It Is Finished: The Power of Faithfulness to Completion

Three words that changed everything. Spoken from the cross in Jesus' final moments, "It is finished" wasn't a cry of defeat but a declaration of victory. The Greek word tetelestai means "it is completed" or "it is accomplished." It's the word used when a debt is paid in full, a task is finished, or a mission is accomplished.

Jesus didn't just endure the cross; He completed it. He didn't just start the work of salvation; He finished it. He didn't just make a good effort; He accomplished everything the Father had sent Him to do.

This faithfulness to completion characterizes Jesus' entire life and ministry. He didn't just teach some good lessons; He revealed the complete truth about God. He didn't just heal a few people; He demonstrated God's complete power over sickness and death. He didn't just forgive some sins; He provided complete atonement for all sin.

When Jesus said, "It is finished," He was declaring that salvation was complete, that the barrier between God and humanity had been removed, and that the price for sin had been paid in full. Nothing more needed to be done; nothing more could be added. The work was finished—complete and perfect.

This faithfulness flows from Jesus' perfect character. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He finishes what He starts because He is faithful, reliable, and true to His word. When Jesus makes a promise, He keeps it. When He begins a work, He completes it.

Paul understood this truth when he wrote, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." The same Jesus who completed the work of salvation is faithful to complete the work of sanctification in our lives. He doesn't abandon projects halfway through; He sees them through to the end.

A Different Way of Living

Jesus' faithfulness to completion stands in stark contrast to our human tendency to start strong but fade over time. We begin with enthusiasm, but our commitment wanes when the work becomes difficult or monotonous. We make promises with good intentions, but we struggle to keep them when circumstances change.

Jesus shows us a different way. His faithfulness wasn't dependent on feelings or circumstances. He remained faithful when He was praised and when He was rejected, when crowds followed Him and when His disciples abandoned Him, when His mission was easy and when it became excruciating.

This faithfulness was costly. Completing His mission required Jesus to endure the cross, to bear the weight of sin, and to experience separation from the Father. He could have stopped at any point—during His temptation in the wilderness, when people tried to stone Him, or during His agony in Gethsemane. But He pressed on to completion.

The writer of Hebrews captures this beautifully: "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus is both the founder and perfecter of our faith. He started something, and He finished it. He began the work of salvation, and He completed it. He initiated our relationship with God, and He perfects it. His faithfulness bookends our entire spiritual journey.

A Call to Persevere

This challenges me deeply. How many things have I started but never finished? How many commitments have I made but gradually abandoned? How many promises have I broken because following through became difficult or inconvenient?

Jesus' example calls us to a different standard of faithfulness. Not perfection—we're not Jesus—but perseverance. Not flawless performance, but faithful commitment. Not completing everything we start, but being intentional about what we begin and committed to seeing it through.

In marriage, this means working through difficulties rather than giving up when things get hard. In parenting, it means staying engaged through all the seasons of a child's development. In ministry, it means serving faithfully even when results are slow or opposition is strong. In our work, it means maintaining integrity and excellence even when no one is watching.

A Hopeful Promise

Jesus' faithfulness to completion also gives us hope for our own spiritual journey. We don't have to worry about whether God will finish what He's started in us. We don't have to fear that He'll abandon us halfway through our sanctification. We can trust that the same Jesus who completed the work of salvation will complete the work of transformation in our lives.

This doesn't mean we're passive in the process. Faithfulness requires our active participation, our continued cooperation with God's work in us. But it does mean we can rest in the assurance that God is faithful, that He finishes what He starts, and that He will complete the good work He began in us.

Paul's words ring with this confidence: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." This wasn't boasting; it was the testimony of someone who had learned from Jesus the importance of faithfulness to completion.

Jesus' faithfulness to complete what He began gives us both a model to follow and a promise to claim. We can strive to be faithful in our own commitments, knowing that even when we fail, He remains faithful. And we can rest in the assurance that He will complete the work He's begun in us, bringing us safely to our eternal home.

You do have a blessed day!