Question 1

What’s the goal of fairness?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 103:6The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.Isaiah 33:15-16Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong— these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be their fortress. Food will be supplied to them, and they will have water in abundance.Amos 5:21, 24“I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. . . . Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.”Micah 6:8The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.Matthew 7:12“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”Being fair is treating all people with the same standard of love and justice. We make sure that goodness prevails for others, regardless of the advantages or disadvantages to us personally. Fairness is simply acting with no other motive than to do what is right.Proverbs 24:29And don’t say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!”Romans 12:19Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.Revenge does not create fairness. Fairness always seeks to do what is right; it does not retaliate just for the sake of getting even. We don’t have the authority to punish others for sin, but we can be confident that justice is in God’s hands.

Question 2

What’s the difference between fairness and justice?

Accepted Answer

Romans 2:5-6A day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done.Colossians 3:25If you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.Fairness is playing by the rules; justice is holding people accountable when they break the rules.

Question 3

How can I treat others fairly?

Accepted Answer

Leviticus 19:15“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.”To be fair to others, we should try to treat people equally as much as possible. When this is not possible, however, we still need to be equal in the way we love and value them.Exodus 23:2-3“When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. And do not slant your testimony in favor of a person just because that person is poor.”To be fair to others, we should try our best not to show favoritism. When asked to tell the truth in order to settle a dispute, we should tell it accurately, without bias. We should avoid the temptation to hurt a person because we dislike him or her. We also should avoid the temptation to help a friend by withholding the truth.Isaiah 33:14-15“Who can survive this all-consuming fire?” Those who are honest and fair, who refuse to profit by fraud, who stay far away from bribes, who refuse to listen to those who plot murder, who shut their eyes to all enticement to do wrong.Jeremiah 22:3“‘This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!’”Anticipating the complete fairness that will govern life in eternity can help motivate us to model that perfect standard as best as we can in this life.Zechariah 8:16“But this is what you must do: Tell the truth to each other. Render verdicts in your courts that are just and that lead to peace.”To be fair to others, we should tell the truth. The more we tell the truth and treat others fairly, the more we will experience peace of mind and heart in our relationships. Living a life of fairness makes it easier to see each person as an equal.

Question 4

How should I respond when life isn’t fair?

Accepted Answer

Ezekiel 18:25“Yet you say, ‘The Lord isn’t doing what’s right!’ Listen to me, O people of Israel. Am I the one not doing what’s right, or is it you?”When life seems unfair, we shouldn’t blame God for the unfairness of other people.Ecclesiastes 9:11I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.When life seems unfair, we should remember that life is not always fair. Expected results don’t always happen the way we think they should. But if we look around, we will realize that many others are dealing with troubles we’ve never faced or lack blessings that we enjoy. We have much for which to be grateful.Psalm 9:8He will judge the world with justice and rule the nations with fairness.Isaiah 9:7His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!When life seems unfair, we should recognize that God will ultimately triumph with justice and fairness in the end.Psalm 37:28The Lord loves justice, and he will never abandon the godly. He will keep them safe forever, but the children of the wicked will die.When life seems unfair, we should remember that our ultimate vindication will be through God’s efforts, not our own.

Question 5

Does God play favorites? Sometimes he seems to.

Accepted Answer

Psalm 7:11God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day.Psalm 19:9Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair.Romans 2:11God does not show favoritism.James 2:1My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?If God gave us what we deserved, no one could face God’s presence, for the Bible says that all people have sinned against him and deserve punishment (Romans 3:23). God is not only fair by offering us another way through his own sacrifice to live eternally with him, but he is also merciful by giving it to us for free—an extravagant gift (Romans 6:23).Ecclesiastes 9:11The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”God does not promise us equality here on earth, but he does offer us all the possibility of eternal life with him. Everyone receives eternal life the same way—by simple faith in Jesus Christ. And when we arrive in our eternal home, everything will be fair as we’ve always longed for it to be.