John 19:28 “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Can you imagine where we would all be if God had sent Christ to die for the ungodly? What if the salvation that has been offered through Christ was only available for the righteous, holy, and blameless? What if God had left you at the mercy of His Law, and what if the only way to attain salvation was to keep it? If salvation was through works, do you really think that you would have attained it?
The problem in life today, from an eternal perspective, is that there is, “…none righteous, not even one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) We have “all fallen short of the glory of God,” and we have all failed to abide by the Law’s perfect standard in order to appease the wrath of God and inherit eternal life. And, to make things worse, even if we think we are doing well, the Scriptures say that, “… by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
Outside of divine intervention, all will die in their sins. It is at this point that we can rejoice in the words of Christ, where He said, “…it is finished.” (John 19:30) Christ fulfilled the Law on behalf of all who would call on His name through faith. Even while being persecuted, the Scriptures say that Christ “22…committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (I Peter 3:22-24) Therefore, as Christ cried, it is finished.
Do you find solace by relying solely on the completed work of Christ for your salvation, or are you trying to carry the burden yourself? Remember today that even though Christ’s work is finished, His work in you is not. Praise His name for His promise, that “…He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.” (Philippians 1:6)
