It is Finished

Was Jesus a victim of crucifixion? Although he was innocent and railroaded into execution, Jesus was not a victim. Why? Because he willingly came to pay our debt of sin and take the penalty we deserve. He was God in flesh, who came to earth to redeem his people. 

On the cross, Jesus cried out, "It is finished." The word used in Scripture is "tetelestai"--a term also used in the New Testament era as an accounting term. The word was stamped across notes or accounts, which meant "PAID IN FULL." The debtor no longer owed anything, for his debt was paid.

     Jesus Paid it All
     All to Him I owe;
     Sin had left a crimson stain,
     He washed it white as snow.

Sin is a debt owed to God and payment is required. According to Romans 6:23, "the wages of sin is death"--i.e. eternal separation from God--"but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." The gift was a note stamped "PAID IN FULL" and it was nailed to the cross in the body of our Lord and Savior.

Since none of us is good or even seek after God (Rom. 3:10-12), we could never pay the debt of sin to a God who demands  perfect holiness. It only takes one sin to make us guilty before the Lord, but we were born in sin and have committed so many sins that we could never repay.  All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We therefore need a benefactor, one to pay our debt for us. And that Benefactor is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And so he cried out from the cross, "It is finished" - our debt has been paid.