“The cross is the central way Christ images God. Christ was not an innocent third party who was punished against his will to appease the Father’s wrath. Christ is himself God, and he voluntarily took our sin and its just punishment upon himself. Hence his sacrifice does not appease God’s wrath; it reveals God’s love. Even in–especially in–his agonizing death on the cross, Jesus is the exact imprint and perfect reflection of God. In the crucified Christ the truth about God, about us and about the world is most perfectly revealed. For the cross is where reconciliation between God and the world is accomplished.”
Boyd, Gregory A., Is God to Blame? Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Suffering (p. 35). InterVarsity Press.