Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Confusion exists in the human experience as to exactly what just means. The human condition experiences hurt, pain, and loss. They want revenge against those who are guilty. Revenge isn’t just.

If you are a witness to the legal system it becomes apparent that justice is anything by just. It does not satisfy anyone.  This sense of satisfaction is key to understand God’s quality of just. God must be satisfied in order to justify all sin no matter how minor or severe, equally.

“This is no small undertaking if you stop and think about God having to be holy and just at the same time and not compromising either quality. If any sin, no matter how small is equally dangerous to the purity of God, then the cure has to be fair and just to treat all offenders equally.” Quoted from Why the Cross

Justification is a bookkeeping term. It is how debts are reconciled, taking them out of the red and into the black. The paying of a debt has to be reconciled to Him to whom the debt is owed.

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Propitiation means acceptable substitute, meaning Christ died for all our sins and satisfied God.

The debt we owe is not for the sins we have committed but rather for the death of His Son Jesus Christ. His death was the only just way for all unequal sins to be reconciled to God in His Holiness.