That is not a small strength. The sermon does not offer a merely sentimental Jesus, a moral example, or a victim of political cruelty. It speaks of the Son of God, “very God Himself,” dying in the sinner’s place.
It speaks of sin as transgression against God, not merely human brokenness, and it affirms that Christ bore the punishment of sin through His sacrifice. There is real faith here: an earnest trust that the crucified Christ alone saves, forgives, and brings sinners into God’s family.
However, the sermon’s theological weakness, lying in its compression of the gospel, lets it down. Jesus did not go to the cross merely “to forgive us,” as though forgiveness were the direct, self-explanatory purpose of the event. He went as the pre-ordained sacrifice for sin: the Lamb of God, the substitute who bears sin and judgment, fulfills the sacrificial pattern of Scripture, and satisfying the righteous demands of God’s justice. Forgiveness is the blessed result secured for His people through that sacrifice.
Nor did Christ go to the cross simply to make forgiveness available, to display divine kindness, or to assure every hearer that pardon awaits them without qualification. He went as the incarnate Son and appointed Mediator to bear the guilt, curse, and judgment that sinners deserved. Isaiah says that the Lord laid upon Him “the iniquity of us all” and that He was pierced for transgressions (Isa. 53:5–6). Paul declares that God put Christ forward as a propitiation, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:25–26). Forgiveness is not an act of divine forgetfulness. It is the costly fruit of Christ’s substitutionary death, in which God’s righteous judgment against sin is borne by the obedient Son.
The sermon says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but it does not sufficiently explain why forgiveness is necessary. Sin is not only failure, pain, or moral imperfection. It is guilt before the holy God. The sinner is not merely wounded and in need of comfort; he is alienated from God, under condemnation, and unable to restore himself. Unless sins are forgiven, the sinner remains under God’s righteous judgment. Why is it so necessary for someone who loves their sin, as we all do, to be reconciled with the Father? What are the consequences of not caring if a sacrifice for my sin was made? This missing forensic seriousness weakens the sermon’s urgency. The preacher asks, “Have you come to Christ in faith? Have you asked for His forgiveness?” That is a proper question. But the hearer is not pressed with the deeper necessity: you must be reconciled to God because you cannot stand before Him in your sin when you stand in the dock on Judgment Day. You must come to Christ because there is no other sacrifice for guilt, no other righteousness that can cover you, and no other name under heaven by which sinners must be saved.
Nor does the sermon convey a clear urgency concerning the new birth, which is the primary expectation of this Series on Easter preaching. Faith is urged, and grace is mentioned, but the necessity of regeneration is not mentioned. Scripture teaches that no one sees or enters the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3:3–8). The sinner needs more than an improved outlook, a moving Good Friday reflection, or even an emotional desire for forgiveness. He needs the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, who gives a new heart, unites him to Christ, and brings forth repentance and faith.
The sermon’s raw faith should therefore be received thankfully, not dismissively. It proclaims Christ’s person, cross, forgiveness, and grace. But it needs the greater depth of the biblical gospel: the holiness of God, the guilt and judgment of sin, the penal and substitutionary accomplishment of Christ, justification by His righteousness, and the urgent necessity of the new birth. Only then does the promise of forgiveness shine with its full glory. The closing example of Corrie Ten Boon forgiving the Concentration Camp guard urges the listener to imitate her example. Easter preaching must go beyond moral improvement.
