For many people the cross is the strangest part of Christianity. Why would a good God require a death? If the idea sounds troubling, you are not alone, and it deserves careful thought rather than a slogan.
Justice and love together
Christians believe the cross expresses both God’s justice and God’s love. Human wrongdoing is real and is taken seriously. Yet Jesus gives himself for the sake of the people who have done wrong. Jesus described his own purpose this way:
For the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45
The Bible insists this was not God punishing an unwilling victim. Jesus went willingly, and Christians believe that in him God himself was bearing the cost.
But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
A way back to God
Christians have explained how the cross saves in more than one way. Some speak of a debt paid, others of a victory over evil, others of an example of love. They agree on the heart of it: reconciliation with God is possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection, not through our own moral achievements.
Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God.
1 Peter 3:18
That makes forgiveness a gift rather than a reward. If you would like to explore what it means for you, we would be glad to talk.
