Everything (words, thought, acts, decisions) begins in the mind. The mind (Biblical “heart”) is like the hub of a wheel–everything emits from it and nothing happens without it. The man Jesus of Nazareth was no different in this regard, or in any other regard. He was 100% human. By “finishing it” He shows us what we are capable of doing in this life. Read John 14:12. In this segment we will allow the Holy Scriptures to show us what Jesus did during His earthly life to “FINISH IT”–“IT” BEING ALL THAT HE CAME TO EARTH TO DO. “IT” began in the minds of the two members of the Godhead–the One Who became God the Father and the One Who became Jesus the Son. There is no third member of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is not a God, but rather the power of the Godhead by which They do all that they do. Read The Trinity. Key word–Trinity.

As the following will confirm, “IT” involves much more than what Jesus Himself did during His earthly life and upon His death. Man has his very important part to play in bringing “IT” to fruition–the receiving of salvation at Christ’s return. As followers of the man Jesus, we must study, learn, believe then do as we are told numerous times in the Holy Scriptures. For this series we will focus on three ultimately important statements that tell us what we must do in a condensed form. They are First John 2:6, Revelation 3:21 and Romans 12:2 and 9. Also read First John 3:1-10. Read these passages VERY CAREFULLY.

The Apostle John tells us that if we are truly Christ’s spiritual brethren we will “walk even as He walked,” which will qualify us for eternal life. Biblically, the word “walk” is all-inclusive relative to the conduct of our lives once we have been set on the proper course. This means that words, thoughts and acts are dictated by the Holy Spirit living within the truly justified, righteous and converted believer. For such a walk to become a reality the believer must be totally dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to affect this spiritual status we must, as John tells us, learn exactly how He walked as a human being, then follow in His spiritual footsteps. This requires much study, prayer and faith. But above all, it requires that we submit our will for ourselves to God’s will for us. The man Jesus of Nazareth was the human manifestation of His Father’s will, even when it involved His final hours when, knowing what He was about to endure, including crucifixion, He said, “Not My will but Thine be done” (Lk. 22:42). That is the ultimate submission statement. Only those who have that same submissive attitude will rise at the first resurrection. These are God’s Very Elect saints. Read The Three Resurrections, Born Again and Hope and Salvation. Key words–Three, Born and Hope respectively.

Jesus tells us in Revelation 3:21 that in order to join Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God we must “… overcome even as I (Jesus) overcame (temptations to sin).” To take this command seriously one must know that Jesus was as human as you and I are human. Proof of His humanity is found in both the Old and New Testaments. In Isaiah 7:14-16 we find it being written about the future Savior of mankind that He (Emanuel–Jesus) would, like any other child, have to learn what is good and what is evil, and then to choose the good and reject (overcome Satan’s pull toward) the evil. Read Jesus of Nazareth: God, Man or God-man? and The God of the Old Testament. Key words–God-man and Old respectively.

That Jesus was indeed 100% human is proven in Philippians 2:5-8 where we are told that, though He had been co-equal with His fellow God while in heaven, He (Jesus) did not feel that He should keep any of His godly powers upon His becoming human so as to serve as man’s example in all areas of life. In preparation of his earthly human life He had “made Himself of no reputation.” Before leaving His heavenly paradise He had “POURED OUT” (emptied Himself of) ALL OF HIS GODLY POWERS AND ABILITIES. He knew that, in order to be man’s perfect example, He had to face and overcome the same temptations that we face using the same power and guidance that are available to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Only in this way could He be THE example that must we must follow in order to live with Him in paradise forever. To expect man to “walk as He walked” and to “overcome as He overcame” while having less power and ability than He had would be the height of hypocrisy.

Having enabled man to be forgiven of all of His past sins, making him righteous, what is the rest of the “IT” Jesus “FINISHED” during His walk on this earth? As stated early on, it has everything to do with the MIND. Jesus said this in John 7:21-23 where He asked the Father to make the disciples ONE as the two of Them were ONE Jesus proclaimed that He and the Father were one, meaning of one mind and will. Which brings us to the main focus of this series which must become a reality in order for the believer to do as the Godhead commands him/her to do–follow Christ’s human example in order to receive the promised salvation upon His return. In order to accomplish this there has to be one mindset that governs all of those who are united in the Lord’s earthly walk and work.

