It Is Finished

Reflection

"It is finished." These are among the last words Jesus speaks from the cross, and they are not a cry of defeat but a declaration of completion. In the original language it is a single word — one that was written across invoices in the ancient world to mean "paid in full." The debt is settled. The work is done. Nothing remains to be added. We instinctively live as though our standing with God is a running account we must keep topping up — a little more effort here, a little more religious performance there, forever anxious that we have not done enough. But the cross confronts that anxiety head-on. Jesus does not say, "It is begun," or "Now do your part." He says, "It is finished." The whole work of our salvation, from the first promise in Eden to its fulfilment on Calvary, is complete in him. This is why the gospel is such good news and not merely good advice. Advice tells you what you must do. The gospel announces what has already been done. There is nothing you can add to a finished work. You can only receive it, with empty hands and a grateful heart. If you are weary of striving to earn what cannot be earned, let these three words settle deep. It is finished. The price is paid in full. You are not working toward acceptance; in Christ, you are working from it.