This presentation demonstrates how the Christian worldview of sin and redemption provide an effective framework for understanding the origins of crime and how effective solutions can be implemented.

1. A Christian Perspective On The
Cause of and Solutions to Crime
Dr. Timothy G. Jacobs
Grand Canyon University
October 1, 2015

2. 1) According to the Bible, what is the
fundamental cause of crime?
2) What does this fundamental cause of
crime do?
3) What solutions does Christianity offer to
combat crime?
4) What would these solutions look like in
various domains of society?
5) How might a Christian understanding of
the causes of crime benefit society and
law enforcement entities?

4. 1) According to the Bible, what is the
fundamental cause of crime?

5. The fundamental cause of crime,
according to the Bible: SIN in the human
heart.
What is sin? Any failure to conform to the
moral law of God in act, attitude, or
nature.
Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An
Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England;
Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan
Pub. House, 2004), 490.

6. Sin is universal – everyone is born
with it
Sin is comprehensive – it permeates
every aspect of the soul

7. as it is written: “None is righteous, no,
not one; no one understands; no
one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they
have become worthless; no one
does good, not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave; they use
their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and
bitterness.”

8. “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not
known.”
“There is no fear of God before their
eyes.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 3:10–18.

9. …if it had not been for the law, I would
not have known sin. For I would not have
known what it is to covet if the law had
not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin,
seizing an opportunity through the
commandment, produced in me all kinds
of covetousness.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ro 7:7–8.

10. 2) What, ultimately, does this cause of
crime do?

11. 2) What, ultimately, does this cause of
crime do?
Sin breaks and disrupts relationships
between God and others.

12. In the Christian worldview, crime
is ultimately caused by sin, which
manifests itself in the breaking
and disrupting of relationships
with God and others.

13. Now the serpent was more crafty than
any other beast of the field that the LORD
God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually
say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the
garden’?”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 3:1.

14. So when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was
to be desired to make one wise, she took
of its fruit and ate, and she also gave
some to her husband who was with her,
and he ate.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 3:6.

15. But the LORD God called to the man and
said to him, “Where are you?” And he
said, “I heard the sound of you in the
garden, and I was afraid, because I was
naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who
told you that you were naked? Have you
eaten of the tree of which I commanded
you not to eat?”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 3:9-11.

16. The man said, “The woman whom you
gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of
the tree, and I ate.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 3:12.

17. 3) What solutions does Christianity offer
to combat crime?

18. 3) What solutions does Christianity offer
to combat crime?
Christianity offers the opportunity to not
merely follow “rules” – but join a
concerted effort to restore broken
relationships: first with God, then with
others.

19. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come. All this is from
God, who through Christ reconciled us to
himself and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was
reconciling the world to himself, not

20. counting their trespasses against them,
and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton:
Standard Bible Society, 2001), 2 Co 5:17–19.

21. 4) Four domains of reconciliation:
a) Social
b) Political
c) Economic
d) Religious
*Taken from When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate
Poverty without Hurting the Poor… And Yourself
by Fikkert and Corbett

22. 5) How might a Christian understanding
of the cause of and solutions to crime
benefit society and law enforcement
entities?

23. 5) How might a Christian understanding
of the cause of and solutions to crime
benefit society and law enforcement
entities?
a) Sin – eliminates victimhood and
promotes responsibility for one’s
actions

24. 5) How might a Christian understanding
of the cause of and solutions to crime
benefit society and law enforcement
entities?
a) Sin – eliminates victimhood and
promotes responsibility for one’s
actions
b) Moral law – supersedes societal laws

25. 5) How might a Christian understanding
of the cause of and solutions to crime
benefit society and law enforcement
entities?
a) Sin – eliminates victimhood and
promotes responsibility for one’s
actions
b) Moral law – supersedes societal laws
c) Grace – produces gratitude which is
the foundation of ethics