It Is Finished: Living into the Peace Christ Has Already Accomplished
It Is Finished: Living into the Peace Christ Has Already Accomplished
As Jesus hung upon the cross, He spoke three words that forever changed history:
“It is finished.” (John 19:30)
These were not words of defeat but of victory. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Christ accomplished what humanity could never accomplish on its own. Sin was defeated, reconciliation with the Father was made possible, and the way was opened for us to live in communion with God. Nothing can be added to the finished work of Christ. Salvation is God’s gift of grace.
Yet many sincere Christians wrestle with an honest question: If Christ has finished the work, why do I still struggle to experience His peace? Why do fear, anxiety, resentment, shame, and unhealthy patterns of thinking continue to shape my daily life?
The New Testament answers this question by inviting us into a life of transformation. Jesus says, “Abide in me” (John 15:4). Paul writes, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2). The Christian life is not about completing Christ’s work; it is about learning to live from His completed work.
As I have reflected on A Course in Miracles, one of the themes that has resonated most deeply with me is its repeated invitation to choose peace and to recognize the patterns of thought that keep us from experiencing the peace of Christ. When read through the lens of Jesus Christ and the witness of Scripture, this invitation raises an important question: What keeps us from living in the peace Christ has already secured for us?
The Bible teaches that our minds matter. Our thoughts shape our attitudes, our relationships, and our responses to life’s circumstances. Paul encourages believers to “have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) and reminds us that transformation begins with the renewal of the mind. As Christians, we understand that this renewal is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, who continually points us back to Christ and teaches us how to live in the freedom He has won for us.
This is where I have found a meaningful complement between Scripture and A Course in Miracles. The Bible proclaims the finished work of Christ. The Holy Spirit leads us into its reality. Christian meditation helps us become more aware of God’s abiding presence. And A Course in Miracles, when carefully discerned through Scripture, can help expose the fearful, judgmental, and self-reliant patterns of thinking that often keep us from experiencing the peace Christ has already given.
None of these practices add to the work of the Cross. Rather, they help us live more fully into it.
Every day we are invited to choose whether we will live from fear or from faith, from striving or from grace, from separation or from reconciliation. As we abide in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, we gradually discover that His peace is not something we must earn. It is something we receive.
The Cross declares, “It is finished.” The Christian life is the ongoing journey of learning to believe it, trust it, and live as though it is true.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest invitations of discipleship: not to accomplish more for God, but to awaken more fully to what God has already accomplished for us through Jesus Christ. As we welcome the awareness of His presence and surrender our thoughts to Him, we discover that the peace we have been seeking has been ours all along—because it has always been found in Christ.
Written by Teresa Yerkes,
Founder of the Christian Meditation Center
