The Finished Work

The Finished Work of the Cross

Welcome to the “essentials of healthy community” series. Here is an essential truth as we grow in the grace and love of God together: 

That we would be a people that rests in the finished work of the cross.

When Jesus died, he announced “it is finished!” An old convent relationship with God ended and a new way of relating was born. In other words, we are going from a relationship with God that depended on our effort, diligent striving, and religious devotion/obedience and sacrifice, into a new way of relating with God. One that is marked by resting in what God accomplished and achieved through Jesus. 

We can now recognize the efforts of Jesus on our behalf. We place our trust in His striving! His devotion! His obedience! And His sacrifice! Where we once identified ourselves by our own human effort and achievements, we no longer do so. We use to define ourselves by our abilities, but now we identify ourselves by His abilities on our behalf! This is known as the “great exchange” or “imputed righteousness.” It leads us into a relationship marked by rest and enjoyment of what is freely given by grace. Our eyes have been lifted from our performance onto the performance of Jesus!

We recognize the number one lie of religion has always been to convince the people of God that they must DO something to attain something they actually already possess in Christ. This lie moves the believer’s eyes off the finished work of the cross, and back onto their human performance. The serpent suggested that Adam and Eve must eat the forbidden fruit in order to become like God, but the truth is that they were already born in the “image and likeness of God.” The devil even attacked the identity of Jesus saying “if you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread…” “If you are the son of God throw yourself down…” (Matt. 4:3,5) The truth was that Jesus was already God’s chosen son and didn’t need to do anything to become someone he already was.

Religion perpetually enlists us to work for something “greater.” Believers will always chase a “coming revival” or the “next big move of God.” Many believers are trying to prove their faith by their good deeds. Countless prayer gathering spend endless hours beseeching heaven to open, crying out for the kingdom of God to come down, and trying to “shift the atmosphere." But to rest in the finished work of the cross, means to identify that the blood of Jesus was enough. That the cross is a finished and complete work that has brought humanity into permanent union bliss with Abba God. No further work can accomplish this feat. This union bliss is solely and completely accomplished in and through the work, person, and faithfulness of Jesus.