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Isn’t this contrary to Jesus’ entire message? on Jun 23, 2025 From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham Q: I have many Christian friends who say they are saved, but they have no assurance that they will go to Heaven someday. I even read this is true of Mother Teresa – that she wasn’t sure she had done enough good works. Isn’t this contrary to Jesus’ entire message? – S.A. A: Many people who say they are Christians have said that they can’t be absolutely sure that they will go to Heaven when they die. But God does not desire that Christians be uncertain about the most important thing in life – where they will spend eternity. We can be assured once we understand what Jesus Christ did for us, and if we have surrendered our life to Him. The problem is that down inside, many people believe that salvation is up to us, and we can go to Heaven only if we are good enough and have done more good than bad. But how can someone know what is good enough? The answer is – we can’t. And that’s why many Christians lack assurance of their salvation. The key is to understand that Christ took away all our sins – not part of them, but all of them. No matter how good we try to be, we can’t save ourselves – because God’s standard is perfection. But Christ, who was without sin, did for us what we could never do for ourselves: He took all our sins upon Himself, and He took the death and Hell we deserve. He paid the ultimate price of our redemption with His perfect sacrifice. When someone comes to Christ, God gives that person eternal life, which begins at that moment. Christ wants to give us hope for the future – not just in this temporary life but for eternity. He wants us to learn what it means to walk with Him every day and keep our eyes on Him, for one day, we will be with Him forever.