You don’t need God to be a good person.
The Devotional Answer
The devotional answer is that, yes, people without faith can perform countless acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion. This is because every human being is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This image includes an innate moral intuition—often called the conscience—which reflects God's law written on the human heart (Romans 2:15).
However, being truly good, in the biblical sense, means being wholly righteous and without sin, and aligning your will perfectly with God's perfect standard. That is why Jesus said, "No one is good—except God alone" (Mark 10:18). Therefore, we need God not just to define goodness, but to make us righteous through Christ.
The Simple Answer
You can perform good acts without acknowledging God, but you cannot be the source of goodness without God.
The Christian distinction lies in three areas:
The Source: Every act of human goodness is a dim reflection of the ultimate goodness that originates with God, the Creator.
The Standard: Without God, there is no ultimate, objective standard for what "good" even means. If God doesn't exist, morality becomes subjective—just human opinion.
The Salvation: Even our best acts are still tainted by sin (Isaiah 64:6). We need God not just to be "good people," but to be saved people—redeemed from sin and made fully righteous through Christ.
The Deeper Dive
The question of goodness without God touches on the concept of human nature and moral law.
1. The Image of God and Conscience
Even after the Fall (the entrance of sin into the world), humanity retained the image of God. This image is why all cultures recognize basic moral laws (e.g., it is wrong to murder, steal, or lie). This moral awareness is God's general revelation to all people, which the Apostle Paul describes:
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness..." — Romans 2:14-15 (NIV)
This explains why atheists, agnostics, and people of all faiths can perform genuine, sacrificial kindness—they are acting on the moral law God placed in them at creation.
2. The Standard of Ultimate Goodness
The central problem is the definition of good. If God does not exist, then morality is simply an evolved social construct (human opinion) that can change over time. If God is the ultimate standard, then goodness is absolute, unchanging, and transcendent.
The Christian faith claims that "good" is synonymous with God's character. Therefore, every act of goodness is an alignment, whether conscious or unconscious, with His nature.
3. Goodness vs. Righteousness
In the New Testament, there is a difference between being a "good person" and being "righteous." Many people are kind and good neighbors, but according to Scripture, "There is no one righteous, not even one" (Romans 3:10). We are all unable to meet God's perfect standard of holiness (Question 43).
Therefore, we need God not to give us the ability to be kind, but to grant us the righteousness of Christ so that we can stand without guilt before Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).
God’s Assurance
God assures you that His primary goal is not to judge the kindness of your acts but the posture of your heart and where you place your ultimate faith.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." — John 3:16 (NIV)
You are assured that the necessary step is not to be a good person, but to believe in the one who is perfectly good and who alone can grant you eternal life.
Your Takeaway Thought
Acknowledge the kindness and goodness you see in the world, but remember the crucial distinction: God is the foundation of goodness itself. Your goal as a Christian is not just to perform good acts, but to seek Jesus Christ, the perfectly Good One, who enables you to live a life of true righteousness and purpose.
