We are nearing the end of the The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross and by next week we will be finished. It seems to have gone by very quickly. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together. If you have not been reading along with us it is probably a bit too late to start now, but stayed tuned for the next book we’ll read together (I will announce it here in a couple of weeks).
Summary
The sixth chapter looks at what may well be the best-known words Jesus spoke on the cross: “It is finished.” A.W. Pink rightly calls these “words of victory.” They were not words of surrender that proved Jesus had been defeated and was succumbing to death. Instead, they were words of triumph as Jesus accomplished the work He had come to the world to do.
The chapter follows this outline:
- Here we see the accomplished fulfillment of all the prophecies which had been written of him ere he should die.
- Here we see the completion of his sufferings.
- Here we see the goal of the incarnation is reached.
- Here we see the accomplishment of the atonement.
- Here we see the end of our sins.
- Here we see the fulfillment of the law’s requirements.
- Here we see the destruction of Satan’s powers.
Discussion
These are words I have pondered more than any of the others Jesus spoke while on the cross. As with the other sayings, they are ones whose meaning we could never exhaust. If I were to lay aside every responsibility in life and spend the rest of my days pondering just these words, I’m sure I could never arrive at the complete depth of their meaning. No greater cry has been uttered in all of history. No more important cry has been uttered. This is the very center point of human history.
The first area that jumped out at me in this week’s reading was what Pink put under the heading of “Here we see the end of our sins.” Here he makes the distinction between sin in and sin on. “If then God laid my iniquities on Christ, they are no longer on me. Sin there is in me, for the old Adamic nature remains in the believer till death or till Christ’s return, should he come before I die, but there is no sin on me.” The distinction is crucial. If sin were upon me, I would be under its curse and judgment. Its guilt and condemnation and penalty would still be upon me. But when Christ cried out “It is finished” He indicated that He had borne my sin and that it was no longer upon me. Sin still indwells me, to be sure, but the work of Christ has removed it from hanging over me with its condemning power. Pink points back to the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament to illustrate this. It is a powerful section that aptly describes the end of our sin. Thank God that He took that sin and rescued me out from under it.
The other area that stood out was the section describing the destruction of Satan’s power. This is an aspect of Christ’s work I particularly love to ponder. When Christ declared “It is finished,” Satan and all his host must have rejoiced. “To human appearances it looked like the moment of his greatest triumph, yet in reality, it was the hour of his ultimate defeat.” They must have thought Jesus was dead and finished but in reality this moment marked the ultimate defeat of evil. This would only become clear three days later when Christ triumphed over death, but already the work necessary to destroy evil had been fully and finally accomplished. We now properly regard the devil as a vanquished foe. Though he continues to make his presence felt in the world and though evil remains, he is in full retreat and his time is drawing to a close. We have no reason to fear him, for Christ has conquered.
Next Time
We will continue next Thursday with the seventh and final chapter of the book and look at Jesus’ word of contentment.
Your Turn
I am eager to know what you gained from this chapter. Feel free to post comments below or to write about this on your own blog (and then post a comment linking us to your thoughts). Do not feel that you can only say anything if you are going to say something that will wow us all. Just add a comment with some of the things you gained from the this week’s reading.
Comments (5) »
1. Scott D. Andersen
June 12, 2008
10:54 AM
Especially liked the prophetic fulfillment summaries. I tried to catalog these in my margins. Also the Jubilant/victorious nature of “it is finished,” Jesus was no more to suffer, no more to be accounted sin, no more to be separated from the Father, sacrifice has been made “It is finished.”
I wasn’t sure of Pinks grammatical take on the word “telesthai”, Pink listed teleo - which is the lexical from. So I did a little checking further:
From E-Sword Teleo is shown as follows:
G5055
τελέω
teleō
Thayer Definition:
1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end
1a) passed, finished
2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
2a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command
2b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil
3) to pay
3a) of tribute
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G5056
Citing in TDNT: 8:57, 1161
Now I must confess in Mat 17:24 I was surprised this word, teleo, was used with the connotation of “pay.” But perhaps then I suppose with this idea “to complete the tribute”.
Tim, thanks also for reminding us of Pink’s description of “Sin on” vs. “Sin in” us. Pink was very helpful in this, which is the great thing of reading the classics together. Your reviews and everyone’s comments really help to cause me to remember what I’ve read and then rejoice in it.
sda
2. Julie
June 12, 2008
1:12 PM
I really liked how Mr. Pink went through prophecies fulfilled concerning the first advent of the Savior and then pointed out that there is a complete set of prophecies having to do with His second advent. Since the prophecies concerning the first advent have been literally fulfilled we can be confident that those concerning His second advent will be literally fulfilled. What a hope we have, a prophecy and a pledge of the ultimate carrying out of God’s plan completely and irresistibly.
Jesus knew what was to come, the awful cross was ever before Him. Reading the references on pg. 114 of Jesus speaking of what was to come (seeing them together), showed me clearly that He knew what was coming and that He went there willingly. I hadn’t really contemplated the suffering He must have gone through in anticipating the cross. What a Savior, what a friend, to suffer what He did on my behalf and yours. I pray that I’ll never lose sight of the cost of redemption.
3. Daniel Arthur
June 12, 2008
2:46 PM
It’s easy to rejoice when thinking about this particular saying - I’m an old-fashioned person who doesn’t like stories unless the good guy wins. And this is the ultimate expression of that!
Thinking about this today, I was struck by the factual, past-tense form. “It is finished” leaves no room for doubt as to whether it might be finished in the future, or is still being finished. I can trust God’s Word and have complete confidence that the victory has indeed been won.
A few more thoughts are posted at my blog.
4. Scott D. Andersen
June 12, 2008
6:41 PM
correction to my post above: “tetelestai” not “telesthai”, τετελεσται
I found this also by John Gill in e-sword:
“he said, it is finished; that is, the whole will of God; as that he should be incarnate, be exposed to shame and reproach, and suffer much, and die; the whole work his Father gave him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for his people, all which were now done, or as good as done; the whole righteousness of the law was fulfilled, an holy nature assumed, perfect obedience yielded to it, and the penalty of death endured; hence a perfect righteousness was finished agreeably to the law, which was magnified and made honourable by it, and redemption from its curse and condemnation secured; sin was made an end of, full atonement and satisfaction for it were given; complete pardon procured, peace made, and redemption from all iniquity obtained; all enemies were conquered; all types, promises, and prophecies were fulfilled, and his own course of life ended: the reason of his saying so was, because all this was near being done, just upon finishing, and was as good as done; and was sure and certain, and so complete, that nothing need, or could be added to it; and it was done entirely without the help of man, and cannot be undone; all which since has more clearly appeared by Christ’s resurrection from the dead, his entrance into heaven, his session at God’s right hand, the declaration of the Gospel, and the application of salvation to particular persons: “
5. David Porter
June 20, 2008
2:29 PM
Please forgive me for being late to the party. I have been deep in the study of our adoption into God’s family and left my commitment to this project wane a bit.
Tim, thank you SO much for pointing me to this book. I am changed from its understandings.
As I have confessed on my blog, I have been entertaining a spiritual diet of oatmeal for years.
To be honest, I had no idea what was really meant by the words, “It is finished”. Once again, I marvel at the wonderment that is my election in God’s family.
I really have no words. My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will explain my inner most feelings to my heavenly Father!
Here is my blog post:
http://www.boomerinthepew.com/2008/06/this-is-my-eigh.html
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