This week we jump into a new series that can have powerful ramifications on how we live out the Christian life. When Jesus said, “It is finished” right before He breathed His last on the cross, what did He mean by that? There are probably a few things, but the key area we will focus on in this series is that He was saying He had fulfilled the law. In Matthew 5 Jesus said, “I didn’t come to destroy the law but to fulfill it.”
It’s helpful to go back to the Old Covenant. The ten commandments written on stone were placed in the ark of the covenant, representing the justice of God. But on the top of the ark were two cherubim both facing inward. The space between the two was called the mercy seat. This is where God said He would meet with men. This image foreshadows what we read in James, “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13
What was the purpose of the law then if we couldn’t fulfill it? Just that, to reveal to us that we are incapable of regaining access to God’s presence on our own, that we could never be good enough. Yet the law was also given to reveal there was and is hope, not in ourselves, but the Messiah, Jesus, who was and is perfect. The law points us to Jesus. “The law is our taskmaster to bring us to Christ.” Galatians 3:24
It’s learning to rest in the finished work of Jesus that brings freedom to us and enables us to impart freedom to others. This week ask God for a greater revelation of the truth, “It is finished.” We are called to enter God’s rest now, on this side of heaven.
