It is finished!

When man ate from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden, sin and death entered the lives of man and caused a separation between God and man. Maar God, in His great mercy, already had a perfect redemption plan in mind for fallen man, to reconcile man back to God. It all began with a tree and it is finished at a tree; the cross on Calvary. By die kruis, Jesus het gesê, It is finished! But what is finished at the cross? What did Jesus mean when Jesus said, it is finished and bowed His head and gave up the ghost? (John 19:30)

Jesus went about doing good

Want so lief het God die wêreld gehad, dat Hy sy eniggebore Seun gegee het, dat elkeen wat in Hom glo, nie verlore mag gaan nie, maar het die ewige lewe. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved(John 3:16,17)

The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (He is Lord of all:) Daardie woord, Ek sê, jy weet, wat in die hele Judea gepubliseer is, en begin uit Galilea, na die doop wat Johannes verkondig het; Hoe God Jesus van Nasaret met die Heilige Gees en met krag gesalf het: Wie het gedoen om goed te doen, en genesing van alles wat deur die duiwel onderdruk is; want God was met Hom (Handelinge 10:36-38)

Jesus; die lewende Woord van God, was sent to this world and came in the flesh to fulfill God’s redemptive work for fallen man and reconcile man back to God.

Jesus served His Father, by walking in His will and doing good. He preached and brought the Kingdom of God to the people.

Jesus healed all, who were oppressed by the devil. He stood in the service of His Father and served the people by giving them what they needed.

Jesus was a reflection of God. He said to the people, that if anyone had seen Him (Jesus), he had also seen the Father (Hebreërs 1:1-4).

Jesus sê vir hom, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Glo nie dat Ek in die Vader is nie, en die Vader in My? Die woorde wat Ek tot julle spreek, spreek Ek nie uit Myself nie: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works (John 14:9-10)

Jesus is the only way to God the Father

Ek is die weg, Die waarheid, en die lewe: niemand kom na die Vader nie, maar deur My. If you had known Me, you should have known My Father also: and from henceforth you know Him, and have seen Him (John 14:6-7)

Jesus is the only way to God the Father and eternal life. Daar is geen ander manier nie! Die admission to the Kingdom of God and the reconciliation with God the Father, began at Calvary, where Jesus was made sin for the salvation of mankind (Lees ook: Is Jesus the only way to eternal life?).

We read in the Old Testament, that the high priest was only allowed to enter the holy of holies of the Tabernacle, once every year.

The high priest was allowed to enter God’s presence after he had sacrificed animals (offerings) for the remission of the sins of the people and after he covered himself with the blood of the offering.

Without the blood, the high priest could not enter the presence of God (Levitikus 16, Hebreërs 9).

That was the way of the remission of sins of God’s people under the Old Covenant, which was sealed with the blood of animals. This had to be done on a regular basis, because the people remained the old creation and were still trapped in their sinful nature.

Nou, let’s have a look at the remission of sins and the sinful nature of fallen man in the New Covenant, wat verseël is met die bloed van Jesus Christus.

The Garden of Gethsemane

The work of redemption already began in the garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus crucified His soul. He had to crucify His soul before He was able to fulfill God’s plan for His life. Jesus prayed to the Father and said: “Pa, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done”.

When Jesus spoke these words, an angel appeared unto Him from heaven and strengthened Him.

And being in agony, Jesus prayed more earnestly. And Jesus’ sweat was as great drops of blood falling to the ground (Lukas 22:42-44 Lees ook: Die kruisiging van die siel).

Jesus conquered this deadly fear, which was the only adversary (enemy), that could hinder Him from finishing the work of His Father. But Jesus overcame this deadly fear through aanhoudende gebed.

Na Jesus’ battle in the garden, Jesus is gevange geneem. Jesus was brought to the council and they interrogated Him. After the interrogation, Jesus was brought to the whipping post, where Jesus was scourged.

The whipping post

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed (Jesaja 53:5).

Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Petrus 2:24)

At the whipping post, Jesus was scourged, wounded, and bruised. Jesus bore all your sicknesses, Siektes, and all your infirmities at the whipping post. And by His stripes, you were healed.

