NOT EVEN ONE

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

-Psalm 14:1-3

In today’s world, many people claim that there are “good” Catholics, Mormons, Muslims, and even Protestants. The assumption is that devotion to a religious system, combined with moral behavior, makes someone “good.”

However, this idea is inherently contradictory from a biblical standpoint. Jesus Himself declared in Mark 10:18, “No one is good except God alone.” According to Scripture, the only thing that makes anyone righteous before God is the imputed righteousness of Christ, received by grace through faith (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9). If goodness is defined by God’s objective standard, then being a faithful adherent of a false religious system—one that contradicts biblical truth—cannot make someone truly “good.”

When the rich young ruler called Jesus “Good Teacher,” Christ immediately responded, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). Jesus wasn’t denying His own goodness but was challenging the man’s understanding of what it truly means to be good. This truth applies universally—no one is good apart from God’s righteousness.

Human nature is sinful (Romans 3:10-12). No one can claim to be good by their own merit, no matter how religiously devout or morally upright they may appear. The only way a person can be counted as righteous is by being clothed in Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-22). If someone adheres to a religious system that contradicts the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they remain outside of that righteousness and cannot be considered “good” in God’s eyes.

A Catholic who faithfully adheres to Catholic doctrine faces a fundamental and unavoidable contradiction. Catholicism, as a religious system, incorporates numerous doctrines that directly contradict Scripture.

1. Venerating the Pope as the Head of the Church – The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is the earthly head of the Church, the “Vicar of Christ.” However, Scripture teaches that Christ alone is the head of His Church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). No human can assume that position without usurping Christ’s authority.

2. Venerating Mary as Deity – The Catholic doctrine of Mary elevates her beyond what Scripture allows. She is called the “Mother of God,” “Mediatrix,” and even “Coredemptrix.” Yet, Scripture states that Christ is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Mary was a faithful servant of God, but she is not divine, nor does she play a redemptive role.

3. Prayers to Mary and the Saints – Catholics recite prayers such as “Hail Mary, full of grace” and seek intercession from saints, but the Bible explicitly teaches that prayer is to be directed to God alone (Matthew 6:9; Philippians 4:6). Jesus taught that we should pray to the Father in His name (John 14:13-14), not to other humans, no matter how revered they may be.

4. Belief in Purgatory – Catholicism teaches that after death, souls must be purified in purgatory before entering heaven. Yet, Scripture teaches that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cleanse all sin (Hebrews 10:10-14). The idea of purgatory undermines the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and promotes a works-based view of salvation.

5. Works-Based Salvation – Catholicism teaches that salvation requires faith plus works, sacraments, and participation in the Church. However, the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith alone, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:28). Any attempt to earn salvation is an affront to the finished work of Christ.

If a Catholic truly believes the Bible, they must reject these doctrines because they contradict the Gospel. If, however, they fully embrace Catholic doctrine, they are following a system that is incompatible with biblical Christianity. This makes the idea of a “good Catholic” an inherent contradiction—one cannot be both a faithful Catholic and a biblically sound Christian.

This issue is not limited to Catholicism. Other religious systems also contradict biblical truth at a foundational level.

1. Mormonism teaches a different Jesus, claiming He is the spirit brother of Lucifer and that humans can attain godhood. This contradicts Scripture, which affirms that Jesus is the eternal, uncreated God (John 1:1-3) and that there is only one true God (Isaiah 43:10). Mormonism’s gospel is based on works, temple rituals, and secret knowledge rather than faith in Christ alone (Galatians 1:8-9).

2. Islam denies the deity of Christ, His atoning death, and His resurrection—truths that are essential for salvation (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Islam teaches that salvation depends on works, contradicting the biblical teaching that salvation is a free gift of grace.

Since both Mormonism and Islam reject Christ’s identity and the true Gospel, no faithful Mormon or Muslim can be considered “good” in the biblical sense. Their religious devotion, no matter how sincere, cannot make them righteous before God.

It would be a mistake to assume that all Protestants automatically have sound theology. Many Protestants lack true biblical knowledge and hold to false beliefs, just as many Catholics, Mormons, and Muslims do. Mere Protestant identity does not make someone “good” or biblically faithful. There are entire “Protestant” denominations today that have gone completely off the orthodox theological rails and are worse off than agnostics and atheists.

True biblical Christianity is rooted in Scripture and the Apostles’ teachings (Acts 2:42) because their teachings point to Jesus as eternally God the Son, Creator, Savior, Redeemer, LORD, and King. A Protestant church that teaches and upholds the Word of God, rather than human traditions, is aligned with Christ’s design for His Church. A person who devotes themselves to biblical truth, desires to honor Christ, and seeks sanctification through faith is counted as righteous—not by their own merit, but by Christ’s righteousness.

On the other hand, those who claim Christianity but are merely religious without true devotion to Christ are no different from the Pharisees. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their devotion to human traditions, saying, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). He warned that they travel land and sea to make converts, only to turn them into twice the children of hell (Matthew 23:15). Many Catholics, Mormons, Muslims—and even Protestants—fall into this category, embracing and worshipping religious systems as their idols that lead to death rather than life in Christ.

Since Romans 3:10 declares, “None is righteous, no, not one,” and Isaiah 64:6 says that even our best deeds are like filthy rags, the only way to be counted as good before God is through faith in Christ alone.

True goodness is not based on religious adherence, personal morality, or church affiliation. It is based on being justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Only those who are covered by Christ’s righteousness are counted as good in God’s sight.

The idea of a “good Catholic,” “good Mormon,” or “good Muslim” is inherently contradictory because these religious systems are based on false doctrines that contradict the Gospel. If someone truly follows the teachings of these religions, they remain outside the righteousness of Christ.

At the same time, simply being a Protestant does not make someone “good.” Only those who devote themselves to the Word of God (John 1:1-3) and embrace salvation by grace through faith in Christ can be considered righteous before God.

Jesus made it clear: “No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). The only way to be made good is to be found in Christ. Any other religious system—no matter how moral it appears—ultimately leads to death, not life.

Blessings and love,

-Kevin M. Kelley

Senior Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com