I’m sure that many of you, and generations past, have thought the same thing as I have over the last eighteen months, “What in the world is going on? Has the world gone mad?”
There are people protesting for the “right” to murder the unborn; there are people destroying the property of others with no consequences; there are people pushing others into the way of a passing subway train. Leaders in our government have left billions of dollars worth of our sophisticated military equipment in the hands of our known enemies; the price of food, gasoline, housing, and just about everything, has doubled or tripled and the leadership does nothing to stem the rising costs; millions of people have entered the country, some who are known to be criminals, and the leadership turns a blind eye.
In a world of uncertainty and fear, there’s one thing that is certain and will never change, that is that atonement for sin is completed.
When our Lord was on dying on the cross, He made seven statements. I want to, briely, focus on number six: “It is finished,” which is recorded in John 19:30.
The English words, “It is finished,” don't’ really convey the depth and results of what Jesus said, and what He meant by what He said.
The English words translated as, “It is finished,” is the single Greek word: tetelestai.
Stay with me. This is important.
In the Greek, the verb tense of tetelestai is the perfect, passive, indicative. What does that mean and why is it important?
The verb tense of this word describes an action which is viewed as having been completed in the past, once and for all, and does not need to ever be repeated. And that’s important!!
This same word, tetelestai, has been found written on ancient receipts and the documents that listed the crimes that prisoners where charged with.
This word, tetelestai, is written across those receipts and across the charges of those prisoners when they completed their time in prison. It means, paid in full. “It is finished,” means that payment has been made completely and it never needs to be made again.
Jesus said this “with a loud voice.” It was a triumphant outcry, filled with rich meaning. He did not, simply, mean that His earthly life was over. He meant that the work that His Father had given Him to do, was now complete. Jesus paid it all! He completed the work, the mission, that the Father sent Him to do here on the earth.
Jesus left the glories of heaven and came to the earth to become the final spotless, unblemished, sacrificial lamb according to the Old Covenant Law. He was the lamb that God provided. The Father sent the Son sent from heaven to pay for the sins of all humanity: past, present and future.
1 John 4:14 tells us specifically, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world”
My biblical counseling professor use to say, “We’re all bent to sin. We’re just bent differently.” Some of us are selfish, we steal, lie, cheat, gossip, grumble, lust; we’re lazy. You fill in the blank for yourself. You know your sin.
But, because of what Jesus did on that cross, our sins, past, present and future, are paid for – tetelestai = paid in full, and there is no need for them to paid for ever again. The atonement, the payment, for our sins is finished.
There is no other way to have peace with God than by believing and receiving Christ as our Savior. He, alone, is the way, the truth and the life, and no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
How do we know that Jesus’ death paid the complete price? Matthew 27:51 tells us. The veil, the curtain, in the temple was torn from top to bottom.
That curtain was 60 feet tall; 30 feet wide; and 2 - 4 inches thick. It separated the holy of holies from the people. Only the high priest could go in there, once per year, to intercede for the sins of the people. He offered sacrifices to God on their behalf, to pay for their sins. That sacrifice was a blood sacrifice from an unblemished lamb.
The curtain was torn from top to bottom, signifying that it was God who tore it; it was God who accepted the offering of Christ, on the cross, as payment for the sins of all humanity. It was God who made it possible for everyone to come into His presence through His Son, Jesus.
As John the Baptist said, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
“It is finished.” Unlike other religions of the world, that strive to become like God, in biblical Christianity, God became like man in order to become our Kinsman redeemer. He paid for our sins; He reaches out to offer us a way to be with Him, forever, by accepting the free gift of eternal life, by God’s grace alone, through our faith alone, in Jesus’ death and resurrection alone.
The next time you are participating in a communion service, remember that the communion table is a table of grace.
TABLE OF GRACE (Lyrics: Anne Hutto & Connie Harrington)
Hear the good news, you've been invited
No matter what others may say
Your darkest sins will be forgiven
You will alwayshave a place
At the table of grace, the cup's never empty
The plate's always full, and it's never too late
To come and be filled with love never ending
You're always welcome at the table of grace
So come, you weak, and heavy hearted,
Don't try to hide your earthly scars
For in His eyes, we all are equal,
Don't be afraid, come as you are
At the table of grace, the cup's never empty
The plate's always full, and it's never too late
To come and be filled with love never ending
You're always welcome at the table of grace
So let the first become the last
Let the poor put kings to shame
Their willing hearts will be their treasure
By the power of Jesus’ name,
At the table of grace, the cup's never empty
The plate's always full, and it's never too late
To come and be filled with love never ending
You're always welcome at the table of grace
In a world of uncertainty and confusion, fear and anxiety can take over. But these truths, that Jesus paid it all, that there is no need for any other sacrifice to be made to atone for our sins, and that “It is finished,” those truths will never change. There is no uncertainty with Jesus; there is no fear with Jesus. There is only a certain hope of seeing Him face-to-face and enjoying eternity with all those who have gone before us.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He remind you during these challenging times that your salvation is secure in Him. There is no need to question or doubt His love and grace in the lives of all true believers.
By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.
