The Power of “It is finished.”

What is your religious background? That is what we all must answer at some point. Whether we are christian, jewish, muslim, buddhist, hindi, sikh, pagan, thulian, satanist, animist, alternative, magi, atheist, non-theist, or one not mentioned; you will at some point be confronted with this question: what is your religious background? It is a question about in whom or in what do you believe. It is as if there is someone or something constantly pushing us to question what it is we believe. Is it defensible? Well, is it?

To the Judeo-Christian it is a bit easier to answer. The answer: there is only God – or rather YHWH Elohim, the self-existent one in whom all power exists. And for the Christian purist, there is Jesus – both God and Man.

Religion, or being religious, is defined as acknowledging or having a deity, entity, or power greater than yourself and the acts required in service. From a socio-anthropological standpoint, religion is an act of humanity seeking for something or someone or some meaning that is greater than themselves.. Religion, when viewed from the sterility of pure anthropology, is a pointless, non-resulting act.  Sure from an anthropological view there is some merit in the creation of hope and the recognition of something greater than one’s self to create hope and drive. But the argument precludes sterile anthropology and does not account for the possibility of the voracity of truth.

Now let us suppose that the Judeo-Christian religion was just that – religion. It would be a practice of ritual without warmth; ritual in practice where the adherent receives additional persecution and social pressure to participate. This all subsumes there is no active deity within the Christian religion; which is fair to say by the number of adherents that do not follow the tenants of their God or the commanded practices of their religion. And to them, this is the extent of their Judeo-Christian experience.

But what if they – the Judeo-Christian – were wrong – that life was not about obeisance, duty, or servitude to an all mighty deity. What if instead – according to the Judeo-Christian Bible, they were supposed to develop a relationship with the God of the Bible without the ritual servitude and obedient slave mentality? It would change things dramatically.

God – the shortened version of His name – thought about what He would do, then did it. He made the universe, made Earth, made everything on it as an interface for Himself and Man to teach Man how to be like Him. Whether the Judeo-Christians adhere or believe that, the Bible supports it. God created Man in His image to be like Him.

When God first began this process, He pulled together His enormous resources and said “light” and light manifested. Based on the text, there was no light in the universe until God said “light” be and then there was light. What we know of the universe and light fills libraries yet there is so much more that is not understood about light. Light has a very small ‘visible’ range and extremely large infra and ultra ranges. The shear complexity of the system overwhelms some minds.

And then there is Man.

Man was to be created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1 and 2), but Man did not live up to his part of the bargain. For roughly 4000 years, God has constantly fought for Man’s attention. Man refused. Man instead built monuments to Man and the abilities of Man; foregoing any acknowledgement of God. God called this sin – defined as acts separating Man from God.

God has shown many times in the Judeo-Christian Bible that He has superseded known physics and understandings to perform “miracles”. God prophesied that He would send Himself as a son, a son of obedience.

God took all that was wrong and addressed it through the life of Jesus. God set the rules that if any believed on Jesus Christ their name was written in the Book of Life – a list of those who forego judgment for sin. Jesus lived his years as one of the Jews under Roman occupation. Jesus demonstrated what life should look like for someone who walked with God. Then right before Jesus dies on the cross, he says “It is finished”.

The phrase is significant. The same voice that said “light” and there was light now said “It is finished” with the same power that created the universe. Now what did he mean when he said it is finished?

The plan that was put together before the foundation of the world had come to completion. It was finished. And Jesus died. He gave up his life at the cross. This was and is pretty significant.

The same God who created the heavens and the Earth said it was finished. Just life when He said ‘light’ and there was light, when He said “It is finished” He created a new set of rules, a new dynamic was put into place. A dynamic where the separation from God and Man could be removed, and the Creator of the universe could work with Man again, as His dearly beloved children.

The power of “it is finished” changed the course of the history of Man and the history of the universe.

Because he said “it is finished” he went to the grave. He conquered it – death and the place of dead.

Because he said “it is finished” he was able to rise up again, met with the Father and ate with his disciples.

Because he said “it is finished” he became heir and co-heir.

Because he said “it is finished” all that is in the father’s house was his and we can have access to it.

Because he said “it is finished” he commanded all that was good the Father had in store for Man was made manifest, made available.

Do you want that? Just receive it now. Receive Him now. Receive God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Experience all that God said and set aside for you. Amen?