Prophetic action has a way of unsettling the devout. What does the crucifixion and resurrection teach us, however, if not that God will always surprise (and upset) us? How, then, should we answer those who question us while about the Lord’s work? A Lutheran pastor and catechist, Johann Spangenberg (1484–1550) published the Postilla Teütsch, a…

When a group of manual laborers publicly criticize the authorities, you know they are either mad or else they have discovered a truth whose power they respect and worship as greater than those authorities. But such defiance comes at a cost, so one should choose one’s worship wisely. The English Annotations, first published in 1645,…

Do you remember when you first realized that the Apostles were real people who kept sinning despite walking with Christ? Or when you read about Paul taking Peter to task? Johannes Brenz (1499–1570) was a German Lutheran theologian and pastor, overseeing reform in Schwäbisch-Hall, Württemberg, and Tübingen. Like many of his contemporaries, Brenz finds encouragement…

Preaching on Peter’s explanation of why “we must obey God rather than human beings,” the Swiss reformer Rudolf Gwalther (1519–1586) recognizes the gospel tersely stated. Here Peter teaches that Christ pays for us a debt that we cannot pay and bestows on us a righteousness that we cannot achieve. The Benefits of Christ Are Repentance…