John 19:30 "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."
Those were the last words Jesus spoke on Friday afternoon.
His first words Sunday morning are not recorded, but they may have been something like ... "It has begun".
What was "finished" Friday was the Old Covenant. The arrangement between a sinful people and a Holy God, that partially restored a relationship that had been fractured by our sin.
What "began" Sunday morning was the New Covenant...which fully restored our relationship, and has since been called the Gospel, which translated means the "Good news"...and that is the ultimate understatement.
What happened Sunday morning, means nothing will ever be the same. We are no longer slaves to sin. We now have the power to defeat sin because His Spirit lives within us. If we stumble, the sin does not stick because His blood is on us. We have gone from being subjects, to children. Instead of servants, he calls us friends. And for the fist time since The Garden, we have the ability to freely fellowship with God.
This explains why the most horrific day in all of history is now called "Good Friday". Nothing short of Salvation, and the restoration of God's children to Himself, could cause such a abhorrent day to be referred to as "good".
"It is finished" means the price has been paid in full...And that is the "Good News"..that through His death and resurrection we have been offered a new, beautiful and unimpaired relationship with our Heavenly Father.
"He drained the cup of God's wrath bone dry, leaving not a drop for us to drink."
- Richard Allen Bodey
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