning sin as trivial or that sin doesn’t matter, because it absolutely matters, BUT being sinful cannot be the litmus test to whether someone should be president or not. Because every president has failed and will fail that test.
Well David I can’t understand why Christians would support Trump… Liar, adulterer, corrupt, immoral.
The inference here, and I hear it a lot is that… As a Christian You CAN’T vote for Trump because he is a very bad sinner.
Let’s just clear the air… President Donald Trump has lived most of his life as, what I would call politely, an immoral human being. He’s brash, insults people, can be vindictive. I say that based on what he showed publically in his past.
His past is certainly extremely flawed and sinful. No one could argue against that or defend his past behavior. AS CHRISTIANS OUR JOB IS NOT TO DEFEND HIS PAST.
Character is important, but in the case of Trump we are not voting on who should lead our church or babysit our kids. We are voting on someone who we feel will best uphold and defend the constitution.
But there many aspects of the President that are good. He deeply loves his country. I think he wants the best for his country. He has shown courage of his convictions. His family respects him, he has raised good Children. We haven’t heard or seen an impropriety in regards to his marriage while he has been in office.
Morality IS important. But morality in the sense of politics is doing what you said you would do as a candidate. Holding true to your word and the promises you made to voters who elected you. President Trump has kept many of the policy promises he made when becoming President. No politician is going to keep ALL of their promises. It is impossible.
Promises kept: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37982000
- Renegotiate NAFTA (USMCA)
- Put tariffs on China
- In December 2018, the United States officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
- On May 14, 2018, the United States officially opened our Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel, 70 years to the day that President Truman recognized Israel as an independent country, making the United States the first nation to do so.
- Crushed ISIS
- President Trump directed the State Department to send aid through USAID directly to Christians and other minorities facing genocide in the Middle East.
- 3 Conservative Supreme Court Judges – 5 conservative to 4
- n addition to making his mark on the top court, Mr Trump has appointed nearly 200 conservative judges to lower federal courts.
- In 2018, the Trump Administration signed a $700 billion NDAA to rebuild our military in 2018, the largest amount in history which gave the military a 2.4% pay raise, the biggest since 2010.
As far as his past personal sinful behavior is concerned, I haven’t heard him as President condone sinful behavior as “good” or that it should be promoted. This is a big difference in being sinful and promoting sin as good.
On the contrary, Vice President Biden has condoned and promoted the sinful behavior of abortion as good, and something he would make the law of the land.
Biden has said he would seek to codify Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established women’s abortion rights nationwide
Very big difference in terms of morality. Joe Biden, a Vice Presidential candidate who says he will commit to making SIN, AKA abortion. The act of intentional starvation, ripping apart, skull-crushing, decapitation and lethal injection of an innocent baby… the LAW OF THE LAND. You want talk about someone who is immoral? A candidate who says the will literately legislate immorality. Legislate death.
But when it comes to President past sin. Or candidate. We don’t condone sin in anyone’s life. We rebuke it, we condemn it. We are not called to defend anyones sin or make justifications or excuses for it.
You are a sinner, I am a sinner, Joe Biden is a sinner, Donald Trump is a sinner and we will all have to give account for our behavior one day before God. But in terms of morality of someone in office, personal character is important, but morality is judged on whether or not the candidate does and acts in a way that they promised they would.
Donald Trump has done exactly what he said he would do, acted in a way that he said he would and a vote for him is not a vote condoning his past sins, nor is any vote for any politician condoning their past sins. A vote for the President is not a vote for who we think should babysit our kids or lead our church. In our republic, it is a vote for the candidate we feel will best keep their word, defend the constitution and secure our inalienable rights.
Remember we are not just voting for President Trump. We are voting for his cabinet. Donald Trump has probably put into position of influence more professing Christians than I’ve seen in government in a very long time.
Voting for Trump you are also voting for Mike Pence. Mike Pompeo. Ben Carson men of impeccable character. Hundreds of Judges, Supreme Court Justices like Amy Coney Barrett. These are incredible people, that would not have been there if the election went a different way in 2016, wont be there if Trump loses.
SO there is nothing in the Bible that directs Christians to only vote for Christians.
We should hope and pray that God would give us God-fearing, humble, righteous, sober-minded, individuals to lead and to be in Government especially to be President. But today we have before us a choice between Trump and Biden.
There is no perfect candidate for president. Not this year or any other. We face a choice between two complex human beings.
On every important issue, Donald Trump and the Republicans offer more hope for our country, hope for justice, hope for the innocent in the womb. Greater protections for religious freedom, freedom of conscience, lower taxes, better economy, increased prosperity for all americans. School choice and punishing those that choose to do evil in our cities and communities.
