So often in sharing the Gospel with others, the objection in this blog's title is raised. Typically, a person will highlight the love of God at the expense of His holiness and will say: "A true God of love would never condemn someone to an eternity of damnation." As a sound-byte, it is effective; however, if examined philosophically and Scripturally, it falters. The real issue of such a statement is this -- the person using that excuse does not believe that the Bible is truth. Let's examine this idea a little further and see what the Scripture has to say.
Ezekiel 18:19-32 is a wonderful passage to consider with the fairness argument. God, speaking through a prophet, takes on the children of Israel who accuse Him of being unjust. In verse 25, He challenges their thoughts by questioning "is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair?" Instead of asking the question and leaving it open to interpretation, He explains exactly what He means -- if a righteous man forsakes his righteous ways for iniquity, then he deserves punishment. Likewise, an unrighteous man that forsakes his iniquity for truth, he deserves mercy. That is God's way and it is more than fair because as verse 20 says "the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself."
Israel, and by comparison man's way, is completely opposite. The example in the first half of this chapter is where Israel objects: (1) a just man lives and has a son (v 4-9); (2) that son is an unjust man, therefore suffering punishment, also has a son (v 10-13); (3) this son reviews the sin of his father, chooses to live a just life, and is not punished (v 14-17). Israel claims this son should bear the guilt of the father (v 19), which makes no sense at all.
Clearly, God is fair and man is not. The rationale of saying that God's judgment is unfair resides in the heart of man because we want to do as we please without any repercussions. It is our outrageous claims of selfishness and pride that lead to rebellion against God and then our philosophical assertion that God is being unfair. Verse 30 lends beautifully here in that God says "I will judge you...everyone according to his ways." He has given us warning through His word and offered us the chance to repent (meaning to turn-around and head the other way); however, when we choose to stay on the same path, our ability to question His fairness is completely lost.
God loves us more than we can possibly love. He gave His all (Jesus Christ) for us, but we give so little in return to Him. God is love, but He is also holy. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, God's holiness is recorded first in Scripture and then His love. It is the sacrifice that He made on our behalf that demonstrates His love to us and, simultaneously, satisfies the requirement of holiness. Verse 32 tells us that God has "no pleasure in the death of one who dies" so He tells us "therefore turn and live!" He has given us chance after chance after chance, but we still choose to remain in our unfaithful and rebellious condition.
Quickly, skip a few pages to Ezekiel 20:9, 14, and 22. God tells us exactly why He brings punishment to those that refuse Him -- "I acted for My name's sake." God has told us repeatedly to alter our course and turn to Him else we will suffer punishment. If we refuse to change course and He does not punish, as He said, then His words are not true. God is the only source of Truth, so He must protect "His name" by upholding His statements of warning. If He did not judge as He promised, then we, in essence, telling a lie. If He lies, then He would no longer be qualified to be the only "Righteous Judge" (2 Timothy 4:8). Who would you rather have making a ruling about you -- the One who has never done wrong or the one who does whatever they please? The obvious answer is the righteous One!!
Consider our own legal system. We know the laws; and should we choose to disregard them, we get punished. That is fair. If we are caught speeding numerous times and continue to do so, all the while not paying our tickets, what happens? We eventually lose our car insurance and our license. If we persist in disregarding the law by driving without a license, we go to jail. That is fair!! We were given multiple warnings but made the choice to refuse to listen; therefore, we deserve those consequences.
God, the Righteous Judge, has given us a way to escape punishment. The decision, on whether we get punished or not, depends upon us and our actions. Don't accuse Him of being unfair. Instead, we need to shoulder the blame ourselves because we decided not to listen to Him.
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