John Weldon

It Is Finished

These are the words Jesus spoke from the cross before He gave up His spirit.1 They are the foundation of everything I believe.

God Is Good

I didn’t always know this. For years I carried a belief that God had a bigger, grander plan, His Goodness defined by some divine rule book that didn’t consider human experience relevant. That His blessing was conditional on my performance. That what was Good for God might mean something less than Good for me.

But Scripture tells a different story.

“Every good gift…is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow.”2

God is not moody. He is not fickle. He does not love me more on my good days and less on my bad ones. His goodness is constant, unwavering, and it flows toward me not because of what I’ve done, but because of who He is.

Salvation Is Complete

The work is done. Not mostly done. Not done pending my contribution. Finished.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”3

I spent most of my life trying to do what I thought God wanted me to do, and hopefully please Him in the process. That was when I wasn’t running away from Him in despair because I never could live up to what I thought He expected of me. I implicitly believed that salvation was a foot-in-the-door to access God, and that if I did well enough He’d reward me and accept me fully.

The cross was not a down payment. It was full payment. When Jesus said “It is finished,” He meant it.

“By grace you have been saved through faith…not a result of works.”4

Grace is not God’s willingness to help me try harder. Grace is God doing for me what I could never do for myself.

God Desires All to Be Saved

This is not wishful thinking. This is Scripture:

“God our Savior…desires all people to be saved.”5

“The Lord…is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish.”6

God is not reluctant. He is not looking for reasons to exclude. His heart is turned toward humanity, not away from it. The cross proves it.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved.”7

What This Means for Me

I am not earning God’s favor. I have it. I am not maintaining my salvation. Christ is. I am not hoping God will accept me. He already has.

This is the good news.

It is finished.

  1. John 19:30 - “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (ESV) ↩︎

  2. James 1:17 - “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (ESV) ↩︎

  3. Romans 8:1 - “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (ESV) ↩︎

  4. Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV) ↩︎

  5. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 - “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (ESV) ↩︎

  6. 2 Peter 3:9 - “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (ESV) ↩︎

  7. John 3:16-17 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (ESV) ↩︎