Search — Theology Explorer

divorce and remarriage BibleThinker ministry

Mike announces BibleThinker is now its own incorporated ministry organization, separate from his local church (while still attending). Also previews follow-up to his marriage/divorce/remarriage study — longest teaching he's ever done (3 hours), nearly 1,000 comments in one week.

Announcements — BibleThinker incorporation, divorce study

Galatians 6:1 Romans 12:21 imago Dei Galatians 6:1 Good Samaritan

Mike addresses the George Floyd protests and racism from a biblical perspective: (1) All humans are made in God's image — foundational to human rights. (2) Race as commonly discussed doesn't fit the Christian worldview — skin color is irrelevant to human value. (3) Romans 12:21: don't let others' sin trigger your sin. (4) Galatians 6:1: restore in gentleness, keep watch on yourself lest you be tempted. The key warning: don't justify rebellion against God in the name of righteousness.

Biblical response to George Floyd and racism

1 Peter 2:24 physical resurrection 1 Peter 2:24 healing in the atonement

1 Peter 2:24 ("by his wounds you have been healed") does refer to physical healing in Mike's view, but the TIMING is the issue. Many benefits of the cross aren't received now — we still die, still have corruptible bodies. Full physical healing comes in the resurrection. It's theologically inconsistent to demand healing for the common cold while accepting death from old age. The "healing in the atonement" teaching overreaches on timing, not content.

Healing in the atonement — timing issue

apologetics apologetics new believers

Advice for new believers encountering militant anti-theists: (1) Don't spend most of your time with them — get grounded in biblical truth first. (2) Many militant atheists repeatedly ask the same questions, get good answers, and ignore them — they want to stump, not learn. (3) If your good answers only generate more questions with no acknowledgment, you may be wasting your time. Focus on learning truth before combating error.

New believers and militant atheists

1 Corinthians 6:19 James 4:7 spiritual warfare spiritual warfare 1 Corinthians 6:19

Can a Christian be demon-possessed? Mike distinguishes possession from influence/oppression. Christians have the Holy Spirit indwelling them — demon possession (ownership/control) seems incompatible with the Spirit's presence. But Christians can be oppressed, influenced, and harassed by demons. The demoniac in Mark 5 was fully controlled; Christians may experience lesser forms of spiritual attack but not total possession.

Demon possession vs oppression in Christians

expository preaching expository preaching finding a good church

How to find a good church: (1) Sound biblical teaching is #1 priority — does the pastor handle Scripture correctly? (2) Genuine community — not just Sunday performance. (3) Don't expect perfection — you'll bring your own imperfections too. (4) Be willing to serve, not just consume. (5) Size doesn't determine quality. Visit several, ask questions, look for fruit.

Finding a good church

John 20:31 Gospel of John Gospel of John new believers

Should new believers read the whole Bible? Yes, eventually. But start with the Gospel of John (written for the purpose of producing faith), then the rest of the NT. Read Psalms and Proverbs for wisdom/worship. Genesis for foundations. Don't start at Genesis 1 and try to plow through — you'll bog down in Leviticus. A reading plan helps maintain consistency.

Bible reading plan for new believers

Follow-up to Mike's 200+ hours of research and 3-hour teaching on divorce and remarriage. He combed through 1,000+ comments and selected 29 issues to address — questions, pushback, and scenarios he hadn't covered.

Introduction — divorce/remarriage follow-up

divorce and remarriage

Jeremiah 3:13 Jeremiah 3:13 God divorced Israel Catholic annulment

Jeremiah 3 shows God divorced Israel — this disproves the Catholic position that divorce is ontologically impossible. But Mike's point is about divorce, NOT remarriage. God's response: reconciliation is offered but CONDITIONED on Israel's repentance (Jeremiah 3:13). God requires acknowledgment of guilt before restoration — not unconditional reunion.

Jeremiah 3 — God divorced Israel, conditional reconciliation

repentance repentance unjust divorce and remarriage

Can someone who unjustly divorced, repented, but whose ex has remarried, now marry someone else? Yes — the previous marriage is clearly over both legally and morally once the ex has remarried. The wrongly-divorcing party has repented. The alternatives (permanent singleness as unforgivable punishment, or pretending the marriage still exists) don't make biblical sense.

