Heaven is no joking matter
President Trump made headlines recently for comments he made about his hopes for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. He seemed to indicate that ending that war and saving thousands of lives would boost his chances of entering heaven. This sort of statement seems to portray the idea of works based salvation, but it is difficult to know just what sort of theology of the afterlife to which the President adheres. Further complicating the matter is there is some debate as to whether he was making a joke rather than a serious comment. I sincerely hope that the President has a true understanding of the gospel that is based on grace through Jesus Christ and not the works of man’s hands. Regardless of the President’s personal beliefs, his comment illustrates a widely held belief in our culture—namely that a person can earn entrance into heaven through their good deeds.
Works-based Righteousness is a problem as old as Genesis 3
I have told a personal story of my own grandfather many times about this very matter of works-based salvation. A couple of years before he died, I asked my paternal grandfather, “Why God should let you into heaven?” He said, “Son, I hope my good deeds are going to outweigh my bad ones.” What a sad and hopeless way to enter eternity.
Works-righteousness is nothing new. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, tried to cover over their own sin and shame with leaves from the Garden. Attempts to fix our own sin and broken relationship with Almighty God has been the program of mankind ever sinner. Works-righteousness, or better self-righteousness, is the default state of the human heart. Major world religions, the cults, Catholicism, and the good ol’ boy down the street are all basing their hopes for a blessed afterlife on this idea of personal merit through righteous deeds. They all basically believe, “If I can just do these things, I will work my way into heaven, bliss and blessing, or everlasting life.”
Have you ever noticed that the set of “good works” that grants a person entrance into heaven is self-determined? No one ever seems to fail the test and not be a “good person.” This is one of the real tragedies of a good-works “gospel.” It allows each person to determine what is good and bad and how much of that good stuff is necessary to make it into heaven. Man sets the terms of salvation, not God. The real allure of self-righteousness based on “good works” is pride hidden under moralism. You get to be in control of your own destiny because you can earn the reward of salvation, heaven, nirvana, or whatever you view as the end goal of a “good life.” In other words, self-righteousness is a backdoor way for you to be God.
There’s no spiritual mountain to climb
The uncomfortable truth is that there is no spiritual mountain to climb and no cosmic scale that can be tipped by doing just a few more good deeds than bad ones. We are separated from God not by a number of things but by a kind of thing. We are sinners, and God is holy. The two can have nothing to do with one another—as unmixable as oil and water. We might respond, “But surely I’m better than the other guy.” But again, God is not grading on the curve and comparing our lives to other people. As Jesus says in the sermon on the Mount, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:20). Jesus doesn’t mean that the Pharisees are getting into heaven, for He was quite clear that they weren’t apart from faith in Him. Instead, He means, “Look at the most righteous people that you can think of. They aren’t getting into heaven on their own merit.” What is the righteousness that surpasses that of the most fastidious Law-keepers? The righteousness of Christ. Indeed, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
The only way to enter eternity with a certainty of heaven and glory is to know Christ in faith. Paul is quite clear in Eph. 2:8-10 that salvation comes by faith not by works. This is so because only Jesus’ sacrifice for sin is sufficient and because God is intentionally removing any glory we might get by taking our deeds out of the equation.
The Gospel: A bad news—good news proposition
Here’s the long and short of it. There’s bad news and good news. The bad news has to come first so that we see the good news as truly good and glorious.
The bad news: Every person—no matter how “good” they seem in the eyes of their peers or in their own estimation—is a sinner (Rom. 3:23). Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, you, me—all wretched sinners, morally bankrupt apart from Christ. Sinners are at odds with Almighty God, and they can do nothing about it on their own (Rom. 5:6-8; Eph. 2:1-3). Oh how that galls the pride of our hearts and humiliates our efforts at trying to appear “good.” There are no good people. Paul is clear, “There is none righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10).
The good news: “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” That indeed is a trustworthy and hope building statement (1 Tim. 1:15). We are at odds with God and can do nothing about it. But God in His great mercy and grace did something for us that we could never do for ourselves (Eph. 2:4-7). He sent His Son—God in the flesh—into this world to die in our place, taking our sin, shame, and debt, so that we might become righteous. When a person embraces Jesus in faith, His righteousness gets transferred to their account. They become right before and with God Himself. Believers in Jesus are reconciled, redeemed, and forgiven. Our destiny is Christ’s destiny—eternity with the Father.
Which Way?
So the question is, are you hoping to get into heaven on the basis of your own merit? Are you depending on some good deed tipping the scales in favor of your account? Or have you abandoned the filthy rags of personal merit, confessed your moral bankruptcy, and thrown yourself onto the grace and righteousness sacrifice of Jesus Christ on your behalf? Which of those gospels really sounds like good news—personal merit through good works or gloriously generous grace through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus?
More Resources
Click Here for more on the gospel.
Click here for my sermon on the false gospel of works-righteousness.
