Questions
Is America on a Mission from God?
Summary: Scripture affirms that God uses nations (Jeremiah 25:9; Isaiah 45:1; Genesis 15:12-16) but is notably silent about modern nations’ specific redemptive roles; claiming America occupies a covenantal or uniquely divine mission confuses the calling of God’s people—“a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9)—with the calling of the United States.
Assertions that the United States has a special, if not covenantal, relationship with God and is on a divine mission in history are relatively common. Such assertions stand behind some of the remarks made in President Trump’s State of the Union address. For instance, at one point he notes, “Because when the world needs courage, daring, vision and inspiration, it is still turning to America, and when God needs a nation to work his miracles, he knows exactly who to ask…For our destiny is written by the hand of providence, and these first 250 years were just the beginning.” The language of “providence” and “destiny,” as well as the comment regarding God’s need for “a nation to work miracles,” resonates with the notion that the United States has a God-ordained mission.
From a biblical and theological perspective, it is clear that God uses the nations and their rulers. Nebuchadnezzar is called God’s servant (Jer 25:9; 27:6), and Cyrus is called God’s anointed (Isa 45:1). He also gives nations time. The Amorites receive around four hundred years (Gen 15:12-16). What is less clear is how God uses the nations, particularly modern nations. While God’s people are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” called to “proclaim the excellencies” of the one who delivered them “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9; cf. Exod 19:6; Ps 135:4; Tit 2:14), we have a less specific understanding of how God uses nations like America. The silence about God’s specific purposes for modern nations is not an oversight, but a boundary Christians should respect. We don’t know what God is doing with our nation or why.
That lack of specificity does not mean that nations are meaningless. As we read in Acts, “And he [God] made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” (17:26-27). The nations provide a certain order that should not be dismissed. However, claiming to know God’s direction for a nation like the United States to justify that nation’s actions is both misleading and theologically corrupt. When a nation begins to see itself as uniquely chosen by God, political causes take on a divine authorization they may not have.
Key Takeaways: Nations Under God, Not Covenant With God
- Biblical Examples of God Using Nations: Nebuchadnezzar as “servant” (Jer 25:9; 27:6); Cyrus as “anointed” (Isa 45:1); Amorites given 400 years (Gen 15:12-16); Acts 17:26-27.
- The “Holy Nation” Is the Church: 1 Peter 2:9 (cf. Ex 19:6; Ps 135:4; Titus 2:14) identifies God’s chosen, royal, holy nation as His people—not a geopolitical state.
- Epistemic Humility Required: Scripture’s silence about modern nations’ specific redemptive roles is a boundary, not an oversight.
- The “So What”: When a nation sees itself as uniquely chosen by God, its political causes take on a divine authorization they may not have—a theologically corrupt move.
About the Author — James Spencer, PhD, is a theologian, author, and host of the Thinking Christian podcast, where he writes and speaks on Christian formation, political theology, and technology. He holds a PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and completed the Institute for Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He serves as President of the D.L. Moody Center in Northfield, Massachusetts, as adjunct faculty in Wheaton College’s MA in Leadership program, and as an Associate Research Fellow at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, Christianity.com, and Sojourners; he has been quoted in The Telegraph; and he is a regular guest on Stand in the Gap Today with the American Pastors Network. His forthcoming book is Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press, Fall 2026). Learn more at jamesgspencer.com.