Unjust divorce + ex remarried = free to remarry after repentance

Leviticus 20:10 John 18:31 Deuteronomy 24 Leviticus 20:10 John 18:31 Mishnah Yevamot 2:8

Leviticus 20:10 objection: if adultery = death, how can it be grounds for divorce (the person would be dead)? Four responses: (1) The death penalty wasn't practiced after 30 AD under Roman rule — John 18:31: "it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death." (2) The Mishnah has rules for divorced adulteresses (can't marry their lover) — proving they weren't killed. (3) Adultery was hard to prove (requires 2+ witnesses). (4) Jesus uses porneia (broader than adultery) to include lesser sexual offenses.

Adultery death penalty objection — four rebuttals

divorce and remarriage porneia pornography as grounds for divorce

Is pornography addiction grounds for divorce? Mike finds this intimidating given modern usage rates. His answer: pornography use IS sexual immorality (porneia), but not every instance should trigger divorce. Factors: scale, pattern, repentance, willingness to get help. A single failure vs an unrepentant lifestyle are very different situations. Mike recommends counseling before divorce in pornography cases.

Pornography as grounds for divorce — nuanced

World Mission Society Church of God Passion Translation World Mission Society Church of God

Mike shares major ministry update: BibleThinker is now its own incorporated ministry (no longer under his local church), reaching ~500,000 views/month. He's no longer on staff as a local pastor but still teaches weekly. Passion Translation scholarly project delayed by COVID — scholars have submitted papers but in-person interviews are on hold.

Announcements — BibleThinker incorporation, Passion Translation update

biblical theology systematic theology method biblical theology

How to do systematic theology: (1) Gather every passage related to a topic. (2) Interpret each passage in its own context. (3) Draw principles/conclusions from each passage. (4) Check that no principles conflict with each other or with any passage. (5) Build the framework from the conclusions, not from a pre-loaded logical structure. Mike front-loads passages, not presuppositions — biblical theology approach over dogmatic theology.

Method for systematic theology

1 John 3:9 1 John 1:8-10 sinless perfection 1 John 3:9 1 John 1:8-10

1 John 3:9 ("whoever is born of God does not sin") doesn't mean Christians never sin. 1 John 1:8-10 in the SAME letter says "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" and "if we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive." The Greek tense in 3:9 indicates ongoing habitual practice, not individual acts. A Christian won't be characterized by a lifestyle of sin, but will still fail and need forgiveness.

1 John 3:9 — sinless perfection refuted

Calvinism free will Calvinism

Calvinism and free will: Mike isn't a Calvinist. He believes in genuine human free will while also affirming God's sovereignty. The key issue: does God determine every single human decision (Calvinist compatibilism) or do humans have genuine libertarian choice? Mike believes libertarian free will better fits Scripture and makes better sense of God's commands, judgments, and the problem of evil.

Calvinism and free will — Mike's position

Bart Ehrman Mike Licona Bart Ehrman

Four things to know before historical investigation of Jesus: (1) Historical investigation is limited — historians intentionally bracket inspiration of Scripture. (2) Failure to confirm ≠ denial it happened. (3) History is probabilistic — the best verdict is "extremely likely," never 100%%. (4) Scholars are people with biases — Bart Ehrman rejects miracles by methodology, not evidence ("as a historian you're not allowed to posit miracles").

Framework for historical investigation of Jesus

Matthew 16:17-23 Mark 9:31 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Semiticisms Matthew 16:17-23 Mark 9:31

Argument 1 — Jesus's death predictions are very early: (a) Matthew 16:17-23 contains Semiticisms ("son of Jonah," "flesh and blood," "Hades") pointing to Aramaic origins, not later Greek tradition. (b) Mark 9:31 has a paronomasia (pun) in Aramaic: "son of man handed into the hands of men." (c) 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (Last Supper) is written before the Gospels. (d) Paul distinguishes Jesus's commands from his own (1 Cor 7) — proving he doesn't invent words of Jesus.

Argument 1 — earliness of predictions

Mike Licona multiple attestation Mike Licona

Argument 2 — Multiple attestation: Mike Licona found 19+ passages across Mark, M (Matthew-only), L (Luke-only), and John independently attesting Jesus's death/resurrection predictions. Historians consider TWO independent sources "pay dirt" — this has far more. Jesus's prayer in Gethsemane (knowing he'll die) is in Mark 14, Matthew 26, and Luke 22 independently.

