You'll have to start with the premise that God is just. If He is a just judge, all sin must be answered and accounted for. He will by no means clear the guilty, and will by no means overlook sin. It all must be dealt with.
‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’
— Numbers 14:18
How is God able to forgive His people if He is just? That is the great predicament.
God justifies ungodly men, He forgives iniquity. But how can He do such a thing and remain righteous?
Let's say a murderer kills all of your family with a sword in front of you, while your house security can is running. And just before killing you, you escape with your life. You and him stand in court before a judge and he asks you, "Did this man kill your family?" And you say, "Yes, I have proof on video of him doing it." And the tape is played before court, and the judge watches and says, "Wow, this is pure evil."
Then the judge gives the verdict. He says, "I hold the defendant, not guilty! I forgive him, he is free to go."
This judge just justified a murderer. The courtroom erupts because of the lack of justice. Everyone demands justice against this evil man. He is an unrighteous judge.
So how can God be just when He justifies the ungodly?
Every sin that anyone commits against God must be paid for in order to meet the demands of God's law and justice. Since God is a just God, He cannot simply forgive anyone's sins, without those sins being paid for in some way. The gospel teaches that Christ paid for the sins of His people through His redemptive work on the cross. How did He do it?
When He was in the garden, before He went to the cross, He was praying to His Father. What did He pray? He prayed this:
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
— Matthew 26:39
This cup is very significant. Notice what's said in Luke.
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
— Luke 22:41-44
What was going on? What was in this cup that He was in agony over? Just the thought of this cup was enough to agonize Him. Many will say that this cup refers to the crown of thorns, the whips lashing Him, the hanging by crucifixion, after being delivered over to the hands of evil men. But something else was happening. Something much greater, and most people don't even know a thing about it.
What was in the cup?
For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams;
It is well mixed, and He pours out of this;
Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs.
— Psalm 75:8
Think about this verse:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—
— Galatians 3:13
When Christ was on the cross He bore the sins of His people in His body, and the Father punished Him as if He were the one committing all of those sins. The Father poured out the cup of His wrath on Him, and crushed Him. When every last drop from this cup was poured out on Christ, He became the propitiation for the sins of His people, meaning, after all wrath was poured out on Christ for the sins of His people, the Father,'s wrath against those sins became fully appeased. Christ's atoning propitiatory sacrifice to pay for the sins of His people was an acceptable sacrifice. Payment for their sins has been made, and their redemption was accomplished, redeeming them with His precious blood.
That's actually what happened to me, I grew up non-religious and I didn't read a single page of the Bible until I was 19.
The reason it's so severe is because ultimately all sins are sins against God.
Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
— Psalm 51:4
Lack of understanding how severe and evil the nature of sin is stems primarily, for many, from a lack of knowledge of who God is. What I mean by that can be illustrated by the following.
Let's say I kill an ant on the sidewalk or swat a fly on a window. From a human standpoint, how much trouble could I get into for that? Not very much. Why? It's because a fly or an ant is worth very little.
Now let's say I kill a bald eagle who is protected by wildlife management. Now the punishment becomes more severe, I would face thousands in fines. Why? Because a bald eagle is worth more than a fly. Let's say I kill a child. The punishment becomes more severe, now I face years in prison, because a child is worth more than an eagle. Now let's say I kill the king of a nation. Even more severe, my head would be required that same day. So you can observe this principle in nature where the amount of demand for justice increases depending on the worth of whoever we've sinned against. God's worth is indescribable and incalculable. It exceeds the imagination. Basically we know not what we've done.
Believers are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows, as it says in the book of Matthew, but there is no limit to God's worth. This is why the penalty for sins against God is eternal punishment.
Adam and Eve were commanded by God to not eat from the tree, and He warned them that in the day they eat of it they will surely die. Had they listened to God's command and done what they were told and obeyed they would have continued living forever, but they chose not to listen. The fault was their own and they had to bear the consequences for not obeying.
The phrase "accepting Jesus" is a reference used by many false converts to validate their boast before God. It stems from the premise that Jesus died for the sins of people who go to hell, but that the only reason they aren't going to hell and the others are is because they accept Jesus, which is really no acceptance at all. It's a rejection of Jesus, since they are rejecting His work on the cross as effective to save all for whom His work on the cross represented.
If that sounds confusing at all think of it this way, if Christ paid for the sins of someone who goes to hell, did He really pay for their sins? If Christ shed His blood for people who go to hell, were they ever really healed? The Bible claims Christ redeemed His people with His precious blood, and that by His wounds they are healed. Truly accepting Jesus is to believe the gospel and accept that Christ through His redeeming work on the cross actually accomplished redemption for His people, and He did so by paying the penalty for their sins.
The people who will be saved are those who believe the report of Christ and His work on the cross. The gospel is the report of salvation conditioned on the finished work of Christ on the cross. When the gospel is believed, conversion takes place and righteousness is credited to one's account. I'll talk more about this righteousness later I don't want to make this too long.
