Thinking Biblically About Executive Orders

As of February 10th, 2025, Donald Trump has signed 53 executive orders since taking office less than a month ago. As the head of the executive branch of the US government, the president wields the power to enforce laws through these orders. Each executive order begins with the words: “By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered.”

During the initial months of a new presidency, media outlets often focus on the latest executive orders. How should Christians approach these orders? Let me provide some insights to help answer this question.

Executive orders reveal our statism and disobedience, highlighting the contrast between the intended role of kings, as permitted by God, and the actions of our presidents.

Whenever a new king ascended to the throne, what was he supposed to do first? Deuteronomy 17:18-20 provides the answer.

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

Let’s compare this to when our presidents assume their position in the Oval Office. Is this what Donald Trump did when he took his seat? Instead of following the biblical model, he used his pen for something else. Executive orders clearly demonstrate our statism, not only in terms of the areas of life our government influences and has executive control over but also in how the executive head takes God’s rule over the people away from Him. In 1 Samuel 8, we read about Israel demanding that God give them a king like the other nations, as they were tired of God ruling over them through His Law. In response to their demands, God warned them of what the king would do. Essentially, the king would end up ruling over them based on what he saw fit, often disregarding God’s commands. This not only usurped the ordained function of the judges, but the king also took upon himself a power that was not his. From there, the king would reach into areas of life that were not his to control, doing what he willed instead of what God willed. The executive head became the standard for rule and law over the people.

As the executive branch of our government operates in this manner, we witness a striking reality: our nation functions according to man’s standard, based on the current interpretation of the Constitution and the ever-changing man-made laws of the United States. This is where the president claims to derive his authority and responsibility. Of course, this standard is constantly shifting, influenced by the tide of public opinion. Just examine the executive orders issued with each change in leadership every four years. Although we may appear to have our faces turned toward God, our backs are turned away from Him in these ways. We worship the works of our own hands, and when this becomes our standard for law and rule, our foundation is statism, regardless of how much we attempt to disguise it with Christian motives. It’s akin to handing children thumb tacks coated with candy.

Numerous people, including many Christians, celebrate these executive orders, often operating under the premise that we should use the tools available to us, as politics is the art of the possible. Many Christians seem to believe that this is a legitimate power held by the president, promoting the idea that we need a Christian prince with this function. This perspective further highlights our statism, regardless of whether we believe these executive orders achieve temporary good or not. Sadly, many fail to recognize the depth of our statism, as if a statist film has accumulated on their glasses. If we consider these executive orders to be beneficial or effective, we either justify our statism with pragmatism or ignore it when it is pointed out. We should be troubled by the varying degrees of disobedience occurring, as any form of statism creates a standard centered around us.

How would our obedience to God’s prescription of government protect us from ourselves?

Fundamentally, the ceaseless need to create laws would disappear because God’s government model does not include a legislative role, function, or responsibility. This would provide greater consistency across generations and during periods of leadership change, eliminating the need for hundreds of executive orders with each new president.

“But…this is not possible,” some will say. 

Don’t tell me this is too idealistic or impossible! God can bring about the reality of Deuteronomy 17:18-20 or Exodus 18:13-23 more swiftly than the ink of Trump’s signature can dry on his latest executive order. 

May we grow weary of the ever-malleable Constitution and the constantly shifting man-made laws that define “justice.” May we recognize our statism through the lens of these executive orders and reject it. May we understand what God has prescribed and faithfully advocate for it until we see it come to fruition. God has ordained the ministry of the sword, not the ministry of the pen. The ministry of the pen belongs to Him alone.