Christ's Finished Work on the Cross

“The Finished Work of Christ on the Cross”

In this episode of Bible Insights, Wayne Conrad teaches that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was a complete, once-for-all sacrifice for sin, emphasizing the meaning of Christ’s declaration, “It is finished” (tetelestai).

Key Points:

• Christ’s Final Declaration:
  When Jesus said “It is finished,” He घोषित that His atoning work was fully accomplished—God’s wrath against sin had been satisfied, and nothing remained to be done. 
• Biblical Foundation (Hebrews 9–10):
  Scripture teaches that Christ offered Himself once for all, unlike Old Testament priests who offered repeated sacrifices. His work is final, sufficient, and never to be repeated. 
• Christ’s Completed Priesthood:
  Jesus “sat down” at God’s right hand, signifying that His sacrificial work is finished—unlike the continual labor of Levitical priests. 
• Critique of the Roman Catholic Mass:
  The podcast argues that the Catholic doctrine of the Mass—as a repeated, propitiatory (wrath-appeasing) sacrifice—is unbiblical and contradicts the finality of Christ’s work.
  It references the Council of Trent, which teaches that Christ is re-presented in an “unbloody” sacrifice, and rejects this as inconsistent with Scripture. 
• Reformation Perspective:
  Reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli upheld that: 
  •  Christ’s sacrifice is once for all
  •  The Lord’s Supper is a memorial and thanksgiving, not a repeated sacrifice 
  •  Salvation is by faith alone, not by works or participation in ongoing sacrifices 
• Doctrinal Implications:
  •  Believers have peace with God because the work is already finished 
  •  No human merit or repeated ritual is needed for forgiveness 
  •  Faith rests entirely in Christ’s completed work 
• Pastoral Concern:
  The speaker urges churches to teach doctrine clearly and deeply, warning that weak teaching can lead people to misunderstand or abandon the biblical gospel. 

Conclusion:

The central message is that Christ’s death on the cross is fully sufficient and never repeated. Salvation is accomplished entirely by His finished work and received through faith alone.

Bible Insights with  Wayne Conrad
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Transcript

Title:  Christ's Finished Work on the Cross

Date: April 14, 2026

Scripture: Hebrews 9:24-26; john 19:28-30

AI TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Bible Insights with Wayne Conrad. God's word is a lamp to our feet and a light on our path. Today's topic, the finished nature of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. I want to point us to just three statements in scripture. The first statement is uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. on the day of his sacrifice of himself on the cross of Calvary. It is the sixth statement recorded in scripture that he uttered from the cross. And it is just before he utters the last one, Jesus father into your hands, I commit my spirit.

But just before that, during this period of three hours of intense darkness, when the Son of God descends into the very depths of the wrath of God against sin, what we would call hell, what we would call the punishment against sin, he cries out just before the darkness lifts, it is finished, which is one word in the Greek, tetelestai, meaning it's finished.

What's finished? Well, certainly he's meaning that his ordeal of death on the cross was coming to an end. And how does he know that? Well, he knows that from the communication from the father, that all is satisfied. Because right after that, the Lord Jesus utters these words, a prayer of committal of himself into the hands of the Father. Father, into thy hands, I commit my spirit.

And then his spirit is dismissed. He dies. A few hours later, he is interred into a tomb. And on the third day, he rose again in the same body in which he was put to death. But now that body is immortal, but it still carries within it the scars of his one all sufficient sacrifice for sins.

That this is the teaching of scripture is made very plain to us in the book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews is always the scripture to which the reformers looked when they came to answer the doctrine of the mass, that is, the teaching of the Roman Catholic system concerning the nature of Christ's death. They looked to the book of Hebrews and what the word of God says concerning the sacrifice at that time. Here's the second passage of scripture I want you to consider. Hebrews chapter nine, verses 24 through 26.

It says from the ESV, for Christ has entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Now, if the sacrifice is once for all, it cannot be represented on an altar. It cannot be re-offered in some other manner. If the sin is put away, it does not need a weekly propitiatory mass to keep us in God's favor.

The third scripture passage that I want us to look at, not only do we have those in the book of Hebrews, but it is Hebrews chapter 10, verse 11 and 12. It contrasts the work of the Old Testament priests the Levitical priest, in his daily ministration before the Lord in the temple. It says the following, again, from the ESV, Hebrews 10, verse 11 and 12.

Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time, a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Now, when a priest sits down, that means his work is finished. But you see, the work of the Old Testament priest was never finished.

Repeatedly, day by day, sacrifice by sacrifice, they offered up the animal sacrifices to God so that God would cover over the sins of his people until the time of the coming of the Messiah, God's appointed sacrificial lamb for the salvation of his people.

