21 Days in John - Day 19: It Is Finished

Please Read John chapter 19

Key Verse:

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished!’ and bowing His head, He gave up His spirit”

John 19:30 [NKJV]

Jesus finished on the cross the work that He came to earth to do. Everything of His life on earth was for this awful moment, and finally it is finished!

The word translated “finished” is the same Greek word that means “paid in full.” Until the cross people frequently offered sacrifices to atone for their sin, to obtain forgiveness and make them clean. With the death of Jesus on the cross the complicated system of sacrifices for sin came to an end. Jesus took on Himself our sins and became our sacrifice.

On the cross, Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us. All our sins on Him were laid. He paid the price to buy us back to God. He satisfied the justice of God. He bore the penalty that we should have paid for our sin. He became our substitute, dying in the place where we should have been.

The great hymn-writer Charles Wesley put it like this:

“See all your sins on Jesus laid;
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.”

This is God’s offer of salvation. The cross is the entrance into God’s salvation. There is no other way and when Satan tries to accuse you and point out your sin and failure you can answer him – Paid in full by Jesus at the cross! 

Questions:

Why did Paul say, “…. we preach Christ crucified” [1 Corinthians 1:23]? What does that mean to you today?

In Roman times many people were crucified as punishment but what made the crucifixion of Jesus so different?