This is an excerpt from the third chapter of By Water and the Word: God’s Gift of Baptism for You by Brian Thomas (1517 Publishing, 2026), pgs 52-60.
Even when the bitter places sink down deep into our bones, the Restorer never relinquishes his grip on you.
To Live Well is therefore not a general advice book, but a message suffused with the gospel.

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The testimony of the apostles is not an escapist message in which Christians are redeemed by leaving bodily life behind.
One great thing about our post-denominational age is that it has opened up opportunities to make common cause with other Lutherans who, despite their differences and eccentricities, can agree on some of the most important things.
Something Reformation Christians ought to do is familiarize themselves with Roman Catholic theology.
This is the second installment in our article series, “An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will,” written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Bondage of the Will.
Christ is your Good Shepherd, and he has given to you eternal life; no one can snatch you from his hand; your salvation is secure and unlost.
Luther’s famous treatise contains great consolation for Christians struggling with grace, suffering, and hope.
Despite the fact that this could sound strange to modern ears, Luther has an important reason for saying what he does about the Commandments.
Lutherans have a unique heritage that makes teaching predestination doubly difficult.
Curious about what Lutherans mean by “Two Kingdom”? In this short piece John Hoyum sums up the doctrine and some of its potential consequences.
What might Christians of the Reformation tradition think of claims like these about the nature of salvation?
By mandating the promise, Christ states something stronger than just an invitation.
Predestination, Jim knew, is no longer a frightening doctrine of mystery when you understand that God makes his choice about you in the simple word of God, given from one sinner to another.