Whoever you are reading this today. Whatever you’ve done. Whatever your beliefs:
God is in a good mood with you.
Not because you’ve done something to deserve it. Not because you’ve figured out the right philosophy or belief system. Not because there’s something in you that obligates God to feel that way.
He’s positive toward you because Jesus died for you. That’s it. It’s entirely unilateral.
Every incorrect thing you’ve done, thought, or said was nailed to Jesus on the cross. And every perfect thing he did, thought, and said became yours in Jesus on the cross.
Jesus was condemned in both a Jewish and a Roman lawcourt just before he died, giving you legal certainty that this exchange has already happened, in full, for you.
God wants you to be assured of this fact, to have confidence that it is true for you, and to enjoy its benefits.
So he put his Gospel in the church to give you this assurance.
Come to the Online Lutheran Church (https://online.lutheran.ch) or Manchester Lutheran Church (https://manchesterlutheran.church), where we proclaim this Gospel in preaching, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, liturgy, songs, and conversation over coffee.
And through that external Gospel, the Holy Spirit does what arguments and introspection cannot: he creates and strengthens assurance that this really is for you.