It Is Finished!

When Jesus was on the cross, He uttered "Tetelestai" just before giving up His life. He was saying, "It is finished!" The word tetelestai comes from the verb teleō and is in the perfect tense, which indicates a past action with results continuing to the present. In other words, the results of what Jesus accomplished on the cross are still in effect today. What is finished? What does this word mean? What exactly does it entail? During the first century, tetelestai was used in several different contexts:

• Business Context: Tetelestai stamped on a receipt meant "paid in full" — debt completely settled.
• Judicial Context: Tetelestai marked on a prisoner's record meant "sentence fully served" — penalty fulfilled.
• Military Context: Tetelestai declared by a commander meant "mission accomplished" — victory won.

On the cross, Jesus was declaring, "Your debt of sin is fully paid, the judgment for your sin has been fully served, and the spiritual war against sin, death, and the Devil has been completely won!" But is there more to His use of tetelestai? Absolutely!

First, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Jesus had said that He came "to fulfill the Law" (Matt. 5:17). This was predicted in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44). The apostle Paul said that by Jesus' death on the cross, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13a). Nobody except Jesus could keep the Law perfectly; everyone else fails, which brings the Law's curse of condemnation.

Second, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning a final sacrifice for sin. Isaiah 53:5-6 prophesies of a suffering Servant Who would bear the penalty for all mankind's sins. Daniel prophesied of a Deliverer Who would "finish the transgression," "put an end to sin," and "atone for iniquity" (Dan. 9:24). Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb anticipated in Old Testament sacrifices: "The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The author of Hebrews affirms this accomplishment: "But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. 9:26b) and "By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ Jesus once for all" (Heb. 10:10). The word in Hebrews 9:26, "put away," is athétēsis, which means a cancellation. It comes from the verb athetéō, which means to do away with; reject what is already laid down; to set aside (disregard as spurious); nullify, make void; remove out of an appointed (proper) place, i.e. reject as invalid; to cancel, disannul, abrogate; to disregard, pass over (refuse to acknowledge).

Third, Jesus satisfied Yahweh God's wrath toward sinners. Jesus had said that He came "to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 28:28; cf. 1 Pet. 1:18-19). Yahweh sent Jesus to be the propitiation (appeasement to God) for our sins (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2). He was the atoning sacrifice Who paid sin's penalty for all people, satisfying Yahweh's justice.

Fourth, Jesus sealed the Devil's fate. In Genesis 3:15, Yahweh told the Devil that someone was coming Who would destroy him: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." This was a promise of the coming Messiah Who would secure the spiritual victory over the Devil and his final destruction. The author of Hebrews says of Jesus' victorious work that was accomplished, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the Devil." John adds, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the Devil" (1 John 3:8b).

Lastly, Jesus initiated the New Covenant. In anticipation of His death, Jesus had said of the cup at the Last Supper, "For this is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28). The author of Hebrews explained the necessity of Jesus' death: "Therefore He is the Mediator of a new Covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first Covenant" (Heb. 9:15).

Jesus has accomplished the purpose for which Yahweh the Father had sent Him. His work on Earth was to do the Father's will. Jesus had said to His disciples, "My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34). Likewise, Jesus had prayed, "I glorified You on Earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do" (John 17:4). Both of these passages use the verb teleō. The work Jesus finished was the redemption and reconciliation of all the world. Paul writes, "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him" (Col. 1:21-22).

You can accept the following, or you can reject it because of your religious theology, but pay attention to these passages:

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believers in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:16-17)

"...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." (2 Corinthians 5:19)

"For there is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, Who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:10)

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people." (Titus 2:11)

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2)

"And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world." (1 John 4:14)

Now, these passages are not teaching Universalism, the false idea that all people will eventually be saved. No, what these passages teach is that Jesus dealt with our sin problem once and for all. It would seem that Father Yahweh is no longer counting our sins against us. Whether you believe that Jesus' blood was universally provisional (available to all humanity) but conditionally received based on faith (applied only to believers), or that it is universally applicable (applied to all people) makes no real difference. We are forgiven by Jesus' death (the cross clears the debt) (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:13-14; 2:13-14; Heb. 9:22); we are saved by His resurrection life (Rom. 5:10). [The resurrection life is received by faith.] The only thing that Yahweh is concerned with today is whether you embrace His Son (Heb. 1:1-2; Matt. 17:1-6). The only thing that matters today is whether you accept what Jesus has done for you on your behalf in your place, and put your faith in Him and trust His finished work on the cross (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Rom. 10:9-13; 2 Cor. 6:2). That appears to be the deciding factor as to where you will spend eternity. If you want to put your faith in your religious terms like "positional" and what not, then go right ahead, but do not judge your brothers and sisters who see it differently than you do (and quite possibly more accurate). Maintain the wisdom of Romans 14.

