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All (129) Scripture Commentary (25) Theology (1) Mike Winger (103)
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

John Owen's trilemma answered: extent and application are distinct; the trilemma conflates them

Mike's direct rebuttal to John Owen's trilemma / false dilemma.

John Owen faith universalism unlimited atonement
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Owen's trilemma implies the elect were forgiven before they believed — which Ephesians 2 contradicts

Secondary refutation of the trilemma from Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:1-3 faith limited atonement trilemma
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Christ's work is not applied until belief; payment and application are two distinct moments

Positive resolution to the double payment problem.

faith imputation unlimited atonement
Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

The real Watchtower error: denying the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, not just the shape of the cross

Winger argues that the cross-shape dispute, while useful in exposing Watchtower unreliability, is secondary to the far more serious Watchtower error: they deny that Jesus's death on the cross was sufficient to pay for sin.

Ephesians 2:8-9 John 19:30 justification by faith atonement Ephesians 2:8-9
Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Conclusion: Jesus is the only way because he alone paid the full price for sin; Christianity makes real sense of human suffering

Final summary and invitation

Holy Spirit atonement grace
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Q&A: Baptism represents the remission of sins; it does not save — people are saved before being baptized in Scripture

A final Q&A question asks why we get baptized and whether it is for remission of sins.

Cornelius salvation baptism
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

Unbiblical divorce followed by the ex-spouse's remarriage: the innocent party is free to remarry, but must do heart work first

Question from Carmen about whether someone who initiated an unbiblical divorce is free to remarry after the ex-spouse has already remarried (making reconciliation impossible).

marriage sanctification forgiveness
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Isaiah 53:5 interpretation — "by his stripes we are healed" in context

Question from Cindy Johanneson about Word of Faith use of Isaiah 53:5 to support divine health and the claim believers should never be sick.

Isaiah 53:5 hermeneutics healing Word of Faith
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

1 Peter 2:24 quotes Isaiah 53:5 in a spiritual/relational healing context, not physical

Continuing the Isaiah 53:5 / healing-in-the-atonement discussion.

Isaiah 53:5 1 Peter 2:24 healing sin atonement
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Old Testament sacrifices seasoned with salt — salt as covenant symbol and godly character

Question from Molly Thompson about the spiritual/messianic meaning of salting OT sacrifices.

Mark 9:49-50 Old Testament typology discipleship
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Having had an abortion: is it hypocritical to oppose it, have children afterward, or feel unworthy?

Question from "Faded Princess" about abortion, hypocrisy, and guilt.

Hebrews 4:16 Ephesians 1 sanctification hypocrisy abortion
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Matthew 6:14-15 — is forgiving others necessary for salvation, or evidence of it?

Question from David Ellington about whether failing to forgive others means losing salvation.

1 John Matthew 6:14-15 1 John salvation Lord's Prayer
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

How to overcome long-held bitterness — pray for the person consistently; blessing them changes your own heart

Final question from Lillian McDonald about stopping bitterness held for years.

Matthew 5:44 Luke 6:28 prayer sanctification forgiveness
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Freedom from the law through Christ — justified by faith, law's penalty absorbed by Jesus

Completing the Galatians 3 explanation

Galatians 3 justification by faith atonement imputed righteousness
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

1 Corinthians 3 — believers are judged at the Bema for their works (gold/silver/precious stones vs. wood/hay/straw), not for salvation

Question from Emily Bain about how forgiveness of sins relates to judgment day.

1 Corinthians 3 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 salvation judgment 1 Corinthians 3
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Luke 23:34 'Father forgive them' likely refers to delayed judgment / forgiveness offered, not full salvific pardon

Responding to Reid's question about whether unbelievers are forgiven to some degree, referencing Luke 23:34

Luke 23:34 2 Peter 3:9 Numbers typology cities of refuge high priest
Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Pluck out your eye (Matthew 5:29) vs. having an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)

A viewer asks how to reconcile the command to pluck out your eye with the promise of an advocate with the Father.

Matthew 5:29 1 John 2:1 repentance hyperbole sin
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

An over-sensitive conscience may result from equating every guilty feeling with sin; Romans 14 and Mike's dedicated video on conscience address calibrating the conscience rightly.

Question about having an overly sensitive conscience

Romans 14 Romans 14 conscience sanctification
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Ephesians 1-3 as the foundation for resting in total forgiveness; believers are holy and without blame before God in love (Ephesians 1:4) and have bold access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4).

