Why Doesn't God Treat Everyone the Same? (And Why That's Actually Good News)

One of the objections to the Christian faith says: "If God is good and just, why doesn't He treat everyone the same?"

This question stems from observing that some are healed, while others are not. Some prosper while others struggle. Some experience peace early. Others walk long roads of suffering. Critics often assume that fairness must mean sameness.

A closer look Scripture teaches us otherwise. And even life itself has examples that clarify this perspective.

A good father does not treat a toddler and a teenager the same way. A wise employer does not give identical responsibilities to every employee. A just government recognizes different needs, roles, and circumstances.

Difference does not negate justice. It often defines it.

God's Wisdom, Not Our Comparison

The Bible doesn't claim that God distributes experiences evenly. What it does affirm - clearly and repeatedly—is that God distributes grace generously. "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:6). Discipline here is not punishment—it is formation. The same discipline that feels harsh is actually evidence of sonship: "For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons" (Hebrews 12:7-8). 

God is not running a factory; He is raising children.

God's differing treatment stems from intimate knowledge of what each person needs for their ultimate good and His glory. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:28-29).

From a Lutheran perspective, this distinction is crucial. We do not read God's favour off our circumstances. Prosperity does not equal holiness. Suffering does not equal abandonment.

While we may not see the purpose in our pain, Scripture promises that God works all things—even suffering—toward conformity to Christ. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4). The question isn't whether God is fair by our standards, but whether He is faithful to His promises.

We confess this: God's mercy is clear and certain, even when His methods are not as clear to our limited minds.

Biblical Evidence

Scripture presents God's perceived "unfairness" and "Inequality" on our part as integral to His good design.

Consider the parable of the talents. The master distributes his wealth unequally: "to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability" (Matthew 25:15). The inequality isn't accidental, but intentional, focused not on equal distribution but on encouraging faithful stewardship.

Or consider Paul's teaching on spiritual gifts: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). He develops this with the body analogy: "If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?" (1 Corinthians 12:17). The diversity of gifts and callings, which come with a diversity of challenges, problems and struggles, isn't a problem to be solved—it's the very structure through which God builds His church.

Even Jesus Himself exercised this principle. At the Pool of Bethesda, He healed one man while others remained afflicted (John 5:1-9). When the demon-possessed man begged to follow Him, Jesus sent him home instead: "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you" (Mark 5:19). Yet when He called the disciples, He said, "Follow me." Different people, different callings, same Lord.

The Old Testament prophets received dramatically different assignments. Moses was called to leadership he resisted. Jeremiah was called to preach to a people who wouldn't listen: "Go, and say to this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive'" (Isaiah 6:9). Jonah was sent to Israel's enemies. Each calling was uniquely suited to God's purposes, not to the prophet's preferences or our sense of fairness.

Even Paul, who wrote so eloquently about God's purposes, struggled with his "thorn in the flesh." Three times he pleaded for its removal. God's answer? "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Others were healed; Paul was not. This wasn't divine neglect—it was divine purpose: "So that I would not become conceited."

The pattern is consistent: God distributes circumstances, gifts, and callings unequally—and Scripture presents this as wisdom and guidance, not injustice.

 Where God Is Absolutely Equal

Where God treats us with absolute equality is in the essential truth of His Word:

• All have sinned
• Christ died for all 
• All receive His salvation and are justified freely through faith
• All are saved by grace through faith in Christ

"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him" (Romans 10:12).

Paul makes this abundantly clear: "For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:22-24). And again: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The equalizing ground is at Calvary—no one earns favour, no one is excluded from the reach of His work by no circumstance whatsoever. God's invitation is universal: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). He "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). His means are identical—faith alone in Christ alone—but His timing and methods of bringing people to faith differ. Consider Paul's dramatic conversion on the Damascus road versus Timothy's gradual nurturing in the faith from childhood. Both saved by the same grace, through different paths.

The benefits of the cross are offered to all equally. But from there, God leads each of us along a path shaped by His wisdom, not our comparison.

Why This Matters

This is not a weakness in Christianity. It is one of its deepest strengths.

First of all, if God treated everyone the way we think all should be treated, we'd all be lost in our sins. Christ came to level the ground of sin with forgiveness, not to level the ground of life with sameness. The Gospel announces that God meets each of us in our particular need with His particular grace.

That's not unfairness—that's love that knows our name.

A God who processes every soul identically would be administering a system, not relating as a Father. But the God revealed in Scripture is intimately acquainted with your ways, knows the number of hairs on your head, and orders your steps according to His perfect wisdom.

The same God. The same grace. The same cross. But a personal path designed by the One who knows you best and loves you most. 

That's why it is good news. That's the God worth trusting, even when His ways are mysterious.

Especially then.