Let's get real simple about being a "good person"

We all feel it — that intense, constant pressure to be a “good person.” It’s like an invisible force running through every culture, every family, and every friendship. You have this relentless inner voice — a kind of moral ledger — that insists you have to make your life count for more good than bad.

Sounds healthy, right?

But what if this universal quest to be “good” is actually a trap? It sends us scrambling for outside rules, like a religious or cultural checklist. We spend our energy desperately trying to tip the scales, and in the process, we burn ourselves out instead of finding true peace.

Here’s the wild part: the gospel aggressively opposes this effort to be a good person and instead embraces the bad person. It’s flipped upside down from the way the world looks at the problem. But it’s the only hope any of us have. So, let’s get real simple about being a good person.

You’ve probably been told your whole life that you should be trying harder, doing better, and cleaning up your life. That sounds exhausting — and honestly, Jesus hated it.

His most aggressive, face-melting words weren’t for the people openly failing (the hookups, the cheating, the addiction). They were for the religious overachievers — the ones who had their lives together, went to church, kept all the rules, and looked down on everyone else.

• He hung out with tax collectors and party animals (Luke 5:29).

• He called the religious leaders “whitewashed tombs” and “blind guides” (Matthew 23:27).

Why? Because “sinners” know their condition and that they need a Savior. The “good people” thought their effort had already saved them.

Jesus wasn’t concerned with the fact that you are a sinner (spoiler: we all have been). He was concerned with your pride in denying it and how you go about addressing it. When you attack your sin with sheer willpower — “I will try harder tomorrow,” “I’ll make up for it,” “I’ll work harder on not doing it” — you are acting like the Pharisee in the Bible (Luke 18:9–14). You’re saying, “I can fix this myself. I don’t need your free gift, God.” That self-effort is what Jesus rejected because it makes the cross irrelevant. It turns forgiveness into a grade you have to earn instead of a gift you simply receive.

Remember when Jesus talked about a sinner “cutting off their hand” (Matthew 5:30)? That isn’t a command to literally hurt yourself or try harder. It’s an extreme demand that highlights an impossible standard. You cannot fix your sin problem with your own effort. Jesus’s demand is so absolute that it forces you to face a simple truth: You are totally lost and completely dependent. But that’s right where Jesus offers us real hope.

The hope for the sinner is that instead of working to be righteous, you are simply embracing the forgiveness you already have through the cross. Your effort to fight sin doesn’t start with willpower; it starts with gratitude. You live a better life not to get the Father’s love but because you already have it. You fight sin not to earn your way to heaven but because the Holy Spirit lives in you and empowers you.

Do you understand now? There is no hope for “good people.” There’s no hope because the standard is so high, you’ll never get there with your own effort.

Even if you already believe in Jesus and have received His forgiveness for things in the past, don’t start rejecting His forgiveness now! It’s still available for you! The cross still speaks for you. The blood still covers you. DO NOT return to the “don’t sin” checklists! Receive the gift of forgiveness.

His compassionate forgiveness is new every morning, so start your day with the gratitude that whatever happened yesterday is forgiven by the blood of Jesus. The real battle isn’t fighting sin with your will; it’s fighting sin with the reality of your forgiveness!