The Romans like Skull Hill because it can be seen from the main road, and everyone can witness the crucifixions carried out there. Crowds gather to watch with morbid fascination.

But this day is different. A man named Jesus is being crucified.

The crucifixion begins at nine o'clock sharp. The Romans are punctual about things like that. At first the crowd is rowdy, loud, raucous, and boisterous, as if this were some kind of athletic event. They cheer, laugh, shout, and place wagers on how long the victims will last. The one in the middle has already been severely beaten. His skin hangs from his back in tatters, His face is bruised and swollen, His eyes nearly shut. Blood trickles from a dozen open wounds.

Sentence fragments float through the air. Something that sounds like, "Father, forgive them" . . . something else about, "If you are the Son of God" . . . then a promise of paradise.

Then it happens. At noon, darkness falls over all the land. One moment the sun is right overhead; the next moment it's gone. This is not an eclipse or a dark cloud cover. It is darkness itself—thick, inky-black darkness that falls like a shroud over the land. It is darkness without any hint of light to come. It is chilling blackness that curdles the blood and freezes the skin.

No one moves. No one speaks. For once, even the profane soldiers stop their swearing. Something eerie is going on. You can almost reach out and feel the evil all around. From somewhere deep in the earth, there is a sound like some dark, subterranean chuckle. It is the laughter of hell.

Three long, frightful hours later, the darkness gives way to daylight, revealing that Jesus is at the point of death. Whatever happened in that darkness has sapped His remaining strength. His chest heaves with every tortured breath.

He cries out: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Moments pass; death draws near. Then a hoarse whisper: "I thirst." If you listen, you can hear the death rattle in His throat. He has less than a minute to live.

Then He speaks again. "It is finished."

That phrase comes from a word that means "to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish." In Greek, "It is finished" also means "Paid in full." It's the word you would use when you make the final payment on your car. It's the word you would use when you cross the finish line of a 10K run. The word means more than just "I survived." It means, "I did what I set out to do." The debt is paid, the job is done.

"It is finished" was the Savior's final cry of victory.

Why Jesus Had to Die

How could an all-loving God allow His Son to be murdered on a cross to redeem guilty sinners?

God's justice demands that every sin be punished—no matter how small it may seem to us. If He were to overlook sin without proper punishment, He would cease to be holy and just. That's why sinners can't simply say, "I'm sorry," and instantly be cleared. There is still a price to pay.

We often see this principle at work in the family. Through carelessness, or perhaps through deliberate disobedience, a five-year-old boy breaks an expensive lamp. Realizing what he has
done, he apologizes to his parents and promises never to do it again. The parents forgive their son, but the lamp is still broken. Mom and Dad have to pay a price to replace it.

God needed a plan of salvation whereby He would remain just and still provide a way of forgiveness for guilty sinners. Somewhere, somehow, there had to be a place where grace and wrath could meet. That place is the cross of Christ.

The paradox of salvation is this: God is love and wants to forgive sinners. But He is also holy, and He cannot overlook sin. What could He do? God sent His own Son to die for sinners. In that way, the just punishment for sin was fully met in the death of Christ, and sinners who trust in Christ could be freely forgiven (Romans 3).

Think of it. In the death of this one Man, the price for sin has been fully paid—past, present, and future. As a result, those who believe in Jesus find that their sins are gone forever. Finished.

Name Your Sin

So let me ask you a personal question. What sin is keeping you from God right now? Is it anger? Is it lust? Is it cheating? Is it gambling? Is it adultery? Is it abortion? Is it pride?

It doesn't matter how many sins you've piled up in your life. It doesn't matter how guilty you think you are. It doesn't matter how bad you've been. When you come to Christ, you discover that all of your sins have been stamped by God with this phrase: Paid in full.

Anger . . . Paid in full
Uncontrolled ambition . . . Paid in full
Gossip . . . Paid in full
Drunkenness . . . Paid in full
Fornication . . . Paid in full
Embezzlement . . . Paid in full
Lying . . . Paid in full
Disobedience . . . Paid in full
Slothfulness . . . Paid in full
Pride . . . Paid in full
Murder . . . Paid in full
Bribery . . . Paid in full

Through the blood of Jesus Christ, the price for your sins has been paid in full.

Since Jesus Christ paid the price in full, all efforts to add anything to what Christ did on the cross are doomed to failure. Going to church, doing good works, giving money to the poor, being baptized, and trying to do your best may be positives, but they cannot add anything to the value of what Jesus accomplished in His death on the cross. They will not help you take even one tiny step toward God. The payment isn't based on what you do, but on what Jesus did.

God is not trying to sell you salvation. He's not offering salvation at half price. He's not offering salvation on an installment plan. God is offering you salvation free of charge. The bill has already been paid. Jesus finished what He came to do.




Dr. Ray Pritchard, speaker, writer, and pastor, currently serves as president of Keep Believing Ministries (KeepBelieving.com). This article has been adapted from An Anchor for the Soul, © 2000 by Moody Publishers. Used by permission.