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Is God Fair? Part 3

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 16, 2022

Is God Fair? Part 3

In answering the question, “Is God fair?” (meaning, in today’s thinking, “Does He give everyone the same things?”), we have looked at the first two parts of the answer: “No” and “Yes.”

The third answer to this question is another, “No.” In His dealings with us, in what He gives to His creatures in general and His beloved children in specific, God, humanly speaking, is divinely, magnificently and magnanimously unfair.

God loves diversity and we see this in how He works in our lives. He is able to take the negative effects of the Fall, where all creation was twisted, and use them for good in us. In this scheme of things each gets what he or she needs to come to know Him and then to serve Him.
–Some people He creates with great intelligence, others with simple minds.
–Some are born beautiful, others plain, the rest are somewhere in between.
–Some are born healthy, others with birth defects or serious illnesses.
–Some grow up strong and live long, some die as babies, others die in between.
–Some grow up with many opportunities, some with few, others with none.
–Some have wonderful parents, some are totally neglected and abused, most have average ones.
–Some live in wealth, some in poverty, some in middle class income.
–Some have prominent spiritual gifts, like teaching, or leading, while others have gifts used in the background, like mercy or service.

Humanly speaking God is unfair in this, but divinely speaking, we know that He is wise and has a purpose for each in what He gives and allows; we can trust Him to do and give what is best for each.

He knows what challenges each person requires to see his or her need for a Savior, and then to grow spiritually. He does what is best for each, individually tailoring circumstances and events.

This is very “unfair” from the politically correct perspective, but very loving and wise from God’s perspective of Truth, Wisdom, and his ultimate goal to eliminate evil, to save all who are willing and to bring in a new and perfect heaven and earth.

[Something is wrong with my facebook page so I can’t add pictures, sorry!]

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Is God fair? Part 2

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 15, 2022

Is God fair? Part 2

As stated in part one, fairness, as defined in our age of tolerance, is that everyone should to get the same thing. In light of this, we have to answer the question, “Is God fair” with “No,” “Yes” and “No.” We looked at the first “No” in part one–God is not fair, in that He doesn’t give us what we deserve, rather He gives us mercy. Now we will look at this from another perspective.

“Yes, God is fair.” As you know, He has provided a way of salvation and in this we see His “fairness:” He gives the same potential to everyone. Here are several points of this fairness.

–In creating all human beings in His image, God bequeathed to all the same worth and possibility of relationships (Gen. 1:26,27).

–Jesus confirmed this worth when He died and provided the potential for salvation for all who have ever lived and ever will live. “Christ Jesus…gave himself as a ransom for all people.” (1 Tim 2:6, as well as 1John 2:2, Heb. 2:9, 4:10)

–We can only be saved by faith; this is true for everyone, no matter what his or her age, intelligence, education, religion, status, wealth, health, strength, home or family. It’s the same for all. (Eph. 2:8, Rom. 1:17)

–The Holy Spirit works in the life of every person in the whole world to convince each one of his or her need for Jesus as Savior. The Spirit “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” (John 16:7-11).

–Every person has the revelation of God’s character in creation “…what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20).

–God watches over each person, is aware of the heart condition of each, and loves each with the same great love. (Psalm 33:13-15, Psalm 145:10-16,)

–God has the same desire for everyone: that all be saved, although because of their unbelief, many will refuse His salvation. “God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim 2:4, also 2 Peter 3:9, John 1:7)

–God will condemn all sin, and anyone who clings to it rather than accepting His offer of grace and protection, will condemn themselves, along with the sin they chose and loved. (John 3:18)

In this non-exhaustive list of Scriptural points, God offers to all the same possibility of having eternal life, of becoming His child, of entering His Kingdom and Family and of receiving the same gifts and privileges He has for them. And the way to accept them is the same for all: by faith, a gift He also offers to all.

In His mercy God is fair in offering salvation to all, and I am thankful for it! This is the God we can trust wholeheartedly. Help us to do so today, Lord!

May be an image of body of water, tree and nature

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More on Fairness

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 14, 2022

An entry in my worship journal that expands on how God is not fair.

You, Lord Jesus are faithful–faithful to Your righteousness, to your holiness, to your justice, to perfect judgment of evil. And you, Heavenly Father, being love itself, are faithful to your hatred of sin, of evil, of anything contrary to your character.

