To listen to today’s reflection as a podcast, click here
As a general rule, I hesitate to make comments about the President of the United States.
Over the past 10 years, I believe I’ve mentioned Donald Trump just five times.
That’s a shame, because he is not only the most powerful human being on the planet, but unquestionably the most quotable. Readers seem genuinely grateful, however, that Morning Reflections endeavors to be a politics-free zone – a break from the never-ending high profile clashes between Left and Right.
But because President Trump recently ventured into traditional theological territory, this feels like an opportune moment to provide a response from a biblical perspective.
During an August 19 interview with Fox & Friends, the President reflected on his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. “I wanna try and get to heaven if possible,” he said. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well… I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
He continued, “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.”
Online columnist Michael Ian Black spoke for many when he noted, “It’s the most self-reflective thing I’ve ever heard from the president, a surprising admission…”
Given the President’s incessant social media commentary on virtually every subject under the sun – including windmills, flush toilets, reservoir water levels, and Hannibal Lecter – it came as something of a revelation that he also ponders what it might take to walk through the doors of Paradise.
On this important subject, the Bible couldn’t be more clear.
Nobody gets into heaven on the Performance Plan.
Granted, “being a good person” or “doing a lot of good things” has become our culture’s default position with regard to a happy outcome on the other side of death. If Santa Claus’ job is to bring good gifts to nice children, God must also grade on the curve. Are you leaving behind a less-than-stellar moral track record? No need to fear. Heroic self-efforts can still tip the balance in your favor.
The New Testament, however, declares that no amount of heroic self-effort – whether extraordinary generosity, perfect Sunday School attendance, or negotiating the end of any number of wars – can ever earn us enough spiritual Brownie Points to stand in the presence of a holy God.
Here’s how the apostle Paul puts it:
“[Because of our spiritual brokenness] it’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us…
“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving” (Ephesians 2:4-5, 7-9), The Message).
From the standpoint of our culture, that seems outrageous. Unfair. Maybe even unjust. What kind of God chooses not to take our best efforts into account?
Here we need to acknowledge a trio of key biblical ideas: justice, mercy, and grace.
Justice may be defined as getting what we deserve.
The world cries out for justice. Abraham asked God, “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The implied answer is, “Of course.” But when we plead for justice we must be wary of the consequences. If we beg God to rid the world of every shred of evil at midnight tonight, not one of us would still be around at 12:01 am.
When it comes to where you stand personally with God, it’s definitely not in your favor to demand justice.
Mercy is notgetting what we deserve.
As Paul points out in our Ephesians text, God is “rich in mercy, because of his great love for us.” Good health, good friends, and the fact that we are entering one of the most beautiful times of the year are reminders that “his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:23).
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.
There’s a reason we sing “Amazing Grace.” Grace means that God’s presence, God’s love, and God’s forgiveness cannot be earned. They cannot be deserved. They can only be received. No wonder Paul begins and ends all 13 of his New Testament letters with a reference to grace.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world in which grace and mercy are the only considerations?
At first blush, that sounds great. But as anyone who has ever tried to advocate for the poor, referee a kids soccer game, or resolve heated personal conflicts has discovered, we cannot live without justice. Accountability matters.
Perhaps we should rephrase our question: Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world in which all three of these realities are perfectly expressed in the actions of a gracious, just, and merciful God?
Jesus says, “That’s exactly the kind of world we live in. And that’s who my Father really is.”
In the public imagination, heaven sounds like a great place to be – something on the order of Club Med, only with eternally better perks and no expiration date.
But the most important aspect of the next world is often overlooked: Heaven is not about us. It’s all about God. All the attention, all the focus, all the joy is focused on heaven’s Primary Resident. The only people who will ever be in heaven – who would ever feel happy to be in heaven – are those who, above everything else, are so deeply glad that God is God.
Those who think differently need not worry about “getting into heaven.” They would be utterly miserable there.
In the end, life with God in the new creation is a gift, not an entitlement.
None of us can ever earn what God gives for free.
But we definitely have to be humble enough to receive it with empty hands and grateful hearts.