It's Finished!

“All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ's cross.” Col. 2:14. MSG. Translation.

In the ancient Roman world, when a criminal was executed, a list of their crimes (an arrest warrant or bill of indictment) was often nailed to the top of their cross so everyone knew why they were dying. When the sentence was served or the debt was paid, the authorities would take the document down, write “Tetelestai” a Greek word meaning “It's Finished” or ("Paid in Full") across it, or punch a hole through it and hang it in the public square to show the case was closed forever. Our text tells us that Jesus took the record of our charges, with all its hostile decrees, and nailed it to His cross. Your past mistakes are not parked in God's archive; the case is stamped "Paid in Full" and closed forever. God will not revisit it again except you reopen it through your lifestyle.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a single, historic event that never needs to be repeated or supplemented. Unlike the Old Testament animal sacrifices that had to be offered daily, Christ’s offering completely satisfied God's justice for all time. Because His work is completely finished, your case is permanently closed in the courts of heaven. When God grants a pardon through Christ, He chooses to never bring up those sins again. Reopening a closed pardon implies that God keeps a secret ledger of past mistakes to use against you later. Scripturally, God removes your transgressions entirely and promises a holy, intentional forgetfulness regarding your erased past. The debt of sin was not just postponed or minimized; it was entirely wiped out and canceled at the cross. 

To try and re-litigate your guilt is to act as though the legal receipt of your freedom has been misplaced. Christ took the exact document that condemned you and nailed it to His cross, rendering it legally void. The distance to which your sins have been removed is immeasurable, signifying that they can never be reattached to your account. Because Christ carried your guilt into the grave and left it there, it is impossible to bring those same charges back into your present life. You cannot be forced to pay for a debt that has been cast infinitely far away. The legal verdict of "not guilty" handed down by God cannot be overturned by any outside accuser, including Satan or your own conscience. Because God is the highest judicial authority in the universe, His declaration of your righteousness is permanent. No lower court, emotional doubt, or spiritual enemy can reopen a case that the Supreme Judge has settled. You must henceforth continue to live and practice godliness according to the finished work of Christ on your behalf. Selah!

FURTHER READING:

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." Psa. 103:12.

"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." Rom. 8:33-34.

DECLARATION: 

Dear Abba Father, I thank You for the gift of life and the privilege of salvation. Lord, help me to stop striving in my own strength to earn Your love, forgiveness, or approval. Teach me to rest in what Jesus has already accomplished. Let Your supernatural peace guard my heart as I realize that I am completely righteous, forgiven, and whole in Him. Empower me by Your Holy Spirit to walk daily in this truth. When fear, condemnation, or weakness tries to creep in, remind me that I do not fight for victory, but from victory. Let my thoughts, choices, and actions flow naturally out of the new life I have in Christ. Amen!

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN:

Matt. 1:1-25.

Matt. 2:1-23.

Matt. 3:1-17.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

“Never Let Satan Reopen What The Lord Has Closed. Keep It Closed Forever.”