The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down
By Bradley Gray
10/02/25
23mins

The Consuming Fire and the Holiness That Comes Down

He doesn’t consume us, even though that is what we deserve. Instead, Jesus comes down to us and consumes all our sin by taking it on himself.
When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
10/01/25

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/30/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335

All Articles

John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
07/04/19

The Comfort of the Two Kingdoms

Only the ministry of the Gospel can forgive sins, even while civil government rightly carries out retribution for lawlessness and disobedience.
Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
07/03/19

On Reading Broadly

We can’t all afford to travel the world, but the more we read from outside our own context, the bigger we see the world.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
07/01/19

Sin is Boring

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. It can get ahold of a person and turn him all the way in on himself. What seemed a brief reflection lingers for hours, days, weeks, even years.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
07/01/19

Making Preaching Great Again

The whole Reformation, and the reason for Lutheran theology at all, is to improve preaching.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
07/01/19

Epistle: Galatians 6:1-10, 14-18 (Pentecost 4: Series C)

According to the Law, everyone will be judged by their own deeds, on his own work. So, before the judgment of God we only have our own works to boast in and not our neighbor’s. But the Gospel shows us a wonderful exception.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
06/21/19

Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Theology of the Cross

I’d like to offer a short reflection on the theme of “worldliness” as it appears in his later work and how that’s connected to an item of his Lutheran heritage: the theology of the cross.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
06/20/19

Taste the Goodness

I love apologetics, the art, and science of defending the Christian faith. I love talking about all the philosophical arguments for the existence of God with my skeptical friends.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
06/20/19

Gospel: Luke 8: 26-39 (Pentecost 2: Series C)

[This text] describes a journey to a foreign region where Jesus engages in a confrontational conversation with a legion of demons, performs a violent and scandalous exorcism, and leaves behind a community gripped by terror. Apparently, the only thing more frightening than a naked, graveyard-dwelling demoniac is this visitor from Nazareth who reigns over everything.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
06/20/19

Epistle: Galatians 3:23-4:7 (Pentecost 2: Series C)

Baptism demolishes all boasting, for it is passively received and all that is received is pure gift. No one can, therefore, boast a better salvation than another.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
06/18/19

Vice, Virtue & the Christian

Naturally each individual forgets the beam in his own eye and perceives only the mote in his neighbor’s. One will not bear with the faults of the other; each requires perfection of his fellow.
Dominick Santore
Dominick Santore
06/12/19

Stop Sign Theology

All I need to know about your spiritual condition, I can discover by watching you drive your car. What I’ve learned is that everyone is a lawbreaker, including me. It’s as simple as asking a few short questions about your driving habits...
Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
06/12/19

Do I Have To Go to Church?

The 'church' is neither your mega-complex nor is it you alone with your own private devotions.
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