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All (9098) Scripture Commentary (4737) Theology (229) Mike Winger (4093) Pulpit (39)
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Announcement: upcoming deep-dive study on women's roles and gender in the church

2021 ministry plans

women in ministry complementarianism egalitarianism
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

BibleThinker.org website improvements: searchable timestamp database

Website and ministry infrastructure plans for 2021

BibleThinker ministry open theism
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Ecclesiastes as internal critique of atheist/godless worldview, not normative theology

Explaining why Ecclesiastes 9:5 ("the dead know nothing") does not define the dead's actual state

Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes 9:5 hermeneutics atheism biblical interpretation
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Typological reading of Cain/Abel: works vs. faith — valid typology but not the cause of rejection

Analysis of Cain's offering rejection

Genesis 4 Hebrews 11:4 typology works-righteousness Genesis 4
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q5: Do Christians sin every second? Distinguishing temptation from sin

Response to question about frequency of sin in the Christian life

James 1:14-15 sanctification sin temptation
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q6 (wrong week): Advice for someone leaving a cult (JW) and finding a church; overcoming spiritual abuse

Response to question about choosing a church after leaving JW (note: Mike realized partway through this was from a previous week's questions)

spiritual authority Jehovah's Witnesses baptism
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Love does not require approval of behavior — Jesus dying for sin, not approving sin

Continuing Q8 on engaging gay friend

atonement love sin
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Gift of singleness: a choice, not only a sovereign assignment

Continuing Q9 on singleness

1 Corinthians 7 1 Corinthians 7 singleness free will
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q10: Dangers of treating positivity/negativity as moral categories — New Age/New Thought origins

Response to question about "happy church" culture where positivity = moral good

Philippians 4:8 Brian Simmons prosperity gospel Philippians 4:8
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Blanket positivity thinking leads to rejection of God's judgment and Jesus' exclusivity

Continuing Q10 on positivity as moral category

exclusivity of Christ New Age positive thinking
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q12: Fear of studying theology — not studying is not safer; intellectual humility in study

Response to viewer afraid of making mistakes when studying eschatology

hermeneutics eschatology epistemology
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Eschatology as the field most prone to overconfident errors; lessons from misapplied messianic expectation

Continuing Q12 on fear of theological error

Matthew 24 hermeneutics eschatology second coming
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q13: Anxiety about salvation and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit — prayer and resource recommendation

Response to viewer ("Spazzy Jazzy") anxious about salvation and blasphemy of Holy Spirit

Hebrews 12:2 Holy Spirit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit anxiety
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Many ways to interpret the Bible — but the most important truths are plainly clear

Continuing Q14 on Bible interpretation and despair

1 Corinthians 11 John 14:6 John 1:1-14 hermeneutics Craig Blomberg Douglas Moo
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

God's hardening of hearts: temporary, judgment-related, not arbitrary — non-Calvinist reading

Continuing Q15 — part about those God hardens, blasphemers, and people in hell

Romans 9 Exodus 4-14 Calvinism free will Romans 9
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Does God love those who go to hell? Yes — but love stopped by rejection; holiness demands judgment

Continuing Q15 — part about God's love for the damned

Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 Matthew 23:37 judgment God's love Luke 23:34
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q16: Bart Ehrman's claim that John 3 "born again" wordplay couldn't have occurred in Aramaic — Jesus spoke Greek

Response to viewer citing Bart Ehrman's argument about John 3 and language

John 3:3-8 Peter Williams Bart Ehrman Nicodemus
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

The garter toss as an inappropriate sexualization of the bride — cultural critique

Continuing Q17 on Christian wedding practices

marriage cultural critique sexual ethics
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q18: Did the apostles teach imminence of Christ's return? Balancing readiness with long-term planning

Response to question on the doctrine of imminence in eschatology

2 Peter 3:9 Matthew 24:36 1 Thessalonians 4-5 Peter eschatology second coming
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q19: 1 Corinthians 11:10 and Ephesians 5:23 — no biblical grounds for a husband disciplining his wife

Response to question about whether husbands have authority to discipline wives based on headship texts

1 Corinthians 11:10 Ephesians 5:22-25 headship submission marriage
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Ephesians 5: husband's model is Christ dying for the church on earth, not Christ ruling as Lord in heaven

Continuing Q19 on husband-wife authority

Ephesians 5:25 hermeneutics headship servant leadership
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q20: Is hell a literal place of fire and gnashing of teeth, or metaphorical? Open question, research project planned

Response to question about the nature of hell

Matthew 25:41 Revelation 20:10 metaphor eschatology fire
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Bonus Q: Children's books on evolution — recommendations for teaching children multiple worldviews

Response to parent who received evolution children's books as Christmas gifts

Natasha Crain apologetics worldview
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

God is good and His promises remain — our eternal kingdom is incorruptible and preserved in Christ

Opening encouragement at the start of the Q&A, framed against social and political polarization in early 2021

Christian worldview kingdom of God eternal security
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Christians risk confusing Christ's kingdom with contemporary political events, as did the first disciples

Transition from opening encouragement into a warning about political entrenchment

discipleship kingdom of God Christian political engagement
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

When reading Scripture, consult a second translation when you genuinely do not understand a passage

First question / tip of the stream: when to reference secondary Bible translations

