“When he was on the cross, the Jews insulted him in this manner: He trusted in God, let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. But now he, who looking down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God, returned this verdict, upon the general survey, There is none that doth good, no not one, declares his full satisfaction in Jesus, espouses his character as his own, and vindicates all his claims. Did Jesus lift up his eyes to heaven, and, addressing the Father, say, I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me? &c. The Father approves, and bestows the requested glory. Did Jesus on the cross say, It is finished? Now we may consider the Father as saying, in the most solemn form, Amen. In sum, the voice proceeding from the glory, is no less than the motto of the broad seal of heaven, stamping the person, character, works, and words of Jesus, as all truly divine, ratifying every word he spoke as infallible truth, and sustaining all his works as perfect” (Sandeman).
Yes. “It is finished.” Despite those conditionalist Calvinists who aver that the elect sinner must be “graciously” enabled to establish his own righteousness and to ADD to Christ’s redemptive work. Jesus’ phrase “It is finished” also confounds to their very core, those who believe that Jesus died for everyone without exception.
One fellow writes how the Atonement and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ are inextricably linked together:
In order to establish the meaning of The Resurrection, the doctrine of The Atonement must be established. When Paul declared the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:3, the first doctrine he declared was “that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.” If one does not truly believe “that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,” then one cannot truly believe “that He was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures.” In the last issue of Outside the Camp (Volume 7, Number 2), the article entitled “Gospel Atonement” explained the meaning of the doctrine “that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.” Jesus Christ, the God-man mediator, as a representative and substitute of His people, in His bloody death on the cross, accomplished full pardon, full redemption, full propitiation, and full reconciliation for everyone whom He represented.The Atonement is the very heart of the gospel. All who believe in a “jesus christ” who died for everyone without exception do not believe in The Atonement.
This leads to the primary significance and meaning of The Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof that God the Father was totally satisfied with the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. He was totally satisfied because Jesus Christ accomplished exactly what He set out to accomplish, which was the full salvation of everyone whom He came to save. Jesus Christ fully satisfied the demands of God’s law and justice on behalf of everyone for whom He died. Had Jesus Christ not fully accomplished salvation for everyone for whom He died, He would not have conquered death, and He would have remained in the grave. The reason Jesus Christ could not be held by death is that He had totally, absolutely defeated death in fully atoning for the sins of His people. If there is or will be even one person for whom Christ died who is suffering or will suffer the second death, then death was not defeated, and Jesus Christ was not raised as the victor over death. To truly believe and preach The Resurrection is to believe and preach the full, accomplished atonement of Jesus Christ with which God the Father was fully satisfied that was effectual to save everyone whom Christ represented. God the Father exalted Jesus Christ at His right hand as the Savior of His people who made full purification of their sins. There would have been no resurrection and no exaltation had there been even one person for whom Christ died who would end up in hell.
(Gospel Resurrection)
Those who believe that Jesus Christ died for everyone without exception DENY the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those tolerant Calvinists who count the aforementioned blasphemers their spiritual brethren DENY that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an essential gospel doctrine. BOTH of the aforementioned false religionists DENY the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as Christ Himself said, those who disbelieve the gospel are unregenerate (Mark 16:16). Next Page (11)
Agrammatos 