In order to accomplish Christ’s commanded oneness goal we must have a complete and permanent “renewing of the mind” so that we can discern what is the good, acceptable and perfect will (singular) of God” (Rom. 12:2,9). In order to accomplish this requirement we must first do what the Apostle Paul told the Philippian Church (and us) to do in 2:5. He tells us to “Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus.” Notice the emphasis is on our LETTING God replace our human, worldly-oriented mind with the MIND OF CHRIST Whose attention was continually on the will of the Father which He makes known to us in His Holy Bible through the Holy Spirit residing within us. In John 8:26 Jesus tells us that He spoke to man what He heard from God. In 12:49,50 He states that He did not speak on His own volition, but spoke what He heard from God. He ended by saying that what God said to Him would result in everlasting life, but only IF, AND ONLY IF we obey His Words. In order to believe and obey the Father’s Words WE MUST HAVE THE SAME MIND THAT JESUS OF NAZARETH HAD WHILE ON THIS EARTH.

In First Peter 1:14,15 we are told in no uncertain terms exactly what the previous statement means. Here he tells us that, as obedient children–not being what we were before our conversion–WE MUST BE HOLY IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES BECAUSE IT IS WRITTEN: “BE YE HOLY FOR I (GOD) AM HOLY.” To be holy as God is holy is possible only if we have the mind of the man Jesus Who was holy as God is holy. In order to have Christ’s mind we must have the will to learn God’s Words, believe them and obey them as did Jesus. Question: what is it that the Holy prophets and apostles commanded us to do in order to be one with Christ and God? Answer: to obey what God has written on the hearts (minds) of His Very Elect saints. And what will God write on our hearts if we allow Him to do so as did Jesus? He tells us in Jeremiah 31:31 and Hebrews 8:8-12. In Jeremiah 31 the Lord prophesies about what He will do for those who would be serving Him in the final days of this world, saying: “Behold, the days will come when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah (His end-time church). This covenant will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers who broke My covenant. I will write My Laws (the Ten Commandments) in their hearts and they will be my people and I will be their God.” Read Who and Where is Israel Today? Key word–Today. Spiritual Israel (God’s true church) are those who obey His Ten Commandment Law.

Note that the Law He gave to “the church (ekklesia–congregation) in the wilderness following their extraction from Egypt was written on stone. His New Covenant would have His Law written on the hearts of His Very Elect saints. Those few (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14) would obey His Law. Note that the Law would be the same Ten Commandments that are written on stone. The difference in the covenants would be the TYPE OF PEOPLE to whom He would give that Law. His latter-day servants would obey His Law and thereby earn the right to enter into His millennial (1000-yr) rest following the first resurrection upon His return to earth. Read The Millennium. Key word–Millennium.

What Jesus meant by “IT IS FINISHED” was that, through God’s grace, He had done all that was necessary for man to be justified (have all past sins forgiven, making him righteous) and to be converted. These gifts were awarded due to the Father’s grace. The Law had nothing to do with the awarding of those specific gifts. However, the free ride ended at that point. From that point on the recipient of justification, righteousness and conversion would have to produce works of righteousness (obedience to God’s Law) in order to maintain his/her free gifts.

In order to do this He would make available the Holy Spirit that would empower true salvation seekers to EARN/WORK their way into God’s earthly kingdom by obeying His Law. This we must do on our own volition using the power of the Holy Spirit. As a result of that effort on our part, we become the church the Apostle Peter describes in his first epistle (2:9). Here he says that we will be a chosen generation (group), a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people who have come out of religion’s darkness and into God’s holy spiritual light. He warns us in First Peter 4:17,18 that judgment is now taking place in the church, and that only the righteous therein will be saved, and that they will be few in number, just as Jesus warned would be the case. Let us be about attaining the mind of Christ so that we can walk as He walked and overcome as He overcame. L.J.