Editor’s Review
We continue with the series of sermons by A. W. Pink titled “The Seven Sayings of the Savior on the Cross”. On this occasion, we enter into the sixth saying, known as the word of victory, where the Lord Jesus Christ declares: “It is finished”.
After contemplating the suffering, anguish, and abandonment of the Savior in the previous sayings, we are now brought to the climax of the redemptive work. This expression is not a sigh of defeat, but a triumphant cry announcing that the work the Father entrusted to Him has been completely fulfilled.
In this word is contained the very heart of the gospel: redemption has been accomplished, sin has been atoned for, divine justice has been satisfied, and the way of salvation has been opened for all who believe. We invite the reader to meditate on the depth of this declaration, for in it we find the firm foundation of our hope and the certainty of a perfect and definitive salvation.
Sermon by A. W. Pink: The Word of Victory
“When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished” (John 19:30).
OUR LAST TWO STUDIES have dealt with the tragedy of the cross; now we turn to its triumph. In His words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” we heard the cry of desolation from the Savior; in His words, “I thirst” we heard His cry of lamentation; now there reaches our ears His cry of jubilation — “It is finished.” From the words of the victim we now pass to the words of the victor. It is proverbial that every cloud has its bright side; so also the darkest of all. The cross of Christ has two great aspects: it displayed the deepest depths of His humiliation, but it also marked the goal of the Incarnation, declared the completion of His mission, and constitutes the foundation of our salvation.
“It is finished.” The ancient Greeks boasted of their ability to say much in few words — “to give a sea of meaning in a drop of language” was considered the perfection of eloquence. What they sought is found here. “It is finished” is but one word in the original, and yet within that word is wrapped up the gospel of God; within that word is contained the foundation of the believer’s assurance; within that word is discovered the sum of all joy, and the very spirit of all divine consolation.
“It is finished.” This was not the despairing cry of a helpless martyr; it was not an expression of relief because the end of His sufferings had come; it was not the last breath of an exhausted life. No, rather it was the declaration by the divine Redeemer that all for which He came from heaven to earth to accomplish was now done; that everything necessary to fully reveal the character of God had been completed; that everything the law required before sinners could be saved had been fulfilled; that the full price of our redemption had been paid.
“It is finished.” The great purpose of God in the history of man had now been accomplished — accomplished in principle as it shall yet be in full reality. From the beginning, God’s purpose has always been one and indivisible. It has been declared to men in various ways: in symbol and type, through mysterious hints and clear statements, by means of Messianic predictions and through didactic teachings. That purpose of God may be summarized as follows: to manifest His grace and magnify His Son in the creation of sons in His own image and glory. And at the cross, the foundation was laid which would make this possible and real.
“It is finished.” What was finished? The answer to this question is very broad, although several excellent expositors have attempted to limit the scope of these words and restrict them strictly to a single application. We are told that it was the prophecies concerning the sufferings of the Savior that were fulfilled, and that He referred only to this. It is granted that the immediate reference was to the Messianic predictions; nevertheless, we believe there are good and sufficient reasons not to limit the words of our Lord to these alone.
Moreover, it seems certain that Christ referred especially to His sacrificial work, for not all Scripture concerning His suffering and shame had yet been fulfilled. There still remained the committing of His spirit into the Father’s hands (Ps. 31:5); there still remained the piercing with the spear (Zech. 12:10; and note that the word used for the piercing of His hands and feet — the act of crucifixion — in Psalm 22:16 is different); there still remained the preservation of His bones without being broken (Ps. 34:20), and the burial in the tomb of a rich man (Isaiah 53:9).
“It is finished.” What was finished? We answer: His sacrificial work. It is true that the act of death itself still remained, which was necessary for the atonement. But, as often occurs in the Gospel of John — where our text is found — (cf. John 12:23, 31; 13:31; 16:5; 17:4), the Lord here speaks anticipatively of the completion of His work. Moreover, it must be remembered that the three hours of darkness had already passed, the dreadful cup had already been drunk, His precious blood had already been shed, the wrath of God had already been borne; and these are the principal elements in propitiation. The sacrificial work of the Savior, then, was complete, except only for the act of death which immediately followed. But, as we shall see, the completion of the sacrificial work brought an end to several things, and to these we now turn our attention.
