Search — Theology Explorer

Colossians 4:15 Discovering Biblical Equality Nympha Lynn Cohick

Nympha in Colossians 4:15 -- Lynn Cohick's claim she led a house church

Mike begins examining individual women named in the NT, starting with Nympha.

Colossians 4:15 Linda Belleville Nympha Colossians 4:15

Belleville assigns Nympha the title 'overseer' based on hosting; Mike challenges the logic

Mike examines how Belleville gets from 'church in her house' to 'overseer.'

Colossians 4:15 Nympha Colossians 4:15 commentary survey

Mike's survey of 18 commentaries on Nympha's leadership: only 3 of 18 agree

Mike conducts his own commentary survey to test the 'most commentators' claim.

Craig Keener letter carrier as teacher 1 Maccabees 12:23

Keener's sources examined: 1 Maccabees 12:23 does not support letter-carrier-as-teacher

Mike examines Keener's footnoted sources one by one.

Ephesians 6:21-22 Colossians 4:7-8 letter carrier as teacher Ephesians 6:21-22 Colossians 4:7-8

Ephesians 6:21-22 and Colossians 4:7-8: Tychicus gave personal updates, not letter interpretation

Mike examines the remaining biblical references cited by Keener.

Colossians 3:16 Philip Payne Colossians 3:16 teaching and admonishing

Philip Payne's argument from Colossians 3:16: all Christians should have a teaching ministry -- refuted

Mike addresses another egalitarian argument about women teachers.

Colossians 3:16 Colossians 3:16 teaching gift necessary but not sufficient

Not everyone who teaches is an elder — an elder must be able to teach, but ability to teach does not require eldership

Mike makes the logical distinction between necessary and sufficient conditions.

Colossians 3:16 Priscilla Apollos Colossians 3:16

Colossians 3:16 — mutual teaching applies to all believers including women; Priscilla corrected Apollos

Mike argues that general mutual teaching and admonishing in the church includes women teaching men.

Colossians 3:16 1 Corinthians 14:26 Tom Schreiner Apollos Colossians 3:16

Tom Schreiner quote: complementarians should not give the impression women are unintelligent or lack teaching ability

Mike quotes a fellow complementarian to correct unhealthy attitudes toward women's teaching.

Colossians 3:16 Philip Payne Colossians 3:16 teaching ministry

Rebutting Philip Payne's use of Colossians 3:16 to claim all Christians should have a teaching ministry

Mike addresses Payne's argument that Colossians 3:16 proves every woman should have a teaching ministry.

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Westfall's expansion: men cannot have primogeniture status over women based on creation order

Mike critiques Westfall's application of Galatians 3:28 to inter-human relationships.

1 Timothy 1 Corinthians 7 Ephesians primogeniture 1 Timothy 1 Corinthians 7

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Rebecca Groothuis claims the head was not seen as the seat of reasoning; the heart governed the body

Mike presents Rebecca Groothuis's medical argument from her book 'Good News for Women.'

Ephesians 4:15-16 Colossians 2:19 Good News for Women Rebecca Groothuis medical argument

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Contextual/Bible study argument: Ronald Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis claim Paul only reinforces 'source/provision,' not authority

Mike presents the egalitarian contextual argument from Discovering Biblical Equality.

Ephesians Colossians kephale Rebecca Merrill Groothuis Discovering Biblical Equality

Mike Winger idea 2022-07-18

Colossians 1:18 — Christ as head of the body, the firstborn, having preeminence in all things

Mike examines Colossians 1:18, another passage egalitarians cite.

Colossians 1:18 BDAG Colossians 1:18 proteuon

Titus 2:5 1 Peter 3:1-7 Colossians 3:18-19 Titus 2:5 1 Peter 3:1-7 Colossians 3:18-19

Video agenda: three main passages plus egalitarian pushback

Mike outlines the structure of the video.

Colossians 3:18-19 hypotasso Colossians 3:18-19 as is fitting in the Lord

Colossians 3:18-19 -- wives submit, husbands love and don't be harsh

Mike teaches through the second main passage.

