Is God Fair?
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I read somewhere that the average teenager uses the phrase "it's not fair" 8.6 times a day. I don't know if that's a fair estimate, but I imagine it's fairly close. Imbedded deeply in the mind of teens (and everybody else for that matter) is a basic desire for life, the universe, and everything to have some level of justice, equality, and equal handedness.
And I agree. How can it not be when life is so full of unfairness? Think about it...if life were fair:
- Acne would be attractive
- Chocolate would be a major food group, and...
- Parents would pay their kids an hourly wage for being grounded.
So I'm right with you - I am pretty bummed that life is unfair, which is why I am so glad that God is...
Fair. That's right - He can be completely counted on to be impartial, judicial, and neutral. Here's what the Bible says:
There is no truer statement than this: God will not do wrong. The Almighty cannot twist justice. (Job 34:12)
The LORD is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with fairness. (Psalm 98:9)
It's just a central part of being God to be just. In fact, an unjust God is no God at all. That's why it has never been and never will be fair to call God unfair.
Yet there are those who do anyway. Somewhere along the way they got enough misinformation and misguided opinions to convince them of the possibility that He messed up. Most of the accusations against God are just silly, but I will admit there is one nagging issue that gets thrown our way that, on the surface anyway, seems to paint God into the corner of injustice.
The issue goes something like this:
- Jesus claimed that He is the only way to heaven, and proved it by dying on the cross and coming back from the dead and appearing to over 500 witnesses. Thus, the only way to avoid hell is to trust Christ as your only hope of salvation.
- BUT...there are billions of people who have no chance to hear the gospel.
- SO...God sends people to hell who had no choice in the matter.
Wow! That would definitely be unfair. In fact, I would say a God like that would not only be unfair, but downright cruel...which puts Christians in a bit of a dilemma. No wait, more than a dilemma - more like a problematic quandary with a Catch 22 to boot. And it's more than an intellectual concern, because I've been on enough anti-Christian web sites and blogs to pick up very quickly that this is a stumbling block that has tripped up more than a few folks.
And I can't say that I blame them. Why would anyone fear, love, and trust a God who apparently has a less developed sense of justice than the creatures He made in the first place???
That is what's so sad about this deal. If people reject God because they believe He's unfair, then they've missed out on a restored relationship with their Creator because of a lie that (I believe) was cooked up in the kitchen of hell a long, long, time ago. Think about what a great strategy this is. If Satan can get people to buy into the notion that God is unjust, why would any rational human being decide to follow Him?
So let's set the record straight by looking at what God Himself has said about this issue. In fact, let me throw in an imaginary letter to Satan that contains the facts about this subject.
Satan,
I am fully aware of your attempts to convince people that I am unjust because I apparently send people to hell who never had a chance to hear the gospel. Nice try...but this argument is about as weak as a schoolgirl with pneumonia (no offense meant to schoolgirls with pneumonia).
First of all, let the record show that the notion of "unreached people" is bogus. Let me give you a snapshot from the end times. This was written by my boy John (the Apostle) when he went back to the future:
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9)
As in, EVERY nation, tribe, people, and language - which puts the idea of "unreached" in the realm of "fantasy". In other words, there never has been nor will there ever be folks who didn't have a chance to be saved. And do you know why? Because every single second of every single day I am whispering, talking, sometimes even screaming into their souls that I EXIST! Here's the way my servant Paul put it:
The message of God's creation has gone out to everyone, and its words to all the world. (Romans 10:18)
By way of review, since I am God, I am everywhere at the same time, and my creation is one huge billboard that advertises my existence. Check out an excerpt from My Book:
"From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God" (Romans 1:20)
Second, let the record show that all someone has to do is acknowledge that I exist, and I will get the gospel to them. Read the stories in Acts 8 and 10 about "unreached people" who desired to find out about me, and (of course) I got the gospel message to them. Think about it - since I am God, I am everywhere, and since I am everywhere, there is no place in the universe where I can't (or won't) get the message of the gospel to anyone who wants to hear it.
Which brings me to my last point. I don't "send" people to hell. They choose to go there by constantly and consistently resisting and refusing my message of love and hope. In fact, by their choices they have shown that they PREFER to live apart from Me. One of my servants named C.S. Lewis put it this way:
"the gates of hell are locked from the inside."
The bottom line problem with this concept of unfairness is the bottom line attitude that I have about all people...I am not willing that anyone should go to hell (2 Peter 3:9)...which is a lot more than I can say for you, Satan.
Always loving the world,
JesusP.S. - Does that sound fair enough for you?
Head: What you need to know about this truth
There are no people who didn't or won't have a chance to hear the gospel because God has made Himself known everywhere in the universe and will get the gospel to those who choose to acknowledge Him.
Heart: What you need to feel about this truth
More concerned about your own life and how well you are serving God than the destiny of billions of people in booga booga land whom you have never met. Pray for them, give money to foreign missions, even become a missionary, but don't let a question about God's "fairness" sidetrack you from serving Him. It's funny, I know people who claim that their hearts are broken for tribes and peoples who don't have a "chance" to hear the gospel, yet they haven't talked to people who walk the halls of their school about Christ. Actually, it's not that funny.
Remember, God cares more about people than you do, so don't you think we can trust Him to be fair and just in the end?
Hands: What you need to do about this truth
Be confident in sharing the gospel. God has been talking to your friends through creation and through their conscience as long or longer than you have known them. Don't buy the lie that you believe in God because your parents did or it's a part of this culture. Deep down, EVERYONE knows there is a God, but most are in denial because of the incredible implications of this truth. Here's a quote from C.S. Lewis for you to consider:
"Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side."
