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

Martin Luther
Martin Luther
01/02/18

On Demanding Good Works

You say: Since forgiveness depends on faith alone, why must one nonetheless do good works? Answer: If faith is of the true sort, it cannot be without good works, just as no good work can be where unbelief dwells.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
12/21/17

The Prostitute Bride

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see that simple boy. An orange sky warms the deserted streets with the final glow of safe light.
Donavon Riley
Donavon Riley
12/19/17

The Wisdom and Art of Faith

Faith does not distinguish between worthy and unworthy, saint and sinner, great faith and anemic faith, it only focuses on Christ Jesus.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
12/04/17

What a Trail Taught Me About Worship

In an age when the phrase “new and improved” applies to everything from phones to marriages, when we as a nation mimic juveniles, lustily pursuing the next new thing, the worst decision a church can make is to cater to this weakness.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/25/17

We All Show up Late for Church

Our little congregation is part of a much larger church—the body of Christ, both here on earth as well as in heaven. And that church worships 24/7, never ceasing in its adoration of Jesus our Savior.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
11/23/17

Luther the Storyteller

Above all, Luther understood the importance of the Biblical narrative as the story of God’s love and man’s salvation revealed in Christ Crucified.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
11/19/17

How Churches Become Morality Clubs of Religion

We strive, in short, to master the art of swatting mosquitoes. And all the while, we remain blind to the fact that in pulpit after pulpit, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is as rare as Merry Christmas inside a synagogue.
Cindy Koch
Cindy Koch
11/14/17

Those Who Dig For the Gospel

You are made new by the eternal satisfaction for sin in Christ, by the precious treasure at God’s right hand.
Daniel Emery Price
Daniel Emery Price
11/01/17

Clearing the Path to God's Grace

We just finished celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
Brian W. Thomas
Brian W. Thomas
11/01/17

Between Rome and the Fanatics

Luther accepted Augustine’s view of the church as a mixed body.
Rod Rosenbladt
Rod Rosenbladt
10/31/17

What was the Reformation?

What is it to be an heir of the Reformation? It is to look outward to Christ bleeding and dying on the cross as Great Rescuer of sinners—of me.
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
10/25/17

The Imaginative Luther

The Lutheran Reformation was a reformation of the Christian imagination alongside its theology.
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.