ARE ALL GOOD, MORAL PEOPLE CHRISTIANS?

Mike Johnson

George is a good, moral man.  He is faithful to his wife and an excellent father to his children.  Geoge does not use profanity or drink alcohol.  He coaches youth baseball and is a pillar in the community.  George, however, is not religious; he has never even become a child of God.  Yet, many people would describe him as a Christian.  When George dies, and people think about his good traits, they might state he was a wonderful Christian, equating his morality to being a Christian.  It is essential, however, to understand that people are not Christians simply because they have good morals.

Consider Cornelius, a Gentile and a Roman soldier who lived in Caesarea and was a very good, moral man.  Acts 10:2 describes Cornelius as “A devout man, and one that feared God with his entire house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.”  Verse 22 describes him further as “a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews.”  After receiving a vision from God, Peter went and preached to Cornelius and his family.  Verse 48 says, “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”  They obeyed, and Cornelius and his family are known as the first Gentile converts.

It is essential to understand that Cornelius was a good, moral man before Peter preached to him.  Was Cornelius saved simply because of that?  Did his moral excellence make him a Christian?  The answer is “no.”  When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the brethren confronted him for bringing the gospel to the Gentiles, which prompted Peter to defend himself.  Explaining why he had taken the gospel to these people,  he said an angel told Cornelius to send to Joppa for him, and Acts 11:14 states why Peter went there.  It says, “Who [Peter] will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.”   Thus, Cornelius, a good, moral man, was unsaved before Peter’s going and preaching to him.  As can be logically deduced, he was unsaved before submitting to God’s commandments to become a Christian.  If moral excellence could save a person, undoubtedly, Cornelius was saved.  However, Acts 11:14 makes it clear he was not.

Christians must be good, moral people.  1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from every form of evil.”   However, people are not Christians simply because of their outstanding morality.

There are some specific requirements found in the Bible that a person must obey to become a Christian (Jn. 3:16, Heb. 11:6, Acts 17:30-31, Acts 2:38, Rom. 10:10, Mk. 16:16).  How about you?  Are you a person of high morals?  If so, this is commendable.  However, it is crucial to understand that morality alone does not save a person!