Have you ever noticed how much human interaction concerns our perception of fairness? From our youngest age we worry that a sibling or friend may have gotten a bigger slice of pie or a bigger scoop of ice cream. Back in the day when wealth wasn’t so wide spread, kids had to share candy bars. Do you remember being taught this little scenario? One child cuts the candy bar and the other one chooses.
Things don’t get better as we age. We chafe at the idea that one or the other student might be “teacher’s pet.” Athletes with obviously lesser ability get more playing time on the team. Every time a young person is slighted, we hear the cry, “That’s not fair!”
Adults don’t seem to handle life any better. We moan and groan at income inequality. Those on the left complain that executives and investment gurus make too much money and pay too little in taxes. Those on the right protest that there are too many handouts to people who choose not to be productive. A large percentage of network news and internet stories are dedicated to examples of people being treated unfairly.
For all of our focus on fairness, it may come as a surprise to discover that our human perception of fairness is totally warped. The Bible puts us back on track. Total and complete fairness demands that all die. Since all have sinned and the wage of sin is death, all must die. Thanks be to God that when comes to salvation, He has opted for grace rather than fairness. You and I deserve to die but instead we receive eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is the most awesome free gift and violation of fairness. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your amazing grace! Grant me the faith to believe that this gift in Christ is for me. Amen.
Lady Justice
Statue at Shelby County Courthouse, located in Memphis, Tennessee.
Photo by Einar Einarsson Kvaran
Lady Justice depicts justice as equipped with three symbols: a sword symbolizing the court's coercive power; a human scale weighing competing claims in each hand; and a blindfold indicating impartiality.
God’s richest blessings in Christ,
Pastor Philip Quardokus
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