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Deuteronomy 18 Isaiah 41:21-24 Deuteronomy 18 divine inspiration predictive prophecy

Predictive prophecy as criterion for divine inspiration

Jonathan McLatchie explains how the Bible itself uses predictive prophecy as a criterion for identifying divine inspiration.

divine inspiration Jonathan McLatchie unity of Scripture

Unity of the Bible as a second argument for divine inspiration

Mike Winger introduces the unity of Scripture as a distinct argument from prophecy for divine inspiration.

Hosea 11:1 Proverbs 30:1-4 Hosea 11:1 divine sonship Jonathan McLatchie

Proverbs 30:1-4 — God and his Son in the Hebrew Bible

McLatchie highlights Proverbs 30:1-4 as an often-overlooked text implying the divine sonship within the Hebrew Scriptures.

Islam divine inspiration Quran

Why unity argument doesn't work for Islam — Quran vs. Bible authorship

Cameron Bertuzzi's question: if unity of Scripture argues for divine inspiration, why doesn't it work for the Quran?

deity of Christ Jonathan McLatchie pagan deity parallels

Objection: Jesus's deity borrowed from pagan deities — and response

Addressing the popular online claim that the deity of Jesus was borrowed from pagan mythologies.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 10: Cornelius is introduced -- the first non-proselyte Gentile to receive the gospel. He is a God-fearer but not circumcised and not under the law.

Survey of Acts chapter 10, Cornelius

Acts 10:1-2 Craig Keener Cornelius Josephus

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 13:42-46 -- Paul invited back next Sabbath; nearly the whole city comes; jealous Jews contradict him; Paul and Barnabas declare they are turning to the Gentiles

Survey of Acts 13:42-46, rejection by Jews and turn to Gentiles

Acts 13:42-46 Barnabas Paul the Apostle Gentile mission

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Q&A: strategy for reaching those deeply in Hebrew Roots movement -- speak truth in love, handle one issue at a time, use Acts 13-15 in Bible study format

Q&A response about evangelizing Hebrew Roots adherents

Acts 15 Acts 13 Acts 15 Hebrew Roots movement apologetics

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-13

Anderson is King James Only — his church's statement of faith lists KJV without error as first article

Other theological problems with Anderson beyond homosexuality teaching

textual criticism Bible translation Steven Anderson

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Bart Ehrman's statement: mythicist view has no foothold among modern critical scholars

Quoting agnostic/atheist scholar to demonstrate non-Christian scholarly consensus

scholarly consensus Bart Ehrman Jesus mythicism

1 Corinthians 13:10 James 1:23-25 cessationism canon of Scripture to teleion

Cessationist Interpretation 1: "the perfect" (to teleion) = the completed Bible, supported by a mirror/perfect-law parallel in James 1:23-25.

First of two cessationist readings. Proponents cite the shared vocabulary of "mirror" and "perfect" (teleios) between 1 Cor 13 and James 1 to argue the perfect thing is Scripture.

1 Corinthians 13:12 James 1:4 James 1:17 cessationism face to face with God 1 Corinthians 13:12

Rebuttal of Interpretation 1: teleios is a broad word with many non-Scripture referents, and the mirror image in James functions differently than in 1 Cor 13.

Winger raises two problems with equating "the perfect" with the completed Bible.

1 Corinthians 13:8-12 cessationism canon of Scripture to teleion

Cessationist Interpretation 2 (Masters Seminary): prophecy and knowledge = inscripturated revelation; massive time gap between vv. 11 and 12; "the perfect" = the church brought to maturity by the Bible.

Summary of the three key concepts in the Masters Seminary article that underpin its cessationist reading of 1 Cor 13.

1 Corinthians 13:8-12 cessationism to teleion exegesis

Rebuttal of the massive time-gap claim: the verse-by-verse flow of 1 Cor 13:8-12 is continuous; no gap is linguistically justified.

Second major objection. Winger argues the narrative logic of the passage runs uninterrupted from v. 8 through v. 12.

1 Corinthians 15 cessationism 1 Corinthians 15 eschatology

1 Corinthians 15 confirms: "the perfect" is the resurrection state — imperishable bodies, the last trumpet, being changed — not the completion of the Bible.

Winger appeals to 1 Cor 15 (same letter, shortly after ch. 13) as the definitive referent for "when the perfect comes."

1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 12-14 cessationism continuationism

The cure for hyper-charismatic abuse is not cessationism but the biblical regulative norms already given in 1 Cor 12-14 for how gifts function in the church.

Winger resists the reactionary move of becoming cessationist in response to charismatic excess.

