How Do I Make Things Right?

Since according to God's righteous judgment we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how can we escape this punishment and be again received into favor?

God demands that His justice be satisfied.

There are two doors that must be opened.

• The door to escape from the prison of Satan's kingdom,
• and the door to enter God's kingdom.

There are two payments 

• that must be made before each of these doors are opened. 
• These two payments make up what is referred to as "full payment."

The first payment 

• that must be made before the door of the kingdom of darkness can be opened is the payment of death.  
• Christ made this payment for us throughout His life, by His suffering and death.

A second payment 

• is required for us to enter the kingdom of God.  
• That payment is obedience or righteousness.  
• Before anyone will be admitted into God's kingdom, he must have rendered perfect obedience to God's law.  
• This is the second payment that Christ rendered for us, not by His death, 
• but by His walk of obedience to God's commandments.

Exodus 20:5 … you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me…

Exodus 23:7 “Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.”

Romans 2:1-11 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day ofwrath and of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

Therefore we must make full payment, either by ourselves or through another.

• Isaiah 53:11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 
• Romans 8:3,4 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

The Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 5