Is God Fair?

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

IS GOD FAIR?

Here are some things to consider about God’s fairness:

 

• God made some people with great intellect and others with small intellect. Is that fair?
• God made some people with physical defects which hinder them from normal functions. Is that fair?
• God made some people with various superior abilities: musicians, athletes, artists, writers, etc. Some people seem to have few or no innate abilities. Is that fair?
• God had some people born in wealth and others in poverty, some in free countries and others in dictatorships, some in excellent environments and others in horrible environments. Is that fair?
• God had some people born into areas with an abundance of food and others where every day presents food shortages to the extent that many perish of starvation. Is that fair?
• God gave some people very likeable personalities and others very disgusting personalities. Is that fair?
• God gave some people the strong desire to serve him at the expense of ignoring their sexual appetites and entering the Catholic ministry. To others he seemed to give an uncontrollable sexual appetite which has caused great grief and harm. Is that fair?
• God established a plan where there is only one way which is acceptable to God as an entrance into heaven? Is that fair? Some people have never, ever heard the gospel message and even had an opportunity to accept Christ? Is that fair?
• According to Calvinists, some were elected and some were not. Even though they heard the gospel message, they never had a chance. Is that fair?

 

The answer to all of the above is, no, none of them is fair. So is God unfair?

In many people’s minds, fairness is everyone receiving exactly what he or she deserves. If God were completely “fair,” by this definition, we would all spend eternity in hell paying for our sin, which is exactly what we deserve. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23) and are therefore worthy of eternal death (Romans 6:23). If we “fairly” received what we deserve, we would end up in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14–15).

A synonym for fair is just, and the Bible is unequivocal that God is just: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).; God is “fair” in that He is unbiased, honest, and just.

In Romans 2, God is spoken of in judging the world. Verses 9-11 say, “There will be suffering and anguish for every human being who practices doing evil, for Jews first and for Greeks as well.  But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who practices doing good, initially for Jews but also for Greeks as well, because God does not show partiality.”

To the natural man, the answer is yes, He is unfair; to the spiritual man, the answer is God knows what He is doing. We do not understand His ways. That’s what faith and trust are all about. The spiritual man says, let God be God. If I could completely understand Him, I would be like Him.

Now I want to approach the subject of homosexuality from a different perspective. Is God fair on this one?

Perhaps the strongest argument for leniency in the area of homosexuality is that medical science and psychiatry are telling us that some people are born with homosexual tendencies, so God made them that way. If God made them that way, why would He withhold from them the sexual pleasures of others? Is that fair? I am not purposely focusing on homosexuality other than that it is such a hot topic in our daily culture these days.

Before I delve into this, I want to ask a question: in your “heart of hearts” are you God-centered or self-centered?  Put another way, is it your sincere desire to have God in control of your life or do you want control yourself, at least in certain areas? If God is God, He is in control and your opinion is at best secondary.

For the sake of the discussion, let us assume that psychiatry is accurate in saying that some people were born with a homo-sexual orientation while others were born with a hetero-sexual orientation. Would you disagree that many who were born with a hetero-sexual orientation, in the course of their lives, were introduced to and adopted a homo-sexual or bi-sexual lifestyle? In other words, they voluntarily changed sexual orientation.

If that it so, and if a person born with a homo-sexual orientation gives his/her life to Christ and accepts the Biblical view of homosexuality, can that person, with the help of the Holy Spirit, have a change of heart and mind?

You will have to answer that question for yourself based upon your understanding of God. I believe He can, and I can supply names of persons who have done so. In each case I believe it happened because those persons began close relationships with “straight” people who encouraged them in the Lord and their minds and hearts were slowly changed. I recently heard of a man in a small group who is happily married and the father of 5 children but asked the group to pray that God would take away the homosexual feelings he continues to struggle with!

To get back to the original question concerning homosexuality, if God created some people with a sexual desire only for their own sex and others with a sexual appetite for the same sex. Is that fair? It is no more unfair than all of the other situations mentioned above. Do I have great empathy for all such persons? Absolutely. Positively. That applies for all of the situations mentioned at the beginning of this devotional as well as for homo-sexuals.

Faith is the active expression of what you truly believe about God. He makes the rules. Trust is believing that He knows what is ultimately right and good for us even though we in our humanity do not completely understand. Are you God-centered or man-centered?

Someday He’ll make it plain.

 

Written By Neil Fichthorn: Rev. Neil Fichthorn is a seasoned conference and camping servant having served at Gull Lake Bible Conference, Sandy Cove Ministries as President, and an interim Executive Director at Pinebrook Bible Conference. He also served in church music for decades as a choir director and arranger. He has been Bill Welte’s mentor and friend for over 45 years.

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Think About This: “An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as fully as if there were no others.”― A.W. Tozer

The Daily Bible Reading: Job 5-9| You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

⁷ When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. –Proverbs 16:6-7

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.