1. Here we see the complete fulfillment of all the prophecies that had been written about Him before His death.
“It is finished”.
This is the immediate thought of the context: “When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished” (John 19:30).
Centuries before, the prophets of God had described step by step the humiliation and sufferings which the coming Savior would endure. One by one these had been fulfilled, wonderfully fulfilled, fulfilled to the very letter.
If prophecy had declared that He would be the “seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15), then He was “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). If prophecy had announced that His mother would be a “virgin” (Isa. 7:14), then this was literally fulfilled (Matthew 1:18). If prophecy had revealed that He would be of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22:18), then observe its fulfillment (Matthew 1:1). If prophecy had made known that He would be a direct descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12, 13), then so He was (Rom. 1:3). If prophecy had said that He would be named before birth (Isa. 49:1), then so it came to pass (Luke 1:30-31).
If prophecy had predicted that He would be born in Bethlehem of Judea (Mic. 5:2), then observe how that very town became His birthplace. If prophecy had warned that His birth would bring lamentation to others (Jer. 31:15), then see its tragic fulfillment (Matthew 2:16-18). If prophecy had declared that the Messiah would appear before the scepter departed from Judah (Genesis 49:10), then so it happened, for though the ten tribes were in captivity, Judah still remained in the land at the time of His coming. If prophecy had spoken of the flight into Egypt and the later return to Palestine (Hosea 11:1 and cf. Isa. 49:3, 6), then so it was fulfilled (Matthew 2:14-15).
If prophecy had mentioned one who would go before Christ preparing His way (Malachi 3:1), then see its fulfillment in the person of John the Baptist. If prophecy had announced that in the manifestation of the Messiah “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing” (Isa. 35:5–6), then read the four Gospels and observe how this was gloriously fulfilled. If prophecy had spoken of Him as “poor and needy” (Ps. 40:17), then observe that He had nowhere to lay His head. If prophecy had indicated that He would speak in “parables” (Ps. 78:2), then this was indeed His frequent method of teaching. If prophecy had described that He would calm the storm (Ps. 107:29), then that is exactly what He did. If prophecy had announced His “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9), then so it happened.
If prophecy had declared that His person would be despised (Isa. 53:3); that He would be rejected by the Jews (Isa. 8:14); that He would be “hated without a cause” (Ps. 69:4), then, sadly, so it was exactly. If prophecy had painted the entire picture of His degradation and crucifixion, then this was vividly reproduced. There was the betrayal by a close friend, the abandonment by His disciples, His being led to the slaughter, His being brought to trial, the appearance of false witnesses against Him, His refusal to defend Himself, the establishment of His innocence, the unjust condemnation, the sentence of death pronounced upon Him, the literal piercing of His hands and feet, His being numbered with the transgressors, the mockery of the crowd, the casting of lots for His garments — all foretold centuries before, and all fulfilled to the very letter.
The last prophecy that remained before He committed His spirit into His Father’s hands had now been fulfilled. He cried, “I thirst,” and after they had offered Him the vinegar and gall, all was now “fulfilled”; and when the Lord Jesus reviewed the entire scope of the prophetic word and saw its complete fulfillment, He cried: “It is finished.”
It only remains for us to point out that just as there was a complete set of prophecies related to the first coming of the Savior, there is also a complete set of prophecies related to His second coming — these latter just as definite, just as personal, and just as complete in their scope as the former. Just as we see the actual fulfillment of those which related to His first coming to the earth, so we may also expect with absolute confidence and certainty the fulfillment of those which relate to His second coming.
