“It is Finished!”

I have finished the work which You have given Me to do —John 17:4

The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His death was not something that happened to Him— something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came.

Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption “much ado about nothing.” God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted as Savior because of His death. “We see Jesus . . . for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor . . .” (Hebrews 2:9). The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ— “It is finished!” (John 19:30). That is the final word in the redemption of humankind.

Anything that lessens or completely obliterates the holiness of God, through a false view of His love, contradicts the truth of God as revealed by Jesus Christ. Never allow yourself to believe that Jesus Christ stands with us, and against God, out of pity and compassion, or that He became a curse for us out of sympathy for us. Jesus Christ became a curse for us by divine decree. Our part in realizing the tremendous meaning of His curse is the conviction of sin. Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ hates the sin in people, and Calvary is the measure of His hatred.

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成了

你所託付我的事，我已成全了。 （約十七4）

耶穌基督的死，是神的心在歷史上表現出來。絕不可把耶穌的死視作殉道，以為是偶然之事，並且是可避免的。他的死，是他來世的原因。不要傳講神是父親，因著他的愛赦免我們的道理。這個說法與耶穌基督所顯明的神不符；若這樣，便使十字架變得可有可無，而救贖更是多馀的。神赦免罪惡，完全是因為基督的死。除了他兒子的死，神無法赦免罪，而耶穌也因他的死而被高舉為救主。 [耶穌……因為受死的苦，就得了尊貴榮耀為冠冕。 ]震撼宇宙最輝煌的勝利，就是基督在十字架上的話：[成了。 ]在救贖的大功上，這話是決定性的。

對神的愛有錯誤的觀念，以致輕置了神的聖潔，都與耶穌基督所啟示的不符。千萬不要以為耶穌因為同情可憐我們，就站在我們一方敵對神，也不要以為他因憐憫我們而為我們成為咒詛。耶穌基督成為咒詛，是出於至高者的命定。我們對這咒詛的體會，就是為罪自責；而神給我們羞恥與悔罪的恩賜，這是他極大的憐憫。耶穌基督恨透人所犯的罪，而加略山正量度出他的恨有多深。

祈禱◆主啊，對於住在我裡面的基督，我所給予的滋養是何其不足；噢，主啊，赦免我。求你讓我充滿赦罪的感覺，以致我不單在你的救恩中得著喜樂，更為著這裡的工作被你的靈所充滿。