The beauty of the gospel is that the One who has the right to condemn us has also made provision for our forgiveness. Even though we stand condemned before God, he tells us not to fear because he has taken our judgment onto himself. As Martin Luther put it, the voice of condemnation declares to our hearts, You are guilty, but God speaks with a louder voice in the gospel, I have taken your sin. So, when condemnation whispers, You are finished, we need only look to the cross to hear Jesus’s triumphant answer: No! It is finished.