This election is about 2 vastly different futures. This is about the prosperity and blessing of our nation or a future with less freedom, more laws and regulations that are at conflict with the Biblical role of Government.
Voting for President Trump seems to be the MOST faithful choice a Christian cn make in this election. VOTE. THIS ELECTION MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFETIME. USE YOUR VOTE FOR GOOD.
than Joe Biden and the Democrats.
Virtue in the citizens as a whole is what is extremely important. A free republic cannot exist if it’s citizens are immoral, Godless, and incapable of ruling themselves. Our virtue is not sourced or defined from how a politician acts. If a politician is where you are getting your example of virtue, role model than you are extremely misguided. Our virtue and morality comes from God’s word and the greatest example that we are called to follow for good conduct and behavior is Jesus, not President Trump.
Jimmy Carter / Ronald Reagan
The Bible doesn’t tell us how high taxes should be
The source and foundation of many of our laws in the west are based on Judeo/Christian principles that come directly from the Bible, but in America there is a clear separation of government and religion. Meaning the U.S. government does not establish
“I’m as much a cultural Catholic as I am a theological Catholic,” Biden wrote in his book “Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics.” “My idea of self, of family, of community, of the wider world comes straight from my religion. It’s not so much the Bible, the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, the sacraments, or the prayers I learned. It’s the culture.”
Biden has said he would seek to codify Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established women’s abortion rights nationwide
Biden was reportedly denied Communion at a South Carolina Catholic church due to his abortion stance.
But how are they getting that money or food or resources? By taking it from other Americans through taxes. NOT through free will.
The Church is not a political entity and the State is not part of the Church. The State should, and in reality, not exercise any power over the Church. The State cannot dictate how the Church operates. The Church is free from the authority of politics.
Socialism
There was an interesting thing that took place in the 19th century. On one hand you had well intentioned Christians trying to follow God’s commands of helping the poor, the downtrodden, and that just feeling bad wasn’t enough, there needed to be action on the part of the Christian, but at the same time you had socialists and communists who were also deeply moved by the needs of the poor and downtrodden, but saw Christianity as part of the problem and needed to be superseded.
Christians were too heavenly minded. Socialists were earthly minded. Materialism. You have to make the earth in a sense, heaven.
Well the two camps made an allegiance to fight a common enemy which was the industrial elites who seemed unconcerned with the poor and needy, while even professing to be a Christian.
We saw this early on in the French Revolution when poor parish priests, who saw the suffering of the poor in France united with the Jacobin JACK-O-BIN revolutionaries (violent revolutionaries at the time) who had nothing but contempt for Christianity with a goal of getting rid of the Bishops who were well off at the expense of the poor.
The Catholic Church controlled by some estimates 8 percent of total private wealth in France.
Parish Priests wanted reform, Jacobins wanted destruction of Christianity.
In the 19th Century, anti-clerical spirit swept across Europe. Orthodox Christians cringed at the state established churches who were many times political appointees by the King, rather than Godly shepherds and teachers of the word. This anti-clerical animus was shared by radical liberals, who wanted Christianity to be completely removed and replaced with a secular worldview with a new system of politics devoted to maximizing our happiness in THIS world.
This is how socialism started: The church is corrupt. So let’s replace the Church. Let’s be a better version of the church and meet the poor’s material needs.
Church bad BUT Jesus Good.
Robert Owen (1771-1858) His essay in 1813 “A new view of society” his book “
first person to use the term Socialism. Owen was also very much against organized religion, believing that it bred prejudice and division. He envisioned instead a kind of universal charity for the entire human race. This is how socialism was born. But he wasn’t stupid, he borrowed things from the church to REPLACE the church. To dress socialism in the garb of the church. He likened his doctrine to “the second coming of Christ” and that socialism would usher in the “the foretold millennium” and that his book “Book of the New Moral Order” should take the place of the Bible.
Charles Bradlaugh (1833 – 1891), famous atheist and socialist, “always dressed so that he could be mistaken for a nonconformist minister, or even a Roman Catholic Priest.”
Socialists meetings at the time followed a liturgy that mimicked that of Churches. They would sing hymns, that replaced the words of popular hymns at the time.
Gotha Program, 1875 German Social Democratic Party: “Don’t preach atheism to the masses. You’ll only scare them off. Warmly affirm Jesus’ concern for the poor, and the right of each party member to believe as he likes privately”
1875 German Social Democratic Party platform on Socialism: “Don’t preach atheism to the masses. You’ll scare them off. Warmly affirm Jesus’ concern for the poor, and the right of each party member to believe as he likes privately.”