Search — Theology Explorer

Hebrews 7:11-12 Psalm 110 Levitical priesthood Aaron Typology

Hebrews 7:11-12 — change of priesthood necessarily entails a change in the law; Mike argues the OT itself predicted this change

Mike goes to Hebrews 7 as a non-Pauline passage to demonstrate that the OT itself contains the seeds of its own supersession.

Torah Paul rejection 119 Ministries

119 Ministries: "you cannot choose which parts of the Messiah you like" — Mike critiques this as circular reasoning that makes Torah-rejection equivalent to rejecting Jesus

Mike plays a clip where 119 Ministries equates partial Torah-rejection with rejecting part of the Messiah himself.

Torah observance Hebrew Roots Movement Paul rejection

The Hebrew Roots Movement tends to involve a progressive radicalization through increasingly extreme positions

Mike describes what he observes as a typical trajectory for people who enter the Hebrew Roots Movement.

1 Corinthians 7 Paul 1 Corinthians 7 Torah observance

Jewish believers and Torah: Paul's principle "let him who is circumcised not seek to be uncircumcised" — Mike gives leeway to Jewish Christians observing Torah

Mike distinguishes between Jewish and Gentile believers in his pastoral response to Torah-observance.

Hebrew Roots Movement Paul rejection Dietary laws

Pastoral counsel for those with family members in the Hebrew Roots Movement — distinguish unnecessary restrictions from the deeper spiritual danger

Q&A: a viewer's mother is deeply in the Hebrew Roots movement; asking if the movement is the way to be close to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9 Paul Hebrew Roots Movement Pastoral counsel

"To the Jew I became a Jew" (1 Cor 9) — Paul's principle applied to engaging Hebrew Roots family members

Mike gives practical pastoral advice for relating to Hebrew Roots family without endorsing their views.

Acts 13 Paul Peter Paul rejection

Paul's legitimacy as an apostle — Mike answers a claim that Paul was not a true Jew and therefore untrustworthy

Q&A: a viewer's sister and brother-in-law argue that Paul was not a true Jew and deceived his audience; they use this to reject his letters.

Acts 15 Acts 15 Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

Preview of next week: Acts 15 and Pauline passages; warning to Hebrew Roots adherents to separate from those who deny salvation by grace

Closing remarks and preview of future videos in the series.

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

Upcoming debate with Matt Dillahunty on the resurrection

Mike explains why his content schedule will shift to focus on the resurrection before returning to the Law of Moses.

Matt Dillahunty Law of Moses resurrection of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

Husband of one wife (1 Timothy 3) refers to polygamy, not divorce

Q&A on the pastoral qualification "husband of one wife" in the pastoral epistles.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 elder bishop 1 Timothy 3

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

Planned Gospel of Mark series to cover theology, apologetics, and resurrection debates

Response to viewer question about where the Trinity is in Mark

resurrection Gospel of Mark Trinity in Mark

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

Repentance functions in both justification and sanctification

Viewer asking whether repentance is part of justification or sanctification

Revelation 2 2 Corinthians 7 Ephesus repentance justification

1 Timothy 1 Richard Bauckham elders (early church) apostolic appointment

Richard Bauckham's identification of elders vs. disciples and the function of elders in preserving doctrine

Scholarly framework for understanding Papias's use of "elders."

Mark 15:21 Matthew 27:32 Luke 23:26 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels passion narrative

Simon of Cyrene named with his sons Alexander and Rufus as eyewitness sourcing (Mark 15:21)

Another case study in named eyewitness sourcing from the passion narrative.

1 Timothy 3 Titus 1 1 Timothy 3 husband of one wife Titus 1

Q&A: Titus and 1 Timothy pastoral qualifications — "husband of one wife" and "having children"

Q&A on elder/bishop/pastor qualifications in the Pastoral Epistles.

1 Corinthians 7:14 hermeneutics sanctification 1 Corinthians 7:14

Q&A: 1 Corinthians 7:14 — "sanctified" is a dictionary term, not a theological one; no automatic salvation for unbelieving spouse

Q&A on the meaning of sanctification language in Paul's marriage instruction.

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Tongues in the New Testament: multiple types — tongues with interpretation (public) and tongues without interpretation (private).

Tanya Baltzer asks about tongues — actual languages vs. unknown languages.

1 Corinthians 14 Acts 2 (Pentecost) 1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 14 Tongues Acts 2 (Pentecost)

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

1 Corinthians 15 creed - pre-Pauline formula dated within 5 years of crucifixion

Earliest written testimony to resurrection appearances

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 Gary Habermas Jerome Murphy-O'Connor

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Greek term 'historeo' - Paul's formal eyewitness inquiry in Jerusalem

Galatians 1:18 - Paul's investigative visit to Peter

Galatians 1:18 historeo Galatians 1:18 Eyewitness testimony

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Apologist/counter-apologist "Paulogia": Cameron had a debate with him on the resurrection on the Non Sequitur Show

Q&A from Nick J about Paulogia's series on the resurrection

resurrection of Jesus Non Sequitur Show Paulogia

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Refutation of Paulogia's claim that Romans denied honorable burial to crucifixion victims: Josephus explicitly says Romans made an exception for Jews

Mike provides a specific example of responding to a resurrection objection

Josephus empty tomb swoon theory

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Closing message to skeptics from Cameron: dialogue doesn't have to be combative; take philosophy seriously; read atheist philosophers of religion (Paul Draper, Graham Oppy, John Schellenberg), not just popular atheists like Dawkins or Hitchens

