3:12 Transformation

Chapter 5- Believe

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit” (John19:30).

These were the final words spoken by Jesus during His crucifixion and death upon the cross, as recorded in the gospel of John. “It is finished!” Why were these words chosen by God to be the last ones we would hear from the mortal life of Jesus Christ? There could have been a final commandment or perhaps a final promise of things to come; maybe a final word of knowledge to His followers, or an encouraging gesture of new life that would again arise.

I believe the Lord spoke all these things to us through those three beautiful words, “It is finished!” Jesus was commanding us to believe that through our faith in His sacrifice and repentance of our sins, the reign of sin directing our souls was finished. There was a promise that the season of oppression and burdens weighing upon our hearts was finished through the grace and love supplied by acceptance of His death as our atonement to God. Knowledge comes to those who hear the words of God with faith and belief, bringing forth a finish to the ears that have been deaf to the good news of the gospel and ushering in new hope to the followers of Christ. And finally, the power of death over our mortal lives lost its hold; it was finished as soon as our spirits confirmed God’s eternity through the resurrection of new life through Christ; with belief, we also are reborn anew! Let go of the past and all its doubts, which will destroy the future. We must believe it is truly finished. Our former lives and identities have been left at the cross. That season, if we are seeking God’s direction and guidance, is finished!

In Jeremiah 3:14–15, God again tells us to return to Him. He calls us His children, to whom He is married, and He will lead us back to Zion (eastern hill of Jerusalem, where Jesus and His followers will stand in triumph on His second coming; Rev.14:1). God tells us He will give us shepherds according to His heart, which will mentor, lead, and guide us along our transformations. God also says He is married to us within these verses. God is faithful, true, loving, and loyal. He will not be the adulterous husband that I once was. He has made a covenant with us and will not break His word. In ministry, I have come across several men and women who claim they once walked with God but fell away from Him. Their question is always the same: “I have backslid so far. Can God truly forgive me again? Can I feel His presence again?” My response to them is also always the same: “God has answered that question. Ask God if He forgives you. Tell Him you have walked away, and you wish to come back home to Him. Read Jeremiah 3:12–15, and tell me what God says to you.”

Time and time again throughout the Bible, God tells us of His mercy and forgiveness. Even when we have knowingly walked away from God so many times, He still will take us back and claim us as His children. We cannot go any further in our transformation with God until we truly believe we receive that forgiveness and mercy. Satan does not want us to believe in the liberty and freedom God has given us. Satan prefers to see us doubtful and remorseful, imprisoned within our minds, and nowhere close to feeling liberated and free. We cannot progress with God if we do not believe in His forgiveness. We must embrace and trust in this truth.