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hey everyone welcome to the Council of
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trend podcast I'm your host Kelly
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dancers apologist and speaker Trent horn
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and today we're going to talk about a
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Biblical urban legend related to the
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last words that Jesus said on the cross
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before he died which I think is
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appropriate for us to discuss because
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Good Friday will be here before we know
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it so I think it's helpful to engage
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some of the arguments related to this
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particular passage from scripture but
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before we do that if you could help me
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out by liking this video and subscribing
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I would greatly appreciate it so all
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right let's take a look at the passage
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in question John 19 30 records the last
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words Jesus Christ spoke on the cross at
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least according to the Gospel of John as
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it is finished which in Greek is one
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word to tell us die now some Protestant
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apologists say that Jesus's declaration
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should be translated it is paid in full
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according to them by saying it is
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finished Jesus is saying that nothing
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else must be paid or done because of sin
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the Protestant apologist Ron Rhodes
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writes the following in his book
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reasoning from the scriptures with
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Catholics he says it is highly
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significant that the phrase it is
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finished can also be translated Paid in
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Full the work of redemption was
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completed at the cross nothing further
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needed to be done he had paid in full
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the price of our Redemption apologists
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like Rhodes claim that this means there
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is nothing a person must do after making
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an Act of Faith in Jesus in order to be
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saved since quote nothing further needs
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to be done to pay for our sins moreover
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no believer undergoes purification after
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death through Purgatory because there's
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no payment we must make in regards to
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our sins and this would include any kind
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of temporal punishments related to sin
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day hunt says in this context related to
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Purgatory quote there is nothing left
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for Sinners to pay in order to receive
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the pardon offered by God's grace the
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debt has been paid in full it is
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finished Christ cried in triumphed just
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before he died upon the cross to suggest
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otherwise is the most serious heresy so
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how should Catholics understand what
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Jesus said in John 19 30. does it mean
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that all we must do in order to be saved
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is just believe in Christ and there is
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nothing else we must do because Christ
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essentially said that our sins were paid
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in full when he said it is finished
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well Catholics agree with Protestants
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that human beings can never remit the
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Eternal punishment of sin we can't save
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ourselves the catechism says with regard
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to God there is no strict right to any
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Merit on the part of man between God and
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us there is an immeasurable inequality
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for we have received everything from him
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our creator paragraph 2007 in paragraph
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2010 goes on to say since the initiative
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belongs to God in the order of Grace no
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one can Merit the initial Grace of
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forgiveness and justification at the
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beginning of conversion so there is
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nothing we can do to satisfy God's
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justice for the offense caused by our
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sins only Jesus Christ who is fully God
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and fully man can satisfy God's justice
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and remit the Eternal punishment of sin
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in fact Jesus didn't just pay for our
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sins or the sins of people who believe
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even him Christ paid for the sins of
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those who don't believe in him and even
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of the sins of people who will never
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believe in Jesus Christ that's why you
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can tell any person you meet that Christ
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died for you first John 2 2 says of
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Christ he is the expiation for our sins
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and not for hours only but also for the
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sins of the whole world
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the fact that Christ's death paid for or
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atoned for our sins does not mean
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everything is finished regarding our
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Salvation in fact our Lord himself did
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things for our Salvation even after the
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crucifixion since the Bible says that
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Christ's Resurrection justifies us
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Romans 4 24-25 speaks of Jesus our lord
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who was put to death for our trespasses
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and raised for our justification
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Saint Paul says if Christ has not been
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raised your faith is futile and you are
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still in your sins this shows that our
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justification even the act of remitting
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our sins was not finished when Jesus
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said it is finished on the cross we were
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Justified at the resurrection
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we also have to do something in order to
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be saved because if Christ paid for all
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of Humanity's sins then the difference
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between those who are saved and those
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who are damned can only be found in
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something the believer chooses to do
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that's why some Calvinists say that
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Christ only died for the elect so they
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speak of a limited or a particular
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atonement not a universal one if you
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summarize it in a bumper sticker it
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might say Calvinism Jesus might have
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but if you believe that Christ atoned
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for every human being's sins then there
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must be something a Believer does to
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have that applied to their souls such as
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by being baptized and remaining in
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communion with Christ until death John's
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gospel records these truths when Jesus
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says in John 3 5 unless one is born of
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water and the spirit he cannot enter the
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kingdom of God and again in John 15 6
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when Jesus says if a man does not abide
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in me he is cast forth as a branch and
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Withers and the branches are gathered
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thrown into the fire and burned Christ
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sacrificed atones for all sins but the
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Bible says that this sacrifice can have
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no effect if we reject God through
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Disobedience that's the point of the
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parable of the unforgiving servant in
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Matthew 18. so in that story Jesus told
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a king graciously forgave a servant's
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debt which would mean the king would
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have to incur the himself he would pay
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the debt in full instead even but even
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though the king essentially declared it
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is paid in full by forgiving the debt
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the unforgiving servant threatened to
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jail another servant who failed to repay
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him a much smaller debt so in response
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the king revoked his payment and had the
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unforgiving servant imprisoned until he
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paid his debt which was so large that
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biblical Scholars say he could have
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never actually repaid it the lesson is
