Paid in Full

This morning's sermon made a big impact on me, and I'd like to share a little part of it with you.

I grew up in the church, and so it isn't often that I hear something during a sermon that I've never heard before. (Which doesn't seem to matter, because one can hear "love your neighbor as yourself" every day and still fail to apply that in his or her life. The messages in the Bible are best when they are repeated, anyway.)

That being said, I was surprised today to hear something I had never been exposed to before. The preacher, David Allen, has been doing a series on Galatians focusing on the power of the law compared with the power of God's promise to redeem us through his son's crucifixion. Mr. Allen read the last words that Jesus spoke on the cross ("It is finished") and told us that the Greek word used there for "finished" is the word "tetelestai," which can be used to mean "matured" or "completed" or "paid for."

I had always imagined that when Jesus said, "It is finished." he was simply marking the end of his life with the phrase, or celebrating the fact that his difficult work on Earth was done and completed in accordance to his father's wishes. From this perspective, it seems that the translation "paid for" does not apply, but upon closer inspection, one can see that it is a direct correlation to the verse that says "You are not your own. You were bought at a price." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

The discussion truly touched my heart because I no longer imagined my Savior's last words on Earth to be simply "My journey here is over," but instead I saw him as a Lord who desired after me so much that he paid my sinful debts with his life and with his dying breath said with joy, "Hallelujah! Lauren is paid for," "Praise God, Jeffrey is paid for," "[insert your name here] is paid for, thank goodness! They will spend eternity with me."

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned he stood;
Sealed my pardon with his blood
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was he to die;
It is finished was his cry;
Now in Heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!