I have a problem with starting things that I don’t always finish. Aren’t you glad God isn’t that way? Can you imagine if God said, “I love you and I am going to change you and I have a plan for your life.” And then after a little time, He gives up and says, “I’m bored with you. I am moving on.” No. God finishes what He starts. He completes that work. On the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” But what did those words mean then and what do they mean to us now?
Practical Principles
- Finished were the horrendous sufferings of Christ. Never again would He experience pain at the hands of Satan. Never again would He bear the sins of the world. Never again would He, even for a moment, be separated from the Father in fellowship.
- Finished was Satan’s stronghold on humanity. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, you no longer have to be under the power of any sin or vice or addiction. God can change your family history. He can break that pattern and that cycle of sin and give you a different story than you had.
- Finished was our salvation. All of our sins were transferred to Jesus when He hung on the cross. And all of His righteousness was transferred to our account. There is nothing we need to do to add to the work He has done for us—it is done.
Relevant Reminders
- God treated Jesus as if He had lived your sinful life, so that He could treat you as if you had lived Jesus’ perfect and righteous life.
- Jesus addressed the Father at the beginning, middle, and end of His suffering on the cross. We should do the same in life. Call on God in our youth, in our middle age, and continue to pray and honor the Lord right to the very end.
- Because of what God has done—because of what He has accomplished, we are in a new relationship with Him.
Applicable Actions
When Jesus declared, “It is finished!” He did not say, “I am finished.” There is a difference. This is not the shout of a victim overcome by His circumstances. This is the shout of a victor overcoming all of his enemies. Jesus finished the job He came to do and, as a result, we can take hold of the salvation He offers us and approach God at any time as His children. Are you a child of God? Find out more about what it means to follow Jesus at www.KnowGod.org.
