‘It’s not fair’

We need a God who is just | Vern S. Poythress

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

An acquaintance told me that he could not swallow the idea of hell. If God is a God of love, then He couldn't punish anyone, could He?

But it is not that simple. God is a God of love, and a God of justice as well. In fact, justice is an implication of love. Love does not stand by complacently when it sees injustice.

And what about the idea of justice? Where does it come from?

Every parent has heard the shrill claim, "It's MINE." Many a child will even lay claim to things that in fact are not his—but he is still convinced that they are. The toy in the nursery is his because he was the first to lay claim to it. And woe betide the parent who embarks on a program of sharing. "It's not fair."