Argument 2 — multiple independent attestation

Mark 8:33 criterion of embarrassment Mark 8:33 Peter called Satan

Argument 3 — Criterion of embarrassment: Jesus's predictions include embarrassing elements the early church wouldn't invent. (a) Peter rebukes Jesus for predicting his death — then Jesus calls Peter "Satan" (Mark 8:33). The leader of the church being called Satan is not something the church would fabricate. (b) Disciples repeatedly fail to understand Jesus's predictions — they argue about who's greatest right after. The church wouldn't invent their founders' incompetence.

Argument 3 — criterion of embarrassment

Mark 10:32-34 Mark 10:45 Suffering Servant substitutionary atonement progressive Christianity

Theological insight from the predictions: Jesus saw his death as purposeful sacrifice, not tragedy. He predicted specifics: delivered to chief priests, condemned, handed to Gentiles, mocked, spit on, scourged, killed — and rise three days later. Progressive Christians who reject substitutionary atonement must explain why Jesus described his death as sacrificial and purposeful in his own words. The predictions show Jesus understood himself as Isaiah's Suffering Servant.

Theological insight — purposeful sacrifice, not tragic death

Calvinism Calvinism American Gospel film

Mike discusses the American Gospel documentary films. Both are valuable against prosperity gospel and progressive distortions, but both have a strong Calvinist slant — especially the second film. Mike (a non-Calvinist) was included in film 2 to round things out but was surprised by how strongly Calvinistic it came across.

American Gospel films — valuable but Calvinistic

Romans 11:6 Romans 4 Romans 11:6 Romans 4 faith alone

Hyperdispensationalism claims OT saints were saved by faith plus works. Refuted by Romans 4: Abraham was justified by faith alone, not works. Romans 11:6: grace and works are philosophically unmixable — if by grace, then not works; if by works, then not grace. These categories can't be blended. This applies to every era, not just the NT.

OT salvation by faith alone — Romans 4 and 11:6

Steven Furtick Elevation Church pastoral abuse

On Steven Furtick: Mike has seen a handful of his messages, finds his preaching style reckless with Scripture. Concerned about the level of allegiance/submission required around him — sounds like pastoral abuse from what he's heard. Furtick doesn't deal carefully with Scripture in context, prioritizing encouragement over accuracy. Similar critique to Joel Osteen.

Steven Furtick critique — reckless with Scripture

Richard Carrier mythicism historical Jesus

Richard Carrier's mythicist theory (Jesus in outer space, apostles were schizotypal): Carrier is credentialed but widely disrespected in his field, on the fringe of scholarship. His strength is recall of sources; his weakness is unjustified connections between data points. His scholarly language ("perhaps," "what if") masks the extreme nature of his claims. Put the burden of proof on him to defend his theory.

Richard Carrier mythicism — fringe scholarship

Romans 5:12-21 Romans 5:14 original sin Latin Vulgate infant salvation

Romans 5:12-21 and sin nature: Mike disagrees with the Augustinian doctrine that we inherit guilt from Adam's sin. Augustine was influenced by a mistranslation in the Latin Vulgate ("in whom all sinned" vs "because all sinned"). Romans 5:14 says some "had not sinned according to the likeness of Adam's transgression" — challenging the idea that we literally sinned in Adam. Mike's view: we inherit sinful inclination (sin nature) but not personal guilt until we individually sin. Babies have no actual guilt.

Sin nature — inclination vs inherited guilt (Romans 5)

Mark 10:45 Mark 10:35-45 James and John request servant leadership servant leadership Mark 10:45

Mark Series pt 39: Mark 10:35-45. James and John ask for positions of authority in Jesus's kingdom. Jesus teaches that greatness in his kingdom = servanthood, the opposite of worldly leadership. This passage addresses pastoral abuse at its root: the false expectation that Christian leadership means authority rather than service.

