God's Not Fair!

Introduction                                                                                                                                                   Have you ever thought to yourself “God’s not fair!”. I would bet that you have but you were not game to say it. Instead we spiritualize our feelings by saying things like “Life is not fair but God is good”. This sounds ok, but if you think about it, aren’t our lives in God’s hands anyway?

In this series we will look at the whole concept of fairness and how it applies to God and the way that He deals with us.

“Fairness” comes from “Justice”.                                                                                                            Our whole concept of fairness comes from a basis of justice and reward for performance. Fortunately for us, God does not give us what we deserve.

Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – Luke 18:9-14

The Pharisee sounds like a Pastor’s dream! He does all the right things so surely God would hear his prayers, right? That’s what he thought too. But Jesus said that the repentant sinner was the one who went home justified. Is that fair? Not by the system of justice it isn’t!

The good news of the Gospel is that God does not deal with us on the basis of law, good works and justice. If He did, we would all be headed for a lost eternity.

Read Romans 3:21-28

Living in God’s Grace

The sad fact is that many Christians, having received salvation through the grace of God then fall back into law and justice by trying to please God by their actions. This is what happened to the Galatians and this is why Paul wrote to them so strongly in Galatians 3:1-5

Why then should we try to live right?                                                                                           Let’s go back to our friend the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14. We have already established that he was not justified before God because of his deeds, and neither are we! But he was blessed by choosing to live in a “right” way.

1.     He didn’t cheat – this enabled him to live within the law and sleep at night

2.     He didn’t sin – this was untrue and brought about his ultimate downfall

3.     He didn’t commit adultery – adultery is a major cause of divorce and misery.

4.     He fasts twice a week – this keeps his weight under control

5.     He gives a tenth of his income – God’s promises to bless those who tithe still apply. Even many big corporations give 10% of profits to the poor.

So when we choose to live God’s way, we choose to live the best life possible. We are not justified before God by our actions, but we choose life when we choose to live according to His Word.

Conclusion                                                                                                                                          God is not fair as we think of fair because He deals with us not according to our works but according to His mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus!

Study Guide

·        Read Luke 18:8-14.                                                                                                                    How do you feel about The Pharisee? Do you think that Christians can sometimes be like this? How can we guard against self-righteousness?

·        Read Romans 3:21-28                                                                                                                          How are we made righteous before God?                                                                                   Is there anything that we can boast or feel good about?                                                 How should this truth make us feel when we approach God?                                     How should it make us feel about others and the way that they live?

Read Galatians 3:1-14                                                                                                          
Why do you think Paul is speaking so strongly to the Galatians?                                 What trap did they fall into that we also need to guard against?