God is just — bad things happening to good people does not mean God has acted unfairly.
Les Feldick teaches that God is never unjust and never treats anyone unfairly, even when circumstances seem to suggest otherwise. From a human perspective it is natural to ask if God is fair, but the answer must rest on who God is: He is omniscient, omnipresent, and righteous. For believers, God may allow tough experiences for His own purpose, and He works all things together for good to those who love Him.
Romans 9:14 — Directly answers the question of whether there is unrighteousness with God with 'God forbid.'
Romans 8:28 — Explains that all things work together for good, but only for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Romans 9:15 — Shows that God's mercy and compassion are sovereign and are not unrighteous.
Scripture directly addresses the question of God's fairness. In Romans 9:14, the apostle Paul asks, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?" and answers, "God forbid." The very thought of unrighteousness in God is rejected. Then Paul explains God's sovereign mercy: "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Romans 9:15) God's choices are not unfair; they are acts of sovereign mercy. The Bible also gives a promise to believers: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) This verse is not a blanket promise for everyone. It is specifically qualified to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Les Feldick teaches that God is never unjust and never unfair, regardless of how situations appear. When people ask how God could judge someone who never had a chance to hear the gospel, or when they wonder why bad things happen to believers, Les insists the only answer is that God is never unrighteous. He grounds this in God's attributes: God is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), and sovereign. God knows every human being ever born, and He never loses sight of anyone or anything. Les also acknowledges that believers can face hard experiences. He says God may bring tough things into our lives for His own purpose, to bring us to the place He wants us to be. Romans 8:28 applies to believers only, not to the world at large. Les reflects that in his own life, things he questioned at the time later became reasons to praise God because they shaped his path. God is there even in difficult circumstances; the problem is not God's justice but human rebellion and limited understanding.
Les Feldick emphatically teaches that God will never be unrighteous and will never treat someone unfairly. He points to Romans 9:14, where the question is asked, "Is there unrighteousness with God?" and the answer is "God forbid." Les says this truth must be kept constantly in front of us. He also teaches that God, as sovereign Creator, has every right to expect a response to His love; when a human being spurns that love, God has every right to reject them at the Great White Throne.
Les teaches that God may bring "tough things" and "bad experiences" into the lives of believers, but it is for His own purpose — to bring them to the place He wants them to be. He uses the illustration of a young lady who, when invited to partake of God's love, says, "I hate God." Les notes that many people who are far from God are the first to ask "Where's God?" when things go wrong. God is there, but the problem is theirs, not His.
Les says the verse "all things work together for good" has a qualification: it is for the believer, not for the world. While everything is moving toward God's eternal plan, in everyday moment-by-moment experience, it is only the believer for whom God works out the best. Les recalls times he asked "Lord, why?" during painful seasons, but years later he could look back and say, "Praise the Lord that that took place because it brought me to where I am."
Les explains that God is omniscient — all-knowing — and omnipresent — present everywhere. God has put together every human being ever born according to His will, and He has not lost sight of any star in the billions of galaxies. David even wrote that if he goes to the deepest hell, God is there. This helps believers trust that God is aware of every situation and that His justice is never clouded by ignorance or absence.
God's Omniscience and Omnipresence
Les explains that God is all-knowing and present everywhere, so no person or circumstance is beyond His awareness — a foundation for trusting His fairness.
God Is Never Unjust
Les answers the fairness question by saying the only way to resolve the dilemma is that God is never unjust and never unfair, even when it appears otherwise.
Humanity Already Had a Chance
Les reminds us that before God turned to Israel, He dealt with the whole human race for 2,000 years, and they all had knowledge of what He expected — yet they rebelled.
God's Right to Reject Rejected Love
Les teaches that since God offered His love to the fullest extent to every human being, God has every right to reject those who spurn that love.
God Uses Tough Things for Believers
Les says God may bring bad experiences into believers' lives for His own purpose, to bring them where He wants them to be.
Romans 8:28 Is for Believers Only
Les emphasizes that 'all things work together for good' is qualified to those who love God, and that he himself later thanked God for things he questioned at the time.
God's Sovereignty Is Never Unfair
In discussing election, Les concludes that God can do whatever He wants, but because He is righteous, He will never do anything unfair.
Scripture Answers: God Forbid
Les quotes Romans 9:14 — 'Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid' — and says we must keep this constantly before us.
Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This verse is central to the question because Les uses it to clarify that God's working of all things for good is specifically for believers.
Romans 9:14: What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
This is the direct biblical answer to the charge that God could be unfair in His dealings with people.
Romans 9:15: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
This verse shows that God's sovereign mercy and compassion are not unrighteous but are expressions of His justice.
Les Feldick teaches that God may bring tough things into our lives, but it is for His own purpose to bring us to the place He wants us to be. These experiences are not injustice; they are part of His work in believers.
Les doesn't call it a sin; he acknowledges the human response is often, "God, that's not fair." He points to Romans 9:14, where Scripture answers "God forbid" to the idea of unrighteousness with God, and he insists we must keep that truth before us.
No. Les says the verse has a qualification: "to them that love God." For believers, all things work together for good; the promise is not made to the world at large.
Les says God is never unjust. He also points out that God had dealt with the whole human race for centuries, and they all had knowledge of what He expected but rebelled. In His foreknowledge, this would not have changed.
Watch the Teaching: Can We Trust God? Understanding His Character & Faith