Paid in Full

          Many times, people remember the final words that someone said.  When General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines, he said those famous words, "I shall return."  We remember saying like that as they portray some characteristic of the individual who said them.  People can make promises or statements and for many, they probably can't keep them no matter how profound they might be.  Even we can make statements, like, "I'll see you tomorrow." and not know for certain if we will be able to keep those words or not.  The casual "I'll see you later." may never come to pass.  We are in what is called "Holy Week." where the events of the last 7 days of Christ on earth before the resurrection take place.  I would call your attention to one of the final sayings the Christ spoke as recorded in the Gospels.  John 19:29-30 says, " Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put i upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  
     The Scriptures record these words as being the final words of Christ on the cross.  They of course, were not His final words since He is eternal, but during the crucifixion, these were His final words.  As He hung in agony on the cross and paying the price for our sins , He finally came to the point where every single sin was paid for.  How massive the sin, probably was not the importance, but the amount was important.  The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ became the application for the payment of our sins.  Then, there was that point in time when He uttered the words in regard to every sin that had ever been committed from the farthest point in history to the most future point.  Countless sins were committed that we could not fathom.  The number kept growing faster and faster and it would seem impossible to keep up,  That, however, was not the case for the Lord Jesus Christ,  That point in history finally arrived when every sin had the Sacred blood had been applied to it.  As the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He uttered the words, "It is finished."     We have heard so often what those words mean.  A single word is translated, "Paid in Full."  Every sin you and I have ever committed were now paid for by His act on the cross.  This great salvation was completed that day on the cross and then guaranteed by the resurrection.  No one either before or after has been able to say those words in the context in which they were given in regard to the payment for sin.  So, praise God today that Jesus Paid it All.