How should a Christian Respond to the 2024 Election Results?

In the wee hours of the morning on November 6, the state of Pennsylvania was called for Donald Trump. From here, his path to 270 electoral college votes was cemented in history. God willing, Trump will serve a second term as the President of the United States. He is the first President to serve two non-consecutive terms since Grover Cleveland in the late 1800’s. This election has been historic.

As I sit here on November 6, I am considering all the ways people respond to the results. Some people are elated. Some people are crushed. And most people, I think, got up and went to work like every other day, although probably a little more tired than usual because they stayed up too late watching election results (I fall into this last camp).

I am not a political pundit, I am a pastor. However, I know these things really REALLY matter to ordinary people who sit in the pews. So I hope this discourse is something that is charitable, biblical, and actionable.

I want to distinguish between two things in this article. The difference is between common grace and special grace. Common grace are those things which all people need to live, like rain falling on the fields. God brings this common grace on both the just and the unjust (Matt. 5:45). Special grace are those things which are unique to Christian life, such as the Spirit’s illumination and the miraculous work of regeneration.

Using these distinctions, I want to argue for three responses to last night’s election.

First, Christians should be thankful for a Trump presidency insofar as it reveals common grace. Second, Christians should be prayerful and vocal about a Trump presidency whose policies hinder common grace. Third, Christians should understand that God’s special grace is not mediated by a president who sits in the White House but by a King who sits upon a throne in Heaven.

How should a Christian respond to the results of last night’s election?

1) Christians should be thankful for a Trump Presidency insofar as it reveals common grace.

I think this is the reason Trump won the election, both in the popular vote and electoral college, which hasn’t happened for a Republican candidate in years. His message to minority voters apparently resonated, for they came out and voted for him in higher numbers than anticipated. Additionally, his message resonated across religious lines, as both very conservative Muslims and very conservative Jewish voters sided with Trump. It is important to note that only the very conservative branch of both these demographics voted for the former president.

What can bring together record-breaking demographic alignment such as this? Here are a few things I think a Trump presidency has promised to deliver insofar as it relates to the idea of “common grace.” The following list is not exhaustive, but gets us thinking in the right categories as it relates to these ideas.

• Economy - Trump has promised to get to work on inflation and the economy. Everyone is feeling the crunch in these days. Life is much more expensive now than it has been. Buying a house is increasingly hard, especially for working-class Americans.

• Opportunity - America is a meritocracy, and if you can work hard, you should be rewarded. (This is a biblical principle - 2 Thess. 3:10). Trump, in many ways seems to be an embodiment of this principle.

• Family - The Trump campaign has been decidedly pro-family, which is an important thing across demographic divides. Many people are not just voting for themselves, but for their children’s future hopes and dreams.

• Foreign War - Trump wants to end wars. Many Americans resonate with this desire. Wars are expensive. Perhaps this is more of an economic decision than a moral one, but either way it is something to be thankful for.

• Border Security - Trump campaigned 8 years ago on building a wall and having Mexico pay for it. The Biden administration was a disaster at the border. Trump does not have to do much to do better than his predecessor in this area. Is this because Republicans hate immigrants? Of course not. The nation is a nation of immigrants. However, the average American wants responsible immigration reform, not an open border. Trump has promised to do something that the Biden administration has refused to do. Both heaven and hell have gates, after all.

• Free Speech - Trump clearly loves America and wants Americans to speak their minds. This is a good thing all kinds of people can be thankful for. Christians, especially, will not be charged with hate speech for simply holding to the clear teaching of Scripture, which is something I am immensely grateful for.

• Transgenderism - Bringing transgenderism to the center of American life is disliked by most Americans. The average American is not excited about Drag Queen Story Hour. While some conservatives are not upset about adults making the decision to transition to the opposite gender, the average voter thinks it normal and sane to think that transing kids is abnormal and insane. Trump and company seem to agree and this is a good thing. Let’s remember that Bruce Jenner, the most famous transgender person in recent history, was featured on Fox News supporting Donald Trump 4 days before the election. He was making the case that there should be limits on having men compete in women’s sports, in part due to a “safety issue.”

Excursus: I cannot believe I just typed that last sentence.

Christians should thank God when their dollar goes further, their opportunities are protected, their family has a future, human biology is respected, the borders are secure, and young men are not sent off to die on foreign soil. Christians should stop and thank God for the ways Trump will try to work to provide these things to the American people, and see them as God’s common grace towards us as a nation. These things, by and large, benefit all people everywhere.

However, there are some areas where Trump’s policies might very well hinder the expression of common grace.

2) Christians should be prayerful and vocal about a Trump presidency whose policies hinder common grace.

