I have a feeling that yesterday I may have raised a few eyebrows by stating this: If Jesus had not risen from the dead I believe God would still be at peace with you because that peace came through the death of His Son. I know that God’s plan of course also included the resurrection for us to have grace but to have peace, there had to be a death.

I have often wondered why His last words were “it is finished” when in fact He had not yet resurrected when He uttered these words. I know a number of us in this area have discussed this a few times and we came up with several different things as to what that could mean. So what do I think He had finished when He said that?

What He had finished was the total reconciliation of all mankind by pouring out His wrath, anger judgment etc upon His Son. He took it out on Him instead of us, so to speak, because it was us that deserved the wrath. He had finished to the fullest what His Father had sent Him to do. He left nothing undone as far as reconciling the whole world back to Himself. In Isaiah 53:11 it says that God looked upon His Son and was satisfied. God was fully satisfied with the sacrifice His Son had done for us at the cross. There was nothing left undone as far as redemption was concerned.

Through His death we now have peace. God is at peace with the entire world because the penalty for all had been taken by His Son on the cross. How long will this peace last? This is eternal of course and will never need to be done again.

The Bible only mentions two things as far as the Gospel goes and that is the Gospel of Grace and the Gospel of Peace. The Gospel of peace (death of His Son), the Gospel of grace (the resurrection of His Son). We now can enter into His grace because of His resurrection. Let us grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18) As the knowledge of what Jesus did at the cross for us increases in our minds, we grow in His grace and are being saved by His life. Redeemed by His death (peace)….saved by His life (grace). Sounds too good to be true but it is true none the less.