Jesus Died in Our Place

Previously, as we walked through the first part of these verses, we saw that God’s salvation did not simply entail the putting aside of his justice, but rather the upholding of it. Oddly, when turning to our salvation, Paul notes that God has manifested his righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. All that is good! But how, precisely, does the work of Jesus make God both the just one and the justifier of sinners? How can God be both faithful to his promises to be merciful and bless us and faithful to his promise to punish sin? By having Jesus Christ, his faithful servant, die in our place!