A basically good person
If after committing a horrible crime, you stood before a judge, and rather than protesting your innocence you simply appealed to the fact that you were basically a good person as a reason for him to acquit you; do you think your logic would lead to you’re being justified? I doubt it! In fact, if we heard of a judge who used that logic we would all say he was acting contrary to law and was being unjust. We would all work to see that judge thrown from office.
The Scripture says: “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” If in our human sense of justice we see a need for proportionate punishment, don’t you think that the perfect Judge of humanity cannot simply trivialize our misdeeds by passing over them as if they never happened? Of course not- The Almighty God of the Universe, who knows us completely and infallibly cannot simply call us basically good and pat us on the back and say “It’s all right.” No, He must be just.
This leads us into the purpose of Jesus Christ’s death. In II Corinthians 5:21 God tells us: “He made Him who knew no sin to be made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Speaking of Christ, the Scripture tells us that God accounted all our sin to Christ when he died upon the cross. His perfect righteousness can then be accounted to us through our personal faith. This is how, in the words of Romans 3:26 God can be both just and the justifier of the one who believes in Christ. “It is by Grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast!” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Have you trusted in Him alone for your salvation?
