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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What follows is a little crash course in how to read Calvin with respect, for our benefit, and with an eye to how we keep Reformation giants at a proper historical arms distance.
These three: to judge, to avenge, and to glory, have been taken from us, and no person should share in them.
It was reported that Hus died singing, “Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me.”
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.
Our righteousness and the righteousness of our neighbor have nothing to do with what we eat or do not eat.
When the church has gone astray, it has been the responsible (not slavish) approach to history that has helped correct the course.
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.
Today’s advice for the anxious and worried would have likely horrified Luther.
In the biblical world, having a few extra inches on your waistline was not a reason for dieting but dancing.
While most of his letters were written as semi-private counsel and consolation, some, like the “Letter to the Christians of Miltenburg” were written openly for public consumption.
For Luther, Jesus does something much better for those who grieve than simply identify with them: He brings suffering and evil to an end in His own death.
The wizard stares into Billy Batson’s eyes. “Speak my name so my powers may flow through you.”