Q: According to God's righteous judgment we deserve punishment both in this world and forever after: how then can we escape this punishment and return to God's favor?
A: God requires that his justice be satisfied.1
Therefore the claims of his justice
must be paid in full,
either by ourselves or another.2
1 Ex. 23:7; Rom. 2:1-11
2 Isa. 53:11; Rom. 8:3-4
Q: Can we pay this debt ourselves?
A: Certainly not.
Actually, we increase our guilt every day.1
1 Matt. 6:12; Rom. 2:4-5
Q: Can another creature-any at all- pay this debt for us?
A: No.
To begin with,
God will not punish another creature
for what a human is guilty of.1
Besides,
no mere creature can bear the weight
of God's eternal anger against sin
and release others from it.2
1 Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18
2 Ps. 49:7-9; 130:3
Q: What kind of mediator and deliverer should we look for then?
A: One who is truly human1 and truly righteous,2
yet more powerful than all creatures,
that is, one who is also true God.3
1 Rom. 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:17
2 Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26
3 Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1