And just as we have seen that the first were fulfilled literally, really, and personally, so we must also expect that the latter will be fulfilled in the same way. To accept the literal fulfillment of the former and then attempt to spiritualize or symbolize the latter is not only inconsistent and illogical, but it is highly injurious to us and deeply dishonoring to God and to His Word.
2. Here we see the consummation of His sufferings.
“It is finished”
But what tongue or what pen can describe the sufferings of the Savior? Oh, the unspeakable anguish, physical, mental, and spiritual that He endured! Well was He called “the Man of sorrows.” Sufferings at the hands of men, at the hands of Satan, and at the hands of God. Pain inflicted upon Him both by enemies and by friends. From the beginning He walked amid the shadows which the cross cast upon His path. Listen to His lament: “I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up” (Ps. 88:15). What light this sheds upon His early years! Who can tell how much is contained in those words?
For us, an impenetrable veil covers the future; none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. But the Savior knew the end from the beginning.
It is enough to read the Gospels to see how the terrible cross was always before Him. At the wedding in Cana, where everything was joy and gladness, He makes solemn reference to “His hour” which had not yet come. When Nicodemus came to Him by night, the Savior spoke of the “lifting up of the Son of Man.”
When James and John came to ask for places of honor in His kingdom, He spoke of the “cup” He must drink and of the “baptism” with which He must be baptized. When Peter confessed that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God, then He began to teach His disciples “how He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes; and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21). When Moses and Elijah were with Him on the mount of transfiguration, they spoke of “His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
If it is true that we are unable to estimate the sufferings of Christ because of the anticipation of the cross, much less can we comprehend the terrible reality itself. The physical sufferings were intense, but even these were nothing in comparison to His anguish of soul. To the consideration of these sufferings we have already devoted several paragraphs in previous chapters, yet we make no apology for returning to them again. We cannot contemplate too often what the Savior endured to secure our salvation. The better we know His sufferings, and the more we meditate upon them, the more fervent will be our love and the deeper our gratitude.
At last the final hours have come. There was the dreadful experience in Gethsemane, followed by His appearances before Caiaphas, before Pilate, before Herod, and again before Pilate. There was the scourging and the mockery of the brutal soldiers; the journey to Calvary; the nailing of His hands and feet to the cruel tree. There were the insults of the priests, of the crowd, and of the two thieves crucified with Him. There was the cruel indifference of a vulgar multitude, among whom “none took pity” and none spoke a word of “comfort” (Ps. 69:20).
There was the dreadful cloud which hid from Him the Father’s face, which drew from His lips the bitter cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”. There were the parched lips that caused Him to exclaim: “I thirst”. There was the terrible conflict with the power of darkness when the serpent bruised His heel. Well might the sufferer cry: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Behold, and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow” (Lam. 1:12).
But now the suffering is ended. That from which His holy soul recoiled has passed. The Lord has bruised Him; man and the devil have done their worst. The cup has been drunk. The terrible storm of God’s wrath has just exhausted itself. The darkness is over. The sword of divine justice has been sheathed. The wages of sin have been paid. The prophecies of His sufferings have all been fulfilled. The cross has been endured.
Divine holiness has been fully satisfied. With a cry of triumph — a great cry, a cry that resounded throughout the universe — the Savior exclaims: “It is finished.” The ignominy and shame, the suffering and agony are past. Never again will He experience pain. Never again will He endure the contradiction of sinners against Himself. Never again will He be in the hands of Satan. Never again will the light of God’s face be hidden from Him. Blessed be God, all this is finished!
The head that once was crowned with thorns is now crowned with glory; A royal diadem adorns the brow of the mighty Conqueror. The highest place that heaven affords is His by sovereign right, The King of kings and Lord of lords, and heaven’s eternal light. The joy of all who dwell above, the joy of all below, To whom He manifests His love, and grants them His name to know.
