"FINISHED!"

John 19:30

Morning Meditation 11/16/17

John 19:3, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

"It is finished." With these words the Lord Jesus ended His work and suffering on the cross of Calvary and laid down His life, only to take it up again after three days and three nights. These were originally recorded in the Greek language. It is one word in the Greek: "telestai," and it is a perfect passive indicative verb. The perfect tense of this word is written "tetelestai." This word in the perfect tense means, "to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)"

The perfect tense is where the action is completed in the past, that past action remaining complete in the present. The passive voice is where the subject (Jesus on the cross) is being acted upon. As He hung on the Cross God treated Him as a sinner deserving the punishment of sin. And Jesus took it voluntarily that He might satisfy God's justice that God may be just and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:26 says, "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

The indicative mood simply declares it as a fact.

Is there anything we can do to obtain that salvation by human efforts? Hebrews 1:3, "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" The word, "when he had by himself purged our sins," should be enough to stop the mouth of any braggart who would suppose himself to be worthy and able to help God save himself.

Jesus is victor. There is none other place to look for salvation. When one mixes his own works with the work of Christ, he takes away from the glory of Christ in saving men. It has the effect of neutralizing the effect of salvation and perverting the gospel where it will not save. It is bound up in this word Jesus cried from the cross: "tetelestai."

This was a cry of consummation, the cry of victory, the cry of completion. Many times He told His disciples, "Mine hour is not yet come." The death of Jesus as the Lamb of God on the cross was not an accident. It was done by Jesus by the command of His father. It was planned before the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:18-20, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"

It is wonderful to see God's plan in operation. It is glorious to see the wisdom of God in the redemption of mankind. God knew we could not save ourselves. So an eternal life conference was held before the foundation of the earth between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And it was agreed in the God-head that Jesus would be the one who would execute the plan to bring man back into the fold of God's eternal favor so He could restore him to the man that man was intended to be.

Don't be afraid of foreordination, election, and predestination. They are words that describe salvation from God's side. God simply uses them to let us know that He is working a plan and that plan perfectly saves and perfectly keeps the sinner. If you are saved, all the imps of hell cannot get you. God has saved, secured, predestined you to be by His side forever.

May the Lord bless these world to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White