The Payment For Sin Finished

Transcript

GR 413
9/20/1981
The Payment For Sin Finished
John 19:17-30
Gil Rugh


John 19 in your Bibles, John's gospel and the 19th chapter. The gospel of John has been building through 19 chapters, 18^ chapters to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Each of the gospels that records the life of Christ builds to this dramatic climax, the culmination of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The realization of God's purposes in having His Son come to earth. From the human perspective it seems like and awesome tragedy and overwhelming defeat. But as we've seen in our study it is part of God's sovereign plan in accomplishing redemption for mankind. That men in their sinfulness in their rebellion against God would crucify the Son of God and in doing so God's purposes in securing our redemption would be realized. Jesus has experienced a series of trials, He has repeatedly been found innocent, declared to be so. The Jews have clamored for His execution, the final point being that Pilate is told that he is the enemy of Caesar, if he releases Jesus Christ. Jesus claims to be a king, if you release Him you are not a friend of Caesar.

So verse 15, "They therefore cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." And so he then delivered Him up to them to be crucified." Turned over to the Jews, now the Roman's will be the ones who carry out the crucifixion but turned over to the desires and intentions of the Jewish people.

Verse 17, and you'll be impressed as you read each of the gospel accounts with the brevity of the accounts of the crucifixion. To think that they might have elaborated on the details on how awful this form of death was. But in a very concise and simple way they relate the most significant and important event that has ever occurred. Verse 17, "They took Jesus therefore; and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha". The Place of the Skull, the Greek word we get cranium from it, the skull. The Hebrew word Golgotha, the choir sang of Calvary, the Latin word for this place is Calvary, the Place of the Skull. There are a couple of suggestions as to the place. And if you visit Jerusalem, you will be exposed to two places that are possibilities. The most common explanation is that this was a hill in the shape of a skull and there is such a place and that may well be the place of the crucifixion, the place of the execution of Jesus Christ. It says He went out bearing His own cross, other gospel accounts tell us that because of His weakness from His mistreatment, one was impressed in the service by the Romans Simon the Syrene to help Him bear this cross. He was unable to make the entire journey under the burden of the cross because of the suffering that He had already undergone. It was common practice among the Romans, for an individual to be crucified. The offense or offenses for which he was being crucified were written on a plaque and then he was lead through the city bearing the wood for the cross and one going before him or hung around his neck either way the account of the accusation why he was being crucified. Two things accomplished in this, one it declared to everyone the punishment for such activity, it was a reminder to the people that the crimes would be punished. It also gave opportunity for those who would know that he was innocent to step out of the crowd and declare it to be so. For Jesus that wouldn't be the case because His innocence is declared but they've still declared to crucify Him, Interesting a type comes out of the Old Testament, we're told in verse 17 that Jesus was bearing His own cross and if you go back to Genesis 22, Types in the Old Testament are those things which happen which prefigure or which look forward to what will be realized in Jesus Christ. And in Genesis 22, you have Abraham offering up his onlyGson Isaac according to the instructions of God, And as they come to the place where the sacrifice is to occur, which is a place where Jerusalem is constructed, very near the place where Jesus Himself would be executed. They take wood to build the fire to offer the sacrifice which is to be Isaac. And in verse 6 of Genesis 22, "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son". They are looking forward to the time when Jesus Christ would bear the cross Himself that instrument upon which He would be sacrificed, bearing it Himself. Down in verse 8, Abraham offered a prophecy, Isaac speaks to him in verse 7, "And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together." That is realized fully in the account we're studying in John chapter 19. Jesus Christ was the substitute, Isaac did not have to die on this occasion. God provided a ram, looking forward to the time when His Son would be the substitute for everyone, to take our place, be our sacrifice, the lamb that God provided for Himself,

Come back to John 19, note another reference here "They took Jesus therefore; and He went out". The crucifixion of Jesus Christ occurs outside the city walls, outside the walls and the confines of Jerusalem because it was demanded that the sin offering for the people be offered outside the city. Again we're not going to be able to look at every detail as we move through this account each detail is significant. Look over to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 11, talking about the sacrificial system of the Old Testament compared to the realization or fulfillment of those types in Jesus Christ. Verse 11, "For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.", He went out of the city.

