Understanding vs. Grace

There's this terrificly interesting line that Liam Neeson says in Batman Begins where he tells Bruce Wayne that "Criminals thrive on society's understanding." He is, of course, advocating that Bruce cannot have pity on criminals if he is to bring true justice to the world.

Anyway, it got me thinking a little bit. I wonder if the same thing can be said of sin. There are many sins that we commit that are understandable. After all, the Bible even says that "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." I think that when someone is confessing sin to us in accountability, there is this great desire that we have to be understanding, to say "it's alright." This strikes me as an attitude derived from a fear of being judgmental, which I think, by in large, is a good thing. However, do we stray from accountability in doing this? Is this what grace, which I believed we are called to in these kinds of relationships is all about? I fear that we often view grace and understanding as synonyms, which they are not.

I would say that while Understanding says "Don't be ashamed, I understand," Grace says "Don't be ashamed, you are forgiven. Turn from your sin." In both ways there is no judgment, and there is an attempt to release from shame. But while Grace confronts the sin and the wages that come with it, Understanding subtly gives license to it - "I understand, we all struggle with it. Don't feel bad about it, it's not as big a deal as you think." Perhaps I take this criticism too far, perhaps it is Satan who deceives in the midst of Understanding that we have license to commit this sin without it being a grave thing. Either way, I've been in many relationships where this occurs, and in my case, I did feel like the sin I had committed wasn't that bad. I mean, everyone does it, right? Those thoughts lead right to the doorstep of sin once again.