Well, atheist - That’s Where You’re Wrong!

It’s somewhat amusing to listen to atheists as they say things like, “Just be good for goodness sake,” or “I don’t need God to be a good person.”

What’s amusing about that? Well, concocting a set of rules and attempting to live by them, even succeeding to live by them does not a good person make. What you usually end up with is the same old self-centred person who is able to impress others with outwardly good yet contrived behaviours. And since humans judge by outward appearances, we believe these really are good people. That’s why we’re so outraged when these “good” people do something visibly wrong. It’s especially shocking, disturbing and infuriating when these people have been playing the role of a religious person. In fact, the result of attempting to be good on our own power, as we see in virtually every human alive, is a pride filled individual who judges others by their lack of the very same characteristics this person has managed to present.

Of course self-improvement is possible. There is no shortage of moral pagans. That’s what makes being a follower of Jesus so radical - an cool.

What Jesus and all the rest of the New Testament writers show, is that true goodness is an inside job.

Jesus said to those whose outward behaviours were almost perfect, “Prostitutes and other sinners are entering heaven instead of you.”

Can you imagine the shock and outrage that these “good” people experienced? To be told that the ones that they looked down on were seen in God’s eyes as worthy of salvation? How could that be?

The person who has been brought into God’s Kingdom is being transformed into the likeness of Jesus. It begins with an acceptance of being loved, of being forgiven and of being declared righteous.

Any improvement in behaviours is a secondary result.

Because true goodness begins on the inside, and because it comes from an outside source, in fact the only source of goodness, there is nothing for the person to brag about. Yet, you truly will know them by their fruit or inward character (love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness and self-control). That’s why, when Jesus is describing those who are His true followers, they reply, “Lord, when did we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty.” People who are good from the inside out don’t even know when they’re doing “good deeds.” It is not a conscious act. It just comes naturally. It’s no contrivance. It’s no effort or desire to do what’s right. It's just the character of Jesus showing through.

Notice if you will, that when we are brought into the family of God, where His will is done on earth as it is in heaven, the improvements are usually community oriented. For example, mutual kindness, forgiveness of others, honesty with others, helping with the sick and orphans, the poor and the chemically dependent. It’s developing a community (one that will be transferred to heaven) where there is neither male nor female, slave nor free. It’s a community where there is no favouritism in race, or gender or culture or class. The Gospel is the same for all.