Turn back to Exodus 29, just a couple of passages where the Old Testament specified this for the sin offering, Exodus chapter 29, remember that each of the sacrifices of the Old Testament looked forward to the fulfillment and ultimate realization in Jesus Christ. It was not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. What was the purpose of that sacrificial system? To look forward to Jesus Christ. To drive home the point that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. In Exodus 29 verse 14 "But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering." So it must be consumed outside of the camp. Over in Leviticus, chapter 4, Leviticus chapter 4, verse 12 "that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned." Down to verse 21 '"Then he is to bring out the bull to a place outside the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly." Over in Numbers chapter 19, Numbers chapter 19, verse 2 "This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect". We've noted Pilate's repeated declaration that 'in Him I find no guilt, no fault'. "And on which a yoke has never been placed. And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest and it shall be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence." There is a repeated emphasis on "outside the camp". You see the significance, the Jews by mob action could have stoned Jesus Christ on the spot within the confines of Jerusalem but God's plan laid out in detail through the Old Testament in pictures is that the sin offering must die outside the camp. And down to this detail the Jews not realizing that they were part of a fulfillment of what God had laid down in their own sacrificial system. Were leading God's sacrificial lamb outside the camp, outside the city, that He might bear the sins of the assembly, of the people by being the sin offering?

Back to John chapter 19, "They took Jesus therefore; and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place call the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha; where they crucified Him", amazing three words in Greek, four words in our English text, "there they crucified Him", "Him they crucified". Amazing, the most awesome significant, important event in all of history and it*'s expressed in three or four simple words "Him they crucified", "there they crucified Him", You ought to circle that, mark it in your Bible, there’s nothing to compare with this in all of history. The Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth is there crucified. Our salvation, our being destined for heaven rather than hell is all wrapped up in that one brief statement "there they crucified Him", there He was offered as the sacrifice for our sins, "and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between." Up until now you would have gotten the idea that it was either Barabbus or Jesus that would be crucified and that was it. We find out that there are two others to be crucified as well for crimes of which they are guilty an acknowledged guilt. Because we're familiar with the statement of one of these men on the cross as he rebukes the other and says 'We are being crucified for crimes of which we are guilty, but this is an innocent person.'

Look over in Luke 23, Luke chapter 23, verse 33 "And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left." And down in verse 39, you have the account I just alluded to "And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under thensame sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." Crucified with these criminals, again important detail. Go back to Isaiah 53, each week for the last couple of weeks we've been going back to Isaiah 53 because there through Isaiah the Prophet God laid out something of the detail of the crucifixion in Isaiah 53. You know some believers used to say it's because of the preciseness of details that Isaiah records that Isaiah must have had those details inserted into his book after they happen, after the crucifixion of Christ, But the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Isaiah manuscript that predates Christ by 150 or 200 years effectively put silence to that. So now that hasn't changed the unbeliever, he's not impressed, now his argument is 'Well the followers of Christ must have changed the gospel account to conform to Isaiah's prophecy. The unbelieving mind does not change by more evidence because he's still an unbeliever at heart. But note verse 12 of Isaiah 53 "Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors", here He is counted among the transgressors, numbered among them, dying with two criminals, He Himself dying a criminals death yet He Himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressions.

Come back to John 19, verse 19 "And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS," its common that on the cross would be nailed a list of the offenses. One of the purposes in crucifixion was that the awfulness of this form of execution would instill a fear in people so that as people came and you'll note that this crucifixion was near the city, it was along the road, so that there would be much visibility, people could come by and see the tremendous agony being experienced by the ones being crucified. They could read on this placard the offense for which they are being crucified, and for Jesus, "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS", This practice of nailing to the cross the list of the offenses is picked up by Paul over in Colossians, becomes very important for you and I. Look over in Colossians, chapter 2, Colossians chapter 2, verse 13 "And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which
was hostile to us" (now note this last statement) "and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross," The picture you have is Jesus Christ being crucified and a list of all of my offenses, all my transgressions being nailed to His cross. So why is He hanging there? You read the list of all my sins, all my offenses, all for which I am guilty, that's why He's being crucified, That's the picture being presented in Colossians chapter 2, He took all of these decrees against us, the law, which revealed God's righteous character, it's 600 and some commandments which revealed me to be a sinner, Guilty on all my offenses for which I deserve to die, be condemned by a holy God are listed and nailed to His cross. Why is He dying? For my sins, my offenses. How can I be declared forgiven, innocent, redeemed? Someone has died, the penalty has been paid, justice has been satisfied. Remarkable, my offenses nailed to His cross so that I might have His righteousness.

