Is God Fair?
Is God Fair?
“Hey, that’s not fair, he got to sit in the front seat last time!” Have you ever said anything like that? Most of us can think of times when we have felt like we were treated unfairly. In fact, it seems that we come into the world with a very powerful sense of fairness. It’s not fair when people get in front of us in line if we have been waiting longer than them. It’s not fair when a teacher gives one student a better grade if both students did the same amount of work and had the same answers. It is unfair if parents treat one child better than their other children. We are especially good at spotting unfairness when we feel like we are the ones being treated unfairly. We somehow feel that things in this world should be fair, equal, and just.
Have you ever wondered why we feel like things should be fair? Where does the idea of fairness come from? We believe things should be fair because we have been made in the image of God. The Bible explains that when God created the first humans, Adam and Eve, they were not like animals. They were God’s very special creatures who were made in God’s image (read Genesis 1:26-27). Of course, humans are not all-powerful or eternal like God, so what does it mean to be made in God’s image? It means that humans can do some things like God can. Humans can love, because God is all loving. Humans can think and reason, because God thinks and reasons. Humans are moral and can know the difference between right and wrong, because God is moral and He always does what is right.
Being made in God’s image also means that humans have the ability to understand fairness and unfairness. In the Bible, this concept is often called justice. The story of Cornelius in Acts 10 shows us a good example of God’s idea of fairness. Many of the Jewish people incorrectly thought that since they were God’s chosen people, that meant that God did not love Gentiles (non-Jews) or that He would not allow them into His Church. Even the apostle Peter had a hard time understanding this. Through a vision, God instructed Peter to go with some people to Cornelius’ house. When he got there, He preached the Gospel to them. They believed and were baptized, and God added them to His Church. This amazed Peter because, up to this point, he thought the Gospel was for the Jews. He said, “In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Acts 10:34-35). Peter was saying that God does not treat people unfairly, but is fair and just to all people.
If we think about it, though, sometimes it can seem that God is not really fair to everyone. Why do some people get to live in wealthy countries and eat wonderful food all the time, while others starve? Why do some people have loving parents, and other children are orphans or have parents who treat them unkindly? Why are some children born into homes where they are taught about God, and others are born into homes where they do not learn the truth about God and Jesus? How can God be fair to everyone, when there are so many situations in the world where it looks like things are unfair?
In order to think about God and fairness, we must first think about why we care about fairness. We care about fairness, because we are made in God’s image. One important part of that, though, is that God is perfect in all His traits. He loves people perfectly, sometimes we do not. God thinks and reasons perfectly, sometimes we are selfish and think only about what we want. Everything God does, He does completely and perfectly. The ideas of fairness and justice come from the fact that fairness and justice are a part of who God is. He is always just and always fair.
Also, we must remember that God always has our best interest in mind. In Deuteronomy 6:24, the Bible explains that any rule or command God has ever made for humans is “for our good always.” Sometimes it may not seem like that is true. Sometimes it may seem like what we are going through is painful, unfair, and cannot be good for anything. In fact, that is exactly what Job thought when He was going through terrible trials. Job explained to God that he had been righteous and tried to follow God’s instructions, but that God was not listening and was treating him cruelly. Job said, “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me…but you have become cruel to me; with the strength of Your hand You oppose me” (Job 30:20-21). When God spoke to Job, God asked him several questions that Job could not answer. God said to Job, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding” (Job 38:4). God asked Job if Job could hold the stars in their places or cause rain to come on the Earth (38:34). Job knew he could not create a world like God did. He said to God, “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You…. Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:2-3).
Job realized that one of the most important ideas involved in fairness is that the person who is “in charge” needs to know the most about what is going on. Since God knows everything, only He knows what is fair and what is not. Let’s think about how that works. Suppose you are in line to buy some food at a Fastfood restaurant. The line is long, and you have been waiting a while. Suddenly, a parent and her child quickly rush through the door and up to the counter in front of all the other people. They order, and the people behind the counter get them food immediately. They did not have to wait in line, and they broke in front of you. Is that fair? It might not seem fair to you because you do not know the whole story. When you learn that the child has low blood sugar and is about to pass out or be very sick if he does not get something to eat, then it seems much fairer.
Or, imagine you are in a line of traffic and have been waiting a long time. Suddenly, a vehicle comes speeding by and weaves in and out of traffic, drives on the shoulder of the road, and cuts in front of everyone. That does not seem fair. What if we say it was an ambulance trying to get someone to the hospital? That changes things. Or, think about this. Suppose you are opening Christmas presents and your brother gets 13 presents, and you only get three. Is that fair? It might not seem fair at first. But what if your parents explain that your three presents cost the same as all 13 of his?
Only the person who knows the most about a situation can really know what is fair. One time, Abraham was talking to God about saving the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He said to God, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). He recognized that God is the only person who is in a position to judge every situation and to know exactly what is fair. In our illustrations about the child cutting in line or the ambulance, we get to see the reasons why what we thought was not fair really was fair. In real life, we do not always get to see those reasons. Some of them have a lot to do with the spiritual world and what is best for each person’s soul. One thing we can know, however, is that God is the righteous Judge of the world Who does not show partiality. He has our best interests in mind and will always be fair. After all, God’s justice and fairness are very important traits of Who God is.
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posted by Believer | 1:00 AM
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