Christ died not only because of our sin but also because of God’s character—He is just and cannot justify or pardon the wicked without first satisfying the demands of His justice against them.25 Christ not only died, but He stood in the place of His people, bore their guilt, suffered God’s wrath, and shed His blood.26 Through His suffering, divine justice was satisfied and the wrath of God was appeased, that God might now be both just and the justifier of those who place their faith in Him.27