Back to John chapter 19. As you might expect the Jews are offended by such a direct statement. Pilate has said "JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS". However, verse 20 "Therefore this inscription many of the Jews read, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek." To encompass everyone who would come by that they might be able to read it and understand the offense. "So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." Tenses used in verse 22 to note a permanence, Pilate has come to a position of obstinacy. It stands written, "What I have written I have written." We see Pilate now does not have to fear the Jews, they have accused Jesus Christ of being King, claiming to be King. Why would the Roman's execute Him? Not because of a violation of Jewish law. The Jews demanded His execution because He claimed to be King, so Pilate says "I as a Roman am crucifying Him because He*s King of the Jews and the Romans don't allow a King in opposition to Caesar." He has nothing to fear now from the Jews so it is a way to get back at the Jews in its own form. That here I am crucifying your King, we Romans have crucified the King of the Jews, a way to offend the Jews now that they have no recourse to come back. They can't run to Caesar because Pilate has covered the tracks so to speak. The Jews said He claimed to be King, I crucified Him as King of the Jews, I am loyal to Caesar. Here you have a statement again, you see what has happened, that in the major languages for all the world to know it is declared that here on the cross is the one who is indeed the King of the Jews, God is so superintending that what Pilate writes is the precise truth, He is the King of the Jews. For 2000 years the Jews have suffered because of the Gentiles because they demanded that the Gentiles execute their King. And they will suffer until that time that Jesus Christ the King returns to set up His kingdom and thus provide the redemption for Israel and the establishment of His kingdom.

Back to John 19 and continuing with verse 23. We have some accounts here of what happens around the cross, again brief, something that transpires with the soldiers, something that transpires with His mother, then the final cry of Christ in His death. "The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Jesus took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece." It was the prerogative of the soldiers superintending the crucifixion to divide among themselves the belongings of the ones being crucified, here they divide the clothing. You see something of the crassness, the hardness of these men. There are individuals dying a death of intense agony and here right by the cross are soldiers deciding how they'll divide up the clothes of the ones suffering such intense agony. They divide them into four parts we're told in verse 23, probably dividing the head gear or the turban, the sandals the belt or the girdle, and then the outer garment would be the fourth garment that they would be talking about, the four parts. They would cast lots and see who gets the head gear, the turban; who gets the girdle or the belt; who gets the sandals; who gets the outer garment. There are four soldiers dividing these items but there are five pieces of clothing. And the inner garment worn next to the skin is a tunic, as it's titled here. We’re told this tunic was seamless, woven in one piece and may be significant here that Josephus records that the garment of the high priest in Israel, the tunic was a seamless garment, woven in one piece. May just be a reminder here of the high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ. This one hanging on the cross is the high priest of God, it is His garment that the soldiers are deciding on.

"They said therefore to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be;". There's no purpose, there is an extra garment here, it's in one piece, it will be worth very little if we cut it into four pieces, let's cast lots and see who gets this seamless garment. Amazing the in
difference of the soldiers, here at the cross, here in the presence of the death of the Son of God they are oblivious to what is happening. They are concerned about what they will get and what they will acquire, what material benefit they will reap, and totally ignorant and unconcerned, indifferent that the One dying in their presence is the Son of God, the redeemer of the world. Verse 24, "in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled", here you have these hardened Roman soldiers who can be in the presence of such agony and be unmoved and they themselves are carrying out the prophecies of Scripture, What a sovereign God, in control of everything. Look back in Psalm 22, Psalm 22, and if you read Psalm 22 in its entirety, a Messianic Psalm about Jesus Christ you will have something of a picture of the agony of crucifixion. We don't have time to read all of it, verse 6 "But I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying "Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him." Remember the accusations hurled at Christ while He was on the cross. Down to verse 11 begins a description down to verse 14 "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint;". Picture what happens as they hang and the weight of the body pulling on the joints, they are pulled out of joint, and the excruciating pain which is the result, "My heart is like wax; it is melted within me, My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and Thou dost lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots," Now if the Jews by mob action had stoned Christ, as they will later Stephen, that would not have occurred. Is it significant? It is significant because a thousand years before the crucifixion God said "In the presence of My Son on the cross they will cast lots for His garments," The details are amazing. I’ve got a figure for you, some of you delight in mathematics. I do not however, I jotted this down, I did not check it out. And if you want a confession, I am not able, with my mind to check it out. There are 332 distinct prophecies in the Old Testament that have been literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. 332 prophecies, literally fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Now the mathematical probability for all of these prophecies being fulfilled in one man,(now write this down, not all of the zeros please) 1 over 84 with 97 zeros following it. That's the fraction, 1 in 84 with 97 zeros. Now when you go home, not during the rest of this message, take a piece of paper and write that out 1 over 84 and then write your 97 zeros. Seeing it will impress you. The mathematical probability of all of these prophecies being fulfilled in one man that it all just happened. That unbelievers could say that the disciples of Christ could sit down and pick out all of these details and write the gospel account so all these are fulfilled. That's harder to believe than that God was in control superintending it. Amazing, all those little details, are they important? They are important because when God's speaks concerning the detail that detail has all of the authority of God behind it and it will be done. Is God interested in the detail? You say, oh well God cares about the big things in my life, but the little things I work out. Don't believe it. God is concerned with all the minutia, every little detail.