Colossians 3:19 Colossians 3:19 pikraino (embitter) authority and abuse

'Do not be harsh' (do not embitter) implies husband's authority

Mike argues the warning against harshness actually confirms authority.

Colossians 3:18-19 hypotasso Colossians 3:18-19 Lynn Kohick

Lynn Kohick's egalitarian view of Colossians 3:18-19: no talk of husband's authority

Mike examines an egalitarian scholar's treatment of the Colossians passage.

Colossians 3:19 Colossians 3:19 Lynn Kohick assuming the conclusion

Kohick's self-contradiction: 'no authority' but also 'don't use domination and power'

Mike identifies a logical inconsistency in Kohick's argument.

Colossians 3:18-19 servant leadership Colossians 3:18-19

Complementarian reading: Paul affirms authority but with Jesus-like caveats

Mike offers the alternative complementarian reading of Colossians 3.

Colossians 3:18 argument from silence Colossians 3:18

Alternative egalitarian argument from silence on Colossians rejected

Mike briefly addresses the view that Paul only commanded submission in certain cultural contexts.

Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

Ephesians 5:23 — headship extends to all marriages, not just Adam and Eve

Mike shows NT application of headship to marriage in general.

Colossians Ephesians 5:23 1 Peter 3:1 kephale headship mutual submission

Mike Winger idea 2018-02-21

Colossians 2:16-20: the JW misapplication of 'let no one judge you' to justify their blood refusal, when the passage actually condemns submission to regulations about food and drink as worldly.

Mike refutes a common JW counter-use of Colossians 2 to defend their blood doctrine.

Colossians 2:16 Colossians 2:20-22 Christian freedom food law abrogation Colossians 2:16

Mike Winger idea 2018-08-22

Christians are not under the Mosaic law — Sabbath observance is a liberty, not a requirement for salvation

Mike's rebuttal to Kim's Sabbath-as-salvation teaching.

Romans 14:5 Colossians 2:16-17 Sabbath law vs. grace Romans 14:5

Mike Winger idea 2018-08-16

Colossians 2:2-3 — all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ; Sye uses this to ground all epistemology in Christ

Sye's primary Christological epistemology text

Colossians 2:2-3 epistemology presuppositional apologetics Colossians 2:2-3

Mike Winger idea 2018-08-16

Colossians 2:8 and 1 Timothy 6:20 cited by Sye as warnings against 'false knowledge' not founded on Christ — supports the presup epistemological claim

Additional Pauline texts for presup epistemology

Colossians 2:8 1 Timothy 6:20 presuppositional apologetics Colossians 2:8 1 Timothy 6:20

Mike Winger idea 2018-10-10

Idea

Winger uses Colossians 1 to illustrate how the ESV renders 'Christos' consistently as 'Christ.'

Colossians 1 Colossians 1

Mike Winger idea 2018-10-10

Idea

Colossians 1 in the PT is used as an example of triple-translation of one word.

Colossians 1 Colossians 1

Colossians 3:8 sanctification anger Colossians 3:8

Colossians 3:8 commands Christians to put off anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk — treating each as distinct.

Primary passage for the teaching; Mike introduces the list and his interpretive method.

Colossians 3:8 James 1:19 marriage self-control Colossians 3:8

Wrath (Colossians 3:8) is the outward expression of anger — the outburst; James 1:19 commands slow speech as the antidote.

Distinction between anger (the feeling) and wrath (the expression); applied to marriage and conflict.

Colossians 3:8 marriage relationships Colossians 3:8

Malice (Colossians 3:8) is bottled-up anger that becomes a twisted, bitter lens through which a person sees someone — the opposite of wrath.

Third element of the Colossians 3:8 list; Mike defines malice as stored bitterness.

Colossians 3:8 Matthew 5:44 practical application forgiveness Colossians 3:8

The remedy for malice is praying for your enemies (Matthew 5:44) — specifically blessing them, not praying 'about' them asking God to deal with them.

Practical counsel for those who recognize malice toward someone.