John 19:30 – “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”  NASU

Man has and will always seek to earn his salvation and modify God’s way to fit his desires and ability.  That is the nature of depraved humanity with his bent toward evil since the fall in the Garden of Eden.  I realize that some will argue that man is basically good but the Bible speaks otherwise and thus because we have missed the mark (sinned) we need grace.  Man needs a redeemer to purchase his redemption and rescue him from the clutches of darkness.  Jesus is that redeemer and His birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension make the work of salvation complete.  He declares in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” We are told in Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The satisfaction of divine justice is complete.  Mankind was delivered to the devil by Adam in the Garden and the door to God has been opened by Jesus on the Cross.  There is nothing that can be added to that and nothing can be taken away it is the FINISHED WORK.  If it is complete then I ask ‘how complete is complete?’  If it cannot be earned, is not deserved, and can only be received through faith it is A GIFT. 

Many have an ingrained difficulty with the FINISHED WORK of our Lord on the Cross.  It is human pride and deception that goes back to the Garden that causes this problem.  Remember THE LIE that the serpent told?  I know you may ask, ‘which lie?’  While there were many facets of THE LIE it is one.  One of the facets was ‘you shall be as God’ or put another way ‘you shall be God.’  Man at that point descended into darkness that resulted as inherent in his nature a pride that needs to have a sense of deserving.  He wants to earn it so he can believe he deserves it.  His deception allows the devil to manipulate him and pervert the pureness of the gospel and through his attitude, belief, words, and deeds seek to ‘add to’ the message and work of the Cross.

If one could be saved via their works and self-discipline it would not be grace but merit.  Keeping all the rules will make one a Pharisee not a Christian.  Keeping all the rules will turn the heart into a Legalist not a Child of God.  Keeping all the rules will allow one to become self-righteous and judgmental comparing oneself with others rather than measuring oneself by the gospel.  I cannot keep all the rules no matter how hard I might try in my own flesh, it is humanly impossible.  It is only as I receive THE LIFE that comes to me through the FINISHED WORK of Christ can I be saved and manifest Him.  Will I find that I come short from time to time?  Absolutely, as Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

             I, like the patriarchs of old, am looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.  I am a sojourner passing through this world headed toward that eternal land of promise.  The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of and in the Son of God.  I am not my own I have been bought with a price and that price is the Blood of Jesus.  He willingly became my substitute so that I could escape the penalty of sin and rebellion.  He became my door to GOD and eternal life.  His work is COMPLETE and if I receive it I am SAVED!  How complete is complete?  COMPLETELY!

            May God be with you as you go through this day!