Search — Theology Explorer

1 Corinthians 6:19 prayer temple indwelling Holy Spirit

Believers as the temple — the astonishing access to God available through Christ

Continuation of Q7; reflection on prayer and access to God

1 Corinthians 7 Matthew 19 1 Corinthians 7 marriage singleness

Q9: Is it sinful to not want to marry? Singleness is a gift, not inferior to marriage

Response to viewer asking about call to singleness

1 Corinthians 7 1 Corinthians 7 singleness free will

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

Continuing Q9 on singleness

1 Corinthians 11 John 14:6 John 1:1-14 hermeneutics Craig Blomberg Douglas Moo

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

Continuing Q14 on Bible interpretation and despair

1 Corinthians 11:10 Ephesians 5:22-25 headship submission marriage

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 7:3-5 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 marriage one flesh

Sexual deprivation of a spouse is a sin — each spouse's body belongs to the other in marriage

Question from Talk to Me TV about lack of sexual desire toward a spouse who has gained weight and is seeking more intimacy

1 Corinthians 7:3-5 Paul 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 conjugal rights

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

self-sacrifice marriage love

Love in marriage means giving yourself to your spouse regardless of desire — selfless love, not feeling-dependent love

Practical application of 1 Corinthians 7 to the questioner's situation

2 Corinthians 2 baptism grace re-baptism

Re-baptism is not prescribed in Scripture but can be appropriate when the original baptism lacked genuine understanding

Question from Andrew Green about whether re-baptisms are biblical

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Spiritual gifts cannot be taught or transferred — they are given by the Spirit as he wills

Question from Ad Chan about whether spiritual gifts can be taught.

1 Corinthians 12 Spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12 Holy Spirit sovereignty

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Though gifts cannot be taught, believers can grow in their expression and use of already-given gifts

Nuanced development of the spiritual gifts question.

1 Corinthians 14 2 Timothy 1:6 1 Corinthians 14 Elijah Spiritual gifts

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Matthew 25:14-30 (Parable of Talents) and 1 Corinthians 3:12 are distinct analogies and should not be conflated

Question from Eelo Minish about whether the "bags of silver" in Matthew 25 are the same as the gold/silver/wood in 1 Corinthians 3:12.

Matthew 25:14-30 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Matthew 25:14-30 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 Parable of Talents

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15) -- ungodly ambition, desire for worldly approval, and yielding to wickedness

Question from Mark H about the leaven of Herod in Mark 8:15, and why it is named separately from the leaven of the Pharisees.

Mark 8:15 1 Corinthians 5:8 Herod Mark 8:15 1 Corinthians 5:8

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

1 Corinthians 10:13 -- No temptation is beyond your ability; sinning is a choice, not compulsion; God provides a way of escape

Question from Bob Satellite who says he cannot stop sinning and feels his heart is too cold to change.

1 Corinthians 10:13 sanctification temptation sin

Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

Mike articulates a Sola Scriptura position by arguing from Galatians 1 that the Apostles themselves placed their written gospel above any future authority — including apostles or angels — making all church fathers mere commentators with no binding theological authority.

Response to viewer question about the authority of early church fathers

1 Corinthians Galatians 1 Galatians 1:6-10 biblical authority Paul 1 Corinthians

Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

Mike gives an extended reading and defense of 1 Corinthians 11 on head coverings, arguing the text is about role differentiation within a framework of equal personal value, not about female inferiority, and that charging God with sexism reflects moral overreach toward the Creator.

Response to viewer asking about 1 Corinthians 11 and the charge that the Bible is sexist

1 Corinthians 11 Galatians 3:28 Ephesians 5 headship head coverings Trinity

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

1 Corinthians 10:20 — behind idols are demons: demons impersonate gods but do not possess the actual powers attributed to those gods.

Follow-up on the Exodus 12:12 question — are there actual spiritual entities behind the Egyptian gods?

1 Corinthians 10:20 Idolatry Ra 1 Corinthians 10:20

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Church discipline for a professed believer in a gay marriage: the local body should practice separation/excommunication; individual relationship may continue with pastoral intent.

Question from JTro Man about what biblical separation looks like with a professed believer in a gay marriage.

1 Corinthians 5 1 Corinthians 5 Lifestyle sin Church discipline

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Belief in Christ's resurrection transforms the believer's relationship to death — to die is to pass into God's presence

Mike continues his counsel on fear of death, drawing on the resurrection and Paul's teaching.

2 Corinthians 5:8 John 11 Paul the Apostle resurrection 2 Corinthians 5:8

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q14: Is the authority Jesus gave the 12 and 70 disciples different from spiritual gifts? Mike distinguishes pre-Pentecost authority from post-Pentecost Spirit-enabled gifts

Viewer Silas Bourner asks whether the authority Jesus granted the Twelve and Seventy to heal and cast out demons is different from spiritual gifts.

1 Corinthians 12 Luke 10 Pentecost spiritual gifts charismatic movement

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q20: Do we need to feel bad for sin when we repent, or is knowing it is wrong enough? Feeling is healthy but not required — emotions are the caboose of the train

Viewer Joel Larson asks whether genuine repentance requires feeling bad about sin, noting his ex-girlfriend does not feel bad about their shared sexual sin.

