Seven Duties from Seven Words

These aren’t just the last words of Jesus—because Christ has risen, they’re not His final words. His words live forever, and we live by them. Christians in past generations viewed these seven statements from the cross as representing seven duties of every Christian, seven responsibilities for all who pick up the cross and follow Jesus.
First, to forgive our enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Second, to trust in Christ for eternal life, as Jesus promised the dying thief: “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” Third, to honor our parents, as Jesus took care of His dear mother. Fourth, to cry out to God in life’s darkest moments: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Because Christ was abandoned at the cross, we will never be abandoned.
Fifth, to pursue and obey God’s word always. When Jesus expressed His thirst, He was fulfilling the prophecies of Scripture. Sixth, to endure to the end whatever task we’ve been given: “It is finished!” God calls us not just to start the Christian life but to finish well. And seventh, this final word—to yield all things, even life itself, to our eternal Father: “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” These seven words teach us how to live and how to die.