“It is finished.”
John 19:30
Jesus finished. You haven’t. But with Him you will. What does this mean? When you are united to Jesus by faith—the Bible often refers to this as being “in Christ”—all that He accomplished on the cross becomes yours. Here are four things that are yours when you are in Christ:
Jesus completed His work of atonement, so you are forgiven, accepted, and loved.
If you are in Christ, you don’t have to do anything else to be loved and accepted. All that you need is in Him: “There is… now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
Jesus completed the full course of His obedience, so His righteousness is yours.
If your hope depended on something you had to do, in addition to what Christ has already done, it could never stand. But when your hope of heaven rests on His work, it’s secure: “[God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Jesus completed His decisive victory over Satan, so the devil is a defeated foe.
Maybe you see Satan working, over generations, in your family. You wonder if some kind of curse hangs over you. But, on the authority of the Bible, no curse can stand against you, if you’re in Christ. How could it? Paul says your enemy is a defeated foe: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).
Jesus completed the long night of His suffering, so your suffering will lead to glory.
Weeping endures for a night, but joy comes in the morning. No suffering lasts forever. Look at the new creation—no more sin, no more pain or tears, no more death. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28). Come to Christ and rest in all that He’s done for you!
All these are important, but which one is most encouraging to you today?
