In an article in Christianity Today magazine, Mark Galli notes how, deep down, the idea of punishment for sins actually makes sense to us. It is not arbitrary or primitive. Galli argues that punishment somehow "balances the moral books. … That is why forgiveness as a mere act of the will is not sufficient. Sins must be paid for, as a debt must be paid for."

Galli offers a couple of concrete examples:

We first understand the nature of just punishment as children. Your sister repeatedly changes the channel you are watching on TV to watch what she wants. She is rude and unbending until your father steps in. An apology from her is all well and good, but you are not satisfied until your father adds that your sister can't watch TV for a week. Punishment is part of the solution to this problem, and if there is no punishment, you feel like justice has been cheated.

Or take the trope that Hollywood regularly relies on in revenge movies. The screenwriters are appealing to something deep and basic in the human heart: When a great injustice has been done, retribution is due. The villain [kills a number of people]; all through the movie, the viewer wants the villain not merely caught but punished, usually in some violent scene that leads to the villain's death. In spite of the predictable fireworks and excessive violence, we keep coming to such movies precisely because we are deeply satisfied by the punishment of offender.

Possible Preaching Angles: We see this dynamic at work at a spiritual level. Our sins cannot be swept away by the wave of a hand. They deserve death, and only by death can they be adequately paid for.