Is God fair or not fair?
We know that “…the LORD our God is RIGHTEOUS…” (Daniel 9:14). We know that “…the LORD our God is HOLY.” (Psalm 99:9). We know that “God is love…” (1 John 4:16). But, is God FAIR? Just what is fair? According to the dictionary to be fair is: “free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice.” Perhaps a similar word might be more appropriate. Is God JUST? The definition of just is: “guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness.”
In the scriptures, the word ‘fair’ is almost always used to describe someone’s complexion or purity as in Song of Solomon 4:7, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” Is God just? I believe that by using that word, we can find a definite scriptural answer. Let’s read Romans 3:23-26, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
These verses very clearly declare that ALL people have sinned against God. WE have ALL come short of the glory of God. ALL. What is the result of our sin? “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Yet, according to God’s great mercy and grace He has JUSTIFIED us “by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word for ‘justified’ comes from the same word that is translated ‘righteousness’ in other places. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him (the Lord Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” God made His Son, who knew no sin, to become our ‘sin bearer’ so that “we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The Lord Jesus “BARE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).
God gave His Son to be the “propitiation” on the basis of His shed blood. The word ‘propitiation’ is translated as the ‘atoning sacrifice’ in some versions of the Bible. It is the same Greek word that is translated as “mercy seat” in Hebrews 9:5. The righteousness of God is declared through the death of His beloved Son. Sin is never passed over. That would make God cease to be righteous. In His perfect plan of salvation, He has given His Son to be our propitiation. It is through this remarkable plan that sinful man can be made righteous, yet God maintains His righteousness. Sin has not been passed over or ignored. Rather, the Lord Jesus answered God on our behalf. He was made the sin bearer and, while on the cross of Calvary, God punished Him severely for the sins that we committed. In that, God can be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of all those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, is God just? Is He “guided by truth, reason, justice, and fairness?” Indeed He is. I have often said that no sin is ever forgiven. Each sin must be paid for. The Lord Jesus stood in our place and was punished for our sins. Our sins may be forgiven US, but each sin must be punished for God to retain His righteousness. He punished His Son in our place and because of that, through faith in Him, we have been justified. God IS just, or fair. We should be so thankful for this truth. It truly allows us to put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior, knowing that ALL our sins have been paid for through the shed blood of His dear Son. (273.6)