Three little words...

John 19:30
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

“IT IS FINISHED!” These may very well be the greatest three words ever spoken. I know, you were expecting to see “I love you”, but these three words, spoken by Jesus on the cross, far surpass “I love you.” I guess, if you think about it, they define “I love you.”

The way I see it, these words are the foundation of a grace-filled, faith-centered, hope-inspired Christian life. If these words aren’t taught and understood, how is it possible to ever truly come to trust and believe in Jesus Christ? In order to believe that Christ did everything required by God the Father to redeem mankind, we must have a firm understanding of the qualification made to both God and man by Jesus Christ: “IT IS FINISHED!”

First and foremost Jesus was speaking to the Father when He uttered these words. In essence Christ was telling God that all of His [God’s] requirements had been fully satisfied by His [Christ’s] perfect life and death. Jesus lived the law; He became the Ten Commandments (and the 613 other laws). Not only that, He became sickness and disease. Each and every time He was struck with the Roman whip healing blood and restoration flowed from His back. (Isaiah 53:5 “...and by His scourging we are healed.” [NASB]) Christ drank the full cup of God’s wrath (Luke 22:42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”) and exhausted the Father’s anger with mankind. He did this because His heart has been bent towards us since the beginning of time (Proverbs 8:30-31 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men.) and His desire was to see mankind redeemed.

Not nearly as important as what Jesus had to say to the Father, but nearly as important for us to understand, is that Jesus was telling us, “IT IS FINISHED!” Christ was putting an end to the law-centered “do to earn favor” mentality that had been established through the covenant with Moses. He was giving us the hope of salvation that would produce faith in Him (Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.). He had to proclaim it, out loud, for everyone to hear: the work is done. If He hadn’t, we could not have faith (Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.), and without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.).

Sadly, Christ’s words of completion have been overlooked and under-preached. Instead, they’ve been replaced with a teaching style that returns us to the Ten Commandments. The grace that He extended through His suffering on the cross has been made of little or no effect to His church (Galatians 5:4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.) because of religious rule-teaching and Law-thumping from the pulpit. The faith that is guaranteed to come by the hearing of the word(s) of God is being voided by the messages of “salvation through grace but justification and blessings through works” that are being preached every day, around the world. People are buying into this doctrine, this false doctrine, and wondering all the time, “Where’s God?” Well, the fact is Christians are so busy trying to be justified by their works that they’ve voided their faith and made Christ’s redeeming sacrifice of no effect (Romans 4:14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect) Harsh words, but it’s the truth.

So what are we to do? We need to revolutionize the way the Gospel is presented. Billy Graham said “The Bible is full of Good News, not good advice.” and that is what we need to get back to telling people: Good News. Forget the how-to’s of everyday life. Rest in the knowledge that it is all finished. Your punishment, your disease, your sin, your fear, your anxiety, you name it; it’s finished, dealt with, removed, carried away, lifted from you. Christ has completed every good work and has given us right standing in the presence of God Almighty. There is no work left for us, it is finished. Let’s start to proclaim that for a change!