ARE
SOME NON-BELIEVERS MORE “CHRISTIAN” THAN MOST CHRISTIANS?
Perhaps
you are like me and have heard a phrase like the following at some point in your life and perhaps even
recently: I know many non-believers (or non-Christians) who are more “Christian”[1] than most Christians.
While I understand the sentiment behind such a statement, it is simply not
true. Without negating the responsibility of all Christians to live morally
upright lives, we should understand that everyone fails. If we did not fail, we
would not need a savior; yet, we do so in that way, we are all hypocrites. What
people usually mean, in a statement like this, is that there are some people
who do not profess Christ as their Lord yet live lives seemingly more righteous
than many people who do profess Christ as Lord. The problem in such a
statement, however, is threefold under the umbrella of answering with a
resounding no! I will discuss the most protruding three problems in that
statement, all of which are derived from what the Bible says about humanity and
about Jesus Christ.
No Because Everyone Is Radically and Totally
Wicked by Nature
First, the answer of whether some non-believers are more
“Christian” is no because every person throughout history is radically and
totally wicked by nature. Some might say it is by choice; yet, we choose evil
because our nature is evil. There exists (and perhaps always has existed) a
train of thought that suggests humanity is mostly good by nature. Scripture,
nevertheless, says otherwise. Not only have all sinned and fallen short of God
(Rom 3:23), i.e. righteousness, the Apostle Paul says that we are/were dead in
our trespasses (Eph 2:1). Moreover, the psalmist says that we are conceived in
sin (Ps 51:5). Such an idea might not seem logical to many; nonetheless, when
reasoned, it becomes clear. Consider how prone humanity is to making evil
decisions not only in the most extreme circumstances but also in our daily
lives. We do not need help sinning; we do not need to be taught to sin; it is
not learned but is natural. It does not take long for a child to make bad
decisions. In fact, from the moment a child is born, they begin a path of
selfishness. No one is innocent. All are totally and radically depraved and in
need of Christ. Thus, to say that some non-believers are more “Christian” than
most Christians is false.
Those
who are Christians[2]
are found in the righteousness of Christ. One is never saved by their works; no
one’s works could ever be good enough for salvation. It is only through Jesus
that anyone is saved so even if someone acts better than another person (which
is completely possible), if such a person is not atoned through a personal
Lordship relationship with Jesus Christ, their works are not good enough. We
must understand that Christians are saved by grace through faith in Jesus
Christ alone. It is upon salvation in Christ then that our lives begin to
change and become more like him. We will still make many mistakes and some
quite terrible, in fact; we are covered, however, before the Father, in the
righteous blood of Jesus Christ. The answer to the question then is no: there
is no such thing as a non-believer who is more “Christian” than most
Christians. You either are a Christian, or you are not; you either hold the
imputed righteousness of Jesus, or you hold the completion of sin.
No Because No One Is Saved by Works but Only by
Christ
In continuation, our works are not good enough for
salvation. The Bible tells us that we are saved by grace through faith and not
of ourselves (Rom 6:23). A problem with a statement that suggests non-believers
are more “Christian” than most Christians is that it fails to realize
humanity’s complete dependence on God and inability to choose God or do enough
good for him to accept us. It is only by the calling and awakening of the Holy
Spirit that we may receive Christ and choose righteousness. The fruit of the
Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). Such characteristics are
impossible to exist without Christ. Even those who are not Christians but
perhaps exude behaviors that could be considered as such do not do so on their
own merit. Anything good is only from God. When a non-believer does good, that
good only exists because of the good of God. If good and evil exist in our world,
there is an obvious source of each. God is the source of good so even good
exemplified in a non-believer employs God as the source usually without
realizing or understanding it. For the Christian, however, it is understood
that humanity is evil by nature and in need of a good God. The fruit of the
Spirit then is supernaturally and perpetually possessed by God’s people but not
by non-believers. No one is good enough to be considered righteous so the
answer to the question again is no.
No Because Even the Innocent Are Not Innocent
The third problem with stating that many or some
non-believers are more “Christian” than most Christians is that an innocent
person does not exist. Again, in continuation of what was previously stated,
any innocence from any person is not from themselves. One might ponder what
might happen to the innocent man from an indigenous tribe who has never been
able to hear the gospel. Inclusivists would suggests that some people are saved
and do not even know it because “God is love.”[3] On the
contrary, exclusivism suggests that “redemption is possible only through faith
in the gospel. This has been the predominant Christian position throughout
church history and remains so among Bible-believing evangelicals today.”[4]
Foundationally, as already mentioned, there is none who are good. God certainly
is love; yet, his wrath is necessary to atone for sin and either has been paid
through Christ or will be paid by eternal damnation for those who do not
receive Christ. The Bible tells us that no one is without excuse (Rom 2:1) and
that the law reveals our depravity and nature reveals God’s attributes making
them clearly perceived (Rom 1:20). To answer the question of what happens to
the innocent man from an indigenous tribe who has never had access to the
gospel, such a person does not exist. This truth should 1) cause our hearts, as
Christians, to be spurred in love to go and send to the uttermost parts of the
earth so that all nations (ethnicities) may see and know Christ and 2) comfort
us in knowing that we have no ability to save anyone including ourselves, for
it is only by faith in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit that we may
come to him. Building upon my foundation here, the answer of whether any non-believer
is more “Christian” than most Christians is a further resounding no.
We Should Be Both Comforted and Convicted That
No One Is Righteous
Concluding, I will reiterate what I just said: we, as
believers in and followers of Jesus Christ should be both comforted and
convicted that no one in righteous. It is only by and through Jesus Christ that
anyone has access to the Father. In fact, without the mediation of the Son, our
prayers go nowhere, for God does not hear us unless through Jesus; he alone is
the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through
him (John 14:6). The idea that we are all striving toward the same goal, that
God is love and knows who is good, and that all ways are basically the same is
false. As Christians, this truth should cause our hearts to be overwhelmed with
joy that there is a way at all and concurrently spur us to love others and
faithfully preach the gospel. Certainly, we make mistakes; thus, it might seem
that some who do not profess Jesus live more morally upright lives than some
Christians. Nonetheless, nothing is further from the truth, for their morality
is in vein if not in Jesus Christ. Even our best is nothing but filthy rags
compared to God’s righteousness and holiness (Is 64:6). When we make mistakes
and when we fall, it is vital that we get right back up and continue serving
God, for we are continuously being made into his image from one degree to
another (2 Cor 3:18). Are we hypocrites? Yes; so is everyone else. God calls
and changes imperfect people because he alone is perfect. The answer then to
whether non-believers are more “Christian” than any Christian at all is no. Let
us rejoice in the righteousness of Christ, strive for excellence with the
realization that we will still fail, and faithfully preach and execute the
gospel throughout our lives.
[1] This is often the precise term used by those who
might present such a statement.
[2] This implies not only by profession but by sincere
life-change. Christians are not perfect; yet, there is a progression of
sanctification (which looks different for everyone) throughout their lives from
the moment Christ began to change them.
[3] Matt Smethurst, “What Happens to Those Who Never Hear
the Gospel,” The Gospel Coalition
(September 7, 2016), accessed January 23, 2019,
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-happens-to-those-who-never-hear-gospel/.
[4] Ibid.
