The famous final words of Jesus... It is finished. Let's take a look at what "it" is. What is "it" that Jesus finished that we could not? What is "it" that He completed that we no longer have to attempt to complete? Jesus said that He came down from heaven not to do His own will but the will of the Father who sent Him. Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father and by doing "it." His blood ended the old and brought mankind a new, better and everlasting covenant.
What does "It" Mean? (It Is Finished) (14 Min, 9.6 MB)
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This sorta reminds me of pastors telling people that "you need to make Jesus Lord of your life." It sounds sincere but not true. Doing that implies that you are actually trying to add to the finished work of Christ. Jesus is Lord of all,and no confession is going to make it true or untrue. Afterall,no one can say Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit!
ReplyDeleteI do have a question, what does the Bible really mean about being "Born again."? I know in the gospels Jesus was still under the law. How does that apply after the resurrection?
I think the meaning of the phrase "born again" is found in the context of the situations in which it was used. The first time, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus about seeing the kingdom of God, and said that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He went on to say, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'you must be born again.'"
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a spiritual thing, as opposed to a body (flesh) thing or simply a soulful thing. It become more clear to me later on, with Peter's words:
"...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever..." 1 Peter 1:23
"Born again" is an "incorruptible" thing. Our bodies are, of course, corruptible. Peter went on to quote scripture about how "all flesh is grass... the grass withers." And our souls (mind, will, emotions) are also corruptible. So along with so many other scriptures that use different phrases ("new creation," "new man," etc), I believe that "born again" is what has happened to our spirits when we believed.
We of course often make the point that a lot of what Jesus said before the cross was "law" or "Old Covenant," but yet it remains that many things that He said are also eternal truths.
Yeah, at times when we've focused on talking about Jesus' ministry as an Old Covenant prophet and teacher, I've thought that we should probably mention that not all He said before the cross was OC/law. :) I think that most people, such as you, get that, but I'm sure we could make it more clear for others.
ReplyDeleteKap and I recently talked together about how it might be time to talk some more on the podcast about Jesus' law ministry, so maybe we'll find a way to bring all of this into it if we do that.
Can i just say, i was raised in a religion that basically believed Jesus came to save us from Hell or Eternal punishment. That basically we had to choose him or choose life in eternal punishment/torture-Hell but Jesus never seemed to preach that. I am still struggling to get out of this mindset, i was raised with this theology and it has really messed with my mind. It's aweful!
ReplyDeleteTricia, you are not alone. There is a difference between what the gospel really is compared to what religion has taught us. Religion requires. Religion puts the focus on us. Religion makes demands based on our performance.
ReplyDeleteThe true gospel makes no demands. It reveals God's righteousness in us. In other words, our right-standing with God is based on what HE did, not what we do. If maintaining our salvation was based on our performance then we are all doomed. Because our just and holy God demands perfection. But He also knew perfection would never be found in any human. So He became one of us and met the demands of the old laws and commandments. He was a reflection of the Father who is perfect. So perfection was found in God's son...The man, Jesus Christ. God then placed us IN HIM so that we could be perfected. He did all that was needed and He did it on our behalf. But our perfection and righteousness has nothing to do with our performance. It's all based on the "finished" work of Christ and the blood He shed for us. He has declared peace with us now in this new covenant and "our sins He remembers no more." He extends love without condition to all of mankind. Now we simply believe and rest in what He has done. Now the Life that we have is not our own. It's His life that desires to flow through us and He wants us to enjoy a true love relationship with Him.
