Is Fairness an Attribute of God?

[pinoybaptist]

Originally posted by Ray Berrian:
Ken Hamilton,

<snip>
Only a tiny percentage in our world can in any way at all be called Christian. Don't hold me to percentages but I think I have heard 2 or 3 percent of the world population. What do you think?

I still believe that people have to come to God ONLY through Jesus in order to be saved. [I Timothy 2:5-6].

Ray Berrian, Th.D.

well, now, in that case, we have a God who either failed in his purpose to save, or is continually being thwarted in his purpose to save by the hardness of man's heart, considering the numbers you have, don't you think ? And also, I still read in my Bible that Jesus said: "No man can come to me,
except the Father who sent me draw him...."

 

[pinoybaptist]

God is not fair. That's hard meat, and those who want to choke on it can choke on it. If
he were fair, then we all should be headed for heaven, or we all should be headed for hell. If he were fair, then Jesus would not have had to die
on the cross and suffer all that humiliation and pain. He would not have had to come as a man yet knowing as God what was in man and in man's thoughts and suffer the faithless thoughts and doubting hearts of men and women whom he picked out of all those crowds that followed him.
God chose a definite number of people from all ages and from all nations unto salvation, knew who they were, called his elect by name, and wrote their names in the book of life, out of an
already condemned human race.
Why do we attach fancy titles to our names and then refuse to understand that mankind is an already condemned creation just waiting for the sentence to be carried out, and talk as if all mankind still has a chance to squirm out of that judgment because they choose to and not because God chose not to include many in the carrying out of the final sentence and to redeem them as his own ?
We talk of slaves and masters in the scriptures and apply concepts of fairness to God and forget that those called slaves and masters and the masters who are directed to be fair to their slaves are believers !
God is fair ! To those who are within his jurisdiction. To those who are his slaves, bought with a price by the Son. They will all get to the kingdom. They will all be subject to blessings and chastisements while winding their way thru the wilderness, in equal proportion to their obedience or disobedience.

 

[latterrain77]

We call it FAIR when someone gets something for doing something. LAW is based on this concept: something for something. On the other hand, GRACE is utterly UNFAIR. Grace is when the undeserving receive something for nothing. What could be more UNFAIR than that? Aren't you JOYFUL that you are saved by that Grace? (Eph. 2:8).

latterrain77

 

[Eric B]

There are masses of clay - all in various misshapen forms - in front of a potter. The potter takes some of those masses of clay and turns them into beautiful vessels which they could never have become left to themselves.

Other masses of misshapen clay vessels are passed over by this potter and they become uglier as time works on them. These masses are eventually collected and thrown into the trash heap and destroyed. This potter did nothing to cause them to reach this point, natural processes took their course.

Nice analogy, but the passage still portrays a more active role of God in the destruction of the other vessels. (made; hardens; His will -- v.21-18 in reverse order)

God is fair ! To those who are within his jurisdiction. To those who are his slaves, bought with a price by the Son. They will all get to the kingdom.

But this is still not exactly true either, as the parable of the vineyard workers shows. Still, the fact that they get the kingdom is what is most important, so that how much work they had to do won't matter.
I think the issue is a bit more than simple "fairness" in salvation v. damnation. As I said on "the Handful", this raises the question of when the "non-elect" receive their sentence, rather than "accusing" God, ask "what were [they] supposed to have done?"