It's Not Fair!
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Sat, 26 Feb 2000
It's Not Fair!
Scriptures: Ezekiel 18:25-27; Matthew 20:9-15; & Luke 15:25-32 (I highly
recommend the reading of the above Scriptures as a basis for this note.)
How many times have we heard the outcry of "It's not fair!"? God tells
us that His ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts are higher than
our thoughts. Also, that the things of the Spirit are not discernable by
the "natural" man.
The Bible also teaches us that God is just. Yet, God is merciful,
loving and kind. Without getting into a big theological lesson, let's just
face it: God is consistent with all of his holy characteristics. It is
impossible for us to understand all about Him, and to be able to explain
everything that He does, or does not do, to the satisfaction of our puny
little concepts of fairness, which are often tainted with a measure of
sinful selfishness.
But, I would like to speak on God's behalf. In a manner consistent with
His entire Being, God acts and reacts toward us on the basis of our actions
and reactions toward Him and the light that He has given us. Note that He
will forgive one who truly repents, and he will hold accountable one who
willingly sins. He will keep all of His promises to those who are faithful
in a covenant relationship with Him, but he will also keep his promises to
those who toward the end of their lives properly respond to His call. In the
latter case, though much of their lives had been wasted, still God is being
consistent with who He is.
That same love that put Jesus on the cross and held back twelve legions
of angels and caused the Father to turn His head while the hosts of Hell
rejoiced over Christ's apparent defeat, I say that same "love which passeth
knowledge" and is communicated to our hearts by the Holy Spirit will not
turn a deaf ear to a soul "that on Jesus hath leaned for repose".
Oh no, it wasn't "fair" (at least to his carnal, selfish way of
thinking) for the elder brother of the prodigal son to come back from a hard
day's work for his father only to see that a grand celebration had exploded
at the return of that "no good for nothing scoundrel" of a little brother.
But, neither was it fair that Jesus would die for us, He "who did no sin
neither was guile found in His mouth". It's not fair that we should get to
go to Heaven, when only one sin was enough to keep us locked up in the
prison of the Lake of Fire forever. As one man said, we should not ask "Why
do bad things happen to good people?" but rather "Why do good things happen
to bad people?"
Much more could be written on this subject, but I hope this might be
helpful to someone who has cried out, or wanted to do so, "IT'S NOT FAIR!"
Yours In Christ,
The Bible Note Writer
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