To be "Fair" or to be "Just" that is the

BeePee · To be "Fair" or to be "Just" that is the

To be "Fair" or to be "Just" that is the Question

In recent days, I have come to wonder about these 2 terms and I have come to the conclusion that one term is very humanistic, it is used to appeal to the emotion and that word is "Fair". I find that when people use this word, they don't really want to appeal to your intellect or have you look at things in a black and white manner. To the contrary, they want you to go into the "be that as it may" mode and look beyond some value; some requirement; some standard and consider something in addition to those things. For example, someone on the wrong side in a court case is more likely to desire a judge that is fair. On the other hand, the person in the right in such a case, is more likely looking for a judge to be just, in other words, he desires justice.

Since this for me is an exercise in “taking stock” (this is the term I use when I “work out my salvation”; when I pull out the biblical yardstick as best as I know how) I began to wonder is there a difference between being just and being fair? I am told several times in the bible that God is just, but nowhere does it say He is fair. Or is that just a matter of translation? (I guess I just assigned myself some homework). I am therefore, inclined to think that there is a subtle difference between the two words.

You may wonder what has brought me to this point. Well, it has to do with several conversations I have had lately. I am sure it is no surprise to any of you that a lot of people are hurting in these economic times that we find ourselves in. While I am sure that my situation is not as dire as that of others, my family has also felt the pinch. We’ve gone from two incomes to one and the ever increasing price of gas is definitely wrecking havoc on an already overstretched budget. But, regardless, I still find that I am unable to support some ideas that are floating around out there on the political front as to what needs to be done to alleviate the stress.

For example, let’s look at the issue of taxes/taxation. I so often hear the refrain “the rich should pay more”….but, to my mind, they already do. After all, if person X makes $1000.00 and gets a tax bill of 10% he pays the government $100.00. Person Y who makes a million dollar and gets a tax bill of 10% pays the government $100,000.00. Therefore, person Y by virtue of the fact that he had more income automatically pays more. To me this is just. Even, in situations where there is a progressive tax rate, the person who makes more money always ends up paying more in taxes.

However, to hear some people talk about it, the “rich” are basically rogues who try to skip out on taxes and they are hell bent on going after them. Several of those I talked to also inferred that the rich are rich because they have built their wealth on the backs of the poor and it is only “fair” that they pay more. I can’t help but think that what they mean is not merely that they want the rich to pay more but that they want them to pay disproportionately more. All in the name of “fairness”

But, I wonder. What if one of them goes out for the day and earns $100.00 and was informed they had to pay $30.00 in taxes and they do. Then the tax collector comes back and says “my friends & I have talked it over and since there are more of us who didn’t earn $100.00, we don’t think it is fair that you keep $70.00, therefore I’ve come for an additional $20.00” I wonder if they would see that as “fair”? To me, it is downright unjust. After all, “a worker is deserving of his wages” (1 Tim 5:18 ). And again the principle of sowing and reaping is one that is repeated over and over throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.

My view, if they’ve worked for it, then it is theirs. I don’t need anyone prodding me to look over the fence at my neighbor’s barn for the sake of acquiring the power to go raid his barn. I don’t want this class warfare mentality they seem to love to peddle. Every time I hear them these days I can’t help by think of Proverbs 1:8-15. Now a good counter argument here would be to say “we’re not all Christians”. Agreed! But, that’s the beauty of a vote. We’ll all go to the polls; cast our votes (hopefully, every Christian will vote biblically) and the prevailing point of view will carry the day.

What bother me the most however, are fellow Christians who come at me with the “Jesus said we should take care of the poor” argument. I have recently resorted to asking them to give me the exact chapter and verse where He did by the way. I can’t find such a verse. The best they can point to is the parable of the goat and sheep where He said “when you do this to the least of my brethren”. But, when I read that parable I see Jesus talking to the body (the Church) about taking care of those within the body who are in need.

Even if this fact is ignored, there is still the glaring issue that nowhere did He tell anyone to go give Caesar or Herod the power to forcible collect from the body or anyone for that matter in an effort to take care of the poor. Aren’t we supposed to “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is Gods”? Aren’t they two separate and distinct things? Giving to God is a form of worship. Abdicating that responsibility to government isn’t worship! Does taking care of the poor mean that we ignore the fact that we’re supposed to be impartial? Doesn’t Exodus 23:3 mean that we’re not suppose to cause other people harm all in the name of taking care of the poor?

Above all, since when did Christianity become about compulsion? In what part of Christianity are people forced by the “power of the sword” to follow the precepts of God? So why should I follow those who rush to the polls to give someone the power to throw someone else in jail because they have refused to follow the command to "take care of the poor” Isn’t that what in essence would happen to someone who refuses to pay taxes? I have a serious problem with that. While all these policies may be “fair” from a human prospective, I have to wonder if they are just from God’s prospective.

Don’t get me wrong. I strongly believe that we have a responsibility to take care of the poor. We should do it with joy. It is probably one of the best ways to “spread the fragrance of Christ” in a world where there is a tremendous amount of pain, suffering, and hopelessness. And as I write this there is also a part of me that wonders, “Have I done all that I can to help someone in need”? “Have I been so consumed with my own life and my own issues that I have failed to see that fellow Christian or that non-believer who needed a smile, a hug, or something else that was in my power to give? Am I going to think about all this and walk away and do nothing?