THE FOUR “PEACES” OF THE CROSS (Pt. 2)

 Christopher’s Substack

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Pastor Chris White says to all of you: HELLO MY FRIENDS. May the Lord bless you today.

HOLA MIS AMIGOS. Que el Señor los bendiga.

“A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
—John 19:29–30

There are moments in Scripture that feel loud even when they’re quiet. This is one of them.

Jesus doesn’t shout from the cross. He doesn’t give a speech. He doesn’t rally the crowd or explain himself one last time. He simply says, “It is finished,” bows His head, and gives up His spirit.

Three words in English. One word in the original language. A word that still echoes through history and into the anxious corners of our hearts.

The cross of Jesus has many implications—cosmic ones, eternal ones, deeply personal ones. In this series, I’m focusing on how the cross speaks directly to our minds and hearts. I call these reflections The Four Peaces of the Cross, because each one—when truly embraced—leads us to rest. Not denial. Not distraction. Rest. The kind of peace that Scripture says surpasses understanding.

Last time, we talked about the first peace: shalom.

In the Bible, shalom means far more than calm feelings or quiet circumstances. It speaks of well-being, wholeness, soundness, completeness, harmony—life as it was meant to be. The cross brings us shalom because Christ heals us from sin and gives us a new heart through the Holy Spirit, sent after His ascension. The cross doesn’t just forgive us; it restores us.

Today, I want to talk about the second peace the cross brings—a peace we don’t always name, but one we desperately need.

The Peace of Relief

Relief from what?

Relief from guilt.

Whether we admit it or not, guilt is heavy. It has weight. It presses down on us, shapes our decisions, and shows up uninvited at 2:00 a.m. when the house is quiet and the distractions are gone.

We humans are remarkably creative when it comes to managing guilt. Some deny it altogether. Guilt is just a social construct, they say. Others redirect it. I was born this way. I wouldn’t be like this if my parents were better. You don’t understand where I grew up.

We’ve been doing this since the beginning.

Remember Adam in Genesis? When God confronts him, Adam responds, in essence: “Yes, I ate the fruit—but really, Lord, it’s the woman YOU gave me.” I sometimes imagine the pause that followed. I doubt God suddenly felt convicted by Adam’s logic.

Blame-shifting may be ancient, but it’s still ineffective.

Because deep down—beneath the excuses, the explanations, and the carefully curated self-image—we know the truth. We are sinners. Not misunderstood heroes. Not innocent victims of circumstance. Sinners.

And what we need is not better excuses, but real forgiveness.

“It Is Finished”

The last word Jesus speaks from the cross is often translated, “It is finished.” But the word itself means completed. Fulfilled. Brought to its intended end.

On the cross, as Jesus endured the final measure of our punishment, God’s plan to redeem fallen humanity reached completion. Not pause. Not progress. Completion.

Nothing more needed to be said.
Nothing more needed to be done.

The debt was paid in full.

The full weight of your sin—every failure, every compromise, every secret shame—was laid upon His shoulders so that you would not have to carry it anymore.

That is relief.

And it came at an immeasurable cost. But it was given gladly. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son…” Not reluctantly. Not resentfully. Lovingly.

When Christ says, “It is finished,” He is not declaring defeat. He is announcing victory. He is telling every weary soul who would come after Him: You don’t have to earn this. You don’t have to fix yourself first. You don’t have to keep paying a debt I’ve already paid.

Lay it down.

Breathe again.

Let your shoulders relax.

A Lighter Heart

Relief doesn’t mean we never struggle again. It means we struggle without condemnation. It means we confess without fear. It means we stop trying to save ourselves and finally rest in the One who already has.

My hope is that your heart feels a little lighter today—not because your life suddenly got easier, but because Christ has taken your sin and given you His righteousness.

That exchange changes everything.

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