March 27, 2019

The Inspiration for "It Is Finished"

Chad Harris

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You know that moment when one line in a song just hits you in the heart? When this happens, it’s like one line sums up everything that you are feeling in a single thought. For me, in the song “It Is Finished,” it is the line “The final words that You would speak will resound eternally.” That one line sums up Good Friday for me and what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

In the Greek, the phrase “It is finished” is in the perfect tense, which means that even though it happened in the past, it has continuous effects into the future. This means these famous words resound eternally. Forever and for all people, the work of the cross has accomplished what thousands of years of animal sacrifices could not do.

If you’ve read the book of Leviticus, you know there was an actual cost of sin. If someone sinned, they had to provide a sacrifice for sin. This literally cost the sinner money. However, in the end, no amount of sacrifice could atone for the sin, and no one could actually pay the price to eradicate sin. But Hebrews says that Jesus’ sacrifice was enough to pay for all sin, for all time. When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, the price that no one could pay was finally paid.

Psalm 49:8–9 (TPT) says, “A soul’s redemption is too costly and precious for anyone to pay with earthly wealth. The price to pay is never enough to purchase eternal life for even one, to keep them out of hell.” There have been times when I have vainly attempted to pay the price for my own sin. I either wrongly held on to shame and guilt instead of letting the blood of Jesus cleanse my conscience or tried to do some religious activity to make up for my failure. It never worked. It was impossible for any of my own sacrifices to pay my ransom. There is only one person whose sacrifice was enough, and 2,000 years ago He cleared my name. He said, “It is finished!” Click here to listen on Spotify and find our resources for this song here. 

“It Is Finished” Lyrics

Verse 1

See our King upon the cross

Clothed in rags, our righteousness

Hear Him speaking over us

Words of life, deliverance

Verse 2

Tearing through our walls of shame

The veil that blinds and separates

The final words that You would speak

Will resound eternally

Chorus

It is finished

Once for all

Death defeated

On the cross

Love has spoken

We’re forgiven

It is finished

Forever it is done

Verse 3

Hope proclaimed, Your love made known

Sin and death now overthrown

Our risen King victorious  

Lifted high, alive in us

Bridge

Jesus, the name above all other names

Yours is the glory

Heaven and earth proclaim Your victory

Yours is the glory

 

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