Illocutions of The Cross

Because God is saying/doing several things in the cross, the cross is a complex of related illocutions:

1. As an assertive, the cross is a statement that God has made provision for sin
2. As a commissive, the cross makes a promise that “if you believe, you shall be saved”
3. As an expressive, the cross demonstrates God’s love for the world
4. As a directive, it is a mandate for Christ’s disciples to “die” with Christ to the world
5. As a declarative, the cross is an absolution that does what it declares, namely, forgives sins.

Kevin Vanhoozer, The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology, p. 65-66