Jesus finished the work of redemption for all people. There is nothing remaining for anyone to do. There will be no encore, no second act. There is nothing you can add to His finished work, and you dare not try to finish your own (as your righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag). The only thing that you need to do is to rest in His finished work. Religion says, "Do this!", and holds out a Balance to weigh your deeds. Jesus says, "I have already done it! Rest in Me! Trust Me!" We are saved only by Jesus' work and obedience, not ours. If we accept through faith the pardon for sins that He offers, we have no debt to pay. Yahweh gives us the free gift of eternal life. We do not need to try and earn that gift by our deeds, and we do not need to try and prove ourselves worthy of it as if on probation. The penalty for our sins was completely paid for by Jesus, as Paul writes: "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, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross" (Col. 2:13-14).

We, believers, are supposed to be ministers of reconciliation. We should be searching out and speaking to the lost and telling them the Good News of the Gospel. By the way, by very definition there can be no bad news in the Good News. When we preach the Good News to the lost, it should make them want to fall in love with the Saviour. "He did all of that for me?!? There's nothing I need to do to earn it? I don't have to pay Him back? What a truly loving God!" The Good News is that Jesus has done everything that we could not do for ourselves. The Good News is that Jesus has bore the punishment that we deserved for our sins. The Good News is that Yahweh has forgiven us because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Yahweh is offering us a free gift. If we reject Jesus in this life, there are no second chances in the life to come. "Today is the day of salvation!"

The Christian Faith

There are over 40,000 different Christian denominations, groups, and sects around the world. All of them have their own Seminaries where they indoctrinate (brainwash, condition, program) their students with their particular brand of theology. All of them have their own "Scholars" (so-called "Experts") in the Scriptures. All their adherents think that their particular brand of theology is the "right" one. They cannot all be right, but they can certainly all be wrong. There are 40,000 different Christian denominations, groups, and sects who teach "You must..." or "You need more...," but only one that says, "It is finished!"

If your beliefs, doctrines, practices, theology, and traditions contradict the very basics of Christianity 101 and the foundation of the New Covenant, the Gospel, and grace, then your system, no matter how committed you are to it, is flawed, erroneous, and bankrupt.

When Jesus uttered, "Tetelestai," He was saying, "It is finished!" What is finished? What does this word mean? During the first century, 'Tetelestai' was used in several different contexts.

• Business Context: Tetelestai stamped on a receipt meant "paid in full" — debt completely settled.
• Judicial Context: Tetelestai marked on a prisoner's record meant "sentence fully served" — penalty fulfilled.
• Military Context: Tetelestai declared by a commander meant "mission accomplished" — victory won.

On the cross, Jesus was declaring, "Your debt of sin is fully paid, the judgment for your sin has been fully served, and the spiritual war against sin, death, and the Devil has been completely won!" This is the first truth that needs to be the foundation of your faith.

Yahweh promised to make a new Covenant, but unlike the previous Covenant, this one would be made with the entire world — Jews and gentiles alike. Yahweh said of this Covenant, it will be "not like the Covenant that I made with their fathers" (Heb. 8:9a). Yahweh promised to put His laws into the minds of the faithful and write them on their hearts (Heb. 8:10b; 10:16b). This does not refer to the Ten Commandments, or the two greatest commandments (which sum up the Ten), because Paul said these were a "ministry of condemnation" and a "ministry of death" (2 Cor. 3) that merely cause us to sin (Rom. 7). It certainly is not the 613 commands of the Law, because the "former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect)" (Heb. 7:18-19a) and "if that first Covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second" (Heb. 8:7).

Yahweh promised, "I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more" (Heb. 8:12; 10:17). The author of Hebrews adds, "Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin" (10:18). At the Last Supper, Jesus said His blood was being "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matt. 26:28). The New Covenant was activated with Jesus' death on the cross (see Heb. 9:16-17). With Jesus' blood, all our sins — past, present, and future — have been completely forgiven (Eph. 1:7), we have been released/freed from our sins (Rev. 1:5b), our sins have been removed from us as far as the East is from the West (Ps. 103:12), and God promised to remember our sins no more (Heb. 8:12; 10:17). If your theology teaches contrary to this, it is another gospel which is no gospel at all, and Paul said such people should be cursed. That is a great indictment! This is the second truth that needs to be the foundation of your faith.

With the New Covenant, Yahweh promised to fulfill everything by His own hand, swearing by Himself. He accomplished this through Christ Jesus. He fulfilled the Law because we could not. He took the punishment that was due us. If your theology and interpretation of certain Bible passages teaches that Yahweh will discipline, chastise, or punish the believer for any sins that he/she commits, then your theology is bankrupt and you have not understood the basics and foundation of Christianity and the Gospel. The full anger, wrath, and punishment of Yahweh was poured out on Christ Jesus at the cross. If Yahweh has to exact more from the believer because of his/her sin, then the sacrifice of Jesus was not sufficient enough to deal with our sin problem. That is heresy! 

