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

Adam Francisco
Adam Francisco
12/03/25

Did the Church Replace Israel?

The unity of God’s people is grounded not in lineage nor land but in the promise of the coming Christ.
1517 Staff
1517 Staff
12/01/25

An Excerpt from Coming Home for Christmas: Advent in Isaiah Devotional

This is an excerpt from this year’s 1517 Advent Devotional.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/25/25

A Review of The Well That Washes What it Shows by Jonathan Linebaugh

“The well that washes what it shows” captures the essence of Linebaugh’s project, which aims to give the paradigmatic law-gospel hermeneutic a colloquial and visual language.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
11/24/25

Psalm 10: Why Do You Hide Yourself, O Lord?

Why would David write this psalm for all to read when he was no longer God’s greatest king, but rather God’s greatest sinner?
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
11/13/25

Shattered Expectations and Steadfast Grace

It is by his perfect surrender that our true Exodus was accomplished.
Luke Kjolhaug
Luke Kjolhaug
11/11/25

Seamless Fig Leaves

When we fail, our first impulse is the same as that of our spiritual ancestors: to sprint headlong into the bushes.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
11/07/25

You are not weak. You are at war.

Resurrection does not start in sunlight. It begins in the dark.
Matthew L. Rubinstein
Matthew L. Rubinstein
11/04/25

Grace in the Gap

The acrostic psalms do not hold because of their perfect structure. Nor do our lives.
Seth Moorman
Seth Moorman
10/30/25

Why Halloween Might Be the Most Christian Holiday of All

Grace isn’t fair. It’s reckless and lavish and handed out freely to those who don’t deserve a thing.
Jason Oakland
Jason Oakland
10/27/25

The Blessings of Creation

He has freed you from a selfish fixation on gifts. He has freed you to look to the Giver.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
10/16/25

An Introduction to The Bondage of the Will: The Preached and Unpreached God

This is the fifth 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.
Caleb Keith
Caleb Keith
10/15/25

An Introduction to the Bondage of the Will: Election and the Word

This is the fourth 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.
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