It Is Finished

                                                                                                                            

Aloha Dearest Family,

Several years ago country singer Alan Jackson came out with his hit song, "Where I Come From." The song is about telling people of the joys he experienced growing up in the south. Frankly I like the song a lot and it's really catchy, but some of the words have always bothered me. Here is the chorus,

Where I come from It's cornbread and chicken

Where I come from, a lotta front porch sittin'

Where I come from, tryin' to make a livin'

And workin' hard to get to heaven 

Where I come from

Now some would say, "Well what's wrong with that? Aren't we all working hard to get to heaven?" To most people this phrase means trying your best to live right and doing enough good works so that when we die we may have earned the right to enter heaven. Then we may ask ourselves, "How many good works do I have to do make it to heaven?" What if I don't meet the required quota? And how many good works will save my soul? Let us consider the following verses,

"No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them. The ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough." (Psalm 49:7 and 8 NIV) 

This verse says that the ransom for one's soul is very costly and we could never be able to pay enough or do enough good works to redeem our souls. If this is true then there must be another way. There is.

Several years before this song came out, they used to sell these bracelets that many people wore that had W.W.J.D. (What would Jesus Do) on them. I think a more important question that we should ask ourselves today is not "What would Jesus Do?" But "What has Jesus done?" When we start to understand what Jesus has already done for us we can truly begin to live in complete freedom and joyfulness with God. One phrase that sums up the Old Testament is "just do it". (Do the commandments). Likewise, the phrase that sums up the New Testament is "it is done". Jesus Christ has already completely fulfilled all that was required for our salvation. We could never have been able to "earn" our way into God's kingdom. It would take the free-will offering of a man who was perfect to earn it on our behalf.

A little over two thousand years ago, Jesus uttered from the cross three of the most important words anyone had ever spoken. "It Is Finished." But what does this really mean? The Greek word translated "finished" here is also translated completed, fulfilled and accomplished. Well, which of these words is the correct one? The answer: all of them!

-It is Finished -Jesus Christ had finished the work had sent him to do.

-It is Completed- The Old Testament covenant with Israel was now completed.

-It is Fulfilled- The Law of the Old Covenant was now completely fulfilled by Jesus Christ. (This word is also used in accounting when the terms of an agreement have been fully met).

-It is Accomplished- The total price for our redemption was now "paid in full". Our pardon had now been accomplished. We have a complete savior. He has done it all! What we could not do for ourselves, he has done for us.    

               

God's Word says that there is now a rest to the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). Just as there was a rest for Israel when they finally entered into the Promised Land, there is a rest for us when we accepted Jesus Christ as our savior. We now have rest to our souls. We have rest because the work is all done. Jesus Christ has finished all the work that was required to bring us to God. We no longer have to "work hard to get to heaven" (we already have reserved seats at God's banquet table). There is nothing more we need to do but sit back and bask in his finished work.

Love Always, Ray