In your love you judge sin, rebellion, and all that does not measure up to your perfect righteousness; if you didn’t judge them, you would not be love, for love that is righteous, pure and perfect cannot abide with anything that is tainted by anti-love: selfishness, pride and evil.

I praise you, O Lord God, that you rise far above our ability to comprehend. How could One who hates sin so profoundly, provide–against all logic we know–a pardon for your creatures who are so thoroughly sinful and selfish, reprobate and rebellious–so contrary to you?

Yet, in your wonderful, rich grace, you refused to be fair and instead opened the way, at great personal expense, to provide reconciliation. You did this through crushing your Son without mercy, that mercy might flow to all your enemies, giving us the potential for redemption, reconciliation, transformation, and eternal life with you.

Praise you that you are forcefully faithful to your character—that you are Light, you are Love and you are Life itself. You, Lord Jesus, are altogether lovely. In this, you have not been fair, but merciful and gracious; you have given us the opposite of what we deserve—the very definition of grace–and we praise you for it!

May be an image of flower and nature

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Is God Fair?

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 13, 2022

Is God fair? Part 1

Fairness, as defined in our age of “tolerance,” is that everyone should get the same thing, be given “what we deserve.” In light of this, when we ask the question, “Is God fair?” we have to answer the question, with “No,” “Yes” and “No.” We’ll look at the first answer today.

So, is God fair? “No!” If God were fully fair and gave us what we actually and naturally deserved, all people, as sin-twisted rebels, would immediately be sent to Hell. As the Word says, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3), and in our natural selves there dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18).

Since God is righteous, He must punish sin–if He did not punish it, there would be no justice, with no hope of change for the good, and no solution to the problem of evil. Before a just God, we would naturally all go to Hell right now–if He acted only from fairness.

However, praise God, His character is not limited to the low and simplistic standard of being fair. Nor is He limited to being only righteous. He is also merciful (not giving us what we deserve), loving and full of grace (giving us the opposite of what we deserve). Therefore, in this area, He chooses not to be fair; that is, He does not give us what we deserve, but instead offers the possibility of pardon. A wonderful truth that gives us hope, meaning, life and a future.

Picture: Mercy (like these flowers) triumphs over justice (unyielding as the stone wall).

May be an image of flower and nature

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God’s compassion

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 13, 2022

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for the great privilege of being one whom you love, to live in the warmth and protection, the goodness and grace of your compassion which surpasses understanding. Thank you that we don’t have to understand your love to live in it.

We can bask in it, revel in it, rejoice in it and rest in it–while being transformed by it. “As we gaze upon him with unveiled faces, we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

What a wonder: you call us to your love, you give us joy in it, and as we see more and more of it, we are being changed to be like you—able to love the unlovely, to be wise and useful for you, to bring you more and more honor.

I praise you, Lord Jesus, for your great and wonderful grace, your rich and deep character, your persistent and patient working in our lives.

You are more wonderful than anyone can adequately express. Truly you are the One “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,” (Eph 3:20). To you be honor and glory in my life today, as you shine the light of your love on me so that I may then pass that love onto others.

 

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(Untitled)

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 11, 2022
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your kind and constant working when I am not faithful. Thank you for your unceasing love and goodness in spite of my rebellion and unbelief. I praise you that you never give up on us and will pursue us to the end.
Thank you for your wide, comprehensive and complete plan for our lives. You miss no detail, your timing is perfect and your grace is more than sufficient.
Thank you for the powerful and perceptive work of your Spirit in and for us: teaching, convicting, rebuking and leading. Help us to be more and more wholeheartedly obedient to the Spirit’s leading.
To you belongs all honor and glory, Lord Jesus. Your great and deep love, shared with the Father and Spirit, is now shared with us. It is so good to be in your kingdom, in your family, in your warm embrace.
May be an image of tree, nature and sky
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Psalm 18:50b

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 10, 2022
 
Psalm 18:50b, “he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,”
[Your faithfulness endures forever, your grace flows endlessly, your goodness never fails. In your kindness you are ever the trustable One, always carrying us through the battle as we rest in you and, as we keep on your armor, you carry us onto the heights and to new victories beyond.]
“to David and his descendants forever.”
[And so, you have proved faithful in protecting the line of David down through the ages, from Abraham to Joseph and Mary.
 
