A horrifying story out of Colorado has grabbed headlines since it happened in August. It's the story of a man who killed his entire family, his wife of six years, their unborn child along with their other two young daughters. It's sickening, so sickening. A listener named Stephanie wrote us, "Dear Pastor John, I'm a 33-year-old mother and elementary teacher.

My question comes from the recent news that Chris Watts, a Colorado man who killed his pregnant wife and two daughters, has confessed the details of his crime and been sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole. And now in these few short months, he has claimed to have found God in prison.

After following the news closely back when he was originally suspected of the heinous crime, my reaction to his so-called finding God was anger. Is it wrong for me to not want this man who committed unspeakable acts to know my Jesus? Do you believe someone like him can truly repent and enter the kingdom of God?" This is weighty because it deals not only with the moral reality of whether someone who has done something so horrific can ever be forgiven, it also deals with how we should feel about it.

And those are two really, really big issues. And I think the safest thing I can do, I just sat down when I heard this question a little bit ago and tried to think of places that are relevant in the Bible. So here are six passages of Scripture. Let me just read them, and I think it will be obvious to Stephanie how she can appropriate these.

Verse number one, 1 Peter 2.23, "When Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but he continued entrusting his cause or himself to him who judges justly." In other words, whenever we feel that injustice is being done to us, as it certainly was to Jesus on the cross, or to anyone else, we must ultimately entrust our cause, either our own accusation or our indignation at somebody else's accusation or non-accusation, we must entrust our cause to God who judges justly.

In other words, our final confidence after we have done all we can do with regard to seeing that justice and mercy are done in this world, our final confidence is that God will set all things right. Justice will be done. Nobody gets away with anything in this universe. Romans 12.19, "Vengeance is mine.

I will repay, says the Lord." And so you don't need to take it up and bear that burden. So it's right, it's right for Stephanie to care about justice being done in this universe and nothing being swept under the rug and people getting away with murder, as we might say.

So that's the first observation, 1 Peter 2.23. Here's the second one, Luke 23.42, "The thief on the cross said to Jesus just moments or hours before they both died, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you'll be with me in paradise.'" Which means that an entire lifetime of sinning and stealing from others, and probably worse, can be forgiven one hour before you die.

Matthew 3, Matthew 20.12-15, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who hired workers to work all day in his vineyard for one denarius. And they said, "Fine, that's good, that's fair pay." And then others came, and by the end of the day, he was hiring people for one hour and giving them one denarius.

And the first group complained. They said this, "These last worked only one hour and you made them equal with us and we borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat." And he replied to them, "Friend, I'm doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or is your eye evil because I am good?" In other words, God is free to be gracious to whom he will be gracious and to give them anything he chooses.

And every person who is not satisfied with God's choices will hear the words, "I'm doing you no wrong." Number four, Luke 15.25-32. People of the prodigal son, there were two sons, right? And the one who lived the debauched life came home repenting. And the father ran out to greet him, blew everybody's mind that he would be so merciful to his son who had wasted his entire inheritance.

And his brother who had stayed at home and served like a good slave, that's my interpretation, and said, "I never broke any of your rules and I didn't ever get a party." Here's what he says, "Your brother has come and your father has killed..." No, this is the report that comes to him of what happened.

"Your brother has come and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him back safe and sound." But he was angry. This older brother was angry and refused to go in. "His father came out and entreated him, but he answered, 'Look, these many years I have served you and I never disobeyed your command.

Yet you never gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours comes home who's devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him.'" And the father said, "Son..." This is Jesus talking to the Pharisees. You have to understand the context.

The Pharisees have objected his eating with tax collectors and sinners. This is one of the clearest places in the Gospels where Jesus lets down his woes. Woe to you, Pharisees. And he talks like this, "Son, you're always with me and all that I have is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad.

For this your brother was dead and he's alive. He was lost and is found." And you can just hear Jesus saying to the Pharisees, "Don't you get this? These are your fellow Jews. They're being forgiven. They're repenting." So the problem with the older brother is that he lived like a slave, not a son.

He related to his father as if his work would earn good things instead of enjoying the fellowship of the father's bounty. So when the younger brother was freely forgiven, the older brother doesn't have any categories. He doesn't have any ability for enjoying grace because he's not living by grace.

Number five, Luke 747. Jesus visited a Pharisee's house, remember, and a woman from the street came in and bent over Jesus' feet as they were stretched out behind him at the reclining of the table and weeping with thanksgiving for her forgiveness of her sins. She wipes his feet with her hair and the Pharisee was indignant and Jesus told him a parable about a man being forgiven $500 and another man being forgiven $5.

And he asked the Pharisee which one would be more thankful. And he says, "Well, I suppose the one that he forgave more." And Jesus said, "You didn't anoint my head with oil, but she has not ceased to anoint my head with ointment. I mean, anoint my feet with ointment.

I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven as you can see in her great love. But he who is forgiven little loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." In other words, our sense of thankfulness and love rises with our sense of how much we don't deserve from God and how much we are forgiven.

Lastly, Psalm 51.3, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband. That's pretty rotten, ugly. And he says after he's confronted, he says in this Psalm, "I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Against you and you only have I sinned." Now that's just outrageous that he would say that, isn't it?

I mean, if you were Uriah's dad or Bathsheba's mom and you heard David say against God and God only have I sinned, wait a minute, you killed my son. Against you and you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, Psalm 51.3-4. And Paul said, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." So what makes sin, in other words, most serious, this is David's and Paul's way of saying what makes sin most serious is not that it hurts people.

Oh, it hurts people. But what makes sin most serious is not that it hurts people, but that it defames and belittles God. So here's the key question, am I more indignant that a murderer may be saved and go to heaven? Am I more indignant about that than I am amazed that I might be saved and go to heaven?

Amen. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. Thank you, Pastor John. Thank you for the question, Stephanie. For more about this podcast, you can go to DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn. And on Friday, we close the week talking about college and universities. What are some priorities for education?

How does a young Christian choose the best college or university for them, even the best major all the way down to choosing particular classes? Pastor John has thought a lot about educational priorities, and he will share his perspective with us on Friday. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. We'll see you then.

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