3. Here we see that the goal of the Incarnation has been reached.
“It is finished”
Scripture indicates that there is a special work proper to each of the divine Persons, although, like the Persons themselves, it is not always easy to distinguish between their respective works. God the Father is especially related to the government of the world. He rules over all the works of His hands. God the Son is especially related to the work of redemption: He is the One who came here to die for sinners. God the Spirit is especially related to the Scriptures: He is the One who moved holy men of old to speak the messages of God, and He is also the One who now gives spiritual illumination and understanding, and guides into truth. But it is with the work of God the Son that we are here particularly concerned.
Before the Lord Jesus came to this earth, a definite work was assigned to Him. In the volume of the book it was written of Him, and He came to do the will of God there recorded. Even as a child of twelve years, “His Father’s business” was in His heart and occupied His attention. Again, in John 5:36, we find Him saying: “But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish, the very works that I do.” And on the last night before His death, in that wonderful high priestly prayer, we hear Him say: “I have glorified You on the earth; I have finished the work which You gave Me to do” (John 17:4).
In his book on the seven sayings of Christ on the cross, Dr. Anderson-Berry uses a historical illustration which, by its striking contrast, shows the meaning and glory of Christ’s finished work. Elizabeth, Queen of England, idol of society and leader of European fashion, when she was on her deathbed, turned to her lady-in-waiting and said: “Oh my God! It is all over. I have come to the end of everything — the end, the end. To have only one life and to have finished it! To have lived, loved, and triumphed, and now to know that it is all over. One can defy everything else but this.” And while the listener watched, in a few moments more, the face whose faint smile made her courtiers rise to their feet became a lifeless mask of clay, returning her servant’s anxious gaze with nothing but a vacant stare.
Such was the end of her whose meteoric career had been the envy of half the world. It could not be said that she had “finished” anything, for to her all was “vanity and vexation of spirit.” How different was the end of the Savior! — “I have glorified You on the earth; I have finished the work which You gave Me to do.”
The mission for which God had sent His Son into the world had now been fulfilled. It was not completely finished until He breathed His last, but death was only a moment ahead, and in anticipation of it He cries: “It is finished.” The hard work has been done. The divinely appointed task has been accomplished. A work more honorable and far-reaching than any ever entrusted to man or angels has been completed. That for which He left the glory of heaven, that for which He took upon Himself the form of a servant, that for which He remained on earth for thirty-three years, has now been accomplished. Nothing remains to be added. The goal of the Incarnation has been reached. With what triumphant joy must He have here contemplated the arduous and costly work entrusted to Him, now perfected!
“It is finished.” The mission for which God had sent His Son into the world has been accomplished. That which had been eternally determined has come to pass. The plan of God has been fully carried out. It is true that the Savior was “by wicked hands crucified and slain,” yet He was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).
It is true that the kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ; yet it was only to do what God’s hand and counsel “had determined before to be done” (Acts 4:28). For He is the Most High, the secret will of God cannot be frustrated. Because He is supreme, the counsel of God must stand. Because He is Almighty, the purpose of God cannot be overthrown. Again and again the Scriptures insist on the irresistible efficacy of the purpose of the Lord God. Because this truth is so widely questioned today, we add seven passages that affirm it:
“But He is of one mind, and who can turn Him? What His soul desires, even that He does” (Job 23:13).
“I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You” (Job 42:2).
“Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases” (Ps. 115:3).
“There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30).
“For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27).
“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure” (Isa. 46:9–10).
“All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; no one can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” (Dan. 4:35).
And, in the triumphant cry of the Savior — “It is finished” — we have a prophecy and a guarantee of the final fulfillment of God’s plan in a complete and irresistible manner. At the end of time, when all has been concluded, and the purpose of God has been fully accomplished, when everything He determined to be done has been carried out, then it will be said again: “It is finished.”
4. Here we see the fulfillment of the atonement.
“It is finished”.
Above we have spoken of Christ reaching the goal of the Incarnation, and of the completion of His mission on earth; what that goal and mission were, the Scriptures clearly reveal. The Son of Man came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Christ Jesus came into the world “to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, “to redeem those who were under the law” (Gal. 4:4). He was manifested “to take away our sins” (1 John 3:5). And all this involved the cross.