It's honest to ask questions, all are welcome.
You'll have to start with the premise that God is just. If He is a just judge, all sin must be answered and accounted for. He will by no means clear the guilty, and will by no means overlook sin. It all must be dealt with.
‘The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ — Numbers 14:18
How is God able to forgive His people if He is just? That is the great predicament.
God justifies ungodly men, He forgives iniquity. But how can He do such a thing and remain righteous?
Let's say a murderer kills all of your family with a sword in front of you, while your house security can is running. And just before killing you, you escape with your life. You and him stand in court before a judge and he asks you, "Did this man kill your family?" And you say, "Yes, I have proof on video of him doing it." And the tape is played before court, and the judge watches and says, "Wow, this is pure evil."
Then the judge gives the verdict. He says, "I hold the defendant, not guilty! I forgive him, he is free to go."
This judge just justified a murderer. The courtroom erupts because of the lack of justice. Everyone demands justice against this evil man. He is an unrighteous judge.
So how can God be just when He justifies the ungodly?
Every sin that anyone commits against God must be paid for in order to meet the demands of God's law and justice. Since God is a just God, He cannot simply forgive anyone's sins, without those sins being paid for in some way. The gospel teaches that Christ paid for the sins of His people through His redemptive work on the cross. How did He do it?
When He was in the garden, before He went to the cross, He was praying to His Father. What did He pray? He prayed this:
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” — Matthew 26:39
This cup is very significant. Notice what's said in Luke.
And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. — Luke 22:41-44
What was going on? What was in this cup that He was in agony over? Just the thought of this cup was enough to agonize Him. Many will say that this cup refers to the crown of thorns, the whips lashing Him, the hanging by crucifixion, after being delivered over to the hands of evil men. But something else was happening. Something much greater, and most people don't even know a thing about it.
What was in the cup?
For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams; It is well mixed, and He pours out of this; Surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs. — Psalm 75:8
Think about this verse:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— — Galatians 3:13
When Christ was on the cross He bore the sins of His people in His body, and the Father punished Him as if He were the one committing all of those sins. The Father poured out the cup of His wrath on Him, and crushed Him. When every last drop from this cup was poured out on Christ, He became the propitiation for the sins of His people, meaning, after all wrath was poured out on Christ for the sins of His people, the Father,'s wrath against those sins became fully appeased. Christ's atoning propitiatory sacrifice to pay for the sins of His people was an acceptable sacrifice. Payment for their sins has been made, and their redemption was accomplished, redeeming them with His precious blood.
That's actually what happened to me, I grew up non-religious and I didn't read a single page of the Bible until I was 19.
The reason it's so severe is because ultimately all sins are sins against God.
Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. — Psalm 51:4
Lack of understanding how severe and evil the nature of sin is stems primarily, for many, from a lack of knowledge of who God is. What I mean by that can be illustrated by the following.
Let's say I kill an ant on the sidewalk or swat a fly on a window. From a human standpoint, how much trouble could I get into for that? Not very much. Why? It's because a fly or an ant is worth very little.
Now let's say I kill a bald eagle who is protected by wildlife management. Now the punishment becomes more severe, I would face thousands in fines. Why? Because a bald eagle is worth more than a fly. Let's say I kill a child. The punishment becomes more severe, now I face years in prison, because a child is worth more than an eagle. Now let's say I kill the king of a nation. Even more severe, my head would be required that same day. So you can observe this principle in nature where the amount of demand for justice increases depending on the worth of whoever we've sinned against. God's worth is indescribable and incalculable. It exceeds the imagination. Basically we know not what we've done.
Believers are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows, as it says in the book of Matthew, but there is no limit to God's worth. This is why the penalty for sins against God is eternal punishment.
Adam and Eve were commanded by God to not eat from the tree, and He warned them that in the day they eat of it they will surely die. Had they listened to God's command and done what they were told and obeyed they would have continued living forever, but they chose not to listen. The fault was their own and they had to bear the consequences for not obeying.
The phrase "accepting Jesus" is a reference used by many false converts to validate their boast before God. It stems from the premise that Jesus died for the sins of people who go to hell, but that the only reason they aren't going to hell and the others are is because they accept Jesus, which is really no acceptance at all. It's a rejection of Jesus, since they are rejecting His work on the cross as effective to save all for whom His work on the cross represented.
If that sounds confusing at all think of it this way, if Christ paid for the sins of someone who goes to hell, did He really pay for their sins? If Christ shed His blood for people who go to hell, were they ever really healed? The Bible claims Christ redeemed His people with His precious blood, and that by His wounds they are healed. Truly accepting Jesus is to believe the gospel and accept that Christ through His redeeming work on the cross actually accomplished redemption for His people, and He did so by paying the penalty for their sins.
The people who will be saved are those who believe the report of Christ and His work on the cross. The gospel is the report of salvation conditioned on the finished work of Christ on the cross. When the gospel is believed, conversion takes place and righteousness is credited to one's account. I'll talk more about this righteousness later I don't want to make this too long.