Can't I Just Be A Good Person? Well, are You a Good Person?

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I don’t need to follow Christ because I should be allowed into heaven, after I pass away, purely because I’ve been a good person my whole life!

 

Define ‘good’ please?

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Are you a ‘good person’ because you’re popular and everyone can have a laugh around you? But you can only laugh at the cost of others?

 

That doesn’t seem like a great person to me.

 

Are you a ‘good person’ because you help certain people out with things. Absolutely, can you be a subjectively good person, all because you did a favour for someone. Helped discard of a murder weapon, so the murderer avoided punishment? I’m sure you’d be described as the best person in the world to that specific murderer, but what about the innocent life that has been lost? What about the grieving family who will never receive justice for the loss of a loved one? Do you think they’ll see you as a good person? Will a group of non-bias people on jury duty, see you as a hero for letting a guilty individual get away with murder?

 

Being considered a ‘good person’ is extremely subjective, and the title is often gained by people who go against objectively moral values.

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How does the bible tell you to treat thy neighbour (peers, strangers, anyone you come across in day-to-day life)?

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It tells us to be honest, to not gossip, to not deceive, to not lust, to not be envious, to not be greedy, to treat everyone with respect, to forgive.

 

Having these values makes us more favoured by the Lord, as this is the way he wants us to live, because it keeps the human ecosystem pure, and away from sinful behaviour.

 

Sin is not a word that some fairytale man in the sky uses to oppress you. If you deep dive into sin, you realise we are told to avoid it because it protects us from harm in our lives. If we strive to live sinless lives, then we are helping those around us live better lives too.

 

Can you be a good person without being a Christian? Absolutely, yes.

 

Seeking to be a better person for the people around you, but don’t want to believe in a ‘magical man in the sky’?

 

See if you can stop doing all of these things.

 

Stop lying. Even about small things. Don’t lie about anything and be 100% transparent about everything in your life. No one around you should be getting deceived or blamed for actions that they didn’t commit. No one should be left in a state of confusion because you couldn’t be honest with them and declare the truth to them at the cost of your selfish gain.

 

Stop gossiping about others behind their backs. What makes you so high and mighty that you can slander someone when they’re not there. It is fine to bring someone up in conversation if they’re not there, if you are constructively analysing them and discussing how they could improve. But mocking them and annihilating their character isn’t something people would see as an objectively ‘good’ thing to do.

Gossiping and rumours damage reputations, and those who spread them must know the damage they are causing. Being accused of something you haven’t done is harmful and can have someone seen in a different light because of the rumours spread about them.

 

Stop tricking people into following a false path that you have set for them. This is deceit. This ties in with greed slightly. Do you see potential in someone, that they don’t? Instead of setting a trap for them to fall into, so it benefits you, be a mature adult, and help guide them into their potential. There is great dignity in helping those in worse off situations than yours. It shows true character to help someone excel, even if there is a great chance they will become better than you. You’re helping the ecosystem by doing this. There is more to life than you looking better than the person next to you. Children are slaughtered daily. Your pride isn’t that important.

 

Stop lusting over people. It is corrupting your mind and your heart. Do you have a partner who loves you? How would they feel if they could see inside your mind and see the lustful thoughts and images you have over strangers, you walk by in the street for less than a couple of seconds. How can you form any sort of relationship, with an end result being creating a family, when you have a wandering eye, that fixates on other people’s flesh. Don’t scare people either. How do you think that person feels when you are watching them like a hawk, because you’re thinking with your downstairs, and seeing them as an object you can use for sexual gratification.

 

Stop envying what others have. It makes you bitter. You don’t know how hard someone has worked or is currently working behind the scenes, for what they have in their life right now. What about the people born with everything, or those who have everything fall on their lap? Ignore them. What is being envious of them going to achieve? It isn’t going to take anything away from them, and it shows your true colours. Don’t hide your envy away and plot against that person. That itself is deceit, another way to show a lack of integrity.

 

Stop being greedy. Avoiding greed means everyone around you can have a share of resources that can be used to grow communities, rather than just you keeping them for your own gain. Greed is also not helping people around you because you want everything for yourself. Share with others, because again, your pride is not that important.

 

Stop rising to others so quickly and becoming enraged at the smallest things. A person who is quick to rage is more likely to act out whilst angry, creating all sorts of problems for their future self to have to deal with. Staying calm, also prevents others from becoming hurt. Stay calm and protect everyone from a potentially life changing outburst.

 

Finally, try and be more humble. Drop the pride and ego. Pride is the reason people commit most of the above actions, that I’ve recommended to avoid doing. I understand people need to look out for themselves, but this can be done without stepping on other peoples’ toes. You can absolutely get ahead in life, by being morally good, it may just take slightly longer than the morally corrupt (it isn’t always a guarantee for the morally corrupt because they face their own struggles and problems by living that lifestyle).

 

See if you can do all of these things and test if you really are a person who cares for others, without having to worship the ‘fairy-tale man in the sky’.

 

These are core fundamentals of Christianity, and there are many self-proclaimed Christians who don’t even live this way.

If you can do all of these consistently, and can consciously prevent yourself from committing these actions, great. Maybe you don’t need to be reading the Bible and becoming a changed person.

 

If you can’t however, consider that Christianity and the Bible’s teachings may be more than an ‘oppression tool’ and consider how it may be a door to changing your ways and becoming a greater individual for your family, community, country or even the entire World.

 

Thanks for reading.