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God Isn’t Fair — He’s Objective (And That’s Better Than Fair)
- dktippit3
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
One of the most common charges leveled against God—especially in moments of pain, loss, or confusion—is this:
“God isn’t fair.”
And you know what? By human standards, that’s absolutely true.
God is not fair.
But fairness is a human concept rooted in comparison, emotion, and limited perspective. God doesn’t operate on fairness. He operates on truth, justice, and objectivity. And that distinction changes everything.
Fairness As Humans Define It
When we say something isn’t fair, what we usually mean is:
I didn’t get what someone else got.
I suffered while someone else didn’t.
The outcome doesn’t match my effort or expectations.
Fairness assumes:
Equal outcomes
Equal timing
Equal circumstances
But life itself doesn’t work that way—and neither does God.
Example 1: The Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16)
Jesus tells a parable where workers hired late in the day are paid the same wage as those who worked all day.
That’s not fair.
The early workers did more labor. They endured the heat longer. They sacrificed more time.
Yet the landowner says:
“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?”
The issue wasn’t injustice—it was comparison.
God wasn’t unfair. He was objective. He paid what He promised. No one was cheated. The offense came from measuring blessing against someone else instead of trusting the character of the Giver.
Example 2: Jacob and Esau
Before Jacob and Esau were born—before either had done anything good or bad—God chose Jacob (Romans 9).
That’s not fair.
Esau didn’t “lose” because he failed a moral test. Jacob didn’t “win” because he earned it. God made a sovereign choice that served a larger redemptive purpose.
Human fairness asks, “What did they deserve?”Divine objectivity asks, “What advances My plan?”
Example 3: The Thief on the Cross
One criminal dies mocking Jesus. The other repents in his final moments.
Jesus tells him:
“Today you will be with Me in paradise.”
No restitution. No lifetime of obedience. No opportunity to “prove himself.”
That’s not fair.
But salvation has never been about fairness. It’s about grace. Grace, by definition, cannot be earned—or it stops being grace.
If God were fair, no one would be saved.
Example 4: Job
Job loses everything—children, wealth, health—not because he sinned, but because he was righteous.
That’s not fair.
But the book of Job exposes a dangerous assumption we carry: that righteousness guarantees comfort. God never affirms that belief. Instead, He confronts Job with a sobering reminder:
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?”
God doesn’t explain Himself. He reveals Himself.
Objectivity doesn’t always come with explanation—but it always comes with authority.
Example 5: Mercy Toward the Guilty
Jonah is furious that God spares Nineveh.
Why?
Because they deserved judgment.
Jonah wanted fairness. God chose mercy.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: Every time we thank God for forgiveness, we are celebrating the fact that He is not fair.
Why Objectivity Is Better Than Fairness
Fairness bends with culture. Fairness changes with emotion. Fairness collapses under suffering.
But God’s objectivity is anchored in:
His holiness
His omniscience
His eternal purposes
He sees the whole board while we argue over a single move.
God doesn’t ask, “Does this feel fair right now?”He asks, “Does this align with truth, justice, and redemption?”
The Irony We Miss
When people accuse God of being unfair, they often assume they deserve better.
But Scripture tells a different story.
Fairness would give us judgment.
Grace gives us mercy.
Justice satisfied at the cross gives us salvation.
The cross itself is the greatest proof that God is not fair. Jesus received what we deserved so we could receive what we never earned.
If God were fair, He would be predictable. If God were fair, He would be manageable. If God were fair, He wouldn’t be God.
Instead, He is objective—perfectly just, perfectly merciful, and perfectly wise.
And that’s far better than fair.
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