As busy people, we can get so wrapped up in everyday living that we forget to stop and reflect on what Jesus Christ did for us two thousand years ago to elevate our lives today. Before Jesus came to earth, the people were required to work hard for every blessing from God. God’s ability to show favor to them depended on what they did first, and strict obedience to the Law of Moses was required in order to escape punishment. Jesus’ death and resurrection reversed the order and made available new life that was previously closed off to us.
The finished works of Christ impact every area that touches our lives, in the natural as well as the spiritual. The last words Jesus spoke before dying on the cross apply just as much now as they did then. “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30, NKJV). This declaration means that our healing, deliverance, prosperity, victory, joy, peace, and everything else we need in life is already finished and ready for us to claim.
Just when Satan thought he had beaten Jesus, Jesus rose up in victory and proved otherwise. The kind of eternal life Jesus has is now available to us; this isn’t any ordinary, dreary existence to which most people are accustomed, but a joyful, celebratory life. The enemy doesn’t want us to have this, but when he tries to step into our path and block God’s blessings, we now have the authority over him. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:17-19). Remembering this keeps the devil powerless to cause trouble for us.
Jesus made sure that we have everything we need to succeed in life. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:3, 4, NLT). It’s significant that this is written in the past tense, in that we don’t have to work to earn the right to stand in God’s presence the way the people had to in the Old Testament. Jesus makes us holy and righteous, and gives us the same nature that He has. We receive this, and all of God’s other promises, by faith.
Forgiveness for sins was also given at the cross, which means we’re free from the burden of guilt or shame for something that happened in the past. “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…” (Luke 23:34). There’s no need to be tied down by condemnation when Jesus died to take it from us. We’re now living with all of the blessings and none of the curses. The knowledge of this radically transforms us and empowers us to live up to our highest potential.