It is finished!

So, this post is about what God has had me thinking about over recent weeks. In various contexts I have been hearing that Jesus does not have to do anything else, it was all done at the cross but what does that mean? So I have been meditating on these things with God and this is the result of that process. This is not a finished process as God is always bringing fresh insight and revelation but this is where I have reached and what I feel I am to share. So here goes!

"It is finished!" These were Jesus' last words on the cross as he gave up his spirit and died, over recent weeks they have been a challenge to me. What is finished and what does that mean for my life and how I live it today? Big questions!

Funny, I don't actually think these are just big questions. I think they are the biggest questions and the answers are the most important to my life. I don't mean the off pat answers that we can give without thinking, I mean, if I truly get to the heart of these questions, that is, to the heart of Jesus' statement, what do I discover then?

So, let's start with what Jesus meant when he said, 'it is finished'. To Jesus, his mission on earth was finished. He had completed the task that Father had given him. I think to truly know what was finished though, we have to consider where Jesus went next and what he did there. Scripture says Jesus descended into hell and he took the keys of authority from satan before rising from the dead. These are the keys of authority over the earth that Adam and Eve gave to satan when they chose to listen to him instead of God. 

Wow! Jesus took back the keys that had been lost in the garden, what does that mean? To discover that we need to find out what the original purpose was in the garden, that is, what Adam and Eve were given authority over and why. 

In Genesis, it tells of God creating the world and he declares it to be good. When he creates Adam and Eve he declares them to be very good. Think about it, that is quite a statement; God, who by nature is good, said that his creation was good and human beings are very good. 

Next God commissions Adam and Eve and tells them to, 'be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.' Wow! Human beings were created to have dominion over the earth. We were created to make the whole earth like the garden of Eden, little by little, as we increased in number to advance the garden.

So, in the garden it was good. There was no pain, no sickness, no sin, just a relationship to have with God and a job to do (increase in number and subdue the earth). This was the intention for human beings before our authority was handed over to satan.

As a result of this I believe that when Jesus said, 'it is finished', he meant that he had done all that was needed to redeem the original intention. That is, to redeem us to be who we were created to be before Adam and Eve handed over the authority to satan. To bring about God's original design for us to live as his sons and daughters and walk daily with him.

I believe that on the cross the following things happened:

Jesus bore our sin so that we can live a sinless life

Jesus bore our sickness so that we can live in full health

Jesus took our poverty so that we can receive his provision

Jesus carried our brokenness so that we can be whole

Jesus took back the authority so that we could step back into the original intention, to advance the garden (the kingdom)

Jesus became an orphan so that we can become sons!

Wow! That is powerful stuff. Jesus lived a sinless life and then took all my sin, shame, guilt, disease and brokenness upon himself on the cross. He fully identified with me so that I could freely receive all that he had done for me, everything! The answer to my first question then, is that when Jesus said, 'it is finished', he meant that he had done everything to give me life, life in abundance, life in all its fullness, life as it was intended to be; whole, healthy and sin free. 

Wow! How amazing is that? God in his infinite love for us gave everything to bring us back into relationship with him and into his original intention. He looks at us again and says it is very good! His heart is for us to walk with him as Jesus did, Jesus was our example of life in all its fullness.

So, what does this mean for how I live my life? Well, I think it means that I should live a sin free life in health and wholeness, advancing the kingdom wherever I go. Is this what my life looks like? In part but not completely, at least not yet! I believe this is the intent though and I will keep pushing deeper and deeper into God until I see this as a reality in my life, either here on earth or when I meet Jesus in heaven!

So what does not match this in my life? I still sin sometimes, I am not a sinner but a saint but I still choose sometimes to do the wrong things! I am not in full health, I have an under active thyroid and diseased gums. I am not completely whole, this is a process and I am glad to say I am well on the way. I do not always speak out a word of knowledge or offer to pray in the market place when I feel led and I do not see all who come to me healed and set free.

I believe Jesus has paid all that needs to be paid and that I can walk in all of that abundance and life now and so I will keep pressing on to see it be a reality. I don't know why this is not my full experience now but I will not lower my theology to match my experience but trust God to bring my experience in line with his theology. That is, the perfect theology that is Jesus!

Be blessed as you push in for more and see these truths come to fulfilment in your life.