2 Corinthians 4 repentance sanctification Paul the Apostle

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

Deuteronomy 32:16-17 — OT sacrifices to idols are sacrifices to demons

OT theological foundation for demonic reality: those who sacrifice to idols actually sacrifice to demons.

Deuteronomy 32:16-17 idolatry Deuteronomy 32:16-17 demons behind idols

Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

1 Corinthians 10:13 — God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able

The key biblical principle that preserves human responsibility even in disability: no temptation is irresistible.

1 Corinthians 10:13 personal responsibility temptation sin

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

Baptism of the Holy Spirit as a post-salvation experience with mandatory tongues is not supported by Scripture; authentic gifts are preferred over formulaic fake ones.

Question from Lauren Breon about whether the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a separate experience with prayer language is scriptural.

1 Corinthians 12 Cessationism Baptism of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 12

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Fate of the devil: destruction, lake of fire, and whether Satan is annihilated

New Testament Theologist cited Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14, and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 to ask about the ultimate fate of Satan.

Romans 16:20 Hebrews 2:14 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 millennium eschatology Satan

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4): prioritizing doctrine over teachers

Chip Ludick asked why Paul warned the Corinthians about "another Jesus" in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and how it applies today in light of John 17:3.

Galatians 1:8-9 2 Corinthians 11:4 Jude 3 sola scriptura Galatians 1:8-9 Kenneth Copeland

Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Ghosts, the witch of Endor, and demonic impersonation of the dead

Lindsay Kelso asked whether the Bible supports ghosts, and whether those who claim to see them are actually encountering demons.

1 Samuel 28 Leviticus 19:31 Deuteronomy 18:11 Samuel Catholicism afterlife

Proverbs 8 1 Corinthians 1 typology Holy Spirit Christology

Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 — typological connection to Christ, not the Holy Spirit

Steven Rivers asks whether Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 could be the Holy Spirit and whether Hebrew/Greek pronouns clarify the gender.

Luke 23:43 1 Peter 3:19 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 intermediate state Luke 23:43 Hades

Paradise in Paul's vision, the thief on the cross, and Lazarus — same place?

David's Kinion Memoirs asks whether paradise in Paul's third-heaven vision, Jesus's promise to the thief, and the Lazarus/Abraham account are the same place.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Proverbs 16:5 repentance pride grace

Covert narcissism and Proverbs 16:5 — misunderstanding grace; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Giant Mushroom Tree is being diagnosed with covert narcissistic personality disorder and fears Proverbs 16:5 means they are unsavable.

1 Corinthians 10:13 Psalm 34:18 Psalm 51:17 repentance sanctification 1 Corinthians 10:13

Hardened heart and repentance — how to break callousness and return to closeness with God

Final question: someone says their heart has become hard through continued rebellion, they no longer feel sorry, and they miss living close to Christ.

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Western churches may not give adequate attention to caring for the poor

Discussing the almsgiving interpretation of Luke 16:9

Galatians 2:10 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 early church care for the poor church responsibility

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Satan is not omniscient; he did not know God's plan of salvation and that is why he crucified Christ

Responding to whether the hidden mystery of salvation implies Satan's omniscience since Jesus had to rebuke Peter

1 Corinthians 2:8 Mark 1:24 Matthew 16:23 omniscience Satan crucifixion

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

2 Corinthians 5:21 — Jesus became sin through imputation, not by sinning; understood through a Protestant doctrine of justification.

Question from "Stranger in Moscow": how can Jesus become sin if he knew no sin?

2 Corinthians 5:21 atonement imputed righteousness justification

Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Ephesians 5:5 — "impure" (akathartos) refers to moral impurity; the passage warns that a lifestyle of immorality, impurity, or covetousness calls salvation into question.

Nero Manser asks what Paul means by "impure" in Ephesians 5:5.

1 Corinthians Ephesians 5:5 BDAG lexicon 1 Corinthians assurance of salvation

2 Corinthians 4:8 Rest in God Christian peace Suffering / trials

Resting in God does not mean absence of anguish — the "bedrock" model of Christian peace

Question from Faith Marie about resting in God's presence and staying connected throughout the day.

1 Corinthians 15:22 Matthew 25:46 Romans 5:18 1 Corinthians 15:22 Matthew 25:46 Romans 5:18

Universal salvation vs. conditional salvation: Romans 5:18, 1 Corinthians 15:22, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Matthew 25:46

Question from New Testament Theologist about squaring universalist-sounding texts with texts affirming eternal punishment.

Galatians 5 John 8:36 2 Corinthians 13:5 Fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5 Sanctification

Can someone be justified without being sanctified? Can habitual sin coexist with salvation?

Question from Kate Channel about justification, sanctification, and habitual sin.

1 Corinthians 15 1 Corinthians 15 Apologetics Burden of proof

The Mandela Effect cannot explain the disciples' confidence in the resurrection

Hypothetical question from Ethan Hawking about whether the Mandela Effect could account for disciples' resurrection belief.

1 Corinthians 15 Revelation 20 1 Corinthians 15 Revelation 20 Bodily resurrection

Do unbelievers receive resurrected physical bodies at the final judgment?

Question about whether those who reject Christ also receive physical bodies at the resurrection.