Are All Good, Moral People Christians?

Mike Johnson

George is a good, moral man.  He is faithful to his wife and a good father to his children.  He does not use profanity or drink alcohol.  He coaches little league baseball and is even considered to be 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, as people think about his good traits, they might make the observation that he was a very fine Christian man, equating his morality with being a Christian.  It is important to understand that a person is not a Christian simply because he is a good, moral man, and that one is not saved by simply having good morals.

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

It is important to understand that Cornelius was a good, moral man before Peter ever preached to him.  Was Cornelius saved simply because he was such a good, moral man?  Did his moral excellence make him a Christian?  The answer is “No.”  When Peter returned to Jerusalem, the brethren confronted Peter for having brought the gospel to the Gentiles which prompted Peter to defend himself.  Peter explained why he had taken the gospel to the Gentiles.  He said that an angel told Cornelius to send to Joppa for him.  The reason for Peter’s going there is stated in Acts 11:14:  “Who [Peter] will tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy houses will be saved.” Thus, Cornelius, a good, moral man, was unsaved prior to Peter’s going and preaching to him, and, as can be logically deduced, was unsaved prior to submitting to God’s commandments to become a Christian.  If moral excellence could save a person, surely Cornelius would have been saved.  However, Acts 11:14 makes it clear that he was not.

Christians must be good, moral people.  I Thessalonians 5:22 says, “abstain from every form of evil” (ASV).   However, a person is not a Christian simply because he is a good, moral person.  There are some specific requirements found in the Bible that a person must obey to become a child of God (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 good, moral person?  If so, you are to be commended.  But, it is important to understand that morality alone does not save a person!