As I write this article, I am on vacation in San Francisco. If you’re familiar with the Bay Area, you’ll know that Alcatraz Island is an iconic site, notorious for serving as a federal maximum-security penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, with famous prisoners like Al Capone and Robert Stroud (a.k.a. the Birdman).

During the tour of Alcatraz, I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to be incarcerated in such a prison for years. The dark, damp cells gave me the chills. As gruesome as prison life could be, societies accept that such an institution is necessary for justice and accountability for those who commit serious crimes.

Our desire for justice is not surprising. The Bible asserts that there must be consequences for sin. We are going through the Book of Ezekiel at our church, so we have had ample opportunity to address the perils of sin and why God must move against it with all his might. However, as much as putting criminals behind bars may deter people and protect the community, our justice system is far from perfect because we cannot offer restoration.

I have a friend who received the heartbreaking news that his son had been murdered. Although the murderer was caught and put behind bars (our justice system at work), my friend did not receive his son back. There was no restoration, no reconciliation, no redemption. Although the imprisonment of the murderer was important for accountability, it could not undo the terrible loss for this family. I had the opportunity to ask a Supreme Court judge about this shortfall of our justice system, and the judge agreed that our system cannot fully bring justice to situations like this because we do not have the ability to make things whole again.

God says that his justice is better. God not only punishes sin and protects those who are hurt by it but can restore all things and even redeem and reconcile. The Bible repeatedly claims that Jesus is a redeemer (Col. 1:14, Eph. 1:7, Gal. 3:13) who paid the price for our sins with his own death on the cross, and says that God, “through Christ reconciled us to himself” (2 Cor. 5:18, ESV) “by the death of his Son” (Rom. 5:10).

The justice system of the gospel does not end with death; it goes on to present the resurrection! How amazing is it that we have a redeemer in Jesus who could bring even the dead back to life—that the brokenness of the world caused by our sins could truly be undone?

There is more to God’s justice; not only do those who have been hurt by sin get restored but even those who have sinned—criminals who deserve death in the court of heaven—can be restored to abundant life by placing their faith in Jesus. In Ezekiel 18:23, God calls sinners to turn back to him: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” A few verses later, God answers this rhetorical question: “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live” (18:32).

What an amazing phrase that spells out God’s mercy! So turn, and live! This is the message of the good news that Christ followers have the privilege of proclaiming to the world. God’s punishment of sin is not so that his people would perish; it is an invitation of profound love that calls us back to life in him.