It is Settled!

Today is April 4^th, 2021 and Christians all over the world are celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was the second Adam and He came to the world to fulfill a threefold ministry: to seek and save that which is lost (Luke 19:10), provide atonement for the sins of all who would ever believe in Him (Romans 3:23–25); and reconcile sinful men to a holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18–19)
On that Cross, Jesus settled the sin problem initiated in Gen. 3 by the first Adam. The gospels of Luke and John record 7 sayings of Jesus as He hung on that tree at Calvary  but out of all the last words of Christ on the cross, none is more important or more touching than, “It is finished.”

Found only in the Gospel of John, the Greek word translated “it is finished” is “tetelestai” an accounting term that means “paid in full.”  When Jesus uttered those words, He was declaring the debt owed to His Father had been completely and forever wiped away. Jesus owed His Father no debt. On that cross, Jesus was eliminating the debt of sin owed by all of mankind.

His final words on the cross as a loud cry: “It is finished,” With that, the Bible says, “He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (vs 30b). Jesus’ life was finished, it was ended. He was a living, moving, breathing human being. He ate and drank, slept and walked, preached and prayed. But now all this was finished. His life was at its end. In a moment He would die. His holy hands, which had healed so many and given strength to the lame and sight to the blind, would soon be cold and motionless. His feet, that had walked on so many missions of mercy, would soon become rigid and unmoving. His voice, that had spoken countless words of grace and love to so many, would soon become silent. His body, which had carried Him through three decades of life, would soon become lifeless.

John’s gospel present varying pictures of our Lord’s death. First, He is the Lamb that is slain (Jn 1:29), then He is the temple that is destroyed and raised again in three days (Jn 2:19). In Jn 10:11-18, He is the shepherd Who lays down His life for the sheep and in Jn 12:20-25, He is the seed planted in the ground.  No matter what the picture is, the result is the same – Jesus died and rose again and by that sacrifice, the price for sin has been paid in full.

Jesus became the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sin. He came to save. He came to rescue us, a people without true hope, to give us a lasting life and freedom that we can only find through Him. Today, I encourage you to make Jesus your Lord and personal savior by inviting Him into your heart and get ready for a life of purpose, hope, and eternal life through Him.

In His Royal Service
Tunde Igbode