"I hate it! It's just not fair." You might think she was talking about March Madness, a life situation, or relationship. No, my friend was referring to the book of Jonah.
"The people don't deserve God's mercy. They're wicked and He's going to use them to judge His people, but He's willing to forgive them? It's not fair."
"Jonah doesn't want to be there. He's resentful and angry, but God shows Him mercy. It's not fair."
And as I sat in church last Sunday participating in the Lord's Supper, I had the same thought. "It's not fair."
Nothing about Jesus is fair. He didn't deserve to die. But He died in my place. He doesn't deserve my punishment, but He took it willingly. He doesn't have to call sinners to repentance, but He does. He doesn't have to live in us and with us, but He persists. He doesn't have to intercede for us constantly, but He daily bears our burdens. He will keep a human form and its righteous scars for eternity. He humbled Himself to become our Servant. He works for our benefit. He does what we cannot.
Praise the Lord above, He's. not. fair.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 8:5-11, 18-21)
"The people don't deserve God's mercy. They're wicked and He's going to use them to judge His people, but He's willing to forgive them? It's not fair."
"Jonah doesn't want to be there. He's resentful and angry, but God shows Him mercy. It's not fair."
And as I sat in church last Sunday participating in the Lord's Supper, I had the same thought. "It's not fair."
Nothing about Jesus is fair. He didn't deserve to die. But He died in my place. He doesn't deserve my punishment, but He took it willingly. He doesn't have to call sinners to repentance, but He does. He doesn't have to live in us and with us, but He persists. He doesn't have to intercede for us constantly, but He daily bears our burdens. He will keep a human form and its righteous scars for eternity. He humbled Himself to become our Servant. He works for our benefit. He does what we cannot.
Praise the Lord above, He's. not. fair.
For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 8:5-11, 18-21)
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