For three hours the Lord Jesus Christ had endured the full wrath of His Father as He hung, willingly, on a Roman cross. The brutal beating He received at the hands of the Roman soldiers in the Praetorium would pale into insignificance with the infinite debt that He paid, stretched out on the cross during those three hours of darkness; Christ Jesus suffered more than any soul ever would in hell.
After this, Jesus knowing that all things had been accomplished, said, “I thirst”. The soldiers brought Him a sponge soaked in sour wine and reached it up to Him on branch. After having received this, the He said “It is finished!”
These three words were not an exhausted whispered, or a mumbled groan. Nor where they an exhaled sigh of a beaten, bruised, bloodied man as he hung helplessly on the cross. No. This was the triumphant cry of the victorious Saviour who had just paid the full ransom for the atonement for all who would believe (Hebrews 9:12; 10:12). Satan was defeated at the cross and no longer had power over death (Hebrews 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18-20; 1 John 3:8). Every sin had been appeased (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 4:10). The work of redemption that the Father had given to the Son, from before time began, was complete. Every prophecy fulfilled. Christ’s completion of the work of redemption means that nothing needs to be added to it. Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace, appropriated by faith alone in Jesus alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
After commending His spirit into His Fathers hands, our precious Saviour voluntarily gave up His life. No man could take it from Him; He was not physically at the point of death when He cried “It is finished!” But by His own sovereign will, He freely laid down His life.
In three days, the Lord would rise from the grave. He had power to lay down His life and He had power to take it up again. When He arose, He was the firstborn of the dead to life everlasting, never to die again.
And we too can appropriate this salvation from hell and eternal death if we repent of our sin, and believe the Lord Jesus Christ, in this work that did for us, on that old rugged cross.