Pastoral counsel on conscience and assurance of forgiveness

Ephesians 1-3 Hebrews 4 Ephesians 1:4 conscience grace forgiveness
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 2021-01-29

Romans 8:34 and 1 John 2:1-2 -- Christ's intercession is not ongoing pleading but his perpetual existence as our propitiation

Question from Sephora Ba about why Jesus still intercedes for the elect if they are already saved (Romans 8:34).

Romans 8:34 1 John 2:1-2 salvation eternal security propitiation
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Forgiveness vs. salvation: forgiveness is one component; salvation is the full package including adoption, the Spirit, and eternal life

Question from Olivia Heartland asking for clarification on the difference between forgiveness and salvation.

salvation forgiveness soteriology
Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

Mike shares his personal testimony: he came to faith at age 12 through the 10 Commandments convicting him of sin, then heard the gospel at a youth group he attended to get out of the house, believed immediately, and later pursued apologetics to verify his faith.

Response to viewer asking about Mike’s testimony

Holy Spirit apologetics gospel
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Who is a brother or sister in Christ? Core doctrines required: the identity and saving work of Jesus — his real existence, death, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins through faith.

Question from Rosie A. about the minimum beliefs required to consider someone a fellow Christian.

James 2 James 2 Christian essentials Salvation theology
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

John 20:23 — the authority to forgive or retain sins: the disciples are declaring what heaven has already determined, not independently granting forgiveness.

Question from Thomas Brownlee about interpreting John 20:23.

John 20:23 Apostolic authority John 20:23 Forgiveness of sins
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

2 Timothy 2:20-21 — Vessels of gold/silver vs. wood/clay for honorable/dishonorable use

Viewer asks whether 2 Tim 2:20-21 (self-cleansing to be an honorable vessel) refutes the Calvinist doctrine of total depravity, given it uses the same honorable/dishonorable language as Romans 9.

2 Timothy 2:20-21 sanctification 2 Timothy 2:20-21 vessels honorable dishonorable
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

How to find God: Christianity's goal is not emotional comfort but truth and relationship; reading and praying without trusting Christ is insufficient.

Question from an anonymous person (username 'it's me') who found comfort in the New Age but confusion in Christianity after 5 months of reading and prayer.

Assurance of salvation New Age spirituality Conversion and faith
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Two senses of righteousness: relational/situational versus standing before God

Bella asked how David can claim righteousness in Psalm 18:20-24 when Scripture says no one is righteous.

Psalm 18:20-24 Psalm 51 Romans 3 David justification by faith Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Forgiveness: will and emotions are separate; you can choose to forgive before your heart feels it

Responding to whether one can say words of forgiveness when the heart has not yet caught up

1 John 3:20 Christian living forgiveness walking by faith
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Self-hatred often functions as a mismanagement of guilt — projecting sin onto an "other self" to adopt victim mentality instead of genuine repentance.

Gabriel Martinez says he hates himself sometimes and asks how to love himself biblically.

Genesis 4 2 Samuel 13 (Amnon and Tamar) repentance pastoral counseling guilt
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-09

Hebrews 6:4-6 — apostasy, hardness of heart, and the possible national Israel interpretation

Question from A.D. Chan about whether Hebrews 6:4-6 applies to Judas and what "falling away" means for someone who has experienced the Spirit.

Romans 11 Hebrews 6:4-6 Romans 11 Judas Iscariot Repentance
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-09

Can we anger God to the point where he will never forgive us?

Question from Dominique Cohn about whether God's anger can make him permanently withhold forgiveness.

Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 God's wrath / anger
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

God's forgetting of sins means he will not bring them up again, not literal amnesia — Christians cannot claim sinlessness post-forgiveness

Q7 from Earl Grey: After forgiveness, sin is wiped clean — can a person claim to have never taken part in certain sins since the Lord remembers them no more?

1 John 1 sin divine omniscience forgiveness
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-12

Mandating church traditions as biblical commands is wrong; Proverbs 22:28 and Matthew 18:18 do not support it

Q8 from John Doe: A church mandates women wear dresses and men be clean-shaven using Proverbs 22:28 and Matthew 18:18 — is it biblical to mandate adherence to tradition?

Proverbs 22:28 Matthew 18:18 church authority spiritual abuse tradition vs Scripture
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Listener Kenneth asks how to explain the importance of baptism to a new Christian who has not yet been baptized.

Acts 2:38 Acts 8:36-38 Hebrews 5 Philip the Evangelist Ethiopian eunuch Acts 2:38
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-30

Modern (rabbinic) Judaism differs fundamentally from biblical Judaism; good works now replace the sacrificial system.

Question 9 from Meg Smiley about how Jews obtain forgiveness without the Temple.

