Now that we’ve laid a solid foundation about the importance of renewing our minds, I want to spend a few weeks talking about specific areas of our thinking process that need to be renewed. It’s very important to understand those areas of our thinking that are not established in truth, because when we know the truth, the truth will set us free (John 8:32).
This week, I want to focus on the finished work of Christ.
Right before Jesus died on the cross, he said something very profound that many of us miss. He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). What exactly was finished? What work did he do that he no longer needed to do? And, how does that affect us?
When Jesus died on the cross, he fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law (Matthew 5:13). Once he died and fulfilled all the requirements of the law, the rules and regulations required for right-standing with God also died with him. And, he ushered in a new covenant, a new agreement with God.
What exactly is this new agreement? It is simply this: “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Salvation is no longer a result of following rules and regulations–salvation now comes through faith in Christ, putting all your hope and trust in him to save you.
And, it’s not just salvation that he’s referring to. That word “saved” is the Greek word sozo. It means to be made whole in your body, soul and spirit. Jesus died to make you whole, to give you freedom from those things that keep you from experiencing the abundant life (John 10:10).
When you can truly understand and receive God’s forgiveness, it will bring healing and restoration to your entire body, soul and spirit. There is amazing wholeness that comes through understanding God’s forgiveness and being able to forgive others. In receiving and giving forgiveness, you will find healing for your soul and for your body.
One prominent area of our mind that needs renewing is this area of forgiveness. We must truly understand that God is so passionately and wonderfully in love with us that he made a way through his son, Jesus, to wipe away our sins. And, the reason he did that was to remove the barrier that would keep us from coming to him. That is why we can now “come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
When Jesus died on the cross, he died for your sins. All of them. Past sins, present sins and future sins. They are all gone. Consider these promises:
- “For the death that [Jesus] died, He died to sin once for all” (Romans 6:10).
- “I will never again remember their sins” (Hebrews 8:12).
- “He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (1 John 1:9).
When it comes to anxiety, panic attacks and fear, we need to renew our minds with the understanding that Christ’s work is finished. When Jesus died on the cross, he made a way for us to be free. It’s done. There’s no more heavenly work left to do to bring us freedom. The only work left to do is for us to renew our minds that freedom is already available to us today, right now, this very moment. It’s not a matter of how holy you are, or all the good you’ve done or not done. God’s finished work does not depend on you and your ability–it’s all about the ability of Christ.
Today, I encourage you to spend some time with God, asking him to renew your mind, and to help you understand this truth of the finished work of Christ. Ask him to teach you and guide you into this powerful, life-changing truth: your freedom is already finished and available to you today.
Prayer: Father, open up my heart and mind to fully understand the finished work of Christ, and all that’s available to me today.
