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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• 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.

More from 1517:

• Give to the June 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser!

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• 1517 Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

• 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 Events Schedule

• 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education

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.

More from 1517:

• Give to the June 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser!

• Learn more about the 1517 Podcast Network Fundraiser

• 1517 Podcasts

• 1517 on Youtube

• 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts

• 1517 Events Schedule

• 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education

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

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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

• 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 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

In this episode of the Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith continue their discussion of Psalm 51 by looking at repentance. Dr. Paulson explains how true repentance comes not through ritual cleansing or self-improvement, but through the Holy Spirit working through preaching to reveal original sin and deliver justification through the Gospel. The episode also connects repentance to baptism, critiques natural law approaches to morality, and previews Luther's challenge to the church's law-centered understanding of repentance.

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:

• 1517 Youtube: How God Still Speaks Today

• 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

• Philip Melanchthon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Translated by Dr. Derek Cooper

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson

In this episode of Outlaw God, Dr. Steven Paulson and Caleb Keith discuss the evangelical doctrine of sin, contrasting it with medieval and modern approaches that define sin primarily as individual acts or failures of free will. Using Psalm 51 and David's encounter with the prophet Nathan, they explain how sin is truly revealed and forgiven not by the law or human effort, but through the external promise of the gospel. The conversation highlights Luther's insight that sin is ultimately unbelief, while faith itself is a gift created by God's Word that frees the sinner through mercy rather than merit.

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:

• 1517 Youtube: How God Still Speaks Today

• 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

• Philip Melanchthon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Translated by Dr. Derek Cooper

More from the hosts:

• Caleb Keith

• Steven Paulson