Q: Do the words "It is finished" in John 19:30 mean all the laws are abolished?
A: When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross before His death, He meant that His mission on earth at His first coming was accomplished—not that the laws were abolished.
The laws and sacrifices of the Old Testament were only a copy and shadow (Heb 10:1), fulfilled through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. By saying “It is finished,” Jesus meant He had fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies by offering Himself as a ransom for our sins (Mt 20:28).
After Jesus’ sacrifice, the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were no longer needed because they were just a shadow pointing to His perfect sacrifice, which makes us perfect forever.
However, this does not mean that all the laws were abolished. Instead, the crucifixion brought a change from the old covenant to the new covenant (Heb 7:12, 9:15-17), which fulfills the old covenant. In the New Testament, we see the disciples keeping the Sabbath (Acts 17:2, 18:4) and Passover (1Co 5:7) according to the New Covenant regulations after Jesus’ crucifixion.
Therefore, we should also keep the laws of the new covenant today, following their example.
