You say, “The Lord’s way is not fair!” How can one possibly read the passage from the prophet Ezekiel which constitutes today’s First Reading without concluding that God is unfair? Why should an individual who has tried his/her best to lead a righteous life not be forgiven for a single or even a couple of slips and falls? Shouldn’t his/her past righteous deeds count for something? 
Ezekiel’s community was languishing in exile in Babylon. As a prophet, Ezekiel was charged with rebuking his community for their role in their present situation. It was because of their sins that the Lord allowed the Babylonians to take them captive. It was also their persistence in sin that led to the destruction of their prized city, Jerusalem. However, all was not lost. The only thing that was standing between them and their redemption was repentance. If they were to renounce their sinful ways and make a heartfelt return to the Lord, then the Lord would blot out their past offences and offer them a fresh start. But if they refused to repent of their sinful ways, the Lord would let them continue languishing or even perish in exile. It was a proposition that led the community to accuse the Lord of unfairness.  
There is no “fairness” when it comes to righteousness and evil. A righteous individual is held to a higher standard compared to a non-righteous person. A righteous person shines before others and is regarded as a beacon of light/goodness/hope in a community. He/she becomes a reference point in people’s search for God/goodness. The same cannot be said about a non-righteous individual. Consequently, when a righteous person commits iniquity, he/she brings down not only him/herself but the entire community (or rather those who looked up to him/her). This is because when he/she commits iniquity, a righteous individual causes a scandal. 
A righteous individual is believed to have come to the knowledge of good and evil. By choosing to take the side of the good, an individual, as it were, makes a pact with the good (God) and promises to remain faithful to the pact. When he/she chooses to commit a sin, he/she goes back on his/her word. Such an act is not becoming of he/she who has known God thus the reason for God’s supposed “unfair” treatment.