How do we know that God cannot clear the guilty?

God’s holiness and justice are foundational to understanding why the guilty cannot be cleared. As stated in passages like Romans 3:26, God is both just and the justifier. This means He cannot overlook sin; instead, He must execute judgment. The holiness of God demands that sins be punished, yet through Christ’s substitution, justice is satisfied. Therefore, while God’s nature cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished, He perfectly fulfills His justice through Christ’s atoning work, ensuring that mercy and justice coexist harmoniously.