Isaiah 45:7 Isaiah 45:7 Did God Create Evil moral evil

Introduction: Isaiah 45:7 quoted as evidence God created moral evil

Opening setup of the livestream topic

Isaiah 45:7 Isaiah 45:7 biblical interpretation methodology Hebrew exegesis

Study plan: Hebrew word analysis, context, origin of evil, and other questions

Mike outlines the teaching structure for the session

Isaiah 45:7 semantic range Isaiah 45:7 ra

Hebrew word ra — range of meaning includes calamity, distress, harm, not only moral evil

Mike examines the Hebrew word translated "evil" in Isaiah 45:7 using multiple lexicons

Isaiah 45:7 Jeremiah 39:12 Amos 6:3 Isaiah 45:7 ra calamity vs moral evil

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: ra in Isaiah 45:7 denotes calamity, not moral evil

Additional lexical support from TWOT

Isaiah 45:7 contextual interpretation Isaiah 45:7 ra

Contextual argument: peace (shalom) vs. calamity is the correct contrast, not peace vs. moral evil

Mike moves from lexical analysis to contextual/structural analysis of the verse

Isaiah 45 divine sovereignty Isaiah 45 Cyrus the Great

Historical context: Isaiah 45 is addressed to Cyrus, a pagan king — God asserting universal sovereignty

Mike examines the literary and historical setting of Isaiah 45

Isaiah 41:23 Lamentations 3:38-39 divine judgment ra calamity vs moral evil

Isaiah 41:23 and Lamentations 3:38-39 corroborate that God bringing evil/bad = calamity, not moral evil

Supporting passages examined to reinforce the interpretation of Isaiah 45:7

Job 2:10 moral evil ra calamity vs moral evil

Job 2:10 confirms ra as calamity: Job receiving evil = loss of children, livestock, health

Job passage used as a concrete example of ra meaning bad circumstances, not moral evil

Modern translations render ra in Isaiah 45:7 as calamity/disaster, not evil — English has shifted

Mike explains why the KJV uses "evil" and why modern translations differ

Isaiah 45:7 ESV NASB NIV

Greg Koukl moral evil evil as privation

Evil is not a created substance — analogy of donut hole and shadow

Mike transitions to the broader philosophical question: where did evil come from?

free will evil as privation origin of evil

Good derives from God's nature; evil is the contrast to God's goodness, requiring permission not creation

Positive account of where good and evil come from

Satan free will moral evil

Moral evil as the result of free will; natural evil as a separate category

Mike distinguishes two major categories of evil

Job John 9:1-3 spiritual warfare Job problem of evil

Three biblical causes of natural evil: divine judgment, spiritual warfare, and the greater good

Mike surveys biblical reasons for calamitous suffering

Christian response to suffering: trust God's sovereign goodness despite not knowing the outcome

Pastoral application regarding suffering and theodicy

theodicy suffering faith

Euthyphro dilemma Socrates Euthyphro

Euthyphro dilemma introduced: is something good because God wills it, or does God will it because it's good?

Mike introduces a classical philosophical challenge to theistic ethics

nature of God divine goodness Euthyphro dilemma

Resolution: Euthyphro dilemma is a false dilemma — third option is that God IS the good

Mike provides the Christian response to the Euthyphro dilemma

Plato polytheism nature of God

Euthyphro dilemma fails for the Christian God but was valid against finite pagan gods

Historical-philosophical context explaining why the dilemma persisted

theodicy free will evil as privation

Summary conclusion: God is source of goodness; evil is real by contrast but need not be created; God allows and will solve evil

Mike wraps up the theological teaching before Q&A

1 John 5:16-17 repentance apostasy 1 John 5:16-17

Q&A: Sin unto death in 1 John 5 — physical death (unrepentant sin) or spiritual death (apostasy)

Audience question about 1 John 5:16-17

Q&A: If God gave us a wicked heart, can we blame him? — Shaking fist at God is foolish

Audience question on whether God bears responsibility for human sinfulness

salvation sin free will

Genesis Genesis free will human nature

Q&A: Were Adam and Eve created perfect? Free will is not an imperfection; sin through free will is

Audience question about the nature of Adam and Eve's creation

Proverbs Job Proverbs 16:33 Proverbs free will Job

Q&A: Proverbs 16:33 and divine sovereignty — layered sovereignty model, not hard determinism

Audience question about whether God meticulously controls all things

hermeneutics Strong's Concordance Blue Letter Bible

Q&A: How to responsibly use Hebrew and Greek resources without knowing the languages

Practical advice for laypeople on lexical Bible study

creation free will evil as privation

Q&A: If God had not created anything, would evil exist? — No, because evil requires free creatures

Audience question about counterfactual non-creation