The stripes of Jesus did not occur on the cross, but at the whipping post, when Jesus was brutally scourged. He was scourged so badly, that the blood flew out of Him.

But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell (Numeri 33:55)

Weet met sekerheid dat die Here jou God nie meer een van hierdie nasies voor jou uit sal verdrywe nie; but the shall be snares and trapes unto you, en plae in jou sye, en dorings in jou oë, totdat julle vergaan uit hierdie goeie land wat die Here julle God julle gegee het (Josua 23:13)

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands (2 Samuel 23:6)

The Crucifixion

Then came the moment, that Jesus was brought before the people, together with Barabbas. The people of Israel were given a choice, they could choose for the release of Jesus or Barabbas. The Jewish people chose Barabbas instead of Jesus. En so, the lot fell on Jesus, and Jesus was chosen by the people of Israel to be crucified (Lees ook: Jesus of Barabbas, wie kies jy??).

The devil thought he was smart. He thought, that he finally had gotten rid of Jesus and could continue to build his kingdom on earth without any resistance. But the devil was wrong. Because this was all part of God’s plan and work of redemption for mankind.

Jesus was crucified and yielded Himself to God, so that God could lay the sins of the world upon Jesus.

Jesus, Who was without sin, was sacrificed as a Lamb to deal with the sin problem and to reconcile man back to God, Eens en vir altyd.

When Jesus took all the sins of the world, including yours, op Homself, Jesus cried with a loud voice: Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which means: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

Jesus had always been united with His Father. He was never separated from Him, until the moment, that God laid the sin of the world upon Jesus. As gevolg van die feit, that God is a holy God and can never have fellowship with sin, Jesus was separated from His Father.

Jesus het gesê, It is finished, cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. Op daardie oomblik, die veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom (Merk 15:33-39).

We all, insluitend jou, should have been the ones, in plaas van Jesus. We should have deserved these punishments and be put to death and go to hell, because of our fallen state and the way we lived.

But because of God’s great love and mercy, Jesus took our place and became our Substitute and took the punishment for sin upon Himself.

It is finished!

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matteus 12:40)

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, Hy het gesê, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost (John 19:30)

For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit (1 Petrus 4:6)

After Jesus said, It is finished, Jesus died at the cross and entered Hades (Hel). This proves, that Jesus carried all the sin of the world and that Jesus was made sin. Want anders, Jesus wouldn’t have gone to Hades (Hel) (Lees ook: Wat het Jesus in die hel gedoen?)

Jesus was in Hades for three days and preached the gospel. But death was not strong enough to keep Jesus in Hades. Because after three days Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God and had legally taken back the keys of hell and death.

I am He that liveth, and was dead; en, kyk, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Openbaring 1:18)

We are reconciled with God by the blood of Jesus Christ. We can live in unity with God in Christ Jesus. Our sinful past is gone and our sins are all washed away, by the power of the blood of Jesus. Jesus has dealt with the sin problem; the sinful nature of fallen mankind.

Deur geloof in Jesus Christus en wedergeboorte in Hom, you have been made holy and righteous and are reconciled to God and can have a relationship with God in His presence (Lees ook: Godsdiens of verhouding? What do you have?)

The birth of the new creation

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you (Romeine 8:11)

Jesus conquered death and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was raised from the dead. The same Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, now lives inside of you. When you are born again and have become a new creation, die Heilige Gees, Who is your Helper and Comforter here on earth, dwells in you.

Deur renewing your mind met die Woord van God, you will put your carnal thoughts, which derive from a carnal mind to death.

When you renew your mind with the Word of God, your mind will line up with the Word of God.

You will get the mind of Christ, that knows God’s ways enGod’s thoughts.

Daarom, if you have the mind of Christ you will walk in gehoorsaamheid aan God in His will.

As a son of God, you will walk the way Jesus walked in obedience to the Father. You will do good and preach and bring the Kingdom of God to the people.

You will be a representative of Jesus Christ and the Father and will walk in His authority, serving people.