God's Not Fair

Our second session of the Christian Atheist study focused in on times when we believe in God but don't think he is fair.   I have to admit at times when people I love are suffering or when I see bad things happen to kids I have had some of these same thoughts in my mind.  I have found myself asking the question, "God where are you?"

After diving a little deeper into the subject of God's fairness, I am relieved that God is not fair.  If he was fair he would give a sinner like me what I deserve.  Pastor Craig gave us three things to remember when we don't understand something about God:

1. We don't deserve good things.  There is a misconception in our society and in modern Christianity that we deserve good things because we are good people.  Too many times we try to compare ourselves to others instead of trying to follow Christ to the best of our ability.  The problem is that if you use Jesus as the plumb line we are not good people.  "No one is good--except God alone" (Luke 18:19b). 
2. Good things happen to bad people.  There are times in our lives we see good things happening to others we consider "bad people" but we don't focus as much on the good things that happen to us.  Remember we are sinners too and God has blessed us with many things.  God does not treat us as our sins deserve (Psalm 103:10-12). 
3. God is present in your pain.  While we are grieving  morning or weeping God is there.   We have two options in our pain to go away from God or invite God in.  God wants to confort you in your pain, so invite him into your life.  "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble" (Nahum 1:7a)

So do you want God to be fair?  C.S. Lewis puts it this way, "Those who would like the God of scripture to be more purely ethical, do not know what they ask."  I am grateful that God extends his grace on us when we fail and draw closer to him.  

In hardships of the future I pray that I will be asking "How is God in the suffering?"rather than "Why is God so unfair to me?"  I also hope to be able to continue realize the underserved grace God has extended to me so that I in return can extend it to those who have hurt me in the past or hurt me in the future.  If God can forgive all of my sins and wash me clean, I should be able to forgive the lessor wrongs against me. 

While God is not fair he is good, even when people are not.