It Is Finished

by Royce

“When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land…’” — Genesis 15:17-20

God promised Abraham that his descendants would have their own land, a place they could call home. At this point, Abraham was at least in his late 70s, childless, and still wandering around the land. To assure Abraham, God made a covenant with him by walking through animals that had been cut in two and laying them opposite each other.

The act of cutting the animals in two and laying them opposite each other symbolized the seriousness and permanence of the covenant being made. The covenant was considered as binding as the fate of the animals if the terms of the covenant were violated. The practice of cutting animals in two and walking between the halves was a powerful way to demonstrate the commitment of the parties making the covenant to keep their promises.

Notice that only God walked through the pieces, which means that only one party would suffer the consequences if the covenant were violated — God, not Abraham. God made this covenant without requiring the same commitment from Abraham. You’ll notice that after Ishmael’s appearance, chaos ensued due to Abraham acting with his own wisdom instead of following God’s guidance. Despite this, God’s promise was still fulfilled.

From the beginning, God’s promises was never tied to human performance or commitment. Abraham was credited as righteous (Genesis 4), not because his performance in executing God’s commands but because Abraham fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Today, at the cross, God made a new covenant not just with one person or one nation, but with the whole world. He promises to give the whole world eternal life with Him. God didn’t mark this covenant by animals blood, but by the blood of His one and only son. As with the covenant that God made with Abraham, only God passes through the “sacrificial lamb”. This means that the covenant is based on God’s ability to fulfill His promises, not on human ability to carry out His commands.

The major difference between this covenant and the covenant with Abraham is that in this case, both the one who made the promises and the guarantor were alive because Jesus was resurrected three days after his death. In the covenant with Abraham, the animal sacrifice remained dead. This means that when you claim God’s promise of eternal life, you will see the one who made the promises, as well as the one who guaranteed that you would receive those promises.

When you meet Jesus in eternity, you will see His scar, His criminal mark. During Jesus’ time, ex-convicts were identifiable by the flogged marks on their backs. He carried that mark into eternity as proof that your sin was paid in full. It was properly atoned for once and for all. This is why the covenant applies to all people, even those who will come in the future.

Are you like Abraham, fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He had promised? In fact, He did. Today on Calvary was the proof. We all live on the other side of the new covenant. Don’t let any lies trouble you that you are not good enough to receive salvation from Him. It was never about you, just as it was never about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, or the nation of Israel itself. It’s all about His love for you. He gave His own son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish (John 3:16). Are you fully persuaded by what Jesus has done on the cross?

Paul did: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” — Romans 8:1-4

John did: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” — 1 John 5:11-12

Peter did: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” — 1 Peter 1:3-7

James, the brother of Jesus, also claimed to be a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, referring to his own brother from the same mother. It is a serious matter to convince siblings that you are God. He too believed: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.” — James 1:18

My brothers and sisters, if someone could predict their own death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21) and successfully accomplish it, I believe that should be a very strong reason to believe what they said. Jesus declared that it was “FINISHED” — it is done, and the separation between God and humanity has been permanently closed. Are you not fully persuaded?

Those who were crucified in ancient times were typically seen as guilty and unable to save themselves. However, Jesus was an exception to this norm. Despite being innocent, he chose not to save himself from his crucifixion.

The crucifixion of Jesus was the devil’s last ditch effort to tempt him. In fact, it was Jesus’ final temptation: “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” — Matthew 27:40.

Jesus won’t saved himself not merely just to obey The Father, but he sticks to the mission, he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus practicing true meekness at the cross.

Meekness is not just being gentle but it is the ability to control one’s strength and not respond with aggression or hostility towards others, even in difficult or challenging situations. It involves exhibiting humility, patience, and gentleness in one’s actions and words, rather than reacting impulsively or with anger.

So unlike others who was crucified, Jesus restrained His power because otherwise it would separate us from God forever. So Jesus bore all the pain and humiliation just for God to be able to be together with us.