“I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work Thou gavest Me to do” — John 17:4.
IN the cross He finished the work of redemption, and now He lives to save eternally all who believe in His name. It is important to see that we are not saved by faith in Him plus anything else, but by faith alone. This is the testimony of the Epistles to the Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews particularly, all of which are based upon the text, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). These words are quoted from Habakkuk 2:4. A by-faith righteousness is altogether different from a by-works righteousness.
“‘Tis finished all—our souls to win,
His life the blessed Saviour gave:
Then rising, left His people’s sin
Behind Him in His open grave.
Past suff’ring now, the tender heart
Of Jesus, on His Father’s throne,
Still in our sorrow bears a part,
And feels it as He felt His own.
Sweet thought, we have a Friend above,
Our weary, falt’ring steps to guide,
Who follows with the eye of love
The little flock for which He died.”