What is the difference between being a Christian and just being a good person?

Answer 1

The essential difference is simply that there is no place in heaven for good people because God has decreed that place to be for his followers only. If you are a righteous humanitarian agnostic or atheist but you don't obey his religious leaders you are destined for hell. If you follow those other people from the other religion you will be cursed with eternal damnation.

A Christian is one who follows Christ and does his/her best to be conformed to Him, to become like Him. The way to know Christians is by their love of God & for one another including those who aren't Christian. That love is not always nice nor is it agreement w/ sin. Sin is not tolerated because God is holy & we too are called to be holy. Christians love & pray for those who commit sins even if they must separate themselves from someone engaged in serious sin. (The separation is in hope of repentance & reconciliation.) Christians are also flawed humans; the process of being conformed to Christ takes a lifetime. If one looks at the Church as a whole, it is easier to see how we love: we worship God, we care for those in need, we call our brothers & sisters to repentance, we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, share the good news of freedom from sin through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Church is made up of flawed human beings, wickedness will be found among the members; sometimes the Church will look better than at other times. But the Church, as a whole, ought to be worshiping God, caring for those in need & loving those who need love. That is what the Church does.

There are two main difficulties w/ just being a "good person": 1) Who determines what is good? 2) Life is more than the time we are on earth. Too often "good" equals nice & avoiding offense. So many "good people" see relatives, friends & neighbours in situations that cry out for correction or beg for help. But interference is the worst sin a "good person" can commit & so a detached, 'As long as you're happy' is often the best response even when one ought to say, 'What you are doing is wrong!' This detachment is the hallmark of those who are not reconciled to God. We did not create ourselves. We belong to & are accountable to God & we live out that accountability by loving those God has put into our lives even when love requires uncomfortable responses. Also, being a "good person" often includes engaging in sin because one believes personal actions don't harm anyone else. One forgets that we are social beings & everything we do affects others; since we belong to God, when we sin against ourselves, we sin against Him.

The sad thing is, many who call themselves Christian live this way too & confuse non-Christians. Sometimes, "good people" are actually more caring than Christians. I am not suggesting that "good people" are bad. Instead, "good people" are without the one thing we all need, reconciliation to our Father in heaven. Which brings me to #2: if we are part of His Body here, if we love & listen to Him here, if we are His here, we will be His forever. If we are not His here, we may be His (God knows our hearts) but we risk being left out of the great banquet He has prepared for those who love Him. Christ is the way to be reconciled to God now & forever. We must decide if being a "good person" is enough because life on earth is brief, it's like the time spent in the womb except we can choose. We must take thought for what we will be born into when we pass through death.

Answer 2

Not all Christians are good persons, although many do try to be. So, while it is not necessary to be a Christian to be a good person, it is also not necessary to be a good person to be a Christian.

Some Christian denominations teach that it is necessary to live a good life, or at least be forgiven for lapses, in order to achieve salvation. Others teach that it is only necessary to believe in order to achieve salvation, although they may encourage good works.