Back to John chapter 19, verse 25 "Therefore the soldiers did these things.
But there were standing by the cross of Jesus" (the soldiers aren't the only ones there) "His mother, and His mother's sister (in the other gospel accounts, her name is Salom). "His mother, and His mother's sister, (whose name is Salom), Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." These four women, amazing again to see how God is at work. Where have the disciples gone? They have run and hid, they are hiding some place. Here are these four women, faithful standing there with one of the disciples, John.

Verse 26 "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household." What you see here is the concern of Jesus Christ even in the midst of His agony that His mother be properly cared for. So this very intimate touch. What amazes me is that I see the contrast here of the soldiers in the presence of Christ and of these women callously casting lots for His garments, indifferent to the feelings of the one on the cross or those standing there. Here are these women enduring the agony with Christ there of being in His presence during His suffering and Christ being moved with concern, He commits His mother to the care, I take it of the apostle John who is the writer of this letter. He's identified as that disciple whom Jesus loved. Now Jesus had other family but we're told that at this time they were not believers and that may be the reason that Jesus entrusts the care of His mother to John. One who is a believer in Him, one who has been faithful to Him, So John takes the responsibility for her upon Himself. She comes in effect to live with John to be cared for by him, Jesus used the form of address here that He used back in the beginning of this gospel in John chapter 2, with the turning of the water to wine at Cana. He addressed His mother and said "Woman, what have I to do with you, my hour has not yet come." Again "Soman, behold, your son!" This one now will be like your son because it is the son's responsibility to see that she's cared for. It's not a term of disrespect or callousness, coldness "Woman11, there is a warmth and endearment but it does indicate here that the prime relationship is not the physical relationship between Jesus and His mother, as some distorted doctrines would emphasize. He does not address her as mother but as woman.

Verses 28 to 30, provision has been made now every detail is not brought into account here. There are statements of Christ that are not recorded by John. Perhaps one of the most significant is in Matthew 27;46 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" As Jesus is abandoned by God on the cross for the penalty for sin is death, physical death, spiritual death and eternal death, Christ will die physically obviously, being not only man but God He has the capacity to suffer to an infinite degree. In His time on that cross He is suffering more than any man ever has because He is suffering the torment of hell during those hours that He hung there. And also, spiritual death, separation of a person from God must occur. You and I cannot grasp or fathom what that entails when it comes to the second person of the Godhead being separated from the Father but it was part of bearing the penalty for our sins. The actual physical agony is only one part of the tremendous depth of suffering Jesus is undergoing on the cross because He is separated from the Father as He bears our sins in His body then the Father must removed Himself and spiritual death in effect occurs. I don't understand all that, that would entail but that's what the statement "My God, My God why have You forsaken Me?" reveals. He was bearing our penalty in His body on the cross, that you and I might be brought into a relationship with His Father.