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clear God has atoned or paid for all of
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our sins but if we refuse to cooperate
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with God's grace then the debt can be
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reinstated that's why Hebrews 10 26-27
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says if we sin deliberately after
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receiving the knowledge of the truth
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there no longer remains a sacrifice for
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sins but a fearful Prospect of judgment
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speaking of Hebrews by the way the
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author of Hebrews reminds his listeners
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that quote all discipline seems painful
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rather than Pleasant later it yields the
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peaceful fruit of righteousness to those
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who have been trained by it Hebrews 12
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11. painful discipline is another word
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for punishment and so the author of
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Hebrews makes it clear that beloved
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children of God can be disciplined and
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when God disciplines us this yields the
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fruit of righteousness but since
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children of God do not receive the
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Eternal punishment related to sin as
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discipline this discipline can only
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refer to the temporal punishment of sin
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rooted in the disordered attraction we
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have to sin because of how venial sin
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damages our relationship with God even
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if it doesn't destroy it
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so we've seen that we can agree with our
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Protestant friends that Christ fully
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paid for all of our sins indeed Christ
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paid for everyone's sins on the cross
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but this doesn't mean there is nothing
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more we must do to cooperate with God's
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gift to Salvation it also doesn't mean
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that we don't pay a temporal penalty for
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our sins through God's discipline of us
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just because Christ paid for the Eternal
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consequences of our sins
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all right so what did Jesus mean when he
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said it is finished on the cross first
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he did not literally mean it is paid in
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full that can be a truth we glean from
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the passage but Rhodes is wrong when he
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says we can translate to telistai as
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simply paid in full that's not what the
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word means it's a form of the Greek word
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taleo which just means to end or finish
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or complete the idea that it means paid
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in full is something of an urban legend
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in biblical exegesis it came from
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Scholars who noted that receipts from
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around the time in the New Testament had
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the Greek word tetel stamped on them
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meaning it's paid but taytel is an
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abbreviation and there are five
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different Greek words that begin with
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these letters to telesti is one of them
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but another is tetelo natai which is a
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different word than tetelestai to tell
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High literally means tax or paid as
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taxes and it can be found on dozens of
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receipts where it refers to a tax that
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has been paid not a debt that's fully
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paid the word tetelestai on the other
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hand is used in ancient Greek sources to
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talk about finishing art or sculptures
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or pieces of cloth not the paying of
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debts in the New Testament the root word
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taleo is only used for payments in
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Matthew 17 24 and Romans 13 6 where it
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doesn't talk about paid in full it just
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talks about paying taxes according to
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one academic article on the subject the
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expression to tell is followed by an
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abbreviated form of Dia pules through
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the gate suggesting that these are
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receipts or records of toll payments so
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if Jesus did not mean paid in full then
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what did he mean when he said it is
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finished it could mean Christ's passion
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had now come to an end his ordeal on the
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cross was now finished or as many
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scholars note that Old Testament
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prophecies about the Messiah were now
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fulfilled or finished through Christ's
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sacrificial death look at the preceding
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verses which describe what happened
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after Jesus entrusted his mother to the
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Apostle John after this Jesus knowing
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that all was now finished to telesti
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said to fulfill teleafe to fulfill the
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scripture I thirst a bowl full of
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vinegar stood there so they put a sponge
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full of the vinegar on hyssop and held
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it to his mouth when Jesus had received
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the vinegar he said it is finished and
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he bowed his head and gave up his Spirit
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John 19 28 is the only other place where
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tetelestai is used in scripture and when
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it's combined with the related word
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telefe we see the context is related to
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finishing complete eating or fulfilling
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the Messianic prophecies of the Old
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Testament especially those related to
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the death of the Messiah Jesus could
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also have been referring to the
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finishing of the Last Supper the
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Catholic Theologian Scott Hahn has
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proposed this hypothesis in his book the
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Lamb's supper and in more detail in his
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2018 book the fourth cup Han notes that
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Jesus conspicuously did not drink from
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the fourth cup of the Passover meal
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instead Jesus refused to drink wine
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until he came into his kingdom and then
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before dying Jesus drank sour wine on
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the cross Han says it was the Passover
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that was now finished more precisely it
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was Jesus's transformation of the
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Passover sacrifice of the old Covenant
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into the Eucharistic sacrifice of the
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New Covenant and so now that the
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Passover was completed Jesus the
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Passover Lamb that had been sacrificed
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would now be received by his followers
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or eaten just like the old Passover Lamb
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was through the Eucharist
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this last word of Christ could include
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all of these meanings and even others
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that have not been explored however we
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do know that Jesus did not mean that our
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sins had been paid in a way that removes
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any obligation on our part to cooperate
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with God's grace in order to remain in
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communion with Christ John 3 36 puts it
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well he who believes in the son has
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eternal life but he who does not obey
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the son shall not see life but the wrath
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of God rests upon him well thank you
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guys so much for watching this video I
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hope this is helpful to show that when
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Catholics and Protestants engage
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in many cases there is significant
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overlap and agreement that we have on
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what the scripture means and so it's
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important to emphasize that
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but also to point out when there are
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aspects of scripture where the
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interpretation goes far beyond what the
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original text says in a way that
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contradicts what the Catholic Church
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teaches so thank you guys so much and I
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hope you have a very blessed day and a
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