Exercise of self-deception

Faith, in itself, does not remove sins. For forgiveness to take place something objective must happen; we cannot just talk ourselves or reason ourselves into being forgiven...A concern for right inner attitude is legitimate, but if there is no more than this we are caught up in futility. There must be a factual basis for the central tenets of Christianity, and specifically for Christ's atoning death and resurrection or the believer has been engaging in a futile pursuit. He has embraced a faith that is completely worthless, barren of results. He has occupied himself in an exercise of self-deception. (Morris, Leon. The Cross of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1998. p44)

Leon Morris on the cross

In the modern world this [the cross] is not always understood as clearly as it might be. Today it is not uncommon to be told that the essence of Christianity is to be found on the Sermon on the Mount, in Jesus' ethical teachings generally, in the idea of liberation, in the thought that God came near to his creation in the idea of liberation in the incarnation, in "peace on earth", in brotherly love, in newness of life, or the like. I do not wish to denigrate such ideas. Christianity is a profound religion and its teaching has many aspects. But if we are to be true to the New Testament we must see the cross at the very heart of it all. These other suggestions may have truth in them, but that truth arises from the fact that the cross brings about many changes. New Testament Christianity centers on the cross. (Morris, Leon. The Cross of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1998. p2)