A recent letter writer claimed that "People care about others and have high moral character outside of religion."
Several weeks ago another writer in the News claimed that people can have goodness without God. Both of these writers are dead wrong.
A person who is spiritually unregenerate is not able to not sin. This means that an unregenerate person sins continuously and without interruption in thought, word and deed. Therefore, a truly good thought, good word or good deed from that person is an impossibility. The motive behind every thought, word, and deed of such a person is always tainted by sin. But a person in the unregenerate state is often driven by sins like pride, vanity, and the like to appear good to others. But this supposed or apparent goodness is a mere farce or counterfeit, and the unbelieving and therefore unregenerate person who claims to be a good person is merely an impostor.
The Holy Bible, God's written Word, called all merely apparent goodness filthy, menstrual-soaked rags.
Many unbelievers are desperate to appear good, and they spend a great deal of time and energy trying to convince or reassure both themselves and others that they are good, or altruistic, or what not.
But true goodness can come only from the one true God, in the Persons of the Father, His Son Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
The great German philosopher Immanuel Kant put his finger on the crux of the matter. Kant, who was a Christian, taught that the only thing that is truly good without condition among humans in this earthly life is a perfectly good will.
And such willing, Kant stressed, can come only from those who are true believers and followers of Christ, those in whom God has implanted the love of Himself as the Way, the Truth, the Life, and as Love. Perfect willing or true goodness flows from God into and through the believing human vessel.
So when I hear self-righteous unbelievers crowing in self-flattery about their own alleged goodness, I keep my hand on my wallet and my powder dry. When I hear such lying self-delusion, I recall how God's Word says that true goodness apart from God is impossible, since God Himself is the Good.