As difficult as it may seem right now, exposing yourself to the truth of this gospel and hearing it over and over will gradually (or quickly) help you grow out of the bondage that religion has taught. We are all on a growing journey but once you begin to get rooted and grounded in the truth of the gospel, it becomes so much fun and enjoyable! :-)
Huh...i can kiund of see what you are saying. I have spent my life trying to perform for fear that if i messed up God would punish me and i could ultimately end up losing my salvation and go to hell for all eternity. I suffer with horrible anxiet and high blood pressure. I have internalized so much of this fear based theology that it has crept into every crevace of my life. Thank you so much for helping get the message of Grace out. I can't hear it enough! It really is Good news!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in church that taught choose Christ and you won't go to Hell. But then after you chose Christ He was always watching you...he saw every sin yoou commited. You had to ask forgiveness at church or even when you commited it and try not to do it again. The harder i tried not to, the worse it got but that was all i knew so i kept trying. Eventually i became very hard-hearted from having to constantly try to do what i knew i couldn't. Deep inside i became very fearful, insecure and afraid that i had either commited one to many sins or commited The Unpardonable sin and spend eternity burning in Hell but i knever knew for sure. I want to run from all my problems because i thought the trouble in my life was a punishment for a sin i had commited. Deep down inside i was struggling with almost every sin imaginable-lust,pride,jealousy,hate, etc. I became fake and unreal because i didn't want anyone to really see me for who i really was. A scared, insecure little girl. After i was married it carried over into my marriage. It affected my job and my family,basically every area of my life. I was prideful and hateful towards my husband and kids. I started drinking a lot and smoking. I knew something was horribly wrong. I would pray and go to church but nothing seemed to change. I couldn't get any relief! I never realized that i wasn't supposed to be under the law. After finding out about what Gods Grace really is (not just a nice word you hear in church once in a while) my whole thought process began to change. I realized everything i had known and learned was backwards. I feel such a load lifted. I stopped drinking and smoking. I have become more real and honest because i'm not afraid as much any more. Its a slow process but your website has helped a lot and particularily this last post about Jesus fulfilling the law for us. Something about the way you phrased it really helped it come to light for me. Thankyou!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite verses in regards to all this is Galatians 5:1. I love how it's worded in different versions, but the NIV wording stands out to me:
ReplyDelete"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! :) If what we're hearing in church doesn't promote freedom, but instead promotes fear, anxiety or guilt, then it's not the gospel. If it focuses on how well we perform for God or if it focuses on sin, sin, sin, then it's not the gospel, because those focuses don't promote the freedom for which Christ has set us free, and in fact put us back into the bondage that He came to set us free from!
That bondage is rooted in the law (as Galatians 5 goes on to point out), and it's also rooted in the countless rules and principles that the church comes up with to try to get people to stop sinning and to perform well. I want to be clear in saying that it's not that there's no place for helping one another overcome the various sins that might seem to have a hold on us, but yet the gospel is not about our performance or our trying to stop sinning so that God will be pleased with us.
God is pleased with us because He Himself has done everything necessary to bring us into fellowship with Him, and it's through nothing we've ever done. I know I'm reiterating some of what Kap said, and it's because I know it can't be said enough. :D
Here's how Galatians 5:1 is worded in a few other versions:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (NKJV)
Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you. (The Message)
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. (New Living Translation)
Tricia, I think it might surprise you that your story of guilt, bondage ,etc. is not all that unique. Many of us experienced similar situations in our lives. Perhaps the circumstances were a little different for each person but it happens over and over again. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteBut there is an escape called the gospel. It's always good news. Those who are able to believe it will be able to throw all that other junk behind them forever. I'm glad you found our podcasts. I hope God will use them to help you grow in your new identity we have in Christ.
Thankyou for sharing that...it's comforting to me to know that many others have gone thru something similar. I guess i thought it was just me or maybe a few others. Thanks for your comforting words and thanks for your website, it truely helps me!
ReplyDeleteI just realized that Jesus coming to fulfill the law and put an end to it (death) was why he was born a Jew...i always wondered why he was born a Jew but thought it was because that was Gods chosen people/nation. Cool...makes perfect sense!
ReplyDeleteI once heard it taught that when Jesus said "it is finished", He was referring to psalm 22, because his other utterances and what happened in his trial and crucifixion went according to the prophecies of psalm 22, so He was (supposedly) saying in essence, "ok, the psalm is done now, Ive come to the end of it" How underwhelming! O.o
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