More Than Fair

In my previous articles I have focused on an attribute of God. An attribute is a description of who God is and how God relates to us. Understanding the attributes of God are important to know the beauty of who God is and the truth of how the Lord acts toward people.

Every attribute of God points us to how God provides for us and protects. I want to look at the character of God as being just and fair. The idea of just is an action or behavior that is morally right and fair. When we speak of justice, we expect that what is right and fair is extended equally to all people.

A 2015 Gallup poll shows that American’s approval rating on the U.S. Supreme Court has taken a serious drop in recent years. Slightly fewer than 45 percent of Americans approve of the job the highest court is doing, compared with 61 percent approval in 2009.

This poll shows a diminishing confidence in the highest court to carry out justice…or what is right and fair. Most people will have the expectation that justice should exist and that what is right should win the day. But looking at the world around us, it is easy to lose confidence that fairness exists.

The truth is that God is just and fair. Not only so, but God is our ultimate standard of what is right and just. The Bible reminds us of God being the perfect and final measure of what is right: Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (NIV) “I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”

If we desire justice, we must look first to God. Because God is just, He will uphold the cause of the oppressed.

Likewise, God must punish those who disobey and violate His expectations. The just nature of God should not make us run away in fear but run to God for shelter. The justice and fairness of God is the only truth that we can really stand upon. Any other promise of justice will only crumble under our feet.

By ourselves, our actions and behavior will always fall short of God’s perfect standard. That is why we are in desperate need of a Savior. The perfect nature of Jesus Christ is the only remedy for our separation from God. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and conquering sin, Christ’s righteousness is credited as ours to satisfy God’s justice.

At a young age we come to understand the hard truth…life is not fair. But the good news is that God is fair, more than fair, actually. We can rest in and find shelter in the fact that God is just, yet sent His Son to satisfy His own just nature.