Trump and a Trump presidency has serious deficiencies when it comes to the issue of anthropology. These things are shortcomings and unless they change, hinder the common benefits which should be available to all people. I notice three things, ranked in order of importance. Christians should pray about these things and not let their foot off the gas when talking about them with others, for these things are

• Abortion - Trump has stated that he would throw abortion back to the states, essentially stating that each state can choose their own abortion laws. This means babies in California can be murdered in the womb, but babies in Tennessee cannot. Trump has adopted this position because of the pragmatic angle which it provides. The Republican Party, sadly, modified their longstanding pro-life language at the Republican National Convention this year. Trump has not campaigned on a national abortion ban. In fact, abortion was on the ballot in many states last night. Several states which voted for Trump also voted for abortion. This is a horrible thing. Christians cannot sit idly by and just pretend like this is acceptable. If we believe that God has created life in the womb, then we must do all that we can to protect life at every stage of its existence. Consider that most abortions occur in the first trimester. JD Vance went on record saying Trump would not ban mifepristone, which is the most common abortion pill used in the process of murdering an unborn child. This pill is specifically used to murder children in the first trimester of pregnancy. Tragically, a few mothers lost their lives taking this deadly drug. Some have stated that the drugs were used improperly which resulted in the mothers’ death, but that is beside the point. The purpose of these pills is to kill. Trump and company want to keep them available. This is a horrendous moral condition. Christians should not accept chemical abortion as the new moral norm, because by definition, those babies are living, breathing human beings. 93% of abortions occur in the 1st trimester. While Trump does not desire to enshrine abortion as a national right like his opponent did, his weak anthropology will allow for 93% of all abortions to continue, legally, under his presidency. Christians should pray that God change Trump’s heart on the issue of abortion, and that our unborn neighbors might live to see the light of day and experience life in this great country.

• Human Sexuality - While Trump has not been desiring to bring the LGBTQ ideology to the front and center of American life, he also has not taken a strong moral stance on the issue. The conservative party of today is not the conservative party of 40 years ago. While the Democratic party is home for most of the LGBTQ community, homosexuality and conservativism are not altogether separate. However, Christians must realize that homosexuality and human flourishing are diametrically opposed to one another. Romans 1 shows us the sad exchange that takes place when people live according to their passions. Moreover, Trump’s own track record demonstrates that he does not think divorce is that bad of an arrangement. The Bible plainly disagrees. Would that we had a party that championed monogamy, heterosexuality, and fidelity! While the Republican party is less captive to the ideological slide of the left on the issue of human sexuality, it is far from championing these virtues, which the Scripture says are key to human flourishing. Sadly, we live in a Romans 1 world. We should pray and ask God for a country that hates the things he hates, while it loves the things he loves, even as we are grateful for the fact that things are not quite as bad as they could be.

• Speech - “Matthew 15:18 (ESV) 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.”
  While Trump champions free speech he also speaks without restraint. I do not want my children to grow up to speak the way Trump speaks. I can’t think of a Christian who would. While we can and should admire Trump for his courage, his dedication, and his competency, can we not expect high standards from the highest official in the land when it comes to the words that come out of his mouth? I realize much of his speech is a charade for the sake of winning the election. If you watched the 3 hour interview with Joe Rogan, you noticed his tone was much different than at some of his rallies (although, he does use coarse language very regularly). I am hopeful that now, since there are no more elections for him to win and he is not eligible to run for a third term, perhaps his rhetoric and language will be toned down. I am hopeful a respectable and reasonable conversation can be had for the sake of all Americans. We should pray to such an end.

  You might be thinking I am just being picky at this point, but I do think occupying the bully pulpit comes with a lot of responsibility as it relates to one’s speech. Words have meaning and carry weight. With words you can offer an apology or declare war. With the tongue you can dehumanize someone or reason with sound arguments. James says it is like a fire (Jas. 3:6). I think Christians would do well to remember this reality and aim for our speech be seasoned with salt, even while we live in a Trump presidency (Col. 4:6). While I am thankful Trump won the presidency for the way it promotes common grace, I intend to be prayerful about a Trump presidency for the ways it hinders common grace.

  All this being said, I do think a Trump presidency does promote common grace more than it hinders, and I was very glad to see him win the election over his opponent. But this leads to a final point Christians should consider:

Third, Christians should understand that God’s special grace is not mediated by a president who sits in the White House but by a King who sits upon a throne in Heaven.

1 Timothy 2 :2 says that Christians should pray for kings and all leaders that Christians might live a quiet and dignified life. We should pray towards that end now that Trump will be our president. Here are specific ways I would encourage you to pray for President Trump:

1) Pray for his salvation. Imagine what the Lord might do if Trump follows after Him in true repentance and saving faith.

2) Pray for his wisdom, that he would make wise decisions on behalf of all Americans.

3) Pray for his safety, as an assassination attempt has already been made on his life and there likely will be more.

4) Pray for success in foreign affairs, whether through engaging in strategic diplomatic solutions or other strategies to keep America and Americans safe.

5) Pray for the church to flourish under Trump’s leadership.

6) Pray that Trump would would execute justice (Romans 13:3).

6) Pray for your pastor as he tries to lead the church during these days.

Know that King Jesus is still upon the throne, and no one can limit the way he dispenses his special grace. Christ can save anyone. Let us pray that God would bless America, that He might shed His grace upon us all.

(A special shoutout to my friend and fellow pastor, John William Crawford, for talking and praying with me about these things before writing this article).