(22) Why Did Christ Die? (BC 20)

Jesus' death is a historical fact. As the Apostles' Creed puts it, Jesus "Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried." Many critics of Christianity would agree. But what does this statement mean? What did Jesus' death accomplish?
These are not abstract, theoretical questions. We all feel the guilt of sin and the shame of failure. And Scripture is blunt: "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Can the cross change that?