Fairness Archives - Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel

Kurt Steinbrueck May 18, 2020

Blog Fairness, Justice

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God’s Not Fair, but He Is Just

God's Not Fair, but He Is Just

“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.” – Hebrews 6:10

“That’s not fair!”

I remember saying that when I was growing up. If you hang around kids enough, you’ll probably hear them say it. Maybe your sibling got a larger piece of cake. Maybe someone gets to stay up later than the other.

Adults don’t say it as much, but we do still think it. We complain that somebody got the promotion that we think we should have gotten. We complain that we have to pay taxes for something we don’t benefit from. We don’t like that, even though we work two jobs, we barely make ends meet, while a CEO has a yacht and goes on vacations all the time.

What is fair?
Part of the issue is that our sense of fairness tends to be little skewed. We tend to complain when we feel like something is unfair against us, but not so much when it’s for our benefit. Also, we don’t tend to consider all the factors. Maybe my brothers got to stay up later than me because they are older.

The truth is, though, that God isn’t fair.

He’s not and it’s good for us that He isn’t. It’s not fair that we are forgiven. It’s not fair that God put the punishment for our sins on Jesus. So, praise the Lord that God isn’t fair.

God is Just.
God’s justice is perfect. God punishes evil and rewards good. Jesus’ death on the cross is proof of this. God didn’t just ignore all our sin to save us, He still punished it. He also rewards righteousness. How wonderful for us that Christ has put His righteousness on us. So, we receive His reward.

The world isn’t fair or just because it is full of fallen sinners. God, however, is not like the world. He is just, but He is also merciful and gracious. So, even when life seems unfair, we can know that God’s grace, mercy, and justice will reign in the end.

So, praise the Lord that God isn’t fair, but He is just!

Heavenly Father,

I don’t deserve eternal life, but rather condemnation. Thank You for sending Your Son to take my punishment and give me His reward even though I didn’t deserve it.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 20, 2020

Blog Fairness, grace, salvation, sin

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That’s Not Fair!!

That's Not Fair!!

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

Have you ever suffered the consequences of someone else’s choice?

The students were getting ready for recess when the teacher noticed someone had taken some money off her desk. She got the class’s attention and said,

“Alright, who stole the money off my desk?”

No one answered. She asked again. Still, nothing. Then she said,

“I’m going to give you one more chance. If you don’t come forward, no one goes out for recess.”

No one came forward. So, the whole class had to stay in. Then one of the kids spoke up,

“It’s not fair! I didn’t take the money. Why should I have to stay inside?”

An American Perspective
In America, individuality is baked into our society. We all are affected by it. It affects how we see the world and how we see justice and fairness. The very idea of someone being punished for something someone else did grates on us.

It’s because of this that Americans struggle with some of the passages of the Bible where God deals with groups of people.

God sends pestilence on Israel when David orders a census rather than trusting God.
The people of Israel are attacked by snakes when some complain against God and Moses.
God tells Israel to kill all the people in an enemy country.

Often, when Americans hear passages like this is makes us bristle. We immediately try to find some justification for why God would do such a thing. After all, it’s only fair to punish the specific people who did something wrong.

There Are Other Perspectives
This is not, however, how everyone thinks. This is not how everyone sees the world. In fact, many societies, see the world through the perspective of shared honor or shared shame. A parent or child can bring shame or honor to a family. A single member of a village can bring honor or shame to the whole village. We could learn something from them.

Today’s passage is one of those passages that can frustrate Americans. It’s because of Adam that all people are born into sin and are condemned by that sin. How is that fair? Shouldn’t we all have the same choice as Adam? However, that’s not how it works.

Of course, the other part of the passage is just as unfair, right? We all can receive forgiveness and eternal life because of the one man, Jesus. Just as we all participate in the failure of Adam, we all, by faith, get to participate in Christ’s victory.

God’s Not Fair
The truth is it isn’t fair. We shouldn’t be able to participate in eternal life by our own merits, but God isn’t fair. He is merciful, gracious, just, and loving. Jesus, unfairly, took our punishment and then, unfairly, gave us His reward. Thank goodness, God isn’t fair.

Heavenly Father,

You do not treat us as we deserve. You treat us as Jesus deserved. Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck April 4, 2020

Blog Fairness, Justice, Justness, patience

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But That’s Not Right!!

But That's Not Right!!

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” – Psalm 37:7

What do you do when someone benefits from wrongdoing and seems to be getting away with is?

My 3 year old son likes watching the show, “Blaze and Monster Machines.” In the show, there’s a character named Crusher that always cheats. In the show, Crusher never wins and his cheating always backfires. In real life, though, that’s not always how it works.

There are plenty of people who cheat in life and seem to get away with it. They do things that are wrong, even evil, and get rewarded for it. If you’re like me, that makes you mad. I get so frustrated when I see things like that. It’s one of the things I hate about politics. Politicians break the law and not only do they not go to jail, but they may get richer and more powerful.

Where’s the Justice?!!!
Our outrage about such things is actually good, for the most part. It comes from our sense of justice which God has given us. If we didn’t get upset by it, I’d be worried.

However, we do not need to let that anger overtake us. We do not need to be worried about it. God is not only perfect in His wisdom but also perfect in His justice. They will not get away with it forever. We may not even see the justice here on earth, but it will come.

Hoping for a Better Justice
What if I suggested that we shouldn’t want justice?…at least that kind of justice? Hear me out. Justice is good, but there’s a different way things can workout where justice is still served and the cheater doesn’t get there’s. This is when that person hears the Word of God, where the Law kills them and the Gospel raises them to new life in Christ. This is when their cheating is forgiven.

Seriously, Where’s the Justice?
One of the things I don’t like about my son’s show is that Crusher never has any real consequence and no one ever pays for his cheating. Now, what’s the difference between that and what I just described? Jesus. God doesn’t just forgive us and ignore justice. God fulfilled all righteousness and justice when Jesus took all of our sins (all our cheats) and paid the price. Justice is fulfilled.

So, what if, rather than our anger at injustice overtaking us, we prayed that the cheaters and evil-doers hear God’s Word and repent? What if our focus was on their forgiveness rather than their punishment? After all, if we are honest, we are one of those cheaters.

Dear Jesus,

I confess that I have sinned. I have cheated others and done what is wrong. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. When I see others doing wrong and getting away with it, help me to trust Your justice and help me to pray for their salvation.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck March 4, 2020

Blog Fairness, Justice, Justness, Theodicy

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That’s Not Fair!!

That's Not Fair!!

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’
declares the Lord.
‘As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” – Isaiah 55:8-9

Do you think God is fair?

It’s something we may struggle with sometimes. There are some events in the Bible that may shock us.

However, let me ask you…

Is God stronger than you? You’d probably say, yes.
Does God know more than you? Yes.
Is He wiser than you? Yes.

These things we generally accept, but we also need to realize that God’s justice is more just than ours. Our fallen nature affects our attitude towards sin. It affects our sense of judgment as well.

Our ways are not God’s way nor our thoughts His thoughts. Sometimes we simply have to accept that God is God…and we are not.

And, no, God isn’t fair.

However, I praise Him for it!

A fair God doesn’t send His Son to the cross in our place. A loving, gracious, and just God does.

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I am a sinner. Thank You for not treating me as I deserve. Help me to accept that You are God and I am not. Help me to be more like You, but also to accept that I do not understand everything about You.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Fairness

God’s Not Fair, but He Is Just

God's Not Fair, but He Is Just

That’s Not Fair!!

That's Not Fair!!

But That’s Not Right!!

But That's Not Right!!

That’s Not Fair!!

That's Not Fair!!

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL