Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg once expressed great confidence about his eternal destiny, remarking that he had earned his place in heaven. That sentiment is not uncommon in public life. Achievement, influence, philanthropy or power can quietly become the measuring sticks by which we assess ourselves -- and others -- when we contemplate eternity.
President Donald Trump, by contrast, has occasionally spoken with striking uncertainty about his standing before God. Whatever one makes of his presidency, that uncertainty is revealing. It touches a question far larger than any one man: How does anyone enter heaven?
At this point, many are tempted to assemble a moral ledger -- placing virtues on one side, failures on the other -- and then to compare columns. We weigh our lives against those of our neighbors, our leaders or our adversaries. We reassure ourselves that we are better than some and hope that God grades on a curve.
But Scripture offers no such comfort.
The Bible is unambiguous about the definitive authority on heaven and eternal life. "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). That name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
This truth reorients the entire conversation. Heaven is not a prize awarded for comparative moral performance. It is not earned by decisiveness, candor, generosity, restraint or even by the absence of notorious sins. Nor is it denied because one's failures are more public or more abrasive than those of others. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All the ground is level at the foot of the Cross.
When we fixate on comparing pasts -- whether ours against the president's, or one public figure against another -- we miss the whole point of heaven. Christianity does not teach self-salvation through superior behavior. It teaches redemption through grace. The danger of comparison is that it tempts us to trust in ourselves rather than in Christ.
That temptation is not confined to politicians. It reaches every church pew and every quiet moment of self-assessment. We fail ourselves and our own eternity when we imagine that heaven is secured by being less flawed than someone else. Even if we exclude the president entirely, the error remains the same. Our best works cannot reconcile us to a holy God. Only Christ can.
This is not an invitation to moral indifference. Scripture calls believers to repentance, humility, mercy and love of neighbor. But those virtues flow from salvation; they do not purchase it. The Christian hope rests not in human consistency but in divine faithfulness -- in a Savior who came "not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Luke 5:32).
So, is Trump going to heaven? That question, rightly understood, is above any columnist's pay grade. "Judge not, that you be not judged." What can be said -- about him and about all of us -- is that entry into heaven depends on neither resume nor reputation, neither public acclaim nor public failure, but on Christ alone.
For countless Christians, belief in heaven and eternal life is a profound blessing. It offers hope beyond the injustices of this world and peace beyond its bitterness. It promises perfect communion with God and releases us from the corrosive urge to compare, resent or condemn. As Jesus taught, God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike."
In that sense, belief in heaven is the ultimate inclusivity -- not because standards are lowered, but because grace is freely offered. Anyone may pass through the pearly gates who believes in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, confesses Him as Lord, and trusts in His death and resurrection for salvation.
That is good news -- for presidents and plumbers alike.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
Armstrong Williams is manager/sole owner of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast owner of the year. To find out more about him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM
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