It Is Finished

Dan Corner

It Is Finished Does NOT = Once Saved Always Saved

The important words, it is finished, were one of the seven times Jesus spoke from the cross (Jn. 19:30). In fact, his last words were, it is finished. The finished work of Christ at the cross is basic to Christianity, but has been confused. The words, it is finished -- tetelestai in the Greek -- refer to the full price for our redemption, which Jesus paid. It is that simple!

It Is Finished As Taught By The Lord's Apostles

Again, the meaning of it is finished refers back to the purpose of Jesus' dying on the cross, that is, he shed his righteous, holy blood on the cross as payment in full for our redemption.

A vital exchange took place at the cross. Jesus became sin for us so we could become righteous in JESUS when we humbly repent and place our faith in him to follow and obey him in this world (Mt. 10:38; Lk. 9:23; Acts 20:21), that is, believe on Jesus. That exchange is very clearly stated:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21)

The One Redeemer Said It Is Finished -- Excluding Mary

Jesus, by himself, accomplished our redemption. Thank you Lord JESUS! That basic Christian belief flatly excludes and boldly opposes the Catholic tenet that Mary, through her sufferings at the cross, also shared in our redemption as co-redemptrix. In truth, the price for our ransom, or redemption, focuses exclusively on the sinless and cleansing blood of Jesus, which alone could buy us:
These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (Rev 7:14)
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:14)
... Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)
Reflecting the deity of Christ, that latter passage refers back to the Greek accounting term tetelestai, it is finished. The payment for us to become God's property (Gal. 5:24; 3:29; etc.) was uniquely Jesus' blood, which bought us (1 Cor. 6:19,20; etc.) and was paid once and for all forever (Heb. 9:26; Heb. 10:10,12,14; etc.).

Without question, the writer of Hebrews believed in the finished work of Christ, and his sin sacrifice was finished at the cross by Jesus' blood to never be repeated (Heb. 7:27; 9:26; 10:10,12,14; etc.), but he certainly didn't think that inferred to any salvation security in sin as eternal security does!

How can we be sure of that? Because he also clearly taught that salvation is conditional, can be lost and was even lost eternally by some who committed the unforgivable sin!

But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. (Heb 3:6)
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (Heb 3:14)
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Heb 6:4-6)
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:26-29)

Backsliders Can Return To Salvation Again

From those four Hebrews passages it is clear that the Holy Spirit led writer of Hebrews, who certainly understood the finished work of Christ and the words it is finished, also taught the believer's conditional security! Thus, the finished work of Christ flows with a conditional salvation rather than an unconditional salvation! To refer to the finished work of Christ for the opposite is to favor poisonous fables over wholesome truth. Though the popular teachers do that, it doesn't make it right or good for the recipients.

The Mythical god of Eternal Security

Both Catholicism and Calvinism

To the destruction of many souls, the plain truth about the finished work of Christ and his words it is finished have been added to by some (resulting in a form of idolatry) and grossly distorted by others (resulting in a license to sin). Those common venomous misinterpretations are dangerous snares to SOULS, but nonetheless deeply cherished by many.

Pope John Paul II Taught Mary Is Co-Redeemer

Catholicism Connects The Redemptive It Is Finished With Mary

Notice it is Mary who is glorified by the death of Christ in the following Catholic dogma:
As she suffered and almost died together with her suffering and dying Son, so she surrendered her mother's rights over her Son for the salvation of the human race. And to satisfy the justice of God she sacrificed her Son, as well as she could, so that it might justly be said that she together with Christ has redeemed the human race. (The Church Teaches: Documents of the Church in English Translation; Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1973, p. 211, bold emphasis mine.)
Hence, in Catholicism it is believed that Mary is the co-redemptrix of the human race! Such an imaginary belief has changed redemption's it is finished by Jesus Christ by idolatrously adding Mary to it! Be assured that there is not even a single hint in God's word anywhere that Mary also paid for our redemption.

Since there is no scriptural support for the Mary as a co-redeemer, such a dogma is automatically excluded from the category of Christian doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16,17)! We must not go beyond what is written in scripture (1 Cor.4:6). In truth, the redemption of the human race came through Jesus alone:

and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Rom 3:24)
That is how professing Christians must understand Jesus' words it is finished, if we are going to accurately teach and believe like the apostles. Remember, Jesus alone is our redemption (1 Cor. 1:30) and it is with his precious blood that we are redeemed (1 Pet. 1:18,19). That is the apostles' teaching on this and what the early Christian church was devoted to (Acts 2:42), unlike what the Catholic Church teaches.

Calvinism Connects The Words It Is Finished With Their Primary Heresy

To get back to Calvinism is to get back to an outrageous distortion of it is finished. Reformed theology actually associates Jesus' words with the devil's first lie to mankind (Gen. 3:4). That doctrine is commonly called eternal security, once saved always saved or the perseverance of the saints and:

Eternal Security Is Another Gospel

Once saved always saved proponents have reduced grace down to allow for Christian adulterers, Christian drunks, Christian murderers, etc. because of the work of Christ, even though God's word so strongly condemns such (1 Cor. 6:9,19; Eph. 5:5-7; Rev. 21:8; etc.)! For example, Joseph Prince declared:
Because of Jesus' finished work at the cross, He will never be angry with you nor rebuke you even when you fail. (Destined To Reign, 2007 ed., p. 305)
Jimmy Swaggart misuses the cross of Christ, and it is finished, to openly teach backsliders remain saved in their wickedness. Regarding that point Jimmy Swaggart does teach like a Calvinist. Believing King David retained his salvation in adultery and murder shouts out the implication -- loud and clear -- that wicked behavior can co-exist with salvation, just like the devil would want us to think.

Furthermore, according to the OSAS distortions of it is finished, all our future sins have already been forgiven before they were ever committed and without repentance and forgiving others who sin against us (Mt. 6:14,15)!

One final definitive example of this wicked teaching is what Alan Rick Knapp, pastor of the Tetelestai church, taught which convinced eternal security proponent George Sodini, that he could murder others and then himself yet retain his salvation! Dreadful but true! The blood and tears shed over that event were great and the teaching of eternal security led to that!

From Charles Stanley to Andrew Wommack to Matt Slick of carm.org to gotquestions.org, such horrible scriptural distortions proliferate to the eternal harm of souls who love that ear-tickling popular message! That is how their false grace message is taught which has harmed souls and all from the usage of it is finished!

It Is Finished Cannot Be Accurately
Connected with Any Damnable Heresy --
Mariology, Once Saved Always Saved or Eternal Security.

The Truth About The Words It is Finished

It Is Finished - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

In conclusion, there exists three primary versions of it is finished in our day, but only one of the three is God's truth! The other two are demonic. The demonic concepts have been attached to Jesus' words and redemption itself thus deceiving some sincere people. Sadly, the devil has done an excellent job! BEWARE: Just because someone talks about the cross of Christ and Jesus' words it is finished doesn't mean they are citing it correctly or even that they are Christians!

Vatican Council II (Official Teachings Of Roman Catholicism)

Skull And Crossbones Awards For False Prophets And False Teachers

What Is The Gospel or Salvation Plan You Believe?

Bible Answers To Bible Questions

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Pride - It Comes Before a Fall

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