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God is Unfair Because He is Merciful
Is God fair? To answer that question, we must define “fair”: 1) free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism; 2) conforming with the established rules.
Let’s apply those two definitions to God.
- He does not play favorites (Romans 2:11), excepting anyone who is willing to come to Him. God treats people right when they repent and do good (Romans 2:6-7) (definition #1).
- God does have a rulebook, and according to those rules we all deserve condemnation. Those refusing compliance through repentance, He will treat fairly, giving them a just and proper trial (Romans 2:1-3,5,8,9). God treats these people right also (definition #1).
- Through Jesus, God can change the verdict from guilty to innocent (Romans 5:1). He has this divine right (definition #2).
When people complain that God is not fair, which of the two definitions do they use? Neither. They add a third definition. What they mean by God not being fair is they don’t like what God does or allows. They might even add to their complaint, “God, I deserve better than this!” Think hard on this one point…Do we really want God to give us what we deserve? I need a God who will accept the Prodigal Son back even when so-called brothers call God out for being unfair (Luke 15:29-30). I need a God who is willing to accept those who have nothing to offer except the willingness to come, even when those more qualified call God out for being unfair (Matthew 20:12). Mercy and Grace are “unfair” when looking at the rule book. I need a God who is “unfair”!
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