In this episode of Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson discuss Luther's famous and often misunderstood phrase, "faith creates God," from his lectures on Psalm 51. They trace how Ludwig Feuerbach turned that phrase into a theory that shaped modern theology, psychology, and atheism, while showing why Luther meant something very different. The conversation ultimately points listeners back to the heart of the Reformation: faith is not a human achievement or projection, but the gift created by God's powerful Gospel.

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In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith continue their conversation on Luther's lectures on Psalm 51, showing how true repentance is rooted not in human effort or love for God, but in God's mercy alone. They unpack Luther's "conjunction of the incompatible" to explain how the holy God joins Himself to sinful people through Christ, shaping the Reformation's teaching on justification, the sacraments, and the Christian life. The discusssion challenges common misunderstandings about faith, emphasizing that salvation comes through God's Word creating faith—not through our works, decisions, or acts of love.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• The Turk at the Door by Adam Francisco

• Luther and the Lion: A Narnian Catechism by Samuel Schuldheisz

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

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In this episode of Outlaw God, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson explore what it means to "pray against yourself" through Psalm 51, showing how David learns that true repentance begins with God's law exposing the depth of sin rather than human effort or moral improvement. The conversation explains that faith is not something we produce or preserve but a gift created by the Holy Spirit through the preached promise of the forgiveness of sins. David's confidence ultimately rests not in his own worth, sacrifice, or works, but in God's Word of absolution, which unites sinners to Christ by grace alone.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

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In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith explore Martin Luther's idea of the "conjunction of the incompatible," showing how Christ unites Himself to sinners not after they become holy, but while they are still completely sinful. They contrast this Gospel-centered understanding with views that make Jesus primarily an example to follow, emphasizing instead that Christ gives Himself fully through preaching and the sacraments to forgive sins and create faith. Looking at Psalm 51, they reveal how David's story points to the heart of the Gospel: God's grace comes to those who are utterly undeserving, joining the Holy One to the unholy through Christ alone.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

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In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith continue their examination of Psalm 51, showing how David's confession reveals the total reality of sin and the complete inability of human beings to save themselves through free will or good works. Drawing on Luther's distinction between Law and Gospel, Paulson explains that God's righteousness is not merely His own holiness but His action of justifying sinners through the promise of forgiveness. The discussion highlights how faith comes through God's external Word, which exposes sin, creates trust, and grants the righteousness that comes apart from the Law.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

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In this episode of the Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith continue their exploration of Psalm 51, focusing on David's confession that sin is not merely something we do but something that defines us apart from God's intervention. Paulson explains Luther's understanding of repentance as two distinct words preached from outside the sinner—the law, which exposes and kills, and the gospel, which forgives and raises to new life through absolution. The conversation highlights David as prophet, showing how God creates faith by joining the seemingly incompatible realities of a holy God and sinful humanity through the promise of the gospel.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson

In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith continue their exploration of Psalm 51, examining how David's encounter with Nathan reveals the difference between God as a mere judge and God as the Justifier who forgives sinners through the gospel. They argue that the law can only expose sin, punish wrongdoing, and attempt reform, while only God's absolving word can truly remove sin and create a new heart. Through David's prayer, "Have mercy on me, O God," the episode presents justification as God's complete and decisive act of forgiveness, accomplished apart from the law through the promise fulfilled in Christ.

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New Books from 1517 Publishing:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

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In this episode of the Outlaw God podcast, Caleb Keith and Dr. Steven Paulson explore Luther's understanding of being "Theodidact" — taught by God through the preaching of law and gospel rather than through inward spirituality or self-discovery. Using Psalm 51 and David's confrontation with Nathan after Bathsheba, they unpack how the law exposes humanity as completely sinful while the gospel creates an entirely new identity through God's mercy alone. The conversation centers on Luther's theological "summa": "God the Justifier, I the sinner," showing how true knowledge of God comes not through self-improvement, but through forgiveness spoken by God himself.

Show Notes:

• Support 1517 Podcast Network

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• 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education

What's New from 1517:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson

In this episode of the Outlaw God podcast, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith conclude their series on repentance by contrasting legal repentance with repentance rooted in the Gospel alone. Through Psalm 51, John the Baptist, and Luther's theology, Paulson explains how true repentance is not self-improvement or sacrifice, but a total death and resurrection brought entirely by the Word and the Holy Spirit. The conversation explores how God justifies sinners outside the law, why faith is created through promise rather than free will, and how baptism itself is a complete exorcism from the spirit of Satan into the life of the Holy Spirit.

Show Notes:

• Support 1517 Podcast Network

• 1517 Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

• 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 Events Schedule

• 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education

What's New from 1517:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson

In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith examine Luther's teaching on Psalm 51 to contrast medieval "legal repentance" with true repentance. They explain how generations of Christians—and even modern secular culture—tend to treat repentance as self-improvement powered by human will, rather than recognizing original sin as unbelief that cannot be fixed by inner effort. The discussion shows how legal systems of repentance try to restore human willpower, while the gospel instead gives faith from outside the sinner through Christ's promise.

Show Notes:

• Support 1517 Podcast Network

• 1517 Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

• 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 Events Schedule

• 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education

What's New from 1517:

• By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas

• Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith

• A Reasoned Defense of the Faith by Adam Francisco

• Stretched: A Study for Lent and the Entire Christian Life by Dr. Christopher Richmann

• The Essential Nestingen: Essays on Preaching, Catechism, and the Reformation

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson