We all start with mystery. But the shape we give it—especially when we talk about the cross—matters deeply. For many of us, the dominant story we inherited was this: We are sinful. God is holy and just. Sin must be punished. Jesus took our punishment. Now we can be forgiven - if we believe the right things about Jesus. This is often called penal substitutionary atonement—though no one called it that in Sunday school. And to be honest, it has its appeal. It gives a clear problem and a clear solution. It uses Scripture. It makes grace feel costly. It’s also not without biblical support. There are courtroom metaphors in Paul. Hebrews talks about sacrifice. You can make that case. But over time, we began to notice the cracks. This version of the story made God sound like a judge who can’t forgive without blood. A father who won’t let it go until someone gets hurt. It made Jesus the nice one who steps in to protect us from the angry one. And maybe worst of all—it made love sound like a legal loophole.