Atonement

And he (Jesus) asked them (His disciples), "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ (Messiah, Saviour)." (Mark 8:29)

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. (Mark 8:31)

And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, "The King of the Jews." And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!" So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

And when the sixth hour (noon) had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"... Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Mark 15:25-34; 37-38)

(Personal notes of talk)
It is obvious from the above that He does not save himself or others from the cross. Rather he saves by being rejected, being killed and then rising after that. The question then is that in that act, who does He saves, and what does He saves from?

Some professing Christians may protest that it is unfair that an innocent scapegoat had been found to take the punishment of another already convicted guilty, it is unjust. Why should He be punished for our own personal wrongs against God? But if we remember that Jesus is not just fully man, but fully God as well, it is actually God Himself taking the wrath and punishment (wages) of sin upon Himself.

Most great men are remembered because of their lives, Jesus is remembered because of why He had to die.

Note: Another take on this issue could be found here: "Why did Jesus cry out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?"" and "Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?"