Was Christ’s Death to Appease God’s Wrath? Rethinking the Cross

A common understanding of Christ’s death on the cross goes something like this: Due to the wrath that God planned to unleash upon sinners, he sent Christ as a substitute to die in our place — Christ took the punishment that we deserve. For God to forgive us and maintain his holiness, he had to subject an innocent victim to torture. Personally, I find this view of the atonement…