Is It Finished?

I must admit that I never saw the movie "Turbo." I just really loved this image. Seems to describe so many of us. Straining and striving to reach the end. To finish strong. While I applaud the efforts of those who want to finish well, I question how so many are trying to get there.

Jesus made a statement on the Cross, a declaration really, "IT IS FINISHED!" And we have tried to adequately describe at this blog what that means. In regards to all that was needed to be done for mankind to be redeemed - IT IS FINISHED! All that needed to be done for our reconciliation - IT IS FINISHED! To restore that which was lost - IT IS FINISHED! Yet, I see so many who continue to struggle with various aspects of life. I see them straining to reach the end. Trying to attain something they don't believe they have. Which begs the question our lives continue to ask: Is it finished?

Of course, as we talk about what Jesus came to do it most definitely IS finished. There is nothing that we can take away from the Cross, and nothing that we can add to it. What is DONE is DONE. Where we seem to have the disconnect is in our thinking. The way in which we live our lives. Seeking to attain that which has already been granted to us. Doing what we can do to run the race and finish the course. The problem that I see is that we have a misunderstanding with what Paul was saying when he penned those words. Let me explain.

You cannot read the Pauline epistles without seeing his absolute confidence in the finished work of Christ. It's all over the place. His letter to the Romans, the Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, and this list goes on. This man wrote the majority of the New Testament. It's obvious that the Lord wants us to at least attain to his understanding. To grasp this beautiful revelation of Christ in us. I don't believe Paul was talking about finishing his course any differently than the way he said that he lived his life: "...the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God..." His finishing was a continuing of what Jesus had begun in him. Does that make sense?

Hear the words of the writer of Hebrews, speaking of Jesus: "[He is] the Author and Finisher of faith." Now, as far as we know, Paul did not write these words. Some may attribute them to the Apostle, but we don't have a firm confirmation of that. Regardless, this writer is not saying anything different than the famed Apostle. Paul wrote to the Galatians and asked them a simple and striking question: "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh?" He encouraged the Philippians that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion." Over and over again we are brought to a place of trust in the finished work of Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. AND we are brought to a place of trust in His finished work in us. There's no way around this. We are being conformed to the image of Christ. Not a work of our own doing, but a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It seems to me that the greatest work we have to do is to renew our minds. To labor to enter into rest. Something that is so contrary to what we have believed.

Paul told the Ephesians that they had been "seated with Christ in Heavenly places." Was that mere speculation or revelation? If it's speculation, then your faith has to be called upon to make it a reality. If it's revelation, then your faith is called upon to trust in the reality. Can you see the difference? One way says to believe to create. The other says to believe to enjoy. It just seems to me that if I am seated with Christ in Heavenly places, then my view needs to change. They way I see myself, the way I view life, and the way I understand who I am in Christ. It all needs to change. My mind needs to be continually renewed to this truth.

Is it finished?

Yes on both counts.
Yes - to the finished work of Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
Yes - to His work in me.
My life is now a catching up, if you will, of what He began. As I walk in the Spirit. As I trust Him. As I rest in His grace and love. As I continue to believe in my identity in Him. These are not things that I create. This is not my faith to finish out. It's HIS! Jesus believed in what He was doing. Jesus believes in what He is doing in me. He trust the work of His Spirit in each of us. He continues to give abundant life to us. He continues to conform us to His image. He continues to draw us to that place of being more of a conqueror in reality. To move us from a place of faith to sight. From believe to experience. From a religious idea to a relational identity.

Some will ask: "Can I stop this process?" "Can I reject what He want to accomplish in me?"
Here's what I believe: You can choose to live in the flesh. You can choose to walk in the darkness. And in the end, you will have to deal with the consequences of that kind of life. Or, you can choose to live in Him. Live by the Spirit. Live in the Light. And enjoy His goodness.
The choice is ours. It's about our judgement. Will we embrace the light or love the darkness? That may sound ridiculous, but isn't that what people did in Jesus' day? "They loved the darkness rather than the light." Sounds crazy, but we've all been there from time to time. However, I believe what the writer of Hebrews believed, "Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation." I'm trusting the work of the Lord in each of us. That His voice will be louder than any other. That we will do more than get a taste, but walk into the deep with Him.

That is the journey. Full of trust. Full of faith. Full of rest. Enjoy!