For the first time in his political career, President Trump made his theology clear when stating to the press the following…

“If I can save 7,000 people a week from getting killed, that’s pretty good. I want to get to heaven if possible. I’m hearing [that] I’m not doing well. I hear I’m at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

Many believe that entrance into Heaven is dependent on doing good deeds, and certainly saving lives by ending the Ukraine-Russian war is commendable. Since his near fatal rally in Butler, PA, the president has seen his life in a new context. He firmly believes that God spared him that day for the purpose of making America a strong nation and to bring peace to the world.

The politics and effectiveness of Trump’s agenda is not the subject of this post. Instead, it is a discussion of his underlying theology, that saving lives will earn Trump a place in Heaven. His belief that the higher up the “totem pole” one gets by doing good deeds, the greater the likelihood that Heaven will be the reward. The assumption is that there is only so much room in Heaven and the better a person you are, the more likely God will grant you entrance. Works-based salvation could not be defined more clearly.

Salvation by Works

From a human perspective, earning one’s place in Heaven by being a good person could not be more logical. We live in a competitive society where hard work is the foundation of prosperity and pride of accomplishments. So, it stands to reason that God would judge man using the same scales. And there are numerous verses in Scripture which, standing alone, would support the concept of earning one’s way to Heaven.

James 2:24 - You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

1 John 3:17 - But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?

Proverbs 19:7 - All a poor man’s brothers hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him! He pursues them with words, but does not have them.

Good deeds, referenced in the verses above, are definitely a sign of a Christian believer. One cannot love God and desire to follow His commands and not show compassion for others. However, what is of critical importance is that works such as these FOLLOW one’s salvation rather than being the basis of salvation. We are saved by having a relationship with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit in our lives. And, it is from that position that kindness and compassion toward our fellow man emanates. Yes, even at our best, we remain susceptible to bad behavior, which is understandably used to belittle the impact of our Christian faith.

Salvation by Relationship

Each of the verses directly above (and many more) must be reconciled with the whole complement of Scripture. That is the fundamental difference between plucking words out of the Bible that fit a preconceived narrative (in this case based on human logic), and viewing God’s Word as a unified, inerrant document. The following verses speak directly to the subject of salvation.

Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Acts 16:30-32 - Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

Salvation and ultimately entrance into Heaven at the end of our lives does not depend on our efforts. It is based exclusively on the source of our faith. Salvation is the result of a heart felt recognition that we are sinners and there is nothing we can do to stop our bad behavior (lying, cheating, pride, etc.). Further, the punishment awaiting us at the end of our natural lives on earth will be born by each of us, unless there is One who is willing to take on that punishment on our behalf. That is exactly why God sent His only Son to earth, to live a perfect, sinless life as fully God and fully man, and then die on the cross as a substitution for our sins. In recognition of that, we need to accept Him as our Savior and Lord.

Conclusion

President Trump, like so many who fall back on human competitiveness in determining who will be good enough to earn a place in Heaven, is sadly misguided. There is no question that works plays a very large role in Christian behavior. We are called to love our neighbor repeatedly throughout the Bible. However, what separates those who are Heaven-bound from those who are not begins with having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is from that position we do what God calls us to, recognizing that we are ALL sinners and have fallen short of God’s standards (Romans 3:23). In that fallen state, doing good deeds to outweigh our bad behavior will not result in salvation or eternity in Heaven. Our only hope is to acknowledge God’s grace in providing a Savior, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice for our sins. This heart change can only come from a position of faith, and not the result of doing good deeds.