Friday, May 14, 2010

Is God Fair?

On Monday, May 5th 2003, I was in my office at Culpeper Baptist Church getting ready to go home, when I became aware of a loud grinding noise overhead. Our day care was located directly above me, and I thought somebody was just moving some furniture. It wasn’t until later that I found out that we had just experienced an earthquake. The epicenter of the quake was 49.7 miles away and 3.1 miles underground. It measured 3.9 on the Richter scale; strong enough to put cracks in one of the walls by the church’s sanctuary.

Over the past few months, there seems to have been a tremendous amount of seismic activity ranging the four corners of our fragile planet. The volcano Eyjafjallajoekull in Iceland erupted, sending clouds of ash that disrupted air travel around Europe for six days in April, and the major earthquakes in Haiti, Chili, China and Indonesia (to name a few) have caused some to be alarmed. But did you know that scientists record on average 50 earthquakes a day? FIFTY a day! Most earthquakes are so insignificant, you cannot sense them. Others are so devastating that they destroy cities and lives alike in their wake.

Why does God allow such devastation? How can He stand by as people lose their loved ones, their homes, and their livelihoods while others continue their lives in peace and security?

Is God fair?

The human body is a complex organism made up of roughly 10 to 100 trillion cells (one trillion is 1 followed by 12 zeros). The sheer fact that we live, grow, move and breath is a miracle in itself. The body is a self-regulating organism. We can adapt to our environment and we can create new life. We are strong … and we are incredibly fragile. Cancer and diseases fill our hospitals and take their toll on our friends, neighbors and ourselves. A tiny blood clot can end your life as fast as an assassin’s bullet.

For those who have led long and meaningful lives, a terminal illness may not be such a tragedy, but what about children who must be hooked up to machines just to keep them alive? What about babies who are born with bodies that do not function as they should? Why do some live healthy lives of carefree abandon while others must struggle for every breath?

Is God fair?

What about people who are born with predispositions that conflict with God’s standard for right living? For example, there appears to be genetic factors that contribute to alcoholism. Studies of twins who had biological parents who were alcoholics showed that they also had tendencies toward developing the condition even if they were adopted by parents who didn’t drink. Many people hold onto the argument that if God made them with certain predispositions, that they have a right to live in tune with their nature. Others hold onto God’s standard for right living and struggle mightily against what their own flesh cries out for.

A similar question can be raised by many couples who want to have children, but cannot. Why does God allow some to have many children and others to be infertile? It’s not their choice and it’s out of their power. Why won’t God give them what they want?

Is God fair about these things? Things like natural disasters, diseases, and genetic heredity? Things that we have no control over?

I don’t believe God is fair … at least how we define fairness. Our view of “fairness” is extremely myopic. The mere fact that we are finite creations guarantees that we cannot see “the big picture” as an infinite God can and does.

In the book of Job, a man rails against God and the “injustice” that is being perpetrated against him. He seeks to meet God in a court of law to make his appeal. When God does appear to Job, God does not defend the particulars of why He allowed calamities to rain down on him. God asserts that Job cannot possibly even begin to understand why things happen.

“Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Job 38:1-7

God speaks for three entire chapters about His role in creation; Job’s answer speaks to his humility.

“Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” Job 42:1-6

God’s ways are so much higher than our own that even our best efforts at judging “justice” and “fairness” fall short.

“Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6-9

Does all this mean that we live fatalistic lives? Does it give us a reason to blame God for those things that make life so difficult? Should God receive any less praise because we don’t understand His ways?

One thing we can know is that God not only loves us, but is at work around us. He can create beauty from pain and diamonds from ashes. He can take away our fear concerning an uncertain future and fill us with bright hope instead.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28

There are some things in this world that we must accept, because we cannot do anything about them. What we CAN change is our attitude towards them, and how we live our lives despite them.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll discuss ways we can affect our broken lives and fractured world.

Joe

Scripture taken from the NLTse

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