Introduction — Mark 10:35-45 and pastoral abuse

Mark Series Genesis 22 (Isaac) Mark 1:8 Mark Series false messianic expectations Genesis 22 (Isaac)

Survey of Mark showing Jesus consistently correcting false messianic expectations: (1) Mark 1:8 — baptize with Holy Spirit, not raise armies. (2) Mark 1:11 — beloved Son (sacrifice imagery from Genesis 22). (3) Mark 1:15 — repent and believe, not take up arms. (4) Jesus's ministry: exorcisms and healings, not political conquest — the enemy is Satan, not Rome; the problem is sin, not occupation. (5) Jesus sends crowds away instead of rallying them for war. The whole Gospel of Mark is about fixing these expectations.

Survey of Mark — correcting messianic expectations

Mark 10:42-44 pastoral abuse CEO mentality in ministry Mark 10:42-44

Mark 10:42-45 — Jesus's leadership model: "You know that those recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them... but it is not this way among you." The greatest must be servant; the first must be slave of all. Pastoral abuse happens when leaders adopt CEO mentality — protecting their vision, reputation, and authority instead of serving. Signs: demanding allegiance to the leader rather than to Christ, silencing criticism, creating distance/hierarchy, using authority for personal benefit.

Pastoral abuse — CEO vs servant leadership

James and John request Acts 12 (James martyred) James and John request pastoral transformation Acts 12 (James martyred)

Hope for abusive pastors: the disciples who asked for thrones became the greatest servants in church history. James was the first apostle martyred; John served faithfully into old age. Jesus didn't disqualify them for their worldly ambitions — he corrected them and they changed. The same transformation is available today. But it requires: (1) honest self-examination, (2) willingness to be corrected, (3) choosing service over authority.

Hope for transformation — disciples changed

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 rapture rapture 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Mike affirms the rapture doctrine from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 as plain biblical teaching. The Greek harpazo ("caught up") → Latin rapturus → English "rapture." He's unsettled on pre/mid/post-trib timing but firmly believes in the event itself. Holds a futurist view of Revelation — future events not yet fulfilled.

Rapture — affirmed, timing unsettled

Mark 16:9-20 Mark 16:17-18 Acts 28 (Paul and viper) textual criticism textual criticism Mark 16:9-20

Mark 16:17-18 (signs accompanying believers) — Mike thinks the last 12 verses of Mark are likely not original (earliest manuscripts lack them). Even if original: (1) the signs may apply to SOME believers, not ALL; (2) picking up serpents refers to unintentional encounters (like Paul in Acts 28), not deliberate snake handling; (3) Jesus said "do not put the Lord your God to the test"; (4) if healing applies to all, every Christian should be in hospitals — but nobody does this, revealing inconsistency.

Mark 16:17-18 — signs and snake handling

Advice for a new missionary to Japan: (1) Don't go alone — attach yourself to other believers and protect those relationships; Satan will target them. (2) Long-term missions requires patience — it's years of investment, not quick results. (3) Your impact ripples through generations even if it feels small. The lives you change will change other lives for decades.

Missionary advice — Japan

long-term missions

1 Corinthians 11 head coverings 1 Corinthians 11 head coverings

Head coverings (1 Corinthians 11): Mike is inclined to say no but admits he can't fully justify that position yet. It's on his list for a 30-40 hour deep study with scholarly literature and commentaries. He's honest about the limits of his current understanding.

Head coverings — unsettled, needs more study

Hebrews 10 willful sin apostasy apostasy Hebrews 10 willful sin

Deliberate sin and condemnation (Hebrews 10): (1) The NT provides forgiveness for sins the OT law couldn't cover — Jesus is better than the law. (2) Hebrews' "willful sin" passage is about apostasy (rejecting Christ entirely), not individual acts of deliberate sin. The context of Hebrews 10 is about abandoning the faith, not occasional moral failures.

Deliberate sin — Hebrews 10 is about apostasy

Romans 14 Romans 14 Romans 14 Romans 14 entertainment ethics

Biblical view of entertainment: Laughter is good (Proverbs: laughter is medicine) but like sex, it's context-dependent. Entertainment that softens our attitude toward sin, mocks God, or turns holy things into jokes causes spiritual harm. Each Christian must develop personal convictions (Romans 14) rather than imposing them on others. The test: is your walk with God sustained while enjoying this entertainment?

