One question new Christians sometimes have is related to fairness. Why does God forgive both good people and bad people? It doesn’t seem fair that both good and bad people get a reward of eternal life. Usually the person who asks the questions thinks that they are a “good” person and they have earned more reward than a “bad” person. There are several ideas that we must consider in this question.
First, the difference between the good person and bad person is not as great as one first thinks. When a person believes they are good they usually mean that they are “better”than the average person. Usually this person has just begun the Christian journey journey and haven’t matured in the faith. The common experience in the Christian walk is that over time we know more and more about our creator, God. As we know more and more about our creator, we know more and more about ourselves. This is not completely obvious at first but over time we discover more about ourselves. Remember the self is the easiest person to fool. As we know more and more about ourselves, we realize that we are not as good as we thought before. We realize that we have much room to grow in goodness.
Secondly, when we see a “bad” person behaving badly, we sometimes miss the circumstances surrounding the situation. Once we more deeply understand that person’s background, their environment, their mental capability, their environment they are living in now, then we see them more closely and our judgements are not so clear. Yes, they may have done bad things but they are not completely bad and given different circumstances, a different results was possible. This is not to excuse but merely to add perspective.
Thirdly, although a person who has done something bad can receive forgiveness from God through repentance, this does not mean that the person will escape the consequences of his actions. A person who has done a crime will still have to do time in jail.
In conclusion, while there are differences between good and bad, the difference is not as large as it first appears. If we are to receive forgiveness for our bad actions, then we should not complain when other find that same path. That path is the path of faith leading to repentance.
First, the difference between the good person and bad person is not as great as one first thinks. When a person believes they are good they usually mean that they are “better”than the average person. Usually this person has just begun the Christian journey journey and haven’t matured in the faith. The common experience in the Christian walk is that over time we know more and more about our creator, God. As we know more and more about our creator, we know more and more about ourselves. This is not completely obvious at first but over time we discover more about ourselves. Remember the self is the easiest person to fool. As we know more and more about ourselves, we realize that we are not as good as we thought before. We realize that we have much room to grow in goodness.
Secondly, when we see a “bad” person behaving badly, we sometimes miss the circumstances surrounding the situation. Once we more deeply understand that person’s background, their environment, their mental capability, their environment they are living in now, then we see them more closely and our judgements are not so clear. Yes, they may have done bad things but they are not completely bad and given different circumstances, a different results was possible. This is not to excuse but merely to add perspective.
Thirdly, although a person who has done something bad can receive forgiveness from God through repentance, this does not mean that the person will escape the consequences of his actions. A person who has done a crime will still have to do time in jail.
In conclusion, while there are differences between good and bad, the difference is not as large as it first appears. If we are to receive forgiveness for our bad actions, then we should not complain when other find that same path. That path is the path of faith leading to repentance.
