A major doctrine of Christianity is the forgiveness of sin. One can have the negative consequences of one’s past action nullified as if they had never happened. In the New Testament we have a number of examples of Jesus appearing to forgive sins, for example:
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven. Matthew 9:2
This is a concept that is also not alien to Judaism from which Christianity springs, for example from Exodus:
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:6-7
Note:
“…he does not leave the guilty unpunished”
That is something that we will need to reconcile later. From Jeremiah: