The prison population is rising. The need to find alternative punishments to prison is seen as a priority. Now, recent statistics suggest that reoffending is rising – figures of 44% are quoted for 2011, that is, people convicted who have 15 or more previous offences on their record. Is this solely down to social factors of deprivation, poor parenting, drugs, and alcohol? Is the economic downturn to blame for people turning to crime? We have had government initiative after government initiative to attempt to break the trend. Whether there has been some success in a reduction in the number of offenders being processed by the criminal justice system remains to be seen.
This is a very serious issue for society as a whole and for us in particular. What is it that leads all of us to commit crime? It might be that speeding ticket. It might be that parking ticket. I may be that bit of bullying in the classroom or the workplace. We make excuses. We seek to explain our behaviour by criticising the speed limits, getting angry with the parking officers, or saying that we were “under pressure”. After all, or so the saying goes, these are minor things. They are not as serious as rape or murder.
However, the Bible is clear. It calls all these things “sin”. Not a modern word, but definitely a very up-to-date problem! In the same way, the Bible tells us that we have all sinned. We have all failed to reach God’s standards, never mind failing to reach society’s standards. We all stand guilty before the bar in God’s courtroom. We are condemned. The concern is that perhaps we don’t appreciate how serious that is. If we speed, we get a fine and three points on our licence. If we commit a parking offence we get a £25 fine, or perhaps more. Even more serious offences do not seem to be heavily punished, according to some newspapers. God’s punishment for our sins is far more serious. It can bar us from God’s presence for eternity. It can mean our place under God’s punishment for ever. That is no short-term matter. What are we going to do about our sin and its consequences?
God has provided an answer. In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son, He has provided a way of escape. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God’s mediator. He “gave himself a ransom for all”. Through His death and resurrection we can be forgiven. We can escape the penalty of our sin. Will you accept Him as your Saviour?
