What Is Finished?

What Is Finished?

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

Those who were there that day knew something was different, that this was more than just another execution by crucifixion on Golgotha. The sky had darkened quickly and unexpectedly. The one hanging on the cross in the middle began to raise His head, peering upward and looking for something, and then focusing into the darkness, He seemed to roar, “It is finished!” The words came forth with authority and finality—a cry of victory.

The Greek word tetelestai means “it is accomplished,” “it is fulfilled,” “it is paid in full,” “it is finished.” Anyone who was standing close enough to hear Jesus may have wondered, What is finished? Perhaps one day they would learn that God’s eternal plan of redemption for all of humanity was completed in that moment. Perhaps one day they would know that Jesus’ death was the atonement for our sins, that He stood in our place before God to allow us to have a personal relationship with a holy God and that the tearing of the Temple curtain in two signified that access. That all the promises and prophecies of Scripture were fulfilled in this moment of history.

Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for us. Sinful human beings are simply unable to stand blameless before a holy and just God—our own merits fall short all the time—and so God sent His Son to stand in for us. And in that one act of love we were assured of our salvation—our eternal place in the presence of God. It was finished on the cross that day for you and for me—through Jesus Christ, the same man who walked the countryside for three years sharing, touching, eating with sinners, healing the sick, and calling disciples and others to the side of God.

He hung on the cross for you and for me. No more sacrifices are needed—His death on the cross was all that it took.

It is finished. And a new life is just beginning.

Uncommon Key > Read the crucifixion story in John 19:17-30. Jesus took your sin upon Himself at the Cross, assuring you eternal life with Him. Believe it, and commit your life to Him.