Jesus’ finished work refers to His complete and perfect sacrifice on the cross, which fulfilled the requirements of the law and provided atonement for humanity’s sins (John 19:30). This completion signifies that salvation is fully by grace through faith, not by human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Scripture
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”
29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Meaning of Jesus’ Finished Work in Scripture
The idea of Jesus’ finished work on the cross encapsulates the essence of salvation in Christian theology. When Jesus declared “It is finished” (John 19:30), He signified the culmination of God’s redemptive plan and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. His sacrificial act addressed both the justice of God and the love of God, resolving the tension created by humanity’s sinfulness. In this completed work, the veil of the temple was torn (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing the new access believers now have to God through Christ, removing the barriers that sin had erected. This act of atonement is foundational to the Christian faith, underscoring that righteousness is obtained not through human effort but through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1-2).
Moreover, the implications of Jesus’ finished work extend beyond individual salvation to encompass reconciliation and restoration within creation itself. In Colossians 1:19-20, Paul writes that through Christ’s blood, God reconciled all things to Himself, emphasizing the cosmic scope of His work. This means that believers are not merely saved from sin, but they are also invited into a transformative relationship with God, empowered to live out the implications of their faith. The assurance of eternal life and the promise of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) further underscore how Jesus’ finished work enables a new identity and purpose for all who believe, highlighting the grace that liberates and transforms those who receive it. Thus, the completeness of Christ’s sacrifice serves as the foundation for faithful living and mission in the world, illustrating the profound impact of the gospel.
The significance of Jesus’ finished work on the cross is intricately woven throughout the New Testament, revealing layers of meaning that deepen the understanding of salvation. One profound aspect of this accomplished work is the establishment of a new covenant between God and humanity, which was prophesied in the Old Testament and is affirmed in the writings of the apostles. In Hebrews, the concept of Jesus as the High Priest illustrates how His sacrificial death not only atones for sin but also ushers believers into a direct relationship with God. This priestly role, marked by His once-for-all sacrifice, contrasts sharply with the repeated animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, highlighting the finality and sufficiency of Jesus’ work. This powerful transition signifies that believers are now called to live in confidence and assurance, no longer in the shadow of the law but under grace.
Furthermore, the transformative power of Jesus’ finished work lays the cornerstone for the believer’s life and mission. The New Testament emphasizes that through His death and resurrection, believers are granted new life and a fresh start, symbolized through the imagery of being “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). This indicates that the old self, characterized by sin and separation from God, is extinguished, empowering believers to live in the freedom and victory that Christ achieved on their behalf. As they embrace this new identity, they become agents of God’s kingdom, tasked with sharing the message of reconciliation and hope to a world in need. The holistic impact of Christ’s sacrifice thus extends beyond personal salvation, encouraging believers to engage in the ministry of reconciliation, living out the implications of their faith by demonstrating love, mercy, and justice in all aspects of life, firmly rooting their purpose in the reality of Christ’s completed work.
Redemption and Reconciliation
The finished work of Jesus signifies the ultimate act of redemption for humanity. Through His sacrifice, the barrier of sin that separated humanity from God was removed, allowing for reconciliation. This act not only restores the relationship between God and individuals but also emphasizes the depth of God’s love and grace. The concept of redemption highlights that through Jesus, believers are not only forgiven but also brought into a new covenant relationship with God, where they can experience His presence and guidance.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Jesus’ finished work also represents the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. His life, death, and resurrection were anticipated events that confirmed God’s plan for salvation. This fulfillment underscores the continuity of God’s redemptive plan throughout history, demonstrating that Jesus is the culmination of the promises made to Israel and the world. It reassures believers that God’s word is trustworthy and that His promises are realized in Christ.
Empowerment for New Life
The completion of Jesus’ work empowers believers to live transformed lives. Through His resurrection, believers are offered new life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live in accordance with God’s will. This empowerment signifies that the finished work of Christ is not merely a historical event but an ongoing reality that affects the daily lives of believers. It encourages them to walk in faith, embodying the love and grace they have received, and to participate in the mission of spreading the Gospel to others.
How to Embrace Redemption and Live Gracefully as a Christian
Embracing redemption as a Christian is a transformative journey that begins with acknowledging our imperfections and the grace that God extends to us through Christ. It’s essential to remember that redemption is not just a one-time event but a continuous process of growth and renewal. Start by immersing yourself in Scripture, allowing the Word to shape your understanding of God’s love and forgiveness. Engage in prayer, not just as a ritual, but as a heartfelt conversation with God, where you can express your struggles and seek His guidance. Surround yourself with a community of believers who can support and encourage you, reminding you that you are not alone in your journey. As you experience God’s grace, let it flow through you to others—practice kindness, forgiveness, and compassion, reflecting the love you’ve received. Living gracefully means embracing each day as an opportunity to grow closer to God and to share His light with the world, knowing that His redemptive power is at work in you and through you.
Bible References to Jesus’ Finished Work:
Hebrews 9:11-14: 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 10:10-14: 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Colossians 2:13-15: 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Romans 5:6-11: 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
1 Peter 3:18-22: 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Ephesians 2:13-18: 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Galatians 3:13-14: 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 8:1-4: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Hebrews 7:23-28: 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office,
24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever.
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
1 John 2:1-2: 1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Romans 6:8-11: 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:5-11: 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Isaiah 53:4-6: 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Hebrews 4:14-16: 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22: 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Revelation 1:17-18: 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
Matthew 27:50-54: 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53 They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Rev. François Dupont is a dedicated church minister with a wealth of experience in serving spiritual communities. With a calm and serene demeanor, he has been devoted to sharing the message of love, compassion, and tolerance for over two decades. Through his thoughtful sermons, compassionate counseling, and unwavering support, Rev. Dupont has touched the lives of countless individuals, allowing them to find solace and strength during difficult times. His serene presence and deep understanding of the human condition make him a trusted guide for those seeking spiritual nourishment and guidance.