June 11
A complete provision
When we speak of the completed work of The Christ we are talking about a work that is completely finished – there is nothing left to be done. Or to put it another way, everything that needed to be done, concerning our redemption and wholeness, has already been done.
Everything that was needed to bring pardon for our sins has been done. Everything that needed to be done to deliver us from our addictions has been done. Everything needed for healing our bodies and souls has been done. Everything that was needed to give us a new nature has already been done. And everything required to provide for eternal change within our spirits has already been accomplished.
The amazing truth is that the work of Jesus, through His suffering, death, and resurrection, has already furnished everything that we needed to forgive us, deliver us, heal us and change us. Jesus’ work, all that He has already accomplished, is all we need to experience and live the fullness of the true Christian life. Jesus’ work completely enables us to be completely what God desires us to be.
When Jesus went through the ordeal of the cross (on our behalf) He was doing more than just providing for our forgiveness – He was also providing for our justification. Scripture declares:
Two important things are the focus here: forgiveness and justification.
Forgiveness addresses our failures, and our past (what we have done and what has been done to us!). It is God’s love and mercy at work to cover all of our sins and brokenness.
Justification addresses what we need for today – and for our days to come. It is God’s power at work to empower our lives. The very word for “justification” is drawn from the Greek word for “righteousness.” The goal of all of God’s work is righteousness – true and righteous living from true and righteous lives.
Jesus’ death on the cross deals with our lives of sin.
Jesus’ resurrection from death deals with our need for a new kind of life that enables us to live righteously, and in victory over sin.
Two works of God were needed to make us the people He wanted us to be. The first work, the sacrificial death, delivered us from the guilt, penalty, and consequences of our sins. The second work, the glorious resurrection, imparted to us the capability of living our lives beyond our sins, in righteousness.
The second work brought the means of justification for our existence…
The Great Missed Understanding 