Why Being a Good Person Isn’t Good Enough

Why Isn’t Being a Good Person Good Enough?

The question of why being a good person isn’t enough—and why simply being kind to others doesn’t suffice—hinges on what you mean by “enough.” If your goal is happiness in this life, then being good and kind might indeed be sufficient. However, if you aspire to something greater, such as eternal happiness or eternal exaltation, goodness alone falls short. Here’s why.

Temporal Happiness vs. Eternal Exaltation

Being a good person—loving your neighbor, practicing honesty, and living righteously—brings blessings and fosters happiness in the here and now. But life’s purpose extends beyond this mortal existence. Eternal happiness and exaltation—the state of living with God forever—require more than good deeds. They demand a relationship with God formalized through covenants, sacred promises that align us with His Plan of Salvation.

The Role of Covenants: Renting vs. Owning

Jeffery A. Hogge, in his book Sacred Covenants (available at cedarfort.com), illustrates this beautifully with an analogy:

“The difference between living a good life with covenants and living a good life but failing to make covenants with God is like the difference between making monthly payments to rent a home and making monthly payments to buy a home.”

Imagine paying the same amount each month to rent or to buy a house. Renting lets you live there temporarily, but you gain no ownership. Buying, however, builds equity, leading to permanent ownership. Similarly, good deeds without covenants bring temporary blessings, but they don’t secure eternal life. Covenants—such as baptism and temple ordinances—commit you to the covenant path, a course that, with the Savior’s help, leads to exaltation.

Why Goodness Alone Isn’t Sufficient

No matter how good you are, you cannot save yourself. Salvation and exaltation depend on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To access its full power, you must covenant with God, accepting Christ’s sacrifice and aligning your life with His will. Without these saving covenants, even the best person remains a “renter” in eternity—blessed, perhaps, but not an inheritor of God’s kingdom. With covenants, you become an “owner,” eligible for eternal life.

Joseph Smith reinforced this in Doctrine and Covenants 88:32, teaching that after resurrection, people “return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive.” God doesn’t force anyone into heaven; it’s a choice made through covenant-keeping.

Addressing Justice and Fairness

This perspective raises questions: Why doesn’t God save everyone, even the good but uncovenanted? What about those who never hear of covenants? God is just—everyone will have the opportunity, in this life or the next, to accept the gospel and make covenants. The circumstances of our birth don’t limit God’s fairness; His plan ensures all can choose the covenant path.

Conclusion

So, why isn’t being a good person good enough? If “enough” means temporal happiness, it might be. But for eternal happiness and exaltation, goodness must be paired with covenants. Understanding and keeping these sacred covenants with God clarify our purpose and deepen our commitment to Him. To explore this further, check out Sacred Covenants or other LDS books at Cedar Fort.

The opinions and views expressed herein belong solely to Jayden Jeppson and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of Cedar Fort, Inc.