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Five Tips for Illustrating the Atonement

How to make sure your illustrations are grounded in Scripture and connect with your people.

Kevin Emmert

Introduction

Let's face it, good sermon illustrations are tough to come by. Every week preachers wrestle with a key question during sermon prep: "How do I craft illustrations that are compelling, credible, and theologically sound?" All three criteria are important, but we often focus attention on providing compelling and credible illustrations. But we can't undervalue the importance of being theologically sound. This is especially important as we approach Easter and think about one of the most difficult doctrines to illustrate: the Atonement.

What's at stake in illustrating the Atonement? Think of it this way: your pulpit is a classroom. Sunday morning may be the only time during the week that some of your laypeople actually engage the Scriptures. By expounding the Scriptures, you are providing ongoing biblical education for your laypeople. Hopefully, over time they will gain an ever-deepening knowledge of God, his works, and his Word. Consequently, you want ...