The Single Most Important Statement in History

The single most statement in history.
John 20:28-30

Three simple words. Common, nondescript words that seem insignificant. Words used every day in many different contexts. Yet within these three words lie the hope of all humanity. These three words serve to summarize the focal point of history. All of the Old Testament and the hope of all the Old Testament saints were based on these three words. The whole message of the New Testament and the hope of all humanity today is grounded in these three words. In Greek the statement is even more brief. It is one simple word, “telelestai.”  So also, in the Hebrew/Aramaic (the language in which the words were originally spoken), it was a single word, “kulah.”  The term used in the original has the idea of bringing a task to completion. The focus is on an act that once completed has permanent results.  
What was completed? Surely it does not refer to the life of Christ, for his death was only temporary, and he would rise again in three days. Christ is speaking of something permanent that once accomplished. One writer described the words as “a cry of victory in the hour of defeat.” It was not a cry of anguish but a shout of victory. That which was finished was the redemptive work of Christ. From the beginning, when humanity first rebelled against God, sin dominated and controlled all people and all human history. Yet even in the garden, hope was given to us. God did not reject or abandon us; instead, he had already anticipated our failure and decreed a plan to bring about our salvation. However, this plan would not only encompass all of history; it would require an act on his part that confounded the angels of heaven. For us to be freed from the tyranny and punishment of sin, his just must be satisfied. The penalty of sin must be paid to satisfy the just requirements of a righteous and holy God.  
When Christ cried out, “It is finished,” in that simple statement, we find the hope of all humanity. When Christ made this final cry before his death, he was affirming that the atoning sacrifice was achieved and the substitutionary death of Christ fully accomplished our freedom from sin. Christ had died in our place and on our behalf. He had done all that was necessary for us to obtain forgiveness. The ultimate mystery is that the one we offended would take our punishment so that we might be freed from the stain of sin’s guilt. Nothing more is needed. As John MacArthur points out, “Every requirement of God’s righteous law has been satisfied; God’s holy wrath against sin had been appeased; every prophecy had been fulfilled. Christ’s completion of the work of redemption means that nothing needs to be nor can be added to it. Salvation is not a joint effort of God and man, but is entirely a work of God’s grace, appropriated solely by faith.”
In his final statement before His death, we are given the assurance that Christ had accomplished what and been prophesied throughout the Old Testament. It was the assurance that our salvation is now completed and we have the hope of eternity. Without this simple statement, we would have wondered if something more was needed. We would always live in fear that perhaps we had not done enough. We would always be left with the question, “Is God’s wrath fully satisfied, or must I do more?”  Yet, in the statement, “It is finished,” we find the answer. Salvation is complete, forgiveness is absolute, and our eternity is secure. The only action necessary on our part is merely to embrace by the faith the promise these words give and to surrender our life to the one who gave us life. Then, the only thing left for us to do is simply rejoice in the hope of our salvation.