Can Unbelievers Do Good Works?

Can unbelievers please God in any good that they do? Do random acts of kindness by unbelievers earn merit or favor with God? Can true goodness exist in people who are not motivated by or connected to the saving work of Jesus Christ?

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Josh Philpot shares that Paul says in the book of Romans that there is none righteous, no not one; there is none that does good. Dr. Philpot also says that Paul says in the book of Titus that unbelievers are not fit for any good work. But this sort of flies in the face of our experience and understanding. We can look around and see numerous unbelieving people who do some seemingly good deeds. Dr. Philpot asks Dr. Richard Caldwell to help us understand this. How can we distinguish the works (good deeds) of unbelievers versus those that are the fruit of the Spirit done by true believers of Christ?