John. 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

I. The Old Testament context.

Lev. 16:21-22 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

 

II. The New Testament principle

A. Jn. 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
B. Jn. 13:1 Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
C. Jn. 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

 

III. Our Lord's mindfulness of the importance of finishing His assigned task.

A. Jn. 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
B. Jn. 5:36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
C. Jn. 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
D. The Messianic prophecies are fulfilled.
E. The sacrificial work of the Substitute is finished.
F. The goal of the incarnation is achieved.
G. The work of atonement is accomplished.
H. The terms of the covenant of grace are ratified.
I. The demands of the law and justice of God are met.
J. God the Father is totally satisfied with the finished work of Christ.
K. Because salvation is accomplished by the finished work of Christ, no redemptive works on our part are necessary or acceptable.
L. Col. 2:14-15 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Q. 49. How did Christ humble Himself in His death?

A. Christ humbled Himself in His death, in that having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by His disciples, scorned and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, and tormented by His persecutors; having also conflicted with the terrors of death, and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God's wrath, He laid down His life an offering for sin, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross. Westminster Larger Catechism

"As Jesus saw it, the entire work of redemption (both active and passive obedience, fulfilling the law and bearing its curse) had been brought to completion." William Hendriksen

"The general religion of mankind is 'do', but the religion of a true Christian is 'done'. 'It is finished' is the believer's conquering word." Charles Spurgeon

"It is finished--all the types and prophecies of the Old Testament which pointed at the sufferings of the Messiah, were accomplished. It is finished--the ceremonial law is fulfilled; the substance is now come, and all the shadows are done away. It is finished--atonement is made for transgression by bringing in an everlasting righteousness. His sufferings were now finished, both those of His soul, and those of His body. It is finished--the work of man's redemption and salvation is now completed. His life was not taken from Him by force, but freely given up to accomplish these things." Matthew Henry

"'It is finished.' This was not the despairing cry of the helpless martyr; it was not an expression of satisfaction that the termination of His sufferings was now reached; it was not the last gasp of a worn-out life. No, rather was it the declaration on the part of the divine Redeemer that all for which He came from heaven to earth to do, was now done; that all that was needed to reveal the full character of God had now been accomplished; that all that was required by law before sinners could be saved have now been performed: that the full price of our redemption was now paid. It is finished. The great purpose of God in the history of man was now accomplished. The purpose of God may be summarized thus: to display His grace and to magnify His Son in the creating of children in His own image and glory. And at the cross the foundation was laid which was tomake this possible and actual. We cannot contemplate too often what the Saviour endured in order to secure our salvation. The better we are acquainted with His sufferings, and the more frequently we meditate thereon, the warmer will be our love and the deeper our gratitude. But now the suffering is ended. That from which His holy soul shrank is over. The cup has been drained. The awful storm of God's wrath has just spent itself. The darkness is ended. The sword of divine justice in sheathed. The wages of sin have been paid. The prophecies of His suffering are all fulfilled. The cross has been endured. Divine holiness has been fully satisfied. With a cry of triumph--a loud cry, a cry which reverberated throughout the entire universe--the Saviour exclaims, blessed be God, 'It is finished'." A.W. Pink

"He said, 'It is finished;' that is, the whole will of God; as that He should be incarnate, be exposed to shame and reproach, and suffer much, and die; the whole work his Father gave Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, all which were now done; the whole righteousness of the law was fulfilled, an holy nature assumed, perfect obedience yielded to it, and the penalty of death endured; hence a perfect righteousness was finished agreeably to the law, which was magnified and made honourable by it, and redemption from its curse and condemnation secured; sin was made an end of, full atonement and satisfaction for it were given; complete pardon procured, peace made, and redemption from all iniquity obtained; all enemies were conquered; all types, promises, and prophecies were fulfilled, and His own course of life ended. It was done entirely without the help of man, and cannot be undone; all which since has more clearly appeared by Christ's resurrection from the dead, His entrance into heaven, His session at God's right hand, the declaration of the Gospel, and the application of salvation to His chosen ones." John Gill

"All that a holy God requires has been done. Nothing is left for the sinner to add. No works from us are demanded as the price of our salvation. All that is necessary for the sinner is to rest now by faith upon what Christ did. To the believer, the knowledge that the atoning work of Christ is finished brings a sweet relief over against all the defects and imperfections of his services. There is much of sin and vanity in the very best of our efforts, but the grand relief is that we are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10)! Christ and His finished work is the ground of all our hopes." A.W. Pink