Entertainment — biblical principles

necromancy necromancy contacting the dead

Feeling the presence of a dead loved one: concerning because it may lead to attempting to contact the dead, which the OT consistently condemns. If you're contacting any spirit, it's not the deceased — you're opening yourself to whatever spirit wants to respond. Encourage the person to cherish memories but not pursue spiritual contact. The practice of praying to the dead entered church history through the Eastern church's interaction with pagan culture.

Contacting the dead — biblically condemned

gender dysphoria transgender identity

Gender dysphoria: (1) it's a false belief about identity that shouldn't be fed by dressing as the opposite sex — that reinforces the delusion. (2) Our culture causes harm by affirming transgender identity instead of helping people overcome dysphoria. (3) Presenting as the opposite sex perpetrates a deception on others. (4) Overcoming it involves embracing God-given identity and challenging extreme/stereotypical views of masculinity and femininity.

Gender dysphoria — biblical response

Matthew 25:1-13 Matthew 25:1-13 Parable of Ten Virgins nominal Christianity

Parable of the 10 Virgins (Matthew 25): about persevering in genuine devotion to Christ's coming kingdom. The foolish virgins expected the bridegroom but weren't truly prepared — Christians in name only, not in genuineness. Oil likely represents the Holy Spirit (connected to oil symbolism in Zechariah) and genuine relationship with Christ. You can't borrow someone else's faith. The warning: don't be a nominal Christian coasting on a past experience.

Parable of 10 Virgins — genuine vs nominal faith

John 5:46 John 6:44 Calvinism Calvinism John 5:46

John 6:44 ("No one can come to me unless the Father draws him") — Mike's non-Calvinist interpretation: the "drawing" is God's OT revelation through the prophets. Jesus came to the Jews who had already been receiving God's word. Those who responded to the Father's prior revelation naturally accept Jesus; those who rejected it naturally reject Jesus. John 5: "if you believed Moses, you'd believe me, for he wrote about me." This is about Jews rejecting their own Messiah, not about irresistible grace or total depravity.

John 6:44 — non-Calvinist interpretation

1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 14 tongues speaking in tongues 1 Corinthians 13:1 speaking in tongues

Are tongues overrated? Yes, in many circles. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1: tongues without love = noisy gong. 1 Corinthians 14: tongues should be limited in gatherings, require interpretation, and if an unbeliever enters they'll think you're crazy. Paul explicitly says prophecy is BETTER than tongues because it edifies the whole church. Tongues as a status symbol or proof of salvation is completely unbiblical.

Tongues overrated — 1 Corinthians 13-14

2 Corinthians 5:17 born again 2 Corinthians 5:17 born again

Can bad people go to heaven and ruin it? Reconciled by regeneration: everyone who believes in Christ receives a new nature. Even hypothetically, if Hitler truly repented on his deathbed, he'd be a new creation in heaven — hating his old ways, transformed by the Holy Spirit. Heaven is populated by transformed people, not merely forgiven ones.

Bad people in heaven — regeneration transforms

Mark 11:1-11 Mark series Triumphal Entry Mark 11:1-11 irony in Scripture

The Triumphal Entry is better understood as the "Ironic Entry" — the central contrast is between the crowd's expectations of a political liberator and Jesus' actual mission of humble sacrifice.

Introduction to Mark 11:1-11 verse-by-verse study

Mark 11:1 Mark 11:1 geography of Jerusalem Mount of Olives

The geography of Bethphage, Bethany, and the Mount of Olives sets the stage for a ceremonial ascent to Jerusalem — cresting the mount gives the first view of the city and temple.

Verse-by-verse study of Mark 11:1

Mark 11:2-6 Luke 19:33 prosperity gospel prosperity gospel Mark 11:2-6

Jesus was not rich — the donkey episode refutes prosperity gospel claims. Luke 19:33 identifies the owners as bystanders, not Jesus. Judas's treasury was for basic needs and the poor, not personal wealth.

Analysis of why Mark spends 5 verses on the colt (Mark 11:2-6)

Mark 11:2-6 Mark 11:2-6 donkey symbolism

The colt arrangement was likely a pre-arranged passphrase, not supernatural knowledge — Jesus had extensive prior contact in Bethany and could have sent someone ahead to arrange it.

Analysis of the "password" phrase in Mark 11:2-6