 He said, how can God be just and to justify the ungodly? Do you see the problem? How can God be just and yet still justify the ungodly? He says the answer is that he can because he has punished the sins of ungodly sinners in his own son. He has poured his wrath upon him. He bore our chastisement. By his stripes we are healed. God has done what he said he would do. He has punished sin. He proclaimed this through the Old Testament everywhere and he has done what he said he would do. He has shown that he is righteous. He has made a public declaration of it. He is just and can justify because having punished another in our stead he can then forgive us freely.