Is It More Moral to Not Believe?

You may have heard someone say this: "Christians are good so they'll be rewarded. Atheists are good for goodness' sake, and that's more moral." The first time I encountered that claim, it felt very wrong, but it took me a bit to work out exactly why. I want to get you to think about it, so you're ready if you run into this. Let's examine what drives Christian morality. 

Part of the reason this is a stumper is there are so many things going on at the same time. To some extent, this probably misunderstands our beliefs as "be good so you'll go to heaven." In fairness, that's the way it's portrayed in the popular culture. It's always a good idea to ask, "What do you mean by that?" We can address it if that misunderstanding is present.

There's also the claim that it's more moral to do good without any expectation of reward. Perhaps that's true, but it's something we need to talk about, not assume. And, of course, it's very tempting to ask them what "good" means. How is any act "moral" in their worldview?

But let's steel man their position. Let's assume the skeptic isn't misunderstanding our beliefs and not get distracted by the other logical questions that are raised by their claim. It is true that Christians believe we will be rewarded for doing good. According to Jesus, when we are finally given rest from our labors, those who have done well can look forward to praise from the Father. The New Testament teaches about believers being given crowns several times. So it's totally fair to say Christians think they'll be rewarded for being good (though we could talk about what "good" means here).

But is it fair to say "Christians are good so they'll be rewarded"?

In the beginning, young Christians may be good because they want to be rewarded. God has promised rewards to those who serve him well, and isn't it right to do so? Parents praise their children for doing well, and employers reward their best employees. Why shouldn't God reward those who have finished their race well? And what's wrong with wanting to receive that praise? It's quite natural, and I don't see anything immoral in it.

But as Christians mature, as they spend more time with Christ, they grow to hate their sin more and more. These people aren't good because they want to be rewarded; they're good because they hate sin. They do good because the opposite is repugnant to them.

And as they continue to grow closer to Christ, their motive is not to get rewards or to avoid punishment but to be like Jesus. God's plan is that we will be conformed to the image of his Son (Romans 8:29), and he puts that desire in our hearts. The more we gaze on the beauty of our Elder Brother, the more we want to be like him.

But there's another reason. When we pray the Lord's prayer, we pray "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." We're not praying to go to heaven. Yes, we look forward to the return of Christ when all creation will be renewed. We long for the new earth which will have no sorrow or crying or pain.

That's not what we're asking for in the Lord's prayer. We're asking for God's kingdom to come now, on this earth. We want to see a foretaste of it break through into this world. When we live like Christ taught, we can experience a little glimpse of heaven here and now. And we can show it to the world around us, too.

When we do that, we're being good because we want to repair the world. For everyone. Not because it makes me feel good. Not because I want to be rewarded. Because this is the way the world ought to be. This is what Jesus called us to.

"You are the light of the world ... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14, 16).


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