During this Holy Week, as we remember Jesus’ passion and death, it’s only natural to wonder how exactly it worked. There are a lot of theories. But the theories are not the main thing. Indeed there is no single theory that can explain every aspect of what Christ Jesus accomplished on the cross. [1] I would even go so far as to say that all the theories taken together cannot fully explain it. But in the end that doesn’t really matter. As C. S. Lewis put it:

“The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start. Theories as to how it did this are another matter. A good many different theories have been held as to how it works; what all Christians are agreed on is that it does work.” [2]

It works. We have been put right and given a fresh start. It’s not a bad thing to search for meaning and understanding but is enough to stand in awe before the mystery.

[1] (It’s also important to note that the object of our faith is not a theory but a person, Jesus the Messiah.)
[2] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York, HarperCollins, 1952), book 2, chap. 4.