Introduction To Christianity - pg. 173

Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033-1109) had been concerned
to deduce the work of Christ by a train of necessary reasons
(raitionibus necessaris) and thus to show irrefutably
that this work had to happen in the precise way in
which it in fact did. His argument may be roughly summarized
like this: by man's sin, which was aimed against God, the order
of justice was infinitely damaged and God infinitely offended.
Behind this is the idea that the measure of the offence is
determined by the status of the offended party; if I offend
a beggar the consequences are not the same as they would be
if I offended a head of state. The importance of the offence varies
according to the addressee. Since God is infinite the offence to
him implicit in humanity;s sin is also infinitely important. The
right thus damaged must be restored, because God is a God of
order and justice; indeed, he is justice itself. But the measure
of the offence demands an infinite reparation, which man is not
capable of making. He can offend infinitely - his capacity extends
that far - but he cannot produce an infinite reparation; what he,
as a finite being, gives will always be only finite. His powers of
destruction extend further than his capacity to reconstruct. Thus
between all the reparations that man may attempt and
the greatness of his guilt there remains an infinite gulf which
he can never bridge. Any gesture of expiation can only
demonstrate his powerlessness to close the infinite gulf which
he himself opened up.