John 19:30, English Standard Version

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

“It is finished.” Three words spoken in the last breath of Jesus, who was God, who still is God, and who has been from the very beginning. How do you weigh the weight of those words with your life? Are you one of those who simply takes it as Him saying, “Okay, the work I was sent to do here on earth is done. I am good to go, and the rest depends on you”? Or do you let those three words give you strength as you recognize the power of love, mercy, and grace that Jesus offered you?

“Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled…” Through John 19:28, we can gain a bit more insight into these three words: It is finished. After everything He went through, from the arrest to Pilate, from the strikes to Calvary, from the cross to the nails to the dividing of His garments, Jesus knew that all the prophecy of Scripture, the Word of God, was now at the time of completion and fulfillment. The ultimate goal He had, offering His life and making Himself nothing, becoming the sacrificial Lamb and paying the debt of sin, was now completed. There is no more debt, and it is perfectly done. Light overcame darkness, good conquered evil, and Jesus won the battle over sin and death!

These three words Jesus spoke carried a heavy weight, a price that He paid. He used a term that is unchangeable and could not be canceled. In His language, Greek, He declared that the debt of sin was fully paid, as a judge in the courtroom. He proclaimed that the sentence we deserved was fully served, as a captain or general in the military. He announced that the battle was fully won, resting on the finished work of the cross. These three words traveled through earth and heaven, from the physical realm to the spiritual. They are beyond time, from past to future, for every living being and for the dead, once and for all!

In Christ and through Christ, salvation is a done deal. It is complete, and He is the One and Only Savior! As He said Himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NLT)

These three words confirm His faithfulness, even in our faithlessness, in our failure, and in our rebellion. These three words sealed the work that Jesus accomplished and the promise of hope and an eternal future.

“All Scripture is God-breathed…” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV) These three words hold a firm foundation and an unbreakable seal. From now on, let these three words be imprinted on your heart, and live worthy of what He has done.