Are you a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Christian?
‘For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.’ — Philippians 3:8–9
‘You don’t have to earn your way to Jesus. Jesus earned your way to Himself. That’s why it’s good news.’ — Heather Thompson Day
“I'm just not a very good Christian...”
Have you ever thought this to yourself?
Or have you ever confessed it to a friend?
Or have you ever heard someone comment it about themselves?
I think it’s a feeling many of us who follow Jesus secretly struggle with.
As Christians, we can often view ourselves and others merely in terms of behaviour. Under the behaviour framework, if you’re doing all the right things that a Christian should be doing, then you’re a ‘good’ Christian—and if you’re not, well, that probably means you’re a ‘bad’ Christian.
That means if you read your Bible, pray, sing worship, give away money, and show kindness to everyone you meet every day, then congratulations, you’re a ‘good’ Christian. But if you don’t? Tut-tut, unfortunately, you’re a ‘bad’ Christian.
The problem with this idea of there being ‘good’ Christians and ‘bad’ Christians is that you won’t find this kind of hierarchy of status anywhere in the Bible.
Living under a lie
The tragic thing about this way of thinking is that it robs so many of us from experiencing the fullness of the gospel we believe in.
We go about our lives as if Jesus is completely separate from us. We live as if He’s looking down at us from a vast distance in Heaven, seeing whether we can ever measure up enough, ever be obedient enough, ever get things right enough for Him.
If we can just keep doing the right things, maybe He’ll finally stop being disappointed in us.
We compare ourselves to other Christians from the past and in the present whom we believe have reached the ‘gold standard’ of faith, and we feel ashamed of ourselves.
In the hierarchy of the saints, we always feel like we’re stuck at the bottom rung, gazing forlornly up at the ‘good’ Christians who have reached levels us ‘bad’ Christians can only dream of reaching.
Of course, we might be able to put together a good run of form with our Bible reading rhythm and prayer and everything else—but as soon as we miss another day or mess up with the same old sin we can’t seem to stop ourselves doing, we’re straight back down to square one in this endless game of Snakes & Ladders called ‘Christianity’.
Friends, that’s not the gospel. None of that is good news.
Trying your best to do enough to prove your worth and win the favour of God and others is to re-shackle yourself in the chains He came to free you from.
Now, I’m not saying that we can just be passive in our walk with Jesus. He rightly expects us to actively and intentionally love Him, obey Him and do the things that please Him. Immersing yourself in the Scriptures and in prayer and in worship and in serving others so that you can meet and adore Jesus are so vital to the Christian life.
But we should never do those things as performative acts to earn Jesus’ favour and to feel like we’re being ‘good’ enough for Him. We can't let ourselves fall into that trap, because it ensnares us and drains all the delight out of living for Jesus.
Sometimes, I wonder how many people have given up on following Him because they never felt like they were a ‘good’ enough Christian.
It’s a heart-breaking thought, because nobody who really understands the gospel should ever feel like that.
Living from God's favour rather than for it
This lie stops people ever stepping into the fullness of the life Jesus has promised us.
Life in His Spirit.
Life in His Kingdom.
Life filled with His power, love and grace.
Life lived in God's favour rather than for it.
Jesus’ teaching on being the Vine in John 15 is absolutely key to help us get this. Really, we should all memorise it, because it’s the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.
Jesus tells us to remain in Him as He remains in us. The Father is the Gardener who’s responsible for making sure the Vine is producing fruit in us (John 15:1–2). Fruitfulness isn’t something we produce by ourselves—it’s what Jesus promises to grow in us as we remain in Him. By living in Jesus—receiving His infinite love, trusting in His Word, and depending on His Spirit—we can be confident that we will “produce much fruit” (John 15:5).
More than anything else, we need to know and live fully confident in what's already true for us in Jesus.
By believing in and belonging to Him:
You are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7).
You are loved (Galatians 2:20).
You have already been given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).
You have the risen Lord of Heaven and Earth living inside you (Romans 8:11).
You are a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17), with a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), getting ready to rule over a new world (Revelation 5:10).
Start enjoying who you already are in Jesus
The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has done everything you could never do, so that you could be free, forever.
You don’t live under the Law, because Jesus has fulfilled it all for you—now, you live under His grace (Romans 6:14).
You don’t need to try to be good enough for Him, because Jesus has given you His very own righteousness (Philippians 3:9).
You can’t earn anything from Him, because Jesus’ grace is more than enough for you (Ephesians 2:8–9).
You can’t make Him love you any more or less, because nothing can separate you from His love for you (Romans 8:39).
Your union with Him can never change, because Jesus has made you one with Himself (John 17:21–23).
Your worth before God can never be measured by whether you feel like a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ Christian. You are forever safe in Jesus, and He is always good.
Remain in Him, enjoy Him, and be free!
Love,
Theo