That's Not Fair!

Remember when you were in elementary school and the teacher would step out of the room giving this warning - "If I come back and find anyone out of their seat or talking the whole class will have to write sentences. " Sure enough there was always that "class clown" that would would ruin it for everyone. We would say it wasn't fair that we should suffer because of this person's disobedience.

There was another incident similar to this in the Garden of Eden. The Lord told Adam and Eve that they could eat of every tree in the garden but not the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said "for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." You know the story. Eve ate, shared with her husband and consequences had to be paid. Because of Adam's sin we all payed the consequences. We all faced death even though we were not physically there. I had someone tell me one time they didn't think it was fair that all men should suffer because of Adam's disobedience. In fact, this person said " I wouldn't have done it if I was there."

What is hard for us to understand is that the elementary teacher made very clear the consequences of disobedience. It was her or his classroom to make the rules and instructions. It was up to us to obey them.

The Garden of Eden and all that is in the world was created by Him for His own purpose. Romans 9 tells us He is the potter and we are the clay. Who are we to reply against God?
He was the one to set the rules and boundaries for His creation. From this very beginning we see that man is bent on disobedience to the Lord. For those who would say "it isn't fair" the Lord's instructions was very clear as to what Adam and Eve could partake of.

Romans 5 speaks of death in Adam and life in Christ. Verse 12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Verse 18 "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life."

I think when we can truly grasp our disobedience and sin we can better grasp the perfect, Holy God who emptied Himself to become sin for us. It wasn't fair that Christ should suffer for us but He did and He did because of God's mercy to us who deserved His wrath but received His mercy.

Let us not be guilty of thinking it isn't fair that all should suffer for one. Let us rejoice that One suffered for all.