Is God Fair?

By Rey Diaz

I have mentioned it many times in the past, that justice and fairness are major issues for me.  In many ways, these issues have helped me develop my love for people in suffering.

Yet this sense of justice has also served as an obstacle in my walk with God.  When I look around at the injustice in this world, I can’t help but shout to God: “It’s not fair!”  For many of us, this hurdle is one we cannot seem to get over.  Although we would probably never vocalize it like this, it’s as if we say “I cannot accept, believe, or have faith in a God that is not fair.”

Over the years, and after many hours in the bible and on my knees, I have come to realize a couple things that have shaken my understanding of fairness and justice.  The first is simple: something can be true and unfair at the same time.  I know it seems like such a trivial matter but just recognizing this fact has helped me.  For example, every male in my family has a full head of hair.  Yet I’m going bald.  That’s not fair.  But it is true.  So although I might not think Christianity is fair, I can’t make the assumption that it is not true just because I don’t think it’s fair.  

The second truth that has helped me in my struggle to understand fairness is Christianity is the idea of grace.  When I look at my life and the times I have walked away from God, I realize that I need grace and mercy.  When I see what the bible teaches about sin and its consequences, I realize that God has not been fair with me.  God has not given me what I deserve.  Instead, God gave me mercy.  Instead God gave me grace.  I have come to realize that I don’t want fairness because I would be in big trouble if God kept a record of my sins.  Like King David, I ask “If God kept a record of our sins, who could stand?  But with God there is forgiveness. That is why I worship him. And now I realize that I need both of those in large quantities every single day.What about you? What's your take on the "fairness" or justice of God? Are you glad that he went beyond fair with you?