The “lost” whom He came to seek could only be found there — in the place of death and under the condemnation of God. Sinners could be “saved” only if someone took their place and bore their iniquities. Those who were under the law could be “redeemed” only if another fulfilled its demands and suffered its curse. Our sins could only be “taken away” if they were blotted out by the precious blood of Christ. The demands of justice had to be satisfied: the requirements of God’s holiness had to be met: the terrible debt we had incurred had to be paid. And on the cross all this was done; done by none other than the Son of God; done perfectly; done once for all.
“It is finished.” That toward which so many types pointed, that which in the tabernacle and its rites had been foreshadowed, that of which so many of God’s prophets had spoken, has now been accomplished. A covering for sin and its shame — typified by the coats of skins with which the Lord God clothed our first parents — has now been provided. The more excellent sacrifice — typified by Abel’s lamb — has been offered. A refuge from the storm of divine judgment — typified by Noah’s ark — has been prepared. The only begotten and beloved Son — typified by Isaac offered by Abraham — has been laid upon the altar. A protection from the destroying angel — typified by the blood of the Passover lamb — has been supplied. A cure for the serpent’s bite — typified by the bronze serpent lifted up — has been prepared for sinners. The provision of a life-giving fountain — typified by Moses striking the rock — has been accomplished.
“It is finished.” The Greek word here, teleo, is translated in various ways in the New Testament. A look at some of its different translations in other passages will enable us to discern the fullness and finality of the term used by the Savior. In Matthew 11:1, teleo is translated: “When Jesus had finished commanding His twelve disciples, He departed from there.” In Matthew 17:24 it is translated: “Those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, Does your Teacher not pay the tax?”. In Luke 2:39 it is translated: “When they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee.” In Luke 18:31 it is translated: “All things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.”
Bringing all this together, we learn the scope of the sixth word of Christ on the cross: “It is finished.” He cried: it has been “finished”; it has been “paid”; it has been “fulfilled”; it has been “accomplished.” What was finished? Our sins and their guilt. What was paid? The price of our redemption. What was fulfilled? The highest demands of the law. What was accomplished? The work which the Father gave Him to do. What was finished? The atonement.
God has given at least four proofs that Christ finished the work assigned to Him. First, in the tearing of the veil, which showed that the way to God was now open. Second, in the resurrection of Christ from the dead, which evidenced that God had accepted His sacrifice. Third, the exaltation of Christ to the right hand of God, which demonstrates the value of Christ’s work and the Father’s delight in His person. Fourth, the sending of the Holy Spirit to the earth to apply the virtues and benefits of the atoning death of Christ.
“It is finished.” What was finished? The work of atonement. What value does this have for us? This: for the sinner it is a message of good news. Everything that a holy God requires has been done. Nothing remains for the sinner to add. No work on our part is required as the price of our salvation. All that is necessary for the sinner is to now rest by faith in what Christ has done. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). For the believer, the knowledge that the atoning work of Christ is finished brings sweet relief in the face of all the imperfections and defects of his service. There is much sin and vanity even in our best efforts, but the great comfort is that we are “complete in Him” (Col. 2:10). Christ and His finished work are the foundation of all our hope.
Upon a life I did not live, Upon a death I did not die, Another’s life, another’s death, I stake my whole eternity. Bold shall I stand in that great day, For who aught to my charge shall lay? Fully absolved through Christ I am, From sin’s tremendous curse and blame.
5. Here we see the end of our sins.
“It is finished”
The sins of the believer — all of them — were transferred to the Savior. As Scripture says: “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). If then God placed my iniquities upon Christ, they are no longer upon me. Sin is in me, because the old Adamic nature remains in the believer until death or until Christ returns, if He comes before I die; but there is no sin upon me. This distinction between sin IN me and sin UPON me is a very important one, and there should be no difficulty in understanding it.
