THAT’S NOT FAIR!

June 30, 2023

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. ” Ephesians 2:8 

THAT’S NOT FAIR!

This is one of our kids’ “go-to” statements in our house. They like to use it to get what they want when they plead their cases and things aren’t going their way. Especially when someone gets to do something the others don’t get to do.  

And hey, many times, they are right! They have discovered a reality that we all wrestle with: 

Life is not fair. 

It’s not just our kids who love to use these words, right? Our society is obsessed with this cry for fairness. Words like justice and equality are hot-button words today. We see that things are not fair and want it to change. But so often, behind our cries for fairness, justice, and equality is veiled selfishness. 

We mostly just want things to go our way. 

Ephesians 2:8 reminds us the Gospel of Jesus Christ defies our demands for fairness. The more you understand the gospel, the more you will see how beautiful it is that God does not treat us fairly. The gospel is good news because it tells us that God does not give us what we deserve. No, we see that God offers us what we least deserve

He gives us His grace.  

When we are totally and completely incapable of living a life worthy of salvation, God does for us what we could never do on our own. He says, “Because of my love for you, it is by grace that you have been saved through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8) shows us that it is only by grace, through faith in Christ alone, that we can be saved.  

Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, free from sin, and willingly gave His perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. He died the death we deserve. But his death was not the end. In rising from the grave, Jesus invites us to receive a resurrected life. He invites us to be new creations. He invites us to be saved through His victory over sin and death. 

So, the next time you’re tempted to say, “That’s not fair!” remember that “fair” isn’t always best for you.

And that salvation is a gift of grace.

Taken from a sermon by George Wright, Senior Pastor, Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL