When Jesus died on the cross, He did something that defied human logic. Man had sinned against God and deserved eternal punishment because of that sin. But the penalty for that sin was paid by God Himself - the same God Who we had sinned against in the first place. No other sacrifice would do, other than God's only begotten son.
One of the popular memes floating around social media details the depraved crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and how absurd it is that he accepted Jesus Christ and will be in Heaven. This is meant to illustrate how absurd Christianity is. How could God allow this evil man into Heaven just because he confessed faith just seven months earlier? But the real absurdity, from a human perspective, is not that Dahmer is in Heaven. The real absurdity is that anyone is in Heaven. We all deserve eternal damnation.
The Dahmer meme illustrates the perspective of someone who has no idea of the breadth and depth of his own sin and the insurmountable debt we have to God. When the Holy Spirit opens up to us just how totally corrupt we are, we truly appreciate how much Jesus' sacrifice means and we become truly thankful for His unlimited grace. We are not better than Dahmer, or that murderer King David. We are not better than King Manasseh, who burned his own children to death, or the Apostle Paul, who persecuted the early Church.
No, this does not mean that Christianity "enables crimes and offers zero real justice." There is no conflict between forgiveness for sin and earthly consequences for that sin. Someone can be justly executed for his crimes and still be forgiven by God. While eternity is in God's hands, he gives the sword to the civil magistrate to deal with crimes on earth. Even on earth, the victims of a crime can forgive the criminal and yet still plead with the government to punish that crime. A Christian business owner can fire and press charges against an employee who steals from him and also forgive him. It is not all or nothing.
You do not deserve God's grace, or anything good from His hand. Neither do I. You and I have sinned against God in a way that we can never atone for with our works. God does not see you and me any differently than He sees Dahmer or King Manasseh. But if we accept His son as our Lord and Savior, our Father in Heaven sees us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. That is not a weakness or an endorsement of sin. That is the ultimate expression of love.
See previous posts here and here and here and here and here.
Forgiveness and approval are not the same thing
No, you are not any better than Jeffrey Dahmer. Neither am I. The only redemption comes from the blood of Jesus Christ.
