His Final Words: “Into Your Hands, I Commit My Spirit”
by David Chadwick
When someone is about to die or is approaching the end of life, he or she usually shares words that are full of perspective, insight and purpose.
There is something about nearing the end of the road that provokes people to say what they wished they had always said and to communicate things they may have missed the opportunity to communicate.
Jesus’s final words held the most significant meanings in all of history. We are looking at some of his final words.
Here is what he said in Luke 23:46, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.”
Notice that Jesus acknowledged in that moment that he had a spirit. Yes, he walked in a human body with flesh and blood, but Jesus is a spirit! Jesus’s identity is fully God and he lived with a soul and personality (mind, will and emotions) that were fully aligned with the Father’s original intent.
As he was nailed to the cross, breathing his final breath, he yielded fully into the Father’s plan. He surrendered his life into God’s hands and committed himself completely to the plan that had been established before the beginning of time.
Therefore, when Jesus's body died, his spirit remained and still lives on today! That’s why the Bible teaches that all people have eternity in their hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We have all been stamped by the image of God and have a spirit that will either be awakened to the reality of Christ or will remain asleep.
Whenever someone dies, they will live forever – either in heaven or in hell.
Because of Jesus’s death on the cross, the Temple veil was torn. As a side note, there are some who believe it could have been several feet wide!
Jesus’s commitment to the Father’s plan has now given full access to the Father to anyone who chooses to put trust in Jesus. Whatever need we have, we can now bring straight to the Father in heaven because of Jesus’s death on the cross.
If we follow Jesus, we can also be assured that our spirits will live forever. After this flesh and blood body dies, we are assured to have a new, perfect resurrection body that will live forever without pain, suffering, disease, or sin!
Hallelujah for the Lord our God lives forever!