Lyrics
1 'TIS finished! The Messias dies,
Cut off for sins, but not his own:
Accomplished is the sacrifice,
The great redeeming work is done.
2 'Tis finished! all the debt is paid;
Justice divine is satisfied;
The grand and full atonement made;
God for a guilty world hath died.
3 The veil is rent in Christ alone;
The living way to heaven is seen;
The middle wall is broken down,
And all mankind may enter in.
4 The types and figures are fulfilled;
Exacted is the legal pain;
The precious promises are sealed;
The spotless Lamb of God is slain.
5 The reign of sin and death is o'er,
And all may live from sin set free;
Satan hath lost his mortal power;
'Tis swallowed up in victory.
6 Saved from the legal curse I am,
My Saviour hangs on yonder tree:
See there the meek, expiring Lamb!
'Tis finished! he expires for me.
7 Accepted in the Well-beloved,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
I see the bar to heaven removed;
And all thy merits, Lord, are mine.
8 Death, hell, and sin are now subdued;
All grace is now to sinners given;
And lo, I plead the atoning blood,
And in thy right I claim thy heaven!
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Meaning & Inspiration
“’Tis Finished! The Messias Dies” is a hymn centered on Christ’s completed work at the cross. Each stanza develops a different consequence of that sacrifice: sin’s debt is paid, divine justice is satisfied, access to God is opened, biblical promises are fulfilled, and the powers of sin and death are overcome. The repeated declaration “’Tis finished” gives the hymn its theological and emotional center, presenting the crucifixion as a decisive act of redemption rather than an unfinished struggle.
The language strongly reflects Jesus’ final declaration in John’s Gospel and the tearing of the temple veil described in the Gospel accounts. Its image of a “living way to heaven” also parallels Hebrews, where access to God is connected with Christ’s blood and the opened curtain. The closing stanzas move from the scope of Christ’s atonement to personal trust, emphasizing acceptance, righteousness, grace, and hope beyond death. The result is a compact account of the cross and its saving significance.
Related Scripture
- John 19:30 Jesus declares “It is finished” before his death.
- Matthew 27:50-51 At Jesus’ death, the temple curtain is torn from top to bottom.
- Hebrews 10:19-20 Christ’s sacrifice opens a new and living way into God’s presence.