How can I become a good person? Let’s see what the Bible has to say about this great question. You are not alone in this quest and we are here to tell you that there is hope for you! Please watch the Great News video on this page to find true hope for your life.
“When He (Jesus) set out on His way, a man came running and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good, except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18).
Only God is Good
When ‘the man’ addressed Jesus as ‘good,’ Jesus didn’t accept the man’s evaluation at face value. He probed deeper. Jesus’ point was that only God is intrinsically good, so He wanted him to clarify his meaning.
Jesus asked the man if he understood the implication of calling Him Good, i.e., that Jesus is God. Unfortunately, the man backed off his statement and the next time he spoke, instead of calling Jesus ‘Good Teacher,’ he simply called him teacher.
Jesus made an important distinction. There’s a difference between Someone (God) who’s thoroughly Good by nature and a human who’s not fully Good but does good works to benefit themselves and others.
Our Good Deeds Fall Short
The latter person can be called a good person from a human perspective, but our good deeds are never enough — and don’t contribute towards going to heaven when we die. Only by believing in Jesus, who is Good by nature, can we go to heaven.
How to Become a Better Person Inside and Out
There’s a time-tested saying about computers, but it applies to us. “Garbage in, garbage out.” The Bible tells us how to program our thinking:
“Whatever things are true, … honest, … just, … pure, … lovely, … of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Thinking pure thoughts keeps us from having bad coding. Jesus shared the outcome of bad programming:
“What comes out of a man … defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, theft, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man (Mark 7:20-23).”
Why do I Feel like I’m not a Good Person?
We live in a fallen world so we’re not intrinsically good. We’re all aware of times we’ve lied, cheated, stolen, or hated and our conscience convicted us. Our conscience is a gift that must be trained, and the Bible tells us who will have a good conscience:
“For those who through practice have powers of discernment that are trained to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
In contrast, we can destroy our conscience by going against its leadings. If we consistently do that, we may live comfortably, but we’ve lost our guide. The Bible compared that to people who,
“(Speak) lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2).
It’s better to feel like we’re not a good person because our conscience knows we’re not than to feel that we are a good person when we’re not:
“But to those who … obey unrighteousness … will be tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man who does evil…. But glory, honor, and peace will be to every man who does good work …for there is no partiality with God” (Romans 2:8-10).
When we don’t feel like we’re a good person, we find ourselves searching for peace. But we don’t want to live in peace by searing our conscience; that’s only fooling ourselves.
Good people strive to make the most of their lives. They are driven by the desire to be the best version of themselves.
What Makes Someone a Good Person?
Good people extend their care and love to others. They demonstrate their love by actively looking out for others.
They take care of their family.
They give to the poor.
They keep their word.
They know why they’re here.
They know they’re not here by chance, and neither are others.
A good person is at peace with themselves for all the right reasons. They know who they and others are. They know they’re not Good, but they seek goodness. Keeping a good conscience isn’t a foolproof guide, but living by it is the best way to have inner peace.
Jesus is Our Way to Heaven
So, how can I become a good person? Our efforts are not enough to make us Good in the truest sense. We cannot earn our way to heaven through our actions. The path to becoming ‘Good enough,’ in the highest sense, is through faith in One who was and is inherently ‘Good enough ‘: Jesus. When we believe in Him, He makes us Good enough and gives us eternal life.