Verse 28, "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished", note again how much in control Jesus Christ is. He is aware of where He is in the plan of God, "In order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop, and brought it up to His mouth." One other passage Psalm 69, Psalm 69, verse 21 "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." Thousand years earlier God had said what they would give Him on the cross. Jesus said "I thirst" we read in Psalm 22 verse 15 where the tongue cleaved to the sides of the mouth because of the dryness there, as a person hangs, his body emaciated, the fluids draining. Jesus asks in John 19 for something to drink. Back to John 19 they put a sponge on the end of a hyssop branch and put it up to His mouth, that He might wet His mouth. And on that occasion then, verse 30 "When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!". And the other gospels record that He cried with a loud voice. Here is His final declaration to mankind, one single word translated by these three words "It is finished". "And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit." Tettelesti, "it is finished", word in the perfect tense. The perfect tense denotes something that is settled, fixed it has happened with the result that it is settled. That is the tense that Pilate used up in verse 22, "What I have written I have written." There is a finality to it, it is fixed. Jesus said "It is finished!", it stands complete, the work of redemption has been accomplished. We ought to have that marked in our Bibles. People don't understand that today, protestant, Catholics alike who give some kind of mental assent to the work of Christ, fail to realize that the work of redemption is complete. There is nothing to be added to it at all, not my baptism, not my church membership, not my good works. Redemption is complete, it is finished, it is done and I do nothing to bring it to further completion. We've failed to understand the importance of this final statement and declaration of Jesus Christ "It is finished!" Back up to John 4:34, John 4:34 "Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish (to finish, to bring to completion) His work," Look over in John 17, verse 4 "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished (having finished) the work that you gave Me to do." Now over in John 19, verse 28, Jesus uses this same tense with two related words "Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst". Then He gives that declaration "It is finished". No more important statement could be made for you and I, that the work of salvation is done. I have done it all, it's blasphemy for a man to say if you will be baptized you can be saved. You're saying that the work of Jesus Christ is not finished, not complete. If you'll go to church, if you'll do good things, you'll be saved. Are you saying that the work of Christ was no sufficient? That's blasphemy, Jesus said it is finished, it is done, now all mankind can do is respond to what He has done. Either believe or not believe those are all of the choices. Isn't it amazing how simple God has made it? He did everything necessary to pay the penalty for man's sin. He paid it in full. Now He says, you can believe it or not believe it, but you cannot add to it you cannot take away from it. Humbling thing to realize that I can do nothing, He has done everything. I must be brought to the end of myself and recognize, yes I am a sinner, and the sovereign Son of God died on a cross and in His death He did absolutely everything that will ever need for all eternity to be done to secure redemption for sinful beings. It is finished, it's done, tellesti, it is complete. "And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit." Luke 23:46 says He made the statement "Father into Your hands I commit My spirit", which is a quote from Psalm 31:5, Psalm 31:5, another Old Testament prophecy. Little detail, what would He say as He bowed His head? Incidentally that expression "He bowed His head" was used by Christ early in His ministry "The Son of Man has not where to lay His head." Now His earthly ministry is complete, redemption is secured. He bows His head, "Father into Your hand I commit My spirit." He's in sovereign control, to the time He will die. He commits His spirit to the Father, His work is finished, it's done, there is nothing else to follow.

What a message, that's it. Isn’t it amazing how simple, in a brief period of time we have looked in an overview fashion at what John has to say about the most significant of all events. The death of the Son of God on a cross, There they crucified Him and different people surrounding Him not concerned. Those who are there who are concerned in the midst of it all the Son of God is completing redemption. What's your attitude toward Jesus Christ? You know we've got people here today who are just as calloused as the Roman soldiers we talked about. Who can hear about what Jesus Christ has done, be exposed to the tremendous truths that here God is securing redemption by His death on the cross and be indifferent. Be more concerned about the acquisition or the things of this world than the tremendous awesome event that has transpired. How have you reacted to Jesus Christ? Have you realized that He has done everything to make salvation possible, possible for you and for me to be brought into a personal relationship with God Himself? To have forgiveness of sins, to be cleansed, to enjoy a relationship with God in this life and for all eternity because it is finished. What a tragedy that people miss salvation. Some are working so hard and are so busy trying to be acceptable to God that they've never realized that there's nothing to do but believe what God has done. The work is finished, that’s why salvation is offered as a gift, unconditional, free. Have you ever come to believe that Jesus Christ, God's Son died for you? Have you recognized that His death on your behalf is enough? That when you trust Him it's over, sin is done, you’re cleansed, you're free when you have a relationship with Him, which is eternal.