What makes someone a “good person?” Many people would relate the term to one’s kindness, humility, generosity, or work ethic. There is an argument for the importance of such qualities, but what does the Bible have to say? Of course there are so many important Bible verses about being a good person. Some of these verses destroy our personal beliefs about how good we really are while others seem to line up with conventional wisdom. Here are some of the most important Bible verses about being a good person.
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.’...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
We hate to burst your bubble, but God’s Word does not hold the morality of mankind in high esteem. This is one of the reasons why faith in Christ is better than works according to the Bible.
“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.”
One of the most celebrated people in the Bible is Abraham. While he had wealth and a large family, that’s not what God cares about. His faith has made him righteous in God’s eyes.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Building off of Genesis 15:6, we see here Paul telling the church at Ephesus that their works or religious traditions were not enough to save them from eternal destruction. Life is found through faith.
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?”
How will people know you belong to the Lord? Through your actions. While this might seem to go against the previously mentioned important Bible verses about being a good person, Jesus is saying here that a life of holiness will naturally develop good works.
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
The key to a healthy community is building one another up. The mark of a good person and a healthy Christian is one who seeks to encourage brothers and sisters in the faith. We know the early church was good at this because the Bible says so.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Looking to the prophets of the Old Testament, we see the best summation of what a good person should do with his or her time. Part of the spiritual journey we commit to as Christians is to care for and defend the helpless.
“Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
Often times a good person is torn down by hanging with the wrong crowd. Even if you were raised to be a “good person,” the more you venture away from the values you have been taught, the easier it will be for you to shed them for something else.
“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
It isn’t always easy to be a good person or to make the right choices. We know someone is a friend when they are willing to say necessary things. Someone who doesn’t care about you is happy to let you go sinning at your own peril.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
While the two might occasionally agree with one another, we shouldn’t confuse what this world determines to be good with how God qualifies such a status. We should always compare ideas and actions against what we know to be true in the Bible.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A good person, based on the example of Christ, is one who looks to serve others. We may never have the need to die for others, but we can certainly live to help them and point them to Jesus.
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
Actions are great, but the Bible says they are empty without faith and love. Our faith keeps us connected to Christ while our love keeps us humble and always seeking to care for those around us.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Although we should always strive to be good people, Christians need to remember that Jesus has freed us from the law by giving His life. Let the grace and love of God flow through your actions, but don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
The point of being a good person is not so that others think highly of you. If people notice your good deeds, try to make it an opportunity to shine a light on all of the good God has done in your own life.
“‘Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.’”
This is one of the most important Bible verses about being a good person, as it shows us that “good” is not something subjective to the human experience. Only God is good, so only He can declare something else to be good. When we talk about someone being a good person, we often are only using a human perspective.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Here we have the ideal of a good person we should hope to live out. Humility is one of the most important characteristics of being a Christian and a good person. When you can sell yourself on this point, it’s much easier to care for others in the same way Christ did while on earth.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
We all experience days where we don’t want to work. Either our jobs are too tough or the boss isn’t being fair or for a dozen other reasons we just can’t commit to getting things done. No matter what you are going through, work as if God has personally given you the task and you’ll find the willpower to go on. So when you are having trouble taking the high road in life, just remember that God has your back.
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
A good person is often one who can make peace. It doesn’t take grace, humility, or love to start a fight. A life of peace and holiness is more valuable than one where each of us storms after our own desires.
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Similar to 1 Corinthians 15:33, here we see the importance of a good person keeping good company. There is nothing wrong with reaching out to or having friendships with those who are unbelievers, but when you surround yourself with those who do not value God or His principles, you are setting yourself up for a fall.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Making one good choice is much easier than building a life on a series of wise decisions. In the same way, we must work at always doing good. This does not come naturally due to the human condition, but great is the reward for those who always walk with God.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
One value needed in the world today is found in James 1:19. The ability to hold one’s tongue, listen to someone else’s argument, and seek a peaceful resolution is a process not many are willing to entertain these days. A good person (and a good church member) is one who is slow to anger.
These are only some of the important Bible verses about being a good person. The Bible is full of wisdom when it comes to morality and doing the right thing. While sin has left humanity incapable of being fully good aside from God, these verses show us certain principles that can bring us closer to the idea of goodness.
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