Fair treatment

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

There’s nothing harder than admitting you were wrong, you made a mistake, you don’t have what it takes to succeed.  It wounds your pride to be seen as a failure.  And when this happens, you start to wonder—am I being treated fairly?  Was I given an impossible goal?  Were the rules needless strict and burdensome? 

As sinners, we know that God judges our behavior and sees us as failures. We crave things that are bad for us, we cheat and steal and tell lies, even resort to violence, to get what we want.  We insult and joke about people who are different from us in one way or another.  Instead of looking forward to time in worship praising God and learning from Him, we drag our heels at attending church.  We happily commit sin, not stopping to realize how our conduct reflects badly on the Lord whom we claim to be our Father.  We spare little time for prayer except when we want God to bail us out of trouble.  We break all of His Commandments frequently and grievously; how could He not view us as hopeless degenerates? Yet we are tempted to argue that He is too strict, that He demands too much, that He isn’t dealing fairly with us.  He ought to cut is some slack; after all, we’re trying really hard to live as decent people.  How could God expect anything more than that?

God is holy.  He designed you and me to be holy as well.  We are intended to share His righteousness.  Sin robs us of perfection, makes our lives a difficult trial and angers God instead of pleasing Him.  Any rational person would want to live free and clear of sin; but sin corrupts our minds, makes us love the unholy things that cause hurt and disappointment, things that lead to death and hell. 

In a sense, God isn’t fair with you. He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103).  Jesus removes our transgressions with hands that bear permanent wounds, scars that vouch of His great love for us. Those same hands are there to support you every moment of every day.  Does God expect too much?  Not according to Paul who says, I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).