Being good without God

De Maria | 12/07/2015

An atheist said:

I am better than Christians. Christians are good because they fear the pains of hell. I am good because I believe it is the right thing to do.

I answered:

Good luck doing that without God.

The reason for our existence is that we should love God in this life in order that we should be with Him in the next. Did you notice the continuity? There is no real separation between this life and the next. If you love God in this life, that entails obeying Him and keeping all the Commandments. By definition, that means being righteous. Then:

Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Even though you are still alive, you are already walking with the Saints. When you die, you will continue walking with the Saints in the presence of God.

However, if you deny the existence of God in this life, it then becomes very difficult to sustain an attempt at righteousness. In addition, those who deny God's existence will not ask for His grace which He grants to all who pray.

The main thing though, is that you have denied Him in this life and therefore He will deny you in the next.

Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Unless you change your mind between now and the end of your life, you have made your destiny.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

More Stories By De Maria:

Why is it called "the Mass"?

Catholic and Protestant presuppositions are different

Romans 4 and the Sacraments

No, Jim, that's not what the Scripture means.

I would not accept the Gospel, but for the authority of the Catholic Church

How can I prove the Divinity of Christ, to a Jehovah, from Scripture?

We are saved by faith and works, in a manner of speaking

Where does the Bible say we are allowed to pray to "dead saints"?

About the Author

De Maria

website

My name is not, De Maria. But De Maria is who I am. About 30 years ago, the internet was new. And many of us, including my wife and I, considered it the Beast of Revelations. Therefore, we stayed off of it. But, one day, after experiencing a very powerful conversion back to the Catholic Church and the Spirit, being strong within me, made me yearn to teach the Faith. Little did I know, how little I knew about the Faith I practiced.

Becoming a Catechism teacher took me back to the days when I was young and hungry for knowledge. But in those days, no one wanted to be bothered answering my questions. And I believe that is one of the reasons why I fell away. No one could explain the Faith to me in a manner that was satisfactory. I didn't want to be that type of Catechist. I wanted to understand so that I could pass on my understanding. But it soon became obvious to me, that I didn't understand very much at all.

Then, one day, someone said, "why don't you ask for explanations on the Internet? There are lots of knowledgeable people there." So, I investigated. And, thanks be to God, I found a now defunct website for Catechists. I learned so much from them. I can't ever repay them.

But, back to my pen name, De Maria. Back then, most of us distrusted the Internet. And this forum for Catechists did not permit us to use our real names. They required pen names. So, since I love Our Lady, I took her name. (I am a guy, by the way.) In the grand tradition of male Saints who have adopted Our Lady's name, for instance, St. Louis "Marie" de Montfort and St. Alphonsus "Marie" de Liquori. And that's who I am. I believe that I belong to Mary and that I am sent by her to preach about her Son.

Besides this website, I have two more. Washed, justified and sanctified in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and CatholicBibleTalk.