Finished. Completed. Accomplished.

If you were to ask a 33-year-old to describe the stage of life they’re in, they might say, “Well, it’s just beginning.”

But at the age of 33, Jesus said, “It is finished.”

He spoke those words from the cross, and in the original language, the word “finished” is “tetelestai,” a commonly used term in that time. It means, “It is completed,” “It is accomplished,” “It is done.”

What Jesus Finished

What was finished? Jesus had completed the work the Father had given Him to do. God the Father sent His Son to die for the sins of humanity. And Jesus willingly went to the cross to die for our sins.

Finished were the sufferings of Christ. Never again would He bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be forsaken by God.

Also finished was Satan’s stronghold on humanity. The Bible says, “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14–15 NLT).

And finished was our salvation. It was paid for. You don’t need to add anything to it. It’s a gift to you. If you put your faith in Jesus, then you can say with confidence that you know your sin is forgiven. You can rest in the finished work of Christ for you on the cross.

Aren’t you glad that God finishes what He begins? The Bible describes Jesus as “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV). God completed the work He sent His Son to do.

Because Jesus suffered separation from the Father for us, we never will have to suffer separation from God—if we have put our faith in Christ. Thus, when we come to the end of this life, we don’t have to be afraid.

Christ Died for YOU

There has never been another person like Jesus Christ to walk this earth. Talk about a superhero. He was the real thing, and He gave up the privileges of deity to serve us. He never stopped being God, but He gave up the privileges of deity and came to us as a servant.

Don’t ever doubt that God loves you, because He proved it at the cross. It wasn’t nails that held Jesus to the cross; it was love. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV).

We’ve offended God and have crossed the line again and again, sinning against Him. In a relative sense, maybe you’re a good person. But you’re not good enough to get to Heaven. None of us are. So, Jesus died in our place and took the judgment upon Himself that we should have taken.

Jesus settled the score. The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 NLT).

Not only has God forgiven us, but He also has justified us. This means that He has removed our debt and forgave our sins, but He also has put His righteousness into our account, so to speak.

When Jesus was on the cross, God treated Him as though He had lived our lives. God did this so that He could treat us as though we had lived Jesus’ perfect life. That is the good news of the gospel.

Have you ever done something that you wish you hadn’t done? Have you ever said something that you wish you could take back or sent an email or text that you wish you could retrieve?

We’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t done. And after a little time passes, the guilt and the enormity of our sin kicks in, and we realize how horrible it is. But God can forgive us of that. This is what Jesus did for us at the cross.

It is finished.

The Choice You Have

When Jesus died on the cross, there were some people watching who believed. For example, there was a Roman centurion, a hardened man who had presided over many crucifixions. He watched Jesus and His suffering and then concluded, “This man truly was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54 NLT).

One of the criminals who was crucified along with Jesus believed. He said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NKJV).

But what is amazing to me is that people stood at the cross, saw the bright sun eclipsed by darkness for three hours as Jesus bore the sin of the world, watched Him suffer and die, and then simply walked away.

They didn’t realize what had just happened. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 NKJV).

So, you can look and live. Or you can look and leave.

You can say, “I believe Jesus died on the cross for me, and I want Him to forgive me,” and you will live forever. You will find the meaning of life here and the hope of afterlife later.

Or you can say, “Whatever. No big deal.”

Well, it is a big deal. And those are your only choices.

You can’t ignore the death of Jesus. He died for you. Do you believe that?

Death died when Christ rose. And because the power of sin is broken, you don’t have to be under the power of any sin, or any vice, or any lifestyle. You don’t have to be under the control or power of anything or anyone because Jesus purchased your freedom on the cross.

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Originally published at WND.com