You've spotted a great conundrum in Christian theology. The idea that similar acts of injustice can be met with opposing verdicts from God, solely based on the perpetrator's religiousness and repentance, is hard to swallow. Our criteria for justice do not (at least at first) examine how the actors feel after committing a crime, we focus on what led them to act. So similar crimes with similar circumstances are dealt similar punishments. And while there is nothing wrong for a merciful deity who looks into everyone's soul, to forgive the truly repentant, the problem lies in that he doesn't role out punishments beforehand. So for example, a murderer is not punished by God right after he kills, rather his punishment awaits him in the afterlife, but if he seeks God and repent before then, he will be absolved. This can even be unjust to criminals let alone victims. A murderer who did life in prison may also spend eternity in hell, while a murderer who did no time might repent and go to paradise. While ideas of what punishments are moral and rehabilitative are a matter of debate, this theology downright ignores even the very simple equal offense deserve equal punishments. But this has a somehow meaningful cause. One, this world is not as significant as the coming, so going to heaven is more important than how you get there. So where you are a victim of an infanticide, patricide or matricide, you've hit the jackpot by getting to heaven. There is nothing more that can be given to you. Two, everyone especially the righteous, the victims and the poor of this world are kind of seen as God. So killing a person is a direct offense against God, not just trespassing his laws. This way it makes more sense to ask his forgiveness as well. And so it would also be like the victim forgiving his murderer. And three, huge emphasis rests on your belief in God than the weight of your crimes. So whatever you've done turning to God is always a possibility.
Now there are very important questions you've got to ask, Why punish? What is repentance? and What does punishing the repentant achieve?
Feb 01, 2026