That's not fair

“Despite what they tell you, there are simply no moral absolutes in a complex world.” ~ Berkeley Breathed

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:10

One of the most difficult concepts for both the Christian and the non-Christian is the question of how can a loving God send people to hell? Much has already been written on the question so I wanted to pass along some articles by some leading Christian Apologists. This post was written by Ravi Zacharias on April 15, 2002.

"During the 2002 Winter Olympics, a major publication had a headline that read, “Crybaby Olympics.” The article highlighted the refrain of complaints launched by several competitors who felt they had been duped out of their legitimate attainment by some unscrupulous judge. Now, I have no doubt that in any competition there is always the possibility that someone has been cheated out of winning. Anyone who has ever competed knows the feeling of suspicion when medals are awarded on an inexact basis of measurement. Judging is a hazardous task, but so is judging the judges.

However legitimate one’s complaint might be, the fearful thing is that the winners of the award never seem to stop by the judge’s desk and say, “Excuse me, but I really do not think I deserved that.” Winning seldom questions the validity of the judge’s decision. Losing often does.

Whatever else all this displeasure proves, it proves two things. One, that we expect a judge to be objective and fair. But secondly, there is a more serious concern. How does a Judge judge if there are no absolutes by which to do the judging? You see, it is one thing to measure how far an object has been thrown and another thing to say which was more beautiful a performance on ice. The latter demands an aesthetic measure, which is not always exact.

But you see, deep inside all of us are both of these moral realities. We affirm the need to be right and fair, and we somehow believe that even in beauty there are some misjudgments that reveal prejudice. What this tells us is that life must have absolutes. This itself reveals the fact that we are born as moral agents and when that moral agency is violated, deep inside we cry.

The Bible makes it clear that God is a judge and He is fair. One of the most telling passages is in the book of Genesis when God is judging the cities of Sodom and Gommorah. Abraham asks God if He is going to wipe out both the righteous and the unrighteous. God assures Abraham that He sees everything and then says this: “Shall not the judge of the earth do that which is right?”

You and I may not have been robbed of a medal in the Olympics. But we do know that when destiny-defining decisions are made, the Judge of all the earth will do right. He knows the absolutes, and He will not make a mistake. That is both comforting and daunting."

More from Dr. Zacharias:

"Yesterday I spoke of the disappointment of some of the competitors in the Winter Olympics who thought that poor judging had denied them their rightful victory. If their assessment is correct, one can sympathize with their hurt. After all the effort and the pain that goes into preparing to become the world’s best, I cannot imagine the anguish that would well up if dishonesty robbed the rightful one of his or her reward.

Although such a loss is merely that in athletic competition, it points up to the greater need of how important being just is. That truth is one of the most pertinent in any civilized society. Was it not Plato who said that Justice is the firmest pillar of good government? His student Aristotle went even further. Aristotle said that justice is not just part of virtue, it is virtue entire; nor is the contrary injustice a part of vice but vice entire.

One does not have to fully agree to note the power of what is being said. Justice is virtue entire? That being just is the sum and substance of good morality? But think about this. Suppose you say you love somebody, but you are unjust in your dealings with them. How would that person respond to your words, “Ah, but I love you”? Or if you tell somebody that you will always speak the truth but that there are times you will be unjust in dealing with the truth. How would they respond? You see the point, don’t you? Justice is an intrinsic part of virtue.

That is why God in His nature is pure and just. His justice meets the demands of the law that must be met if you and I are to be the recipients of His mercy.

To the Christian, Good Friday is a very special day, because on that day two thousand years ago, a pure and just God paid the penalty for our separation from Him and made the way to be forgiven and live in a loving relationship with Him.

You know, friends, there is one verse in the Bible that occurs three times: once in the book of Hebrews to the Hebrew church, once in the Book of Galatians to the Asian church, and once in the Book of Romans to the European church. All of this from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. The verse just says this: “…the just shall live by faith.”

What that really means is that our perfection cannot get us into heaven. But our faith in the Perfect One can. His justice comes hand in hand with His perfect love. Neither ever violates the other."


Today's Slice: Judging the Judges-Part 1 by Ravi Zacharias