God Is Not Fair

December 9, 2019

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

How many times have you heard children cry out in frustration about a situation they didn’t control: “That’s not fair!” How many times have you expressed an irritated opinion about your own circumstances? Fair is not the standard for this world. “Fair” left us in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned and God didn’t give them what they deserved. That’s when “fair” and “justice” were exchanged for mercy and grace. That’s the most undeserving, unbelievable trade ever made.

Isn’t it a good thing that you have not received justice in exchange for your choices? We would always come out on the short end of that stick. No matter how well we perform, we will always come short of God’s holy standard. If our behavior was repulsive, violent, or evil, we would have no hope. God says clearly that none of us can take credit for our relationship with God. Our salvation, our relationship with Him, is not earned by the points we accumulate. It is a gift from God. None of us can brag about it. We haven’t received justice or fair treatment; we have received mercy and grace. God reached down into the mess that was our life and rescued us because of His great mercy.

Sometimes that works for us—we are thrilled and grateful that God found us in our mess. But it’s harder to see it for others. We are aggravated, angry, and hopeless about the mess others are in, and we see them as farther from God and harder for Him to reach than we were. Sometimes, if we’re honest, we don’t even think they deserve to know God—they have blown it so badly! We can’t forgive them! How could God?

Well, we’re right about that! They DON’T deserve God’s salvation. Neither did we. That’s why it’s called grace and mercy. Because God is not moved by our performance to impress Him, and He’s not frightened by our sins, no one is too good to need His grace. No one is too far gone to receive His grace. No matter how different we seem to be, we are all in the same magnificent mess—the mess Christmas came to fix.

  • If you have received Christ’s great gift, you have a relationship with God, no matter how undeserved and unfair it seems. Thank Him.
  • Who seems to you to be in such a mess there is no hope? Talk to God on their behalf today.
  • Ask God to help you walk through today showing grace and mercy, the characteristics of being in God’s family.