It is often the case that Christians are put to shame by unbelievers when it comes to morality, character, deeds, and overall way of life. Atheists, naturalists, agnostics, Mormons, Islamists, and your everyday Joe have all, at some time or another, called out Christians—and with good reason—when believers do not measure up to the standards they themselves seem to impose on others. But why does this happen, and what can, and should, believers do about it? Is this issue perhaps one reason that unbelievers decide not to go to church, since it is, after all, filled with hypocrites? These issues will be dealt with in this article.
Unbelievers Can Be Moral Without God
It may surprise some Christians, but it is certainly possible for unbelievers to be moral people and yet not believe in God. It is true that morality without God cannot exist (for then there wouldn't be a universal standard by which to judge actions), but that is different than saying that without believing in God, someone cannot be a moral human being—that is false. If you have lived long enough on this earth, it will have become evident to you that there are people in this world who do not believe in God and yet do good things, many times outperforming believers in their good words and actions. But how can this be?
This is possible because of what Romans 2:14-16 states: "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus." So, there you have it, God's laws are written in people's hearts; their consciences either accept that truth or suppress it. In other words, people know what is right and what is wrong, but in their sin, their consciences are so seared that God "gives them over" to their depraved minds and desires (Romans 1:18-32). But all they have to do to reverse this is turn to Christ and believe in Him.
So even without Christ, people can do good in this world. People can help and care for their neighbors, call a grieving friend, help a lost child, lend money to a struggling family member, go feed the poor in a homeless shelter, love their spouses and children, and even travel the world to give aid to a third-world country. God has placed the capacity to have compassion, empathy, and love in each and every person, whether Christian or not. But with Christ, all these qualities should be on overdrive. With Christ, all of these good deeds should have even greater significance for the Christian, because now they can represent and give glory to Christ Himself (the ultimate good and altruistic person) for the world to see.
For a more extensive study on this subject, by Dr. William Lane Craig, click here.
Doing/Being Good Does Not Save
But although sometimes unbelievers do in fact make Christians look bad, we must remember that it is not by our works and deeds, nor our good conduct, that we are to be saved. In our fallen nature, it is easy to look at an unbeliever's good works, compare them to ours, and think that somehow we are lacking. It is easy to feel as if we've missed the mark, but guess what...so have they. You see, no amount of good deeds and works, or upright living can earn us what we all need most: salvation. If that were the case, then many historical figures who were God-haters, but did a lot of good in the world, would be saved. The Bible clearly teaches that this is not true in Ephesians 2:8, which reads: "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."
Being outperformed by an unbeliever, however, should cause us to pause, think, and analyze our own lives to see if we have been living in a way that pleases God. It should not be the case that unbelievers are putting us to shame in terms of saying and doing good, and living upright lives. We are called to be a light in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). When we say and do good deeds, we glorify our Father when we focus on Him. Unfortunately, it is often the case that even we Christians find ourselves saying and doing good things in order to receive accolades from others. This is something we should expect from unbelievers, and it is most likely the reason they say and do good things...along with feeling good about themselves. Although it is not completely wrong to feel good about doing good, our focus should always be on God's goodness, and on pointing people to our Good, Good, Father.
Reflection
The fact that unbelievers can do good, and that doing good does not save us is not an excuse to continue being an unfruitful Christian, or much worse, a believer that hinders the name of Christ and His Gospel. If we (and I'm addressing Christians) find ourselves saying and doing things that our pastors, little old Christian grandmas—or Jesus—would not approve of, and yet we proudly wave the Christian banner, we need to repent. People are watching our lives.
People do notice when we tell a lie, steal, look at another woman, curse, treat our children and wife poorly, post offensive words and pictures on Facebook, etc. And people, unbelievers specifically, do know that what we are doing is wrong. How? Because they also have God's law written in their hearts. They will call us hypocrites, and they will be right. This, brothers and sisters, should not be. We must live lives above reproach to the best of our abilities—not because that is how we will be saved, or stay saved, but because that is how we show God that we love Him...that is how we please Him (Romans 12:1-2).
So, the next time an unbeliever tells you that they know people who act better, do better, and are better persons than believers they have met, tell them: "You may be entirely correct, although that is sad. But one does not have to believe in God to say or do good things. One is able to say and do good things because there is indeed a God who has put His law in everyone's hearts so that they know and do what the good is—yet they also know and do what the bad is. This phenomenon simply shows that there is an objective morality; one that exists outside ourselves; one that is placed in our hearts by the Creator and Giver of these moral laws—and those who say and do good are living testimony of God's grace in this fallen world. But saying and doing good does not get one to heaven..." And give them the Gospel.
God bless you all in your quest to being a better Christian, a better testimony, and a better neighbor to a lost and dying world. Bring people Jesus by being like Jesus.
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