You brought the promised Savior at just the right time, confirming your unfailing kindness to all people, both Jews and Gentiles. You are the Lover of the twisted ones, Redeemer of the rebels, Savior of your evil enemies and Shepherd of the scattered flock.
Praise be to you for your, humanly speaking, unreasonable Love, your illogical grace, your outrageous kindness, your amazing goodness–all poured out upon us day by day when we actually deserve the opposite. Glory be to you, the Great and Good God.
 
Help us to walk in the light of these shining Truths every day.]
 
May be an image of grass, nature and tree
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Psalm 18:50

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 9, 2022
Psalm 18:50 “He gives his king great victories;”
[You, Lord, give us opportunity to participate in your victories each day, in every temptation, every stress, every desire to grumble–each an opportunity to take up your grace and glorify you with the sacrifice of thanksgiving.
And You help us in each situation, making it possible to deny self and obey Truth, to let go of what is temporary, to hold on to what is eternal and to rise above the frustrations, disappointments and problems of life.
And in so doing you help us fulfill the purpose of our lives: honoring you, revealing you to those around us by our trusting you in every circumstance. You are sufficient, you are powerful and you are loving, fully worthy of our complete obedience.
 
Without you we are lost in a meaningless random universe. With you there is belonging, worth and meaningful, purposeful work.
 
With you there is all we need, all we desire, all we could want. Thank you, Lord God, for your counter-conditional, ever flowing agape love. Help us to live in the light of these truths, to revel i n your love, to rejoice in your goodness, to retrain our thinking to match yours. Amen,
May be an image of coneflower, African daisy, nature and text
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Psalm 18:16b,17

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 8, 2022
“You exalted me above my foes;”
[Yes, Lord, “You rescue me from my strong enemies, from my foes who are too strong for me.” (Psalm 18:17)]
“from violent men you rescued me.”
[They “confronted me on the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because he delighted in me” (Ps. 18:18,19).]
Again in the Middle East I was put on trial for mailing gospel letters into the country. I actually had nothing to do with it, but the judges said, “That doesn’t matter; if this proves to be illegal, you will go to jail!”
 
Then one judge added, “First we will send this case to a specialist in the capital named Dr. T.” Dr. T was my friend! I knew then he would give a proper opinion on the case and I would not have to go to jail! On the day of my disaster the Lord was my support.
 
Psalm 18:49 “Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.”
[You are Lord, the God who fights for us, you are worthy of glory and honor and exaltation and praise, for you are the Savior of all, especially of those who believe in you. You are worthy of being lifted up among the nations.
 
You are the Most High, you are Lord, you are Sovereign, you are Good, all the time.
In every circumstance I can trust you, bow before you, follow your Word and know that you will work it all out. To you be glory and honor today as I willingly submit my will to yours.]
May be an image of twilight, nature, tree and sky
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Exalting God

Published by S.M. Wibberley on September 7, 2022
As Psalm 18:46 and 47 tell us, in the midst of his battles, David could shout:
“The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,”
[As far as we know, David was never defeated in battle and never was seriously wounded, at least there is no mention of him being wounded–because God protected him. “The LORD is my rock…my deliverer… my shield” (Psalm 18:2). And David remembered this, giving God the credit.]
Psalm 18:48 “He is the God…who saves me from my enemies.” And that is what you did for David, saved him from Goliath, from Saul, from his own men, from the Philistines, from the kings around him, and in the end from his own son, Absalom.
[Yes, O Lord God, it is true what David said, “I call to you, who are worthy to be praised…I am saved from my enemies…You reach down from on high, you take hold of me, you draw me out of deep waters” (Ps. 18:3,16).
 
So you did for us when we lived in the Middle East. The police tried make us run, to get us put into prison, to expel us permanently, to snuff out the small church, to get me fired from my job, to paint me in the newspapers as an evil man.
 
In all that they were unsuccessful; instead, with each new attack our freedom was more and more widely declared by the courts until the police gave up. This was followed by 10 years of great opportunity to share the gospel.
 
You, Lord God, are the faithful One who constantly watches over us, not primarily for our comfort, but for our being able to give you glory before the nations. Help us to do that consistently. Amen]
May be an image of sky and nature
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