I bring this up today because It's a disturbing fact that there are a number of people, some of whom are of Protestant persuasion, who have bought in to some of the arguments of being of an ancient church, the Roman Catholic, which states that the fact that because they're ancient, that therefore their tradition about things is true. Now, I don't have time to go into all the Christian history here to refute those things, but my point is that we cannot look at something that's old and simply say, because it comes from the old days, it's true.

Because you see, what predates the development of the Roman Catholic system of the mass is the Bible itself, the teaching of the word of God that's in the Old Testament in shadow, but is revealed in the New Testament in the substance of the person and work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Now that the Roman Catholic system teaches a view about Christ's death that is truly not biblical, I want us to consider the wording that the Catholic Church made regarding the Reformation statements concerning the cross of Jesus Christ. When God raised up the reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli and others in that day and then in the next generation or two, they all together took issue with the Roman Catholic teaching on the sacrifice of the mass. because they saw the sacrifice of the mass as being diametrically opposed to the biblical teaching of what the meaning of Christ's death on the cross really is. So, I want us to consider the words that they use, and then I want us to consider perhaps what the reformers themselves say in response. The Council of Trent, in session 22 gives a response of the Roman Catholic Church to the critique that the reformers had against the teaching.

Trent insisted that the mass is not just a sacrifice of praise or a bare commemoration of the cross. Because you see, that's the teaching of the reformers is that the offering at the Lord's Supper is a sacrifice of praise. It is the offering up of thanksgiving. It is a Eucharist in the sense of thanksgiving, but it is not an offering up of a victim to God. Propitiatory means it appeases the Lord and grants the gift of repentance for sins.

That's found in Session 22, Chapter 11. The meaning of the word propitiation and the meaning of the word emulation underscores that this is the true teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Again, so let me repeat the words of this Council of Trent itself and what they had to say. Excuse me while I get that before me. The Council of Crent, in its Decree on the Sacrifice of the Mass, states, and I quote, in this divine sacrifice, which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ is contained, he's contained, and emulated in an unbloody manner, who once offered himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross.

This sacrifice is truly propitiatory. Now we need to know the meaning of two words. Emulated, it means something that is sacrificed, something that is put to death, something that is done to a victim resulting in his death. And propitiatory means to turn away wrath by an offering. So, when we see the statements of Trent, they're saying that this divine sacrifice, which is celebrated in the mass, is Jesus Christ himself contained.

No, that's not really the word. It's Jesus Christ himself who has become the bread and the wine when the priest had said the words of the mass. In other words, they say and believe that the bread ceases to be bread, though it still looks like bread, tastes like bread, but it's no longer bread. It is the physical body of Jesus Christ and that the wine becomes the actual blood of Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ, in their view, is contained in these elements and emulated, put to death, killed, and offered in a sacrifice in an unbloody manner on the cross. Now that is a direct contradiction to the various scriptures that I just read from Hebrews chapter nine, Hebrews chapter 10, and the very words of Christ himself on the cross.

When he cried out, it is finished. The book of Hebrews says, by a single offering, he, that is Christ, has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And 1 John 1, 7, in his declaration concerning the ongoing reality of sin in the lives of believers, says that the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. The book of Hebrews opens with those wonderful words that Christ, who had put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.

Now this is the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church then and now. although they seek to say that it is not a re-sacrifice of Christ. But the wording certainly seems to indicate that. But I want to counter it by reading to you from the various Protestants themselves in their critique of this teaching and the reason why each one of them turned away from it. And one of the best ways I can do that is looking at the reformer John Calvin in his Geneva Catechism in 1545. And the actual scriptures that he explored and set forth in his catechism against the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church by holding up the teaching of the Bible itself concerning the nature of Christ dead.

Now, this is an aside. When you go into a Protestant church, many times you see a cross, but it's an empty cross. In fact, I get disturbed occasionally when a Lutheran a church or an Anglican church, sometimes uses a crucifix. That is, where in a particular service, a person will walk down the aisle with a cross with a figure attached to it. That is not the usual way that Protestants portray the cross.

On occasions, though, on Good Friday, some churches do that. I think it's a mistake because Christ is not on the cross. Christ died on the cross historically in his body once for all, and in no manner, whatsoever is he still dying for the sins of people.

His sacrifice was all sufficient. It was objective before God, and it is absolutely perfect. Let me go to the Catechism of Calvin. Catechism question number 186. Why was it necessary for Christ to suffer death? The answer, because the curse was due to us. He took it upon himself to deliver us from it, for we could not otherwise have been restored to life than by the price of his death being paid.

