What does it take to be a good Christian?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament doesn’t use the word “Christian” because it was written before the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. However, it lays the foundation for being a “good Christian.” Many of the values and principles that Christians are called to live out today—such as love, justice, obedience, mercy, and humility—are rooted in the Old Testament. These commands reveal God's heart and expectations for His people, and they remain relevant for believers who follow Christ.
• For example, Deuteronomy 6:5 commands God’s people to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might,” and Leviticus 19:18 says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandments, He quoted these very verses, showing that the heart of Christian behavior—loving God and loving others—was already clearly established in the Old Testament (see Matthew 22:37–40).
• Micah 6:8 also summarizes God’s desire for His people for all time: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
• Obedience from the heart is also a key Old Testament theme. Psalm 119:11 speaks of hiding God’s Word in our hearts to avoid sin, while Deuteronomy 10:12–13 calls God’s people to walk in His ways, love Him, and keep His commandments.
• Isaiah 1:16–17 urges a life of repentance and righteousness: “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean… cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice…” These calls for purity, justice, and faithfulness are echoed in the New Testament as fruits of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit.
• Trusting God, not ourselves, is a theme found in the Old Testament such as in Proverbs 3:5-6, and is carried into the Christian life, where faith in God through Christ is central.

from the new testament

• Seeking to make Jesus known to others is something we should do (Matthew 28:18–20), however, Jesus never says this makes us “good Christians.”
• As believers, we demonstrate God’s love to one another and to the world (John 13:34–35; 15:12–17), yet this love should not be out of a place of trying to earn the love He’s already given us—it should come out of a place of genuine love for God.
• Jesus talked about abiding in Him and producing good fruit in John 15. Producing this fruit is done because of God’s work in us. We can’t and shouldn't try to attribute any of the credit to ourselves.
• The Christian life is not about being good by the world’s standards. It is about having been reconciled with God—counted as "good" before Him—and then living out the fruit of such an amazing grace. Second Corinthians 3:18 says, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
• Salvation is not a ticket to heaven, but complete regeneration. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." God transforms our being and brings us into an active relationship with Him. There is no cookie-cutter approach to God or method to pleasing Him—He does the transformative work in our lives—not us.
• Ephesians 2:10 says we have been created for good works that God prepared in advance for us. Christ-like behavior should be apparent in our actions, but there is zero formula for being a "good Christian.”
• We as believers should fellowship with other believers to encourage them in faith and help them get to know God more (Hebrews 10:24–25). Doing this does not make us a "good Christian." However, fellowshipping with believers—along with other godly activities and spiritual disciplines—do tend to characterize the Christian life.
• Second Peter 1:3–8 helps us understand what it looks like to live in a godly way and be kept from being “ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

implications for today

The concept of a "good Christian" misses the point of what our life is all about. While there are steps of obedience we can take in our walk with God, we should not take these steps in an attempt to earn God’s grace or make Him love us. His grace has already been freely given to us and His love is already extended and permanent. Obedience to God’s Word should be done not out of obligation or in an attempt to be a “good Christian,” but simply out of a love for Him. It is not our own goodness that brings us to salvation, and neither is it our own goodness that keeps us saved (Ephesians 2:8–9). It is God’s work in our lives that produces transformation (Philippians 2:12–13). As His adopted sons and daughters, God is at work in our lives. We, in turn, should trust Him and seek to obey Him.