If I were to say that a judge has passed sentence upon a criminal, and that he is now under sentence of death, everyone would understand what I mean. In the same way, everyone who is outside of Christ has upon him the sentence of God’s condemnation. But when a sinner believes in the Lord Jesus, receives Him as Lord and Master, he is no longer “under condemnation” — sin is no longer upon him, that is, the guilt, the condemnation, the penalty of sin are no longer upon him. And why? Because Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Pet. 2:24). The guilt, the condemnation, and the penalty of our sins were transferred to our Substitute. Therefore, because my sins were transferred to Christ, they are no longer upon me.
This precious truth was remarkably illustrated in the Old Testament in connection with the annual Day of Atonement of Israel. On that day, Aaron, the high priest (a type of Christ), made satisfaction to God for the sins which Israel had committed during the previous year. The manner in which this was done is described in Leviticus 16.
Two goats were taken and presented before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle: this was before anything was done with them; it represented Christ presenting Himself to God, offering Himself to come into this world and be the Savior of sinners. One of the goats was then taken and slain, and its blood was carried inside the tabernacle, beyond the veil, into the Most Holy Place, and there it was sprinkled before and upon the mercy seat — prefiguring Christ offering Himself as a sacrifice to God, to satisfy the demands of His justice and fulfill the requirements of His holiness.
Then we read that Aaron came out of the tabernacle and laid both his hands upon the head of the second goat (the live one) — signifying an act of identification by which Aaron, the representative of the whole nation, identified the people with it, acknowledging that their destiny was what their sins deserved, and which today corresponds to the hands of faith that lay hold of Christ and identify us with Him in His death. Having laid his hands upon the head of the live goat, Aaron confessed over it “all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat” (Lev. 16:21). Thus the sins of Israel were transferred to their substitute.
Finally we are told: “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (Lev. 16:22). The goat that bore the sins of Israel was taken to an uninhabited wilderness, and the people of God saw neither it nor their sins again! In type, this represents Christ bearing our sins away into that desolate land where God was not, and there making an end of them. The cross of Christ is therefore the grave of our sins!
6. Here we see the fulfillment of the requirements of the law.
“It is finished”.
“The law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good” (Rom. 7:12). How could it be otherwise, when the Lord Himself established and gave it? The fault was not in the law, but in man, who, being depraved and sinful, could not keep it. Yet that law had to be kept, and kept by a man, in order that the law might be honored and magnified, and its Giver vindicated.
Therefore we read: “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in (not ‘by’) us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3–4). The “weakness” here is that of fallen man. The sending of the Son of God in the likeness of sinful flesh (Greek) refers to the Incarnation; as we read in another passage: “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law” (Gal. 4:4–5).
Yes, the Savior was born “under the law,” born under it in order that He might keep it perfectly in thought, word, and deed. “Do not think that I have come to destroy the law or the prophets; I have not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17); such was His declaration.
But He not only kept the precepts of the law, He also suffered its penalty and bore its curse. We had broken it, and by taking our place, He had to receive its just sentence. Having received its punishment and borne its curse, the demands of the law are fully satisfied and righteousness is fulfilled. Therefore it is written of believers: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). And again: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4). And once more: “You are not under the law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14).
Free from the law, oh happy condition! Jesus has blessed, and there is remission. Cursed by the law and dead through the fall, Grace has redeemed us once for all.
7. Here we see the destruction of the power of Satan.
“It is finished”.
Behold Him by faith. The cross rang the death knell of the devil’s power. To human eyes it seemed the moment of his greatest triumph, but in reality it was the hour of his final defeat. In view of the cross (see the context), the Savior declared: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31). It is true that Satan has not yet been bound and cast into the abyss, nevertheless, the sentence has already been passed (though not yet executed); his doom is certain; and his power has already been broken in relation to believers.
