It is Finished

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”

John 19:30

It is a rewarding feeling to be finally debt free. I am not going to tell you any tips on how to pay your debts in two years, but I want to share with you an inspiring story of a person who struggled for several years because of his debt.

Mark found himself drowning in debt back in 2001. He was living paycheck-to-paycheck and often found himself borrowing money from friends and family just to make it to the next month.

Because of his determination to pay his debt, he was able to find ways to cut his extra expenses off and add extra sources of income. He eliminated his debt in a little over two years while supporting a family of five.
Mark has been debt-free since that time and has been an inspirational speaker and author to help others. He said, “Being in debt is like being in a prison. We need to get out of it.”

Debt is more than a feeling of being in a prison; it is slavery. When a person has financial obligation that is as big as a mountain, he cannot enjoy the fruit of his labor. He may work harder only to find out that it still wasn’t enough to pay for everything. Nights become filled with worries, and mornings will feel like an endless routine that brings him nowhere.

When we were sinners, we were just like someone with a debt that he could not pay. Because of the power and the consequences of sin, we didn’t have the freedom to do the pleasant things we wanted to do. We tried harder only to find ourselves doing the same mistakes we had been doing. We tried to be righteous but our righteousness was just like filthy rags in the sight of the Righteous One.

The longing of our hearts was to be free from sin. Our desire was to pay the price of sin; a price we could never pay. We wanted to be debt free, but there was none who could worthily pay the price required of God.

Seeing our hopelessness, God humbled Himself and was born like a slave. He walked with us and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. While we were still sinners, unable to pay our debt, Christ died for us. On that cross, with His blood flowing from His anointed scourged body, He declared, “It is finished.” These words did not only mean that His work was done. It was tetelestai, a Greek word that has a deeper meaning than just being complete.

During the time of Christ, the word tetelestai was written on business documents or receipts to show and indicate that the bill had been paid in full. It is no way a coincidence that Christ’s last word is tetelestai. His life on earth was not only finished at Calvary, but it also paid the price of sin in full for us.

Because of Calvary, we are debt free. Because of His sacrifice, we are no longer slaves to sin. Because of His love toward us, we can present a bill that has already been paid, our tetelestai.

Bible Verses for further Study: John 3:16–17; Philippians 2:1–11; Romans 5:6–11