Every crime deserves punishment in proportion to the severity of the infliction. The severity of the infliction is determined by the degree to which the inflictor is obliged not to commit the crime. The crime of despising a person deserves punishment according to the measure of honour, love, and obedience the offended person deserves. Because God is infinitely worthy of love, honour, and obedience, any lack of such toward Him deserves punishment of infinite proportion.

It follows, then, that if a single defiance against God is worthy of infinite punishment, then a man who is not guilty might step forward and take upon himself the infinite punishment for that man's single sin. But if the culprit of the original offense sins again, his first benefactor is powerless to again provide aid (for he is occupied in receiving everlasting punishment for the first defiance). For our sinner to retain freedom from his just punishment, he would need a benefactor for each of his sins. And as his corrupted nature renders his sins innumerable, constant, and compounding, he would need an infinite number of benefactors — or one benefactor of infinite quality.

Such a being could take upon himself all possible punishment for those for whom he interceeds. Such a being is Christ Jesus.

For more information along these lines, please see pages 668-679 of Jonathan Edwards's collected works (published in 1998 by Hendrickson Publishers, ISBN: 1565630858)