Are Christians Better People?

In 1993, I was only saved for a few months and was asked a bizarre yet evocative question. A guy who worked on another crew approached me in the cafeteria and asked, “Chad, you’re a Christian, right? Do you think that you are better than me?”

“No, why would you think that?” I replied.

“Because I was talking to someone from your church, and he said he was better than me because he had Jesus, and I didn’t.”

My mind was blown, not only by the question but by the hurt look in his eyes. I went on to tell him that the first thing that we Christians do is admit that we are broken and need a Saviour. We should never think we are better than anyone because the Holy Spirit makes us aware of every area in which we fall short. Jesus died for everyone; we are all in the same boat. Jesus’ love is eternal and unchanging toward every human being, regardless of who they are, what they do, or what they think about God.

After 31 years of reviewing this question hundreds of times, I have come to the following conclusion. The Bible says that God is no respecter of persons. In other words, God doesn’t hold anyone in higher esteem than any other. We are all created in the image of God, Imago Dei. The Infinite Creator God sent Jesus to Earth to live a perfect life and die on our behalf so that we, the creation, could have an intimate, personal relationship with the Creator by turning from our rebellion and accepting Jesus’ payment for our sins.

Also, to address the other side of this question, “Are we better people?” I mean more moral or socially productive than unbelievers. I have met some very kind and moral unbelievers, and I have met more than my fair share of shady or graceless Christians. The question is, “What is the difference?”

As a human, I can only show love and compassion to my fellow man under my power and make moral choices based on how I feel now. The Greek word for human love is phileo, which means reciprocating love. I love you because you love me or because of what you do for me.

God’s love for humanity is agape, which is one-sided, eternal, and cannot be earned or deserved.

As a Christian, God places His Spirit within me as a constant comforter, guide, and helper. With the Holy Spirit, I can now love (agape) my fellow humans with God’s love and see them with His eyes. If I allow the Spirit to work through me, I can show compassion to someone who hates me, make moral choices to uplift and strengthen those around me, and share the truth about the Infinite Creator with a world that wants nothing to do with Him.

Does that make me a “better” person? I don’t think that makes me better than anyone else, but it makes me better than I could be. It makes me a better me.