The willingness of love to go to any lengths for what? If all was achieved at the time of that last supper, why end it with, "ok, im finnished here. Lets go and experience some roman torture techniques." Why not just, "ok, im done, beam me up scottie."?

Actually it would have been much easier to just destroy the universe and start again. These questions are the same as the popular can God create a stone so big that he cannot move it. I did not suggest that Jesus scripted the cross. That aside, He is God. Do you know how much pain He felt if any?

Ehm, no, no, you didnt but the bible did, and finaly, either He felt pain or He is the greatest actor in the universe.

Yes, we have John 17:4 which says, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

But Christ also said this in John 19:30 "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

I, therefore, ask what was finished at the cross?

I merged the two topics together into one topic.

Daryl, the ordeal of the cross was finished. "I have finished my work" does not mean that He could do nothing else or that nothing else could happen to Him. "It is finished" indicated that there was nothing else that the enemy could do to Him.

Thomas, we don't all have the same tolerance for pain. Given your "actor" comment I am surprised you would suggest that Jesus scripted the cross and that you can find evidence for it in the Bible. (of course, you did not provide a reference).

I believe both statements are referring to the completion of the same work that Christ came to do. The first one was at the end of His work on presenting to the world the love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness of God as revealed in His own life on this fallen world. The second one was Christ's work of taking upon Himself the penalty for our sins. Christ's final and redemptive work on the cross was to show the justice side of God in that a penalty still had to be paid. Right after He said "It is finished" He died.

Atonement in the OT required a sacrifice. Atonement in the NT also required a sacrifice. This is why Christ is also referred to as the Lamb of God.

Well, belief is always an option. In the face of evidence I test my beliefs. I prefer that option rather than see how the evidence can be made to fit what I believe. That is not difficult to do.

This is a good point.

What was legally required? (and what was the particular result?)