order to be just. For God to look the other way would be as unjust as a judge excusing convicted murderers or rapists from the penalty they deserve. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God satisfies the demands of his justice. The penalty is paid, and so God is able to release us from his personal right to exact the penalty for our offense. Clearly, Jesus’s death provides the grounds for forgiveness. It provides payment of the penalty. The New Testament does not spell out quite as clearly