Luther neither removed the Apocrypha from the Bible nor discouraged its use. Rather, he received and preserved the ancient distinction inherited from the fathers: the Apocrypha is valuable, edifying, and worthy of reading, but it is not Holy Scripture and therefore cannot serve as the foundation of Christian doctrine.
The confessors at Augsburg remind us that every generation of Christians is called to bear witness to the gospel amid the challenges and pressures of its own age. As they confessed Christ before emperors and kingdoms, so the Church continues to confess Him before the world today.
When Jesus washes you with baptismal water, you can rest assured that the Lion of Judah is on the move.

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The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s upcoming book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 32, 52.
Bitterness took root when he began approaching the Word merely as a burden he was called to carry rather than a balm that his soul needed, too.
Chapter 3 of Habakkuk, which is often referred to as “the Psalm of Habakkuk,” is a song of catharsis, relief, faith, and profound emotion.
Wisdom and strength require bootstrap-pulling and the placing of noses to grindstones.
This is the third installment in the 1517 articles series, “What Makes a Saint?”
This is the second installment in the 1517 articles series, “What Makes a Saint?”
Decisionalism expects you to raise yourself through a choice, but Scripture says only Christ raises the dead.
This is the first installment in the 1517 articles series, “What Makes a Saint?”
Those who venture through these pages will find a veritable gold mine for the task of theology today, especially in the realm of apologetics.
God chooses to clothe himself in promises and hides himself in his word.
The church does not await a verdict; she proclaims one.
If you struggle with doubt, take heart: You are not alone.