Grace and the Illusion of Control
By Ryan Couch
06/22/26
17mins

Grace and the Illusion of Control

The life we are trying to manage, improve, and secure is not something to be mastered. It is something to be surrendered. And this is where everything changes. Because in Christ, the approval we are seeking has already been spoken.
The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century
Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
06/19/26

The Turk at the Door: Luther, Islam, and the Fate of Christendom in the 16th Century

It is within this charged atmosphere that Luther’s writings take on their full significance. His responses to the Turkish threat were not merely reactions to military events; they were rooted in a deep theological reflection on the nature of God’s rule over the world, the responsibilities of Christian rulers, and the role of the Church in times of crisis.
AI Can't Save You
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/17/26

AI Can't Save You

Your God is not artificially intelligent, but the source of all intelligence (including yours).

All Articles

John Bombaro
John Bombaro
09/14/22

Go Home Justified

It’s the notion of mercy that leads us to the atonement, and it is the atonement that provides a foundational basis for the justification of sinners.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
09/09/22

1 John 2:25-29: The Promise He Made to Us

When God makes promises, he is incapable of not keeping them.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
09/02/22

1 John 2:15-24: Antichrist Destroying Faith in the Promise

The smallest amount of Holy Spirit-created faith defeats every antichrist belief we hold.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
08/29/22

Our Dissident Identity

Being the baptized just may be the last, great resistance.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
08/26/22

1 John 2:12-14: The Problem of Finding an 'Authentic Self'

There is no true “self” apart from God. Anything so surmised is caught up in the meaninglessness that is death.
Luke Kjolhaug
Luke Kjolhaug
08/19/22

1 John 2:1-11: Lovers and Liars

Walking in the light doesn't entail a spotless moral record but rather an honest appraisal of who we are.
Gretchen Ronnevik
Gretchen Ronnevik
08/12/22

1 John 1:5-10: The Reality of the Light

God is consistently rooting us in reality—both what is seen and unseen—because that is where he is.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
08/05/22

1 John 1:1-4: Not "My" Jesus

There is power in the name of Jesus, and we love to manipulate power for our own ends.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
08/01/22

Faith, Hope, and Love

Faith is like a horse with blinders because it only beholds God’s promise. It is obsessed with what God has already said.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/13/22

An Impossible Standard...Attained!

In Jesus, the most totalizing summary of the law becomes the gospel of the one made perfect through obedience.
Philip Bartelt
Philip Bartelt
07/12/22

Marx, Prayer, and Humanity

In the place of God, Marx sets the material, autonomous, self-creating man.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
06/30/22

Mercy Makes Mercy

Christian mercy should not seek its own. It must be round, and open its eyes and look at all alike, friend and foe, as our heavenly Father does.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
1517.org
Search
Academy
Donate

1517 grants permission for our free online resources to be printed, photocopied, and otherwise used freely for private and church use. We require that authorship and source (1517.org) are referenced and maintained. These resources may not be sold or included in any publications for sale.