In the last two episodes, I talked about righteousness and justice. The fact that God is both righteous and just has huge implications. One thing it means for us is that God always treats people as they deserve. Without partiality, he punishes all sin and everything that is against his will and nature. While that is true, God also offers forgiveness, and those whom God has forgiven will not be punished. How can that be? Well, God established a system of justice whereby someone who didn’t deserve punishment could step in and take someone else’s punishment. That’s what Jesus did when he died. God’s righteousness and justice were satisfied by Jesus, and in turn, God can forgive those who respond in faith.