President Trump recently made some theological statements that were both right and seemingly wrong—if we’re understanding correctly what he is saying!
In announcing a new presidential prayer initiative, he said, “If a country doesn’t have religion, doesn’t have faith, doesn’t have God, it’s gonna be very hard to be a good country. You know, there’s no reason to be good. I wanna be good ’cause you wanna prove to God that you’re good so you go to that next step, right?”
At first, he was completely right—apart from God, a nation won’t be a “good country.” Without an absolute standard for right and wrong, morality becomes arbitrary, and man’s sinful nature means we will prefer darkness to light and will end up calling good evil and evil good. In our very secularized, post-Christian culture (and remember that “post-Christian” means “anti-Christian” because there is no neutrality!), we’re seeing this play out before our very eyes.
As just one example, a recent survey found one in three young American adults support political violence. Apart from God’s Word, “might makes right”—why not destroy property, murder and assassinate your opponents, lie about and slander those you disagree with, and resort to any measure necessary to ensure your political victory? There’s no reason not to if we’re god and we set the rules. All is relative.
But then President Trump goes on to seemingly say that the only reason we should be “good” is so we can prove to God that we’re good so we’ll make it to heaven. If that’s what he means, then he would be really, really wrong. You cannot earn your way to heaven by your good works. If we could, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come and die in our place, paying the price for our sin.
Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Christians “are good” because Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Because of the mercy and grace God has extended to us, his people follow after him, walking in obedience to his commandments. It has nothing to do with earning God’s favor and a place in heaven but everything to do with loving the One who died for us and therefore desiring to honor and glorify him.
Yes, this nation needs to be “one nation under God” if we want to be a moral nation. But “being good” (however you define that!) won’t save any individual person. Yes, it will make this nation a better place to live because God’s commandments are for our good, but it doesn’t save. Christ alone saves.
