Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with thousands of people about eternity. Street corners, airplanes, parks, churches, restaurants—you name it, I’ve probably had a conversation about Christ there. And you know what I’ve heard more times than I can count? “I’ll go to Heaven because I’m a good person.”
Then come the reasons. I’ve tried to live right. I don’t steal. I help others when I can. I go to church. I’ve done more good than bad. It’s the same song, just sung in different keys—people holding tight to their own version of “goodness,” as if Heaven were a prize to be earned by polishing up their resume before God.
But just this past week, I heard a reason that stunned me. It came from President Donald Trump in a phone interview with Fox & Friends on August 19th. He said: “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty—I want to try and get to Heaven, if possible…if I can get to Heaven this will be one of the reasons.”
Now pause and imagine that. Seven thousand lives spared every single week. Picture a stadium packed with people—every seat filled, every soul still breathing because of you. If there were ever a reason for someone to feel deserving of Heaven, that would be it. Honestly, I had to admit—it sounds noble, extraordinary even.
But here’s the question that cuts through the deception: if saving thousands of lives—or doing any good deed—could earn Heaven, then why did Jesus climb Calvary’s hill? Why did He let the soldiers tear His back open with whips, drive nails through His hands and feet, press thorns into His skull, and leave Him to shed all of His blood on a cross? If our goodness were enough, then His suffering was a cosmic mistake. And if the cross wasn’t necessary, then the Son of God endured hell on earth for nothing.
But He did suffer because it was necessary. Our goodness isn’t enough. The Bible couldn’t be clearer: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). And again: “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). The best of us is still stained, still short of glory, still guilty before a holy God. That’s why salvation isn’t about what we do for Him—it’s about what He’s already done for us.
That’s why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Not “I’ll point you to the way.” Not “I’ll cheer you on while you try to be good enough.” He said I am the way. Heaven isn’t a reward for the good. It’s a gift for the forgiven.
And that’s the heart of the cross. On Calvary, Jesus took our place. He bore the punishment we couldn’t bear. He paid the debt we couldn’t pay. Second Corinthians 5:21 explains it in breathtaking words: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” In other words, He took our sin so we could take His righteousness.
That changes everything.
I’ll never forget the day my senior year of high school, I realized eternity isn’t an abstract idea—it’s a real place, and people I know are already there. The afternoon my friend died in a car wreck, eternity suddenly became real to me. Death isn’t waiting until old age. It doesn’t wait until you’ve lived your dreams. It can knock at seventeen, or thirty, or ninety-nine. None of us knows how many breaths we have left.
And in the midst of that sudden loss, one truth became undeniable: Jesus is still reaching, still calling, still saving. And maybe today He’s reaching for you—not because you’ve done enough, not because you’ve lived well enough, but simply because He loves you enough.
The Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). That means Heaven is not a trophy you earn. It’s a gift you receive. And the gift is being offered right now.
So, let me ask you, heart to heart: have you believed on Christ? Have you repented and received Christ into your heart?
Please don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t prop your eternity on the shaky foundation of your own “goodness.” Goodness cannot carry you across the abyss of eternity. Only Jesus can. He’s the bridge. And the same Jesus who died for you is resurrected and alive today, offering you forgiveness, peace, and everlasting life.
Heaven is real. Hell is real. And eternity is forever. The question is not whether you’ll live forever—you will. The question is where. And the answer to that depends entirely on what you do with Jesus Christ.
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Then come the reasons. I’ve tried to live right. I don’t steal. I help others when I can. I go to church. I’ve done more good than bad. It’s the same song, just sung in different keys—people holding tight to their own version of “goodness,” as if Heaven were a prize to be earned by polishing up their resume before God.
But just this past week, I heard a reason that stunned me. It came from President Donald Trump in a phone interview with Fox & Friends on August 19th. He said: “If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that’s a pretty—I want to try and get to Heaven, if possible…if I can get to Heaven this will be one of the reasons.”
Now pause and imagine that. Seven thousand lives spared every single week. Picture a stadium packed with people—every seat filled, every soul still breathing because of you. If there were ever a reason for someone to feel deserving of Heaven, that would be it. Honestly, I had to admit—it sounds noble, extraordinary even.
But here’s the question that cuts through the deception: if saving thousands of lives—or doing any good deed—could earn Heaven, then why did Jesus climb Calvary’s hill? Why did He let the soldiers tear His back open with whips, drive nails through His hands and feet, press thorns into His skull, and leave Him to shed all of His blood on a cross? If our goodness were enough, then His suffering was a cosmic mistake. And if the cross wasn’t necessary, then the Son of God endured hell on earth for nothing.
But He did suffer because it was necessary. Our goodness isn’t enough. The Bible couldn’t be clearer: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). And again: “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). The best of us is still stained, still short of glory, still guilty before a holy God. That’s why salvation isn’t about what we do for Him—it’s about what He’s already done for us.
That’s why Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Not “I’ll point you to the way.” Not “I’ll cheer you on while you try to be good enough.” He said I am the way. Heaven isn’t a reward for the good. It’s a gift for the forgiven.
And that’s the heart of the cross. On Calvary, Jesus took our place. He bore the punishment we couldn’t bear. He paid the debt we couldn’t pay. Second Corinthians 5:21 explains it in breathtaking words: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” In other words, He took our sin so we could take His righteousness.
That changes everything.
I’ll never forget the day my senior year of high school, I realized eternity isn’t an abstract idea—it’s a real place, and people I know are already there. The afternoon my friend died in a car wreck, eternity suddenly became real to me. Death isn’t waiting until old age. It doesn’t wait until you’ve lived your dreams. It can knock at seventeen, or thirty, or ninety-nine. None of us knows how many breaths we have left.
And in the midst of that sudden loss, one truth became undeniable: Jesus is still reaching, still calling, still saving. And maybe today He’s reaching for you—not because you’ve done enough, not because you’ve lived well enough, but simply because He loves you enough.
The Bible says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). That means Heaven is not a trophy you earn. It’s a gift you receive. And the gift is being offered right now.
So, let me ask you, heart to heart: have you believed on Christ? Have you repented and received Christ into your heart?
Please don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t prop your eternity on the shaky foundation of your own “goodness.” Goodness cannot carry you across the abyss of eternity. Only Jesus can. He’s the bridge. And the same Jesus who died for you is resurrected and alive today, offering you forgiveness, peace, and everlasting life.
Heaven is real. Hell is real. And eternity is forever. The question is not whether you’ll live forever—you will. The question is where. And the answer to that depends entirely on what you do with Jesus Christ.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
