Guidelines for Being a Good Christian

Being a good Christian is not about trying harder to be good. It is about trusting Jesus, who lived the life you could not live, died the death you deserved, and rose again, and then letting His Spirit produce His character in you. The guidelines below are not a ladder to climb to reach God. They are what walking with Him looks like once He has already reached you.

What does the Bible actually say about being a good Christian?

Most people search this question because they want a checklist. A list is easier. You can finish a list. You cannot finish a Person.

Jesus was asked something close to this once. A man came to Him and asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus pointed him to the commandments, and the man said he had kept them all since his youth. Then Jesus told him to sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Him. The man walked away sad. He had kept the list and missed the point. The list was never the point. Jesus was standing right in front of him.

So before any guidelines, the ground has to be clear. You are not made good by what you do. You are made good by whose you are. Everything below grows from that root. Pull the root and the rest dies.

How does someone actually become a Christian?

Jesus said it plainly to a religious leader named Nicodemus, in John 3: “You must be born again.” Not improved. Not cleaned up. Born. A dead thing does not get better with effort. It gets life, or it stays dead. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus the Son of Man must be lifted up, the way the bronze serpent was lifted in the wilderness, so that whoever believes in Him has eternal life.

So the first guideline is not a guideline at all. It is a turning. You agree with God about your sin instead of managing your reputation. You stop trusting your own record and trust His. That is repentance and faith, and it is the doorway, not the decoration.

What did Jesus say the greatest commandments are?

A teacher of the law tested Jesus with this question, and Jesus gave two answers that hold the whole law together. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.

That is the whole assignment. Paul said the same in Romans 13, that love is the fulfillment of the law. Which means when you are stuck wondering whether a choice is right, the question is rarely about a rule you cannot find. It is usually about whether you are loving God and loving the person in front of you. Jesus told a parable about a Samaritan, a man from the wrong group, who stopped for a beaten traveler when the religious men walked past. The neighbor was the one who showed mercy. Go and do likewise, Jesus said.

What does it look like to follow Jesus day to day?

Following is a daily thing, not a one time decision you file away.

Take up your cross. Jesus said whoever wants to follow Him must deny himself and take up his cross daily. That means your plans, your comfort, and your right to be right all get laid down when they stand between you and Him. It is not dramatic most days. It is quiet.

Abide in Him. In John 15, Jesus said He is the vine and you are the branches. A branch does not strain to produce fruit. It stays connected, and fruit comes. Prayer, Scripture, and time with Him are not chores to earn His favor. They are how you stay attached. Cut off from Him, Jesus said, you can do nothing.

Bear the fruit of the Spirit. Paul lists it in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Notice whose fruit it is. The Spirit’s. You do not manufacture patience by gritting your teeth. You walk with Him and it grows. Ask any farmer whether fruit appears overnight.

Serve others. Jesus washed His disciples’ feet the night before He died, including the feet of the man who would betray Him. Then He said the servant is not greater than his master. If He washed feet, so do you.

Forgive. Jesus tied forgiveness to your own forgiveness directly. In Matthew 6, right after teaching the Lord’s Prayer, He said if you forgive others, your Father will forgive you, and if you do not, you will not be forgiven. That is a hard saying. It is also a free one. Unforgiveness chains you to the person who hurt you. Jesus offers the key.

Does being a good Christian mean being perfect?

No. Read the people Jesus chose. Peter denied Him three times. Thomas doubted. Paul murdered Christians before he met Christ. The Bible is full of men and women who failed badly and were still used by God.

What marks a Christian is not a spotless record. It is what happens after the failure. David sinned with Bathsheba and then wrote Psalm 51, begging God to create in him a clean heart. He did not hide it. He brought it into the light. John wrote in 1 John 1 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession is not groveling. It is coming home.

So do not be surprised by your own stumbles. Be surprised by grace instead.

What are the guidelines, in short?

Believe in Jesus, not in your own goodness. Love God and love people. Stay close to Him like a branch to a vine. Serve, forgive, and tell the truth. Confess quickly when you fail. Let the Spirit grow His fruit in you and stop trying to grow your own.

And remember where the goodness comes from. You are not trying to become a good person so that Jesus will accept you. He already did, at the cross, before you did a single thing. Now you are learning to live like someone He has already claimed.

A prayer to start

Jesus, I have been trying to be good on my own and it is not working. I believe You lived, died, and rose for me. Forgive my sin. I turn from it and trust You. Teach me to love God and love people, to stay close to You, and to let Your Spirit change me from the inside. Thank You that I do not have to earn what You have already given. Amen.