It is Finished: Sin Is Cancelled and God Has Drawn Near

As Jesus hung on the cross, He declared, “It is finished,” announcing the victorious completion of His mission to redeem humanity; sin is cancelled and God has drawn near. This fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, and removed the veil between God and humanity.

Jesus overcame death and ascended into heaven; there is nothing He has not already overcome. In addition, there is nothing a Christ Follower cannot overcome as we stay “in Christ” next to the Father.

Sin Is Finished

Sin is overcome, it is finished, dealt with and those who believe in Jesus Christ will not be condemned.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9)

Then the next step is repentance of sin which literally means to change our mind or to turn around. In other words, its a firm resolution to change our behavior.

Many Easter services speak about the resurrection which provided forgiveness of sin- past, present and future. But this is just the beginning of the work Jesus finished at the cross.

Our Old Life Is Finished

After accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our old life is finished. We have been made new in the sight of God the Father.

It’s a wonderful thing to know that we are forgiven and not condemned for sin. But the fact of the matter is that we are still human and still enticed by sin. Therefore the way to change our mindset is to stay in the Word. We must study it so that we begin to see life differently and more importantly, see the lies of Satan.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:10)

God desires that we become sanctified, in other words, our life is changed and reflects Him. For it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16)

Hidden In Jesus

The only way we can be seen as holy is when we are hidden in Jesus. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us live like Jesus and when we fall short (daily!) we repent. Therefore, in order to stay on the path of life, we must confess our sins on an ongoing basis. Then by resolving to get back on track, we can ask the Holy Spirit to empower us again.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10)

Confession allows us to practice the truth, like a doctor practices medicine. The more the doctor uses the medicine and sees the effects on his/her patients, the better they can adjust the dosing and see the best results. Likewise, the more we practice walking out our faith: forgiving others, praying for problems instead of confronting others, we begin to see results. We see our mountainous problems flatten and life runs more smoothly.

“If we say we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in darkness we lie and do not practice the Truth.” (1 John 1:6)

The Veil is Torn

When we continually agree with the Holy Spirit and remove sin, we are living “In Christ.” This is how we step through the torn veil to enjoy our close relationship with the Father. The story of the prodigal son beautifully illustrates this truth. The son left his fathers house and wasted his inheritance on reckless living. Yet, returning to his father in repentance he was fully restored.

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:21-24)

This reflects the experience of many believers. Although we are saved and know we have a place in eternity, we sometimes drift. We choose to live according to our own desires rather than God’s will. That kind of mindset focuses more on eternity as a destination than on walking daily with Christ.

However, Jesus didn’t die only to have us in eternity when our life is over. He died to help us with everything today! When we live outside of His ways, we often encounter unnecessary struggles, many of which are the natural result of our choices. Yet these struggles can be reduced and even overcome as we continuously study the Word and learn the path of life. “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11)

Daily Confession The Key To Awareness Of Jesus’ Presence

Confessing our ongoing sin keeps us mindful of our behavior. It cultivates awareness, humility and a continual turning of our hearts back to Jesus. This is abiding with Christ.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.” (James 5:16)

Ongoing confession helps us examine our behavior in light of God’s Word and remain aware of His presence. As we invite the Holy Spirit to reveal our sins, we grow in awareness and are better able to choose rightly each day- this is the process of sanctification. With a softened heart, we learn to walk in God’s ways, not out of obligation, but out of love trusting that His way is best. This isn’t legalism, but a genuine response to His love.

” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NIV)

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him..”(2 Chron 16:9 NASB)

As life moves on for me, I am grateful for the Holy Spirit’s gentle nudges to get me back on track when I fall short of God’s best path. I am also grateful for the protection and blessings I have received through my prayer life. Scripture tells us when we are in rightstanding with God, our hearts will not condemn us and we can ask and receive. Amazing!

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”( 1 John 3:21-22 NKJV)

Daily confession keeps Jesus in the forefront of our minds; this is how we abide in Him. As we become more aware of His presence, and remember we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, we begin to live in the reality of what His sacrifice has made possible. Full access to God the Father, symbolized by the torn veil.

Food For Thought,

Lisa