(From Yahweh's perspective, "there is no longer any condemnation" for sin because Jesus took care of it once and for all on the cross. In this world, however, there are still consequences for sin. Lying, stealing, murdering, etc., all still have worldly consequences, but Yahweh will not judge you for them because He does not hold them against you. If your theology teaches otherwise, it is bankrupt theology that contradicts the New Covenant, the Gospel, and grace. Repent!) 

Jesus' work is finished! There will be no encore, no second act. You cannot finish your own work (your righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag), and you cannot add anything to His finished work. All you can do, and all you should do, is rest in His finished work, thanking Him for all He has accomplished for you on your behalf in your place. This is the third truth that needs to be the foundation of your faith.

Read the book of Hebrews some time. Slowly and carefully. It is the most Christ-centric of all the epistles. The entire letter demonstrates how Jesus is better than everything. He is the foundation of our salvation. He is greater than Moses. He is our Great High Priest. He is greater than Melchizedek. He is the Mediator of a Better Covenant. He is the better sacrifice. If you are flirting with Moses, then you are cheating on Jesus! You cannot attempt to date the Law. We broke up! (Rom. 7:4, 6)

Anything that you are taught in any Christian denomination, group, or sect, or in cults who profess to be Christian (Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, etc.), that contradicts or rejects these basic foundational beliefs of Christianity is another gospel that makes void the grace of Yahweh. It is bankrupt man-made theology that ignores the New Covenant and the Gospel. These foundational truths are the Gospel! The Good News! If you reject these, it is because you have a heart like the Pharisees and are self-righteous (seeking to earn something from Yahweh by your deeds), and you need to hear Jesus' hard statements in order to break you and bring you to despair so that you look to Him for something better: grace!

Is It God's Will For You To Be Healed?

In the book The Gospel in Twenty Questions, Paul Ellis says things like, "The word save first uttered by the angel is the Greek word sozo, which means to deliver or protect, heal or preserve. It means to make whole. Jesus, the Savior from heaven, came to make broken people whole. How could this not include healing and deliverance? Forgiveness from sin is wonderful, but it's only part of the package. ... If you don't know Jesus heals, you are missing out on some of his benefits. You're not getting the full bang for his buck" and "We have lived with sickness and death for so long that it has become normal, but Jesus did not accept sickness as normal" and "So why are we unsure about his will for the sick? His will is that we heal them."

Ellis admits, "Hand on heart, I have to admit we don't see such miraculous healings [sic] every time we pray." Is that not a contradiction? "God wants you to be healed; He wants to make you whole. But we only experience His healing every once in a while." If that is the case, then how can you say it is wrong to pray and say, "If it's your will..."? If you only periodically witness such miraculous healing, does that not indicate that it does indeed depend on whether God is willing or not? Otherwise, would you not see more healing miracles?

Not only that, but this kind of teaching borders on legalism and is void of grace. Read Andrew Farley's books some time, or any of the other grace preachers. If sozo and the Gospel message does entail physical healing, then telling people in order to receive such they need to ask with complete faith without doubting even the slightest, you have entered the realm of legalism. Now, even though I know that God can do such things and I believe He can do such things, that doubt I can sense in the back of my mind in my subconscience is forever keeping me from experiencing such miracles. Am I supposed to somehow control this doubt that is in my subconscience? If so, how in the world do I accomplish this? Based on the typical grace teachings, if it is not about me being perfect or doing perfect things or any of that, how is it that my faith has to be absolutely perfect in order to witness such miracles? How is this any different than telling people "you must be holy!"?

On top of that, telling people that God wants you healthy and that you should always ask with faith and without doubting, this is part and parcel with the Health-Wealth-and-Prosperity nonsense. What happens when you have people who believe what you are telling them, exercise precisely this kind of faith, and yet nothing ever happens?!? You have sold them a bill of goods that your words cannot deliver on. They will either believe themselves to be faithless, thinking they do not have enough faith, or they will malign God somehow because of your promises and end up walking away from the faith. They conflate your bill of goods you sold them with God Himself and think God has somehow failed them. Not to mention the fact that our faith should never be contingent upon whether such miracles ever happen or not; that is not why we have faith!

Finally, did Paul lose faith later in life? Was he not unable to heal himself from an affliction he had later in life? Did the first, second, and third century Christians lose faith or not have enough faith, because it appears that they were unable to do the things that we read of in the book of Acts (which is a transitional book, by the way, and not one where we should derive any theological beliefs from)?

If it is God's will for us to be healed, if Jesus' sacrifice includes getting the "full bang for His buck," then we should expect to be healed or see healing every. single. time. If we are not experiencing this, then I would think they have skewed and misunderstood the message. If you are saying that God wants us healed and we are seeing very little of it happening, and since it is all based on what Jesus did on the cross and not on anything in and of ourselves, then you are in error somewhere.