Bible translation Bible study methods New Living Translation
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Consult additional translations when your interpretation hangs on the nuance of a specific wording

Second tip on when to consult secondary Bible translations; practical advice for teachers

hermeneutics Bible translation Blue Letter Bible
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Political disagreement should not fracture Christian fellowship; the kingdom of Christ is not of this world

Question from Mariano Rogers about reaching a fellow believer deceived by mainstream media regarding conservative politics

John 18:36 Christian fellowship kingdom of God Christian political engagement
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Christians should not use political grievances as justification for storming government or causing violence

Closing thought on political question, referencing the January 6, 2021 Capitol events contextually

John 18:36 Peter kingdom of God Christian political engagement
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Psalm 37:4 is misused in Word of Faith teaching as a blank-check promise to receive material desires

Question from Lungil Zandi about how to read Psalm 37:4 without falling into a Word of Faith trap

Psalm 37:4 hermeneutics prosperity gospel covetousness
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Psalm 37 in context is an encouragement to the righteous who are NOT experiencing abundance, not a promise of material wealth

Contextual reading of Psalm 37 to correct the Word of Faith misuse

Psalm 37 contextual interpretation eschatology prosperity gospel
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Psalm 37 presents future divine justice as the basis for present contentment amid the prosperity of the wicked

Continuing contextual walk through Psalm 37

Psalm 37 Matthew 5:5 anxiety divine justice Psalm 37
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Prosperity preaching flips Psalm 37 upside down — the psalm encourages those with little, not those seeking more

Conclusion of the Psalm 37 discussion

Psalm 37:16 Psalm 37:21 prosperity gospel Word of Faith contentment
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Rahab's deception of those seeking the spies is commended in Hebrews 11, suggesting not all deception is sinful

Biblical case study on deception and the ethics of intelligence work

Hebrews 11:31 Joshua 2 faith Rahab Christian ethics
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Moral limits apply in every job; a Christian working in intelligence may face a moment requiring resignation

Concluding thought on Christians in intelligence work

vocation Christian ethics moral accountability
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

1 Corinthians 7:3-5 establishes mutual bodily authority in marriage and implicitly rules out polygamy

Reading and exposition of 1 Corinthians 7 on conjugal rights

1 Corinthians 7:3-5 Paul 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 conjugal rights
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Lust toward others outside marriage diminishes desire for your spouse — exclusivity of sexual attention is essential

Second issue addressed in the marriage/intimacy question — possible causes of diminished desire

marriage lust pornography
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Desire is nice but not required for loving action in marriage

Closing thought on the marriage/intimacy question

marriage love covenant
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

A prayer opening Congress in the name of the Hindu god Brahma is blasphemy — but the appropriate Christian response is not rebellion

Question from Gorilla Christianity about a US Congress session opened in the name of Brahma

idolatry government early church
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Government paganism does not nullify Christian obligation to submit to civil authority

Continuing response to the Congress prayer question

John 18:36 Christian political engagement John 18:36 civil government
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

The feeling of "not being there yet" in Christian growth is healthy when it motivates pressing on rather than giving up

Question from Derry Draws about how to grow spiritually when the fire feels gone

Philippians 3:13-14 calling Paul discouragement
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

The canonicity of Jude is not threatened by its quotation of extra-biblical sources like Enoch and the Testament of Moses

Question from Trumdial about whether Jude's citations of Enoch and Testament of Moses indicate it is a Gnostic forgery

Jude Gnosticism canon Jude
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Enoch is actually multiple composite works; early Jewish tradition rejected its canonical status

Continued discussion of the Book of Enoch in relation to Jude

Jude canon Jude Book of Enoch
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Those who lived before Christ or never heard the gospel can still be saved — through faith in the true God, ultimately through Christ

Question from Telly Kaler about how people who lived before Jesus will be judged

Abraham salvation universalism
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Prayer to Mary and the glorification of Mary in the rosary are the primary theological problems for an ex-Catholic

Question from Calm 23 — an ex-Catholic still doing the daily rosary, seeking a replacement devotional

Mary prayer Catholicism
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Jesus warns against vain repetition in prayer — praying a formula many times over can become "heaping up empty phrases"

Exposition of Matthew 6:5-13 in response to the rosary question

Matthew 6:7 Matthew 6:9-13 prayer vain repetition Matthew 6:7
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

The Lord's Prayer is an excellent structured guide for prayer when used as a launch pad, not as a rote formula to repeat

Positive application of the Lord's Prayer and recommendation for daily devotional practice

prayer Bible study methods Lord's Prayer
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Mike's view of sin nature: we are not guilty at birth, but our nature is bent toward temptation — distinct from Augustine's inherited guilt

Brief clarification on sin nature theology within the Hebrews 2:17 discussion

original sin infant salvation sin nature
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

John 16:13 has primary application to the apostles; broadly applying it to all Christians sets the bar for Spirit-guidance too low

Question from Rocketman Sean about the extent to which John 16:13 applies to Christians today

John 16:13 apostles Holy Spirit prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

A rearview mirror test for Spirit-led claims: look back at past "God told me" moments and evaluate their accuracy

Practical tool for evaluating claims of Spirit guidance

Holy Spirit discernment false prophecy
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