One of the most significant cries in all of history is when Jesus, hanging on the cross, received a drink of cheap wine and then cried out these words ‘it is finished’ (John 19:30)

This short sentence, ‘It is finished’ is, in the original Greek language just one word – “Tetelestai“.

Charles Spurgeon once said of this word that:

“It would need all the other words that were ever spoken or ever can be spoken to explain this one word, it is altogether immeasurable, it is high, I cannot attain to it, it is deep, I cannot fathom it.”

Christ’s glorious redemptive work was finished on the cross and yet we can have a tendency to try and add to His finished work.

Sometimes you can add something and make that something more attractive, other times when you add, it makes something already attractive ugly, like adding another nose to an already attractive face.  When we try and add to the work of Christ it becomes ugly.  In fact, when the Galatians did just that, Paul became very upset (see Galatians 1:6-9 and Galatians 3:1-6).

Phil Ryken in his book, “The Heart of the Cross” writes:

“To add to the finished work of Jesus Christ is to disfigure it, mar it, and destroy it altogether. There is nothing you can contribute to the payment that Jesus made on the cross for sin. There is no penance that you can undergo, no good work that you can perform, no pilgrimage upon which you can embark, no punishment you can endure to clear your guilt before God. When Jesus said ‘it is finished,’ he meant it. He meant that he had completely paid the price to release his people from their bondage to sin. So for you to try to pay for your own sins is to deny that Jesus really did finish paying for sin. For you to try to do something to earn your own salvation is to make Jesus Christ out to be a liar.”

The finished work of Jesus should provoke gratitude, joy and much affection in our hearts and lives.  If it doesn’t, I would encourage you to stay at the cross, and forget about anything else until you become, as the hymn writer, says ‘lost in wonder love and praise.’