For the Christian, the devil is a defeated enemy. He was conquered by Christ at the cross — “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). Believers have already been “delivered from the power of darkness” and translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col. 1:13). Satan, therefore, must be treated as a defeated enemy. He no longer has any rightful claim over us. Once we were his “captives,” but Christ has set us free. Once we walked “according to the prince of the power of the air”; but now we are to follow the example that Christ has left us. Once Satan “worked in us”; but now it is God who works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. All that we now have to do is “resist the devil,” and the promise is: “he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
“It is finished”. This was the triumphant answer to the wrath of man and the enmity of Satan. It declares the perfect work which deals with sin in the place of judgment. Everything was completed exactly as God had appointed, as the prophets had foretold, as the Old Testament ceremonial had foreshadowed, as divine holiness required, and as sinners needed. How fitting it is that this sixth word of the cross is found in the Gospel of John — the Gospel which presents the glory of Christ’s deity! He does not present His work here for God’s approval, but seals it with His own authority, declaring it complete, and granting it the sufficient approval of His own person. None other than the Son of God says: “It is finished”; who, then, dares to doubt or question it?
“It is finished”. Reader, do you believe it? Or are you trying to add something of your own to the finished work of Christ in order to obtain God’s favor? All you have to do is accept the forgiveness He purchased. God is satisfied with the work of Christ — why are you not? Sinner, the moment you believe the testimony of God concerning His beloved Son, at that very moment all your sins are blotted out, and you are accepted in Christ. Oh, would you not desire the assurance that there is nothing between your soul and God? Would you not wish to know that every sin has been atoned for and taken away? Then believe what the Word of God says concerning the death of Christ. Do not rest on your feelings or experiences, but on the written Word. There is only one way to find peace, and that is through faith in the shed blood of the Lamb of God.
“It is finished”. Do you truly believe it? Or are you attempting to add something of your own in order to merit God’s favor? Some years ago, a Christian farmer was deeply concerned about an unconverted carpenter. The farmer sought to present to him the gospel of God’s grace and explain how the finished work of Christ was sufficient for his soul to rest upon. But the carpenter insisted that he must do something himself.
One day, the farmer asked the carpenter to make him a door, and when it was finished, he took it to his cart. He arranged for the carpenter to come and see him the next day and observe the door already installed in the field. At the appointed time, the carpenter arrived and was surprised to find the farmer standing with a sharp axe in his hand.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“I am going to add a few cuts and blows to your work,” was the reply.
“But there is no need for that,” replied the carpenter, “the door is fine as it is. I did everything that was necessary.”
The farmer paid no attention, but lifting the axe, he began to hack and smash the door until he completely ruined it.
“Look what you have done!” cried the carpenter. “You have ruined my work!”
“Yes,” said the farmer, “and that is exactly what you are trying to do. You are attempting to nullify the finished work of Christ with your own miserable additions.”
God used this powerful lesson to show the carpenter his error, and he was led to commit himself by faith to what Christ had done for sinners. Reader, will you do the same?
Editor’s Conclusion
The sixth word of Christ on the cross — “It is finished” — brings us into the most glorious moment in the entire history of redemption. It is not a whisper of defeat, but a proclamation of absolute victory. In this final declaration, the Lord Jesus Christ announces that the work the Father entrusted to Him has been fully accomplished: sin has been atoned for, divine justice has been satisfied, and the way of salvation has been definitively opened.
Here rests the believer’s assurance. This is not a partial work nor one dependent on human effort, but a perfect, complete, and irreversible work. Nothing can be added to what Christ has already accomplished on the cross. Every attempt to supplement His sacrifice only diminishes its sufficiency. Therefore, the only proper response is to rest by faith in that finished work, fully trusting that God has been satisfied in His Son.
As we contemplate this word, we are called not only to believe, but also to worship. The cross reveals not only the horror of sin, but also the greatness of redeeming love. May this truth transform our hearts, strengthen our faith, and lead us to live in gratitude, knowing that in Christ all has been finished and that in Him we have a secure and eternal salvation.