Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Three Important Words

eDevotion
Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

How would you live your life if you knew it would come to a torturous end? Jesus lived with that knowledge. The cross, one of the cruelest deaths imaginable, was the goal of Jesus from the beginning. Born to die — incarnation to atone. Born to die so that we might live. As the Apostle John said, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him [1 John 4:9]. So, I find it interesting that when He fulfilled the purpose of His coming, Jesus summed it up with just three words, “It is finished.”

Those three words are a translation of one common Greek word to describe a finished project. Mission accomplished, so to speak. So what was finished?

Certainly the suffering ended. No more pain and the hand of wicked men. No more sin bearing. No more of being God forsaken. All of that was finished.

So, too, was Satan’s stronghold. It’s over for the wicked one. He’s done. Finished. Toast, we might say today. That’s what the author of Hebrews meant when he wrote, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage [2:14].

And let’s not forget that our salvation is complete. The price was “Paid in Full.” Finished. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus, and His righteousness was transferred to our account. 

Listen to the Apostle Peter, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for righteousness” [1 Peter 2:24].

And listen to the Apostle Paul, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” [2 Corinthians 5:21].

Three important words, It is finished. God’s deliberate, well-thought-out plan of salvation was complete, finished — so rejoice!

When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30

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