Good Friday – It is Finished

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished,” and He bowed his head and gave up His spirit. —John 19:30

Good Friday might seem a bit out of place. How can we call it good when it was the day on which our beloved Jesus was murdered? In many ways, it was a day of grave injustice. Jesus was bound and stood trial before a court of evil deception. They lied about Him. They falsely accused Him. Jesus was ridiculed, spat upon, and scourged without mercy.
And yet, it was a good Friday.

It was not good because of what happened to Jesus. It was good because of what Jesus accomplished that day.

The cross is the pivotal moment of all human history. From the earliest moments following the sin of Adam, it had been God’s plan to send a Messiah to defeat the devil who had tempted Adam in the garden. Messiah means anointed one or chosen one. God made the original promise of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15 and continued to give more clarity as time marched on. All of the Old Testament chronicles the work of God to prepare His creation and His people for the work of the Messiah.

We are all sinners in need of the Savior. We are all born into sin, inheriting our sinful nature from Adam, and we are also guilty of actively sinning against God. We were sons of disobedience and dead in our trespasses. We were children of wrath, helpless and hopeless to save ourselves. We need a Savior.

We need Jesus. He came to reverse the curse of sin. Jesus took our sins upon Himself as He hung upon the cross. The Father poured out the full cup of His wrath upon Jesus and turned from His only begotten Son, causing Jesus to cry out, “My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?!” Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice to atone for our sins. He canceled our debt by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14).

He declared, “It is finished,” and then He voluntarily gave up His spirit.

Jesus was right. It is truly finished. The price has been paid in full. Our sins have been fully atoned by the shed blood of Jesus. There is no more sacrifice to be made. The wrath of God was wholly satisfied. Our redemption was made complete by His cross at Calvary.

It was a terrible price, but it was a good Friday. For by His wounds are we healed (Isaiah 53:5).

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:8

Dear Lord of our salvation. Thank You for Your perfect love to send Your only begotten Son to lay down His life on our behalf. We confess that we are sinners in need of the Savior, and we rejoice that our debts have been paid in full at the cross. Praise be to God that it is finished! Amen.

Authored by Pastor Ron Dazell