What Is A “Better” Christian?

Last updated on: July 13, 2026 at 9:05 pm by Rick Rice

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What Is A “Better” Christian? 2026-07-13T21:05:50-04:00 Rick Rice

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We have a human tendency to want to “rank” things – top 10 lists, best and worst, and so on. What happens when that tendency bleeds over into our Christian walk? We want to compare people to each other, or compare others to ourselves. But what exactly is a “better” Christian?

Matthew 7:1-6 (NASB)

Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and look, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Which Fast Food Company Is a “Better” Christian Company?

I hope that you recognize that this is a silly question. Companies are not “Christians.” No company ever made a willing decision to follow Jesus, nor could it. Companies are not people. They may be owned by people who are Christians, or managed by them, but the companies themselves are not disciples of Jesus.

I read an article not too long ago that said that Chick-Fil-A was no longer the highest-rated fast-food company in the U.S. Jersey Mike’s has evidently taken that crown, and the article discussed some reasons why. One of the reasons was that Jersey Mike’s prepares your food in front of you, so you can see it. People care more about what they eat and how it is prepared than previously, so this helped elevate Jersey Mike’s. But then the article added what I viewed as a gratuitous comment: “And of course, Chick-Fil-A is still closed on Sundays.” Really? That’s a problem?

I started imagining a debate over whether Chick-Fil-A is a “better” Christian company than one that is open on Sunday. I thought about In-and-Out Burger, which prints Scripture references on its product packaging. Is that more important than being closed on Sunday? Which is a “better” Christian company? That led me to wonder: why do we try to rank people as “better” Christians? What does that even mean?

“Do Not Judge” – Or, Stop Trying to Figure Out Who Is a “Better” Christian

Jesus cautions his disciples not to judge others. This is probably one of the most well-known verses in Scripture. Why? Because many who are not believers themselves still quote it to Christians when they feel they are being judged! We have to remember that it is not “judging” to state what Scripture itself says. To put it very simply, it is not judging to say that the Bible says that adultery is a sin. But condemning people for that sin – or any other – is judging, because that authority is reserved to God alone.

Jesus Himself demonstrated this principle in His encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery. He told her accusers that whoever was without sin should cast the first stone. No one did, of course, because none of them met that standard. But Jesus did – He was the only One who was without sin. When He saw that they had all left, He asked her if no one had condemned her. When she answered that they had not, He said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on do not sin any longer” (John 8:11). He didn’t condemn her, but He also didn’t condone her actions. “Go and sin no more” clearly implies that she had sinned, but He didn’t condemn her.

Who Is “Better”? The Log in Your Eye

The illustration that Jesus uses to explain His teaching catches our attention because He uses such hyperbole. Can you imagine someone with a log sticking out of their eye? How could they do anything like that? And how ridiculous would it be for such a person to point out a speck of dust in someone else’s eye?

Jesus’ point is that all of us have issues that we have to deal with in our lives. Judging others is so dangerous spiritually because we tend to minimize our own issues and maximize those that we don’t struggle with. “Oh, this? It’s just a little log, nothing much to worry about. But that speck in your eye! You need to take care of that right away!”

It’s spiritually dangerous for two reasons: first, it hampers our credibility with others; second, it leads us to discount the importance of our own sin. All of us are works in progress, no matter how long we’ve been following Jesus. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Philippi: “Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).

What Is a “Better” Christian?

Going back to my imaginary debate about Chick-Fil-A and In-and-Out Burger: are these even the characteristics we should consider in evaluating our own discipleship? Are these “performance metrics” as importance as spiritual values like loving others and showing mercy and compassion? If being a “better” Christian really is about being more like Jesus, we should remember that He said His mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

So is there any situation in which we might think about what it means to be a “better” Christian? I’d suggest that there is one, and only one. In line with Paul’s call to “press on,” we should always strive to be “better” today than we were yesterday. The purpose of God’s work in each of us is to make us more like Jesus, and so each day we ought to be progressing toward that goal. We don’t ever achieve it in this life, of course, but we should always strive toward that goal. “I may not be what I’m going to be, but I’m also not what I was!”

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