Hebrews Romans 10:1-4 Hebrews works-righteousness Day of Atonement
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-12

Closing: Mike encourages viewers who are convinced to start seeking God, praying, and paying attention to Christ. He promotes Braxton Hunter's YouTube channel as a resource for apologetics.

Closing exhortation and promotion

evidence for God evidence for God Braxton Hunter
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-08

Good #3: Soul-building theodicy — suffering provides opportunities to develop character virtues (sacrifice, courage, compassion, forgiveness). Good #4: Robin Collins' connection-building theodicy — virtuous responses to evil create valuable relationships that grow infinitely over time.

Response to Q4 — soul-building and connection-building

theodicy theodicy soul-building theodicy
Mike Winger idea 2020-02-26

Mike's closing appeal: abortion is not a women's rights issue — it's a human rights issue. For those who've had abortions: Jesus died for sinners, not just people with minor issues. The cross offers full forgiveness. Don't hide from guilt; take it to the cross.

Closing — gospel appeal

abortion Incarnation and atonement
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-04

Q: Why can't we be forgiven after death? God's mercy is forever, but the question is whether you've received it through Christ. Hebrews: "it is appointed for man to die once, then judgment" — implies permanence of decisions upon death. No biblical reason to think post-mortem opportunities exist.

Q&A — forgiveness after death

Hebrews 9:27 Hebrews 9:27 forgiveness after death
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

The OT sacrificial system was a dress rehearsal for the cross. Israel given the law → failed repeatedly → sacrifices provided forgiveness and fellowship. Jesus fulfills this: lives a perfect life, dies sacrificially in our place (Matthew 26:28 — blood of the covenant poured out for forgiveness of sins), and rises from the dead as proof of victory and eternal life.

The cross — sacrifice and resurrection

Matthew 26:28 substitutionary atonement OT sacrificial system Matthew 26:28
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

John 3:16: "God so loved the world" means God loved the world IN THIS WAY — by giving his Son. Whoever believes should not perish but have eternal life. Hebrews 4:16: because of Jesus, we can now confidently approach God's throne to receive mercy and grace despite our sin.

God's love and access to grace

John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16 John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

Works come AFTER salvation, not before. Ephesians 2:8-10: saved by grace through faith, not of works — but created in Christ Jesus FOR good works. You don't earn forgiveness; you receive it and then good works flow from the new life. The danger: thinking you need to be a better person first.

Works after salvation — Ephesians 2:8-10

Ephesians 2:8-10 Luke 18:9-14 Ephesians 2:8-10 grace through faith Luke 18:9-14
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

What salvation produces: (1) Adoption as God's children (1 John 3:1); (2) Indwelling of the Holy Spirit — born again, new creation (Titus 3:5, 2 Cor 5:17); (3) Complete forgiveness of sins; (4) Eternal life — not ethereal existence but new heaven and new earth with perfect fellowship. Simple to receive, vast in scope.

Results of salvation — adoption, Spirit, eternal life

1 John 3:1 Titus 3:5 regeneration born again 1 John 3:1
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

Mike leads a salvation prayer: admitting sin, believing in Jesus's death and resurrection, confessing him as Lord, thanking God for forgiveness, asking to be filled with the Spirit to walk in new life. He emphasizes the prayer is a step of faith — salvation comes from the heart posture, not the words themselves.

Salvation prayer

repentance gospel presentation repentance
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-15

Forgiveness: two types. (1) Heart forgiveness — releasing desire for vengeance/punishment — should be given to everyone unconditionally. (2) Relational restoration — actually restoring the relationship — reserved for those who repent, especially in cases of serious offenses. Parallels how God forgives: the cross pays for all sin, but it's not received until one comes with repentance.

Two types of forgiveness

two types of forgiveness heart forgiveness relational restoration
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-07

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

1 John 3:9 1 John 1:8-10 sinless perfection 1 John 3:9 1 John 1:8-10
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-21

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

Hebrews 10 willful sin apostasy apostasy Hebrews 10 willful sin
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-15

Four theodicies provide a cumulative answer to the problem of evil: soul-building, free will, natural law, and skeptical theism.

Detailed treatment of theodicies responding to the problem of evil

theodicy theodicy problem of evil
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-28

Your part in prayer is faith, but GOD does the miracles — the power is not in your words or your belief, but in God's response. Forgiveness of others and repentance of sin are prerequisites for effective prayer.

Analysis of active/passive language in Mark 11 and the forgiveness requirement

1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24 1 Peter 3:7 Mark 11:25 Matthew 5:23-24
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