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).