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 not 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. The only thing that Yahweh is concerned about today is whether you embrace His Son. 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. 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!"