“Tetelestai.” John 19:30

It is sometimes said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that may very well be true. But sometimes a single word can also express a truth better than a thousand; and in one particular case, that is most certainly true.

Before He yielded up His spirit and died upon the cross, Jesus uttered a single word, “Tetelestai.” This single Greek word is translated with three English words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). And, indeed it was: Jesus Christ, God the Son made man, had fulfilled all that was written of Him and had paid in full for the sins of the whole world! He had accomplished the redemption of all mankind – God’s just wrath against sin had been satisfied and God’s pardon won!

Jesus was hanging in agony during those final moments upon the cross, his mouth dry from gasping for every breath as he lifted Himself yet another time. He asked for a drink; and after receiving vinegar on a sponge, He proclaimed in a single word, tetelestai, that all was finished and our salvation won.

What does this single word of Jesus mean for you and for me? It means our sins – indeed the sins of the whole world – are paid for in full! It means that God’s favor is won! He no longer holds our sins against us but reaches out to us in grace and mercy for the sake of His Son and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross in our stead! It means that, no matter what we have done, Jesus paid the price for our sins that we might receive God’s mercy and forgiveness and a place in His everlasting kingdom!

This single word assures us that all is done and our salvation in Jesus is sure! There is nothing we need to do or add to Jesus’ completed work! “Tetelestai”! “It is finished”! And Jesus’ resurrection on the third day proves the truthfulness of this single, dying word.

Yet, sad to say, many preachers do not preach “Tetelestai.” They don’t preach as though Christ paid in full and salvation is won. They may say that Jesus died for all sins and rose again. They may even proclaim God’s pardon and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, but then they err by adding conditions to it, by requiring their hearers to do some work or live in a certain way before they may be saved.

Tetelestai means that our redemption is complete – Jesus paid in full when He suffered and died for our sins and rose again in victory on the third day! Our salvation is not dependent upon doing certain works, making a decision, speaking a prayer or living according to certain commandments. Our salvation is entirely dependent upon Jesus’ perfect and holy life in our stead and upon His innocent sufferings and death on the cross for our sins, and it is finished!

To preach tetelestai is not to say, God will save you if you do this, believe that, live like this or pray that prayer. Preaching tetelestai is to say God has saved you through the death of His Son, your sins are paid for in full and forgiven, God has pardoned you and accepts you, it is finished, it is done, believe it and accept it as an accomplished fact!

The Gospel tells us that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). It tells us that “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1, 2). The Gospel tells us “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). It tells us that God “hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7). The Gospel proclaims a finished and accomplished redemption upon which man may base his faith, not a conditional redemption which becomes true only when one believes.

Jesus said, “Tetelestai” – “It is finished.” Jesus paid in full. He “loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). How much better to preach the completed work of Christ – that He has fulfilled and completed all for us! Then the hearer who knows his life comes far short of God’s holiness or who is too timid to walk down to the altar or to fill out a decision card can go away with the assurance that His sins are paid for and forgiven in Christ’s shed blood and that in Jesus he has eternal life. When one is given this assurance, commitment and devotion to Christ, even though imperfect in this life, will follow.

O dearest Jesus, thank you for bearing in full the punishment for my sins, when You suffered and died upon the cross – for finishing all that I might be acceptable in Your sight, have forgiveness and live with You forever in heaven. Tetelestai! It is finished! Amen.

Randy Moll

[This devotion provided by The Still Small Voice, Gentry, Ark., www.thestillsmallvoice.com]