Cameron's closing message to skeptic viewers

John Schellenberg Richard Dawkins Cameron Bertuzzi Paul Draper

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-27

Cameron Bertuzzi (Capturing Christianity): inability to answer a question doesn't mean Christianity is false; testimony is a legitimate epistemic basis

Video clip from Cameron Bertuzzi with pastoral/apologetic advice for Christians facing SE

Apologetics Capturing Christianity Cameron Bertuzzi

Acts of the Apostles Paul the Apostle early Christian persecution Acts of the Apostles

The book of Acts as a sustained narrative of persecution — Paul's pre-conversion role as persecutor and post-conversion experience of being persecuted

Persecution is the central recurring theme of Acts

1 Peter Romans 8 Revelation 2-3 1 Peter Romans 8 Revelation 2-3

Prison epistles and other NT letters as evidence that suffering was a church-wide reality needing sustained pastoral address

The pervasive theme of persecution across the entire NT corpus

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle apostle sincerity conspiracy hypothesis

Focus narrowed to Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and Paul as the three central resurrection eyewitnesses whose sincerity needs to be established

Transition from general persecution to specific apostolic martyrdoms

James the brother of Jesus scholarly consensus Paul the Apostle Gary Habermas

Gary Habermas's scholarly consensus claim: early data report the martyrdoms of Peter, James the brother of Jesus, and Paul; few scholars doubt this

Citing the scholarly consensus on apostolic martyrdoms

Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle

1 Clement 5 (c. 95-97 AD) — non-apologetic, community-memory reference to Peter and Paul both suffering and dying for their faith

First extra-biblical source for Peter's (and Paul's) martyrdom

apostolic martyrdom Peter the Apostle Ignatius of Antioch

Ignatius of Antioch — two letters (Smyrnaeans and Romans) as early second-century evidence for Peter's martyrdom and bodily resurrection conviction

Additional patristic source for Peter's martyrdom and the bodily nature of the resurrection

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom apostle sincerity

2 Corinthians 11:24-28 — Paul's own catalog of sufferings as direct first-person evidence of his willingness to endure persecution for Christ

Paul's own testimony as evidence of sincerity

Philippians Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom apostle sincerity

Philippians — Paul's pastoral management of his congregation's grief over his suffering as evidence that his persecution was a given, publicly known reality

Paul's suffering was so consistent and well-known that he had to repeatedly address the pastoral fallout from it

2 Timothy 4:6-8 Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom 2 Timothy 4:6-8

2 Timothy 4:6-8 — Paul describes himself as being poured out as a drink offering, anticipating his imminent death

Pauline text indicating Paul's awareness of and preparation for his own martyrdom

Paul the Apostle apostolic martyrdom Sean McDowell

Eight sources within the first and second centuries referencing Paul's martyrdom, per Sean McDowell; Polycarp references Paul's sufferings and those of all the Apostles

Summary of extra-biblical evidence for Paul's martyrdom

Acts 15 1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus Acts 15 1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus

James the brother of Jesus as the leader of the Jerusalem church; Acts 15 and 1 Corinthians 15 as key evidence for his role and resurrection witness

Transition to James as the third focal figure

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 Peter the Apostle

1 Corinthians 15 early creed: dating, content, and the list of resurrection witnesses including Peter, James, Paul, and the 500

Establishing the early creed as the foundational evidence for resurrection appearances

James the brother of Jesus argument from silence Paul the Apostle Justin Martyr

Absence of any recantation tradition for Peter, James, or Paul — an argument from silence that is evidentially significant given second-century apologetic engagement

The negative evidence: no source anywhere suggests any of these eyewitnesses recanted

James the brother of Jesus resurrection Paul the Apostle apostle sincerity

Conclusion: Peter, Paul, and James were sincerely convinced they had seen Jesus alive — the conspiracy/lying hypothesis is eliminated by the evidence

Summary conclusion of the main argument

James the brother of Jesus James's pre-resurrection unbelief resurrection Paul the Apostle criterion of embarrassment

Three embarrassing facts that authenticate the disciples' sincerity: Peter's denial, James's pre-resurrection unbelief, and Paul's role as persecutor of the church

The criterion of embarrassment applied to the three key witnesses

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

How Old Testament believers were saved by faith before Christ — Romans 4 and Genesis 15:6

Q&A: JoseCJ asks how OT believers were saved before Christ's work on the cross

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 justification by faith Abraham salvation by faith

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Abraham and David in Romans 4 as Old Testament examples of justification apart from works

Exegesis of Romans 4 on OT salvation

Romans 4 Genesis 15:6 David Abraham Romans 4

Mike Winger idea 2019-04-24

Q&A: Rooting youth in the person and work of Christ — requires both good theology (who Jesus is) and practical application (how to live it out)

Audience question about how churches can help youth be rooted in Christ

Romans Paul youth ministry Romans

1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus

Twitter response 2: Eyewitness testimony from various continents, plus written testimony from Pilate or Sanhedrin

Second respondent's examples of extraordinary resurrection evidence.

Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus Eyewitness testimony

Twitter response 7: Signed first-century testimony from Pilate — Paul is a better answer

Seventh respondent; Mike argues Paul's conversion is more powerful than any Pilate testimony could be.

James the brother of Jesus Paul the Apostle Resurrection of Jesus James the brother of Jesus

The cumulative case for the resurrection: what evidence we actually have

Mike assembles the positive evidence for the resurrection after dismantling the slogan's objections.