If you’ve been through life long enough to know that some bad, corrupt people prosper and some good people become poor and miserable, then you’ve already seen life’s unfairness. There is no justice – it has left this world. There is no balance, it has long passed away. And the only one who we can seem to comfortably and perhaps logically cast all the blame to is God.
God is unfair
That is what we all want to think. Because, who or what else is behind the ‘fairness’ or ‘justice’ of life? After all, if there is a God, shouldn’t it be His responsibility?
Let’s take the first case -what if there is no God? What if we just really came out of the big bang theory? Who do we blame then? Nobody. We have to accept the fact that life’s like that – no greater meaning, no higher reason, no nothing. When we live, we live for 70 good years. When we die, we perish into nothingness. Life’s like that.
But that’s obviously not the case. There is a God – and yes, he is pretty much responsible for everything.
The nature of God
In the Bible God describes Himself as love. He is also found to be patient in many cases. He also says that He is just.
“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you” – 2 Thessalonians 1:6
Now if God’s nature is to be just – then that must mean He is also fair. Why then is there so much injustice and unfairness in our world today?
If God is just…
Remove from the nature of God patience and love and this is what you get
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9
Everyone will perish without God’s patient and loving nature. The justice of God demands fairness. And fairness means paying the consequences for every action and deed.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” – Romans 3:23
We have sinned. That is the fact behind the nature of all human beings. And as payment so that justice can be achieved, this is what God’s moral law demands
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23
Death.
Even those who want to get to heaven don’t want to die to get there.
Justice has two other aspects to it which God often uses for us – mercy and grace. But that’s for another blog entry.
Is still ever-present. We cannot see it because we live in a marred world and our perspectives are blinded by the dogmas, the experiences, the preachings of this fallen existence. We cannot see further than Earth.
God was not just when He sent His Son here on Earth. We deserve death. Jesus was King and deserved to be King of all the heavens and even the Earth. Jesus was crucified – where’s the justice of God in crucifying an innocent man? The justice of God is fulfilled in His Kingdom – He gave Jesus the name above all names, put Him in the throne and lifted Him up.
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11
The justice of God is fulfilled in His Kingdom – where justice resides. Here on Earth justice has long left – since sin came in to take over.
“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” – Romans 5:12
Good people who are poor and miserable in this Earth will have a place in heaven and they will get what is just in the next life. Evil people who become prosperous and powerful here on Earth will not escape what they deserve as justice will be consequently fulfilled in their next life.
At the end of it all, God is fair.
At the end of it all, the justice of God is an inescapable truth.
God is fair. We just don’t see it here and now because we are limited and the world has influenced our perspectives immeasurably. When you doubt the justice of God, go back to His Word. God says clearly that He is just – that is why He must punish sin. That is why He sent His son because His justice demands sacrifice. That is why we have to keep our faith in Him strong – remembering that everything will pass before His judgment and justice.
At the end of it all – that is what matters.