Understanding the Cross

What really happened at the cross? When Christians are asked to explain exactly what happened at the cross, or to explain why God can forgive us through the death of his Son, they tend to quote cliches like: "Jesus paid it all!" "Jesus died for our sins." "Jesus took our punishment on the cross." "He redeemed us." "Jesus carried away our sins on the cross." "He became sin for us." "The blood of Jesus washes away our sin." But what do all of these sayings mean? Though we may think we underst...