God did not need to make the world. But once He’s made it, He cannot be a righteous God unless He deals righteously with sin (by punishing it) and righteously with His people (by justifying them). This is why Paul says the cross demonstrates God’s righteousness so that He might “be just and the justifier.” God’s demonstration of righteousness is not merely for the sake of MANIFESTING righteousness; it is for the sake of BEING righteous. Given the fact of creation, the manifestation is necessary to the being.
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