And the scripture cited 1 Peter 2.24, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds you have been healed.

And from the Old Testament, which Calvin appealed to, Leviticus chapter 16, verse 21, concerning the Day of Atonement, and Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, he shall put them on the head of the goat. That's the live goat. Remember there are two goats presented on the Day of Atonement. One is slaughtered. for the penalty due to sins, the second goat has the sins put on it and it's took away into the wilderness, indicating that the sacrifice is sufficient and that God removes the sins of his people.

Question and answer number 341 on the sufficiency of the sacrifice once for all. Here's the question. What is the difference between the Old Testament sacrifices and the sacrifice of Christ? Answer, the ancient sacrifices were but figures which vanished at the coming of Christ.

But he being the reality that is a substance has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Again, scripture from Hebrews 9, 26, but as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And again, from Hebrews 10, 14, for by a single offering, he is perfected for all time, those who are being sanctified.

Then the rejection of human merit, in question 116, can we not by good works merit God's favor? The answer, all the works which proceed from us are defiled with the vices of the flesh. Moreover, we are far from being able to fulfill the law. We must seek our righteousness outside of ourselves in Christ himself. In the Romans chapter four, verses four and five, where the scripture cited, now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as is due. Now to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

And Colossians 2.14, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands, this he set aside, Christ set aside by nailing it to the cross. In the rejection of the mass, Calvin in question, in answer number 343 says, why do we say that Christ sat down at the right hand of God?

The answer, to show that he has completed the office of his priesthood. For whereas the earthly priest stood daily offering the same sacrifices, Christ, after offering one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever. Hebrews 10, 11, and 12. And every priest stands daily at his service offering repeatedly the same sacrifices. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.

Question 11 of the Catechism, what benefit do we derive from knowing the sacrifice is finished? The answer, that our consciences, which were before in a state of unrest, are now peaceable, and that we are certain that God is reconciled to us. The Hebrew, I mean, Romans 5.1 is cited, therefore, since we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. that this is not only the view of Calvin but is also the view of Luther and of all the Protestant reformers.

They all agree that the sacrifice of the mass is not a biblical teaching. They may disagree with each other about the nature of the presence of Christ in the bread and wine, but they shared a common belief that the propitiatory model of the mass defined later at Trent and even reaffirmed today, is not biblical, that it is against the once-for-all sufficiency of the cross of Jesus Christ on the cross. To call the Mass a sacrifice of Christ in an unbloody manner is to imply that Christ's work on the cross when he shed his blood was incomplete or insufficient, that he must be continually repeated. Though they do not like that language of critique, nevertheless, it's true based on what they actually teach. They try to make a distinction between the bloody and unbloody sacrifice of the mass. but they do claim it's the same victim, Jesus Christ, who offers up himself in the mass day by day by day. No, Christ does not continue to die in any shape, form, or fashion. His once for all death on the cross was totally sufficient for the atoning sacrifice for our sins. And we connect with that by a simple faith. Faith in Him is what we do.

So, this is the teaching of the Protestant Reformers based directly on the scriptures themselves as a critique against what we consider to be the unbiblical teaching of the sacrifice of the mass. When people consider maybe from their being raised as Protestants or not actually being very active in their faith, and they consider returning to Rome or even to orthodoxy, it speaks of some danger and some reality that we need to address as Protestant Christians. Are we teaching the faith faithfully to our people? Are we catechizing them? That is, are we teaching them by question and answer the doctrine that they need to know that's founded directly on the word of God? Or are we simply allowing that to slip with our assumption that they know?

Or our shallow teaching rather than an in-depth teaching of the nature of Christ's sacrifice of his offering up of himself once for all on the cross. We need to strengthen our doctrinal teaching and we need to not be afraid to speak of where it differs from those that are contrary to it, especially when it is based directly on the Bible. So, we must teach the Bible, we must teach the doctrines of the Bible, and we must emphasize the core teachings very much. so that people can understand the true differences. Because you see, it's the difference between being reconciled to God and justified before God based on the work of Christ, not based on our merit that we are gaining through our attendance at the Mass or that we're joining in with the offering that Christ is supposedly making in an unbloody manner of himself.

No, Christ completed the work of earning our salvation by the putting away of our sin with his once for all sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. As he uttered those words in victory, it is finished. So, we also utter them in faith. Believing in Jesus Christ himself, and his once for all atoning sacrifice for our sins, done objectively, historically, in his body on the tree, but made perpetually accessible by faith in him, the living Christ, who is at the right hand of the Father on high. 

This has been Wayne Conrad with Bible Insights.