What’s the goal of fairness?

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.