What does "to finish transgression" mean for personal repentance and growth? Setting the Context • “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression…” (Daniel 9:24). • Daniel receives a timetable announcing God’s decisive action against sin—first nationally for Israel, but ultimately through Messiah for all who believe. • “To finish transgression” sits first in a six-part list, signaling priority: sin must be dealt with before anything else can be restored. Unpacking the Phrase • “Finish” (Hebrew kālāʾ) means to bring to a complete end, to shut down, to restrain so it can no longer continue. • “Transgression” (pešaʿ) is willful rebellion, crossing God’s clear line. • Together: the deliberate rebellion of God’s people will be brought to a final halt—first judicially at the cross, then experientially in every redeemed life. Personal Repentance: What It Looks Like • Recognition: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Finishing transgression begins with honest acknowledgment. • Agreement with God: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Confession aligns our verdict with His. • Turning: “Repent therefore and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away” (Acts 3:19). Repentance is more than regret; it’s a Spirit-enabled pivot. The Completed Work of Christ • Prophecy fulfilled: “He was wounded for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). The cross finishes transgression judicially. • Final declaration: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The debt is paid in full; no more sacrifices needed (Hebrews 10:14-18). • New position: “You were dead…He made you alive…having canceled the debt ascribed to us in decrees” (Colossians 2:13-14). The believer stands forgiven and liberated. Growth: Living Out the Finished Work 1. Embrace your new identity • “Our old self was crucified with Him…so we would no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). • Daily reckon this true (Romans 6:11). 2. Walk by the Spirit • “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). • “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). 3. Replace rebellion with obedience • Grace “instructs us to deny ungodliness…and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:11-12). • Make deliberate choices that align with Scripture, trusting the Spirit’s power. 4. Practice ongoing repentance • Not to regain salvation, but to enjoy unhindered fellowship. • Quick confession keeps the heart tender and responsive. 5. Anticipate the final completion • One day transgression will be finished in experience as well as decree: “He will wipe away every tear…death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4). Putting It All Together • Daniel 9:24 points to a decisive, once-for-all end to rebellion through Messiah. • Personally, finishing transgression means receiving that finished work, continually turning from sin, and growing in Spirit-empowered obedience. • The goal: lives that display the reality that sin’s rule has been broken and Christ’s righteousness now reigns. |
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