Search — Theology Explorer

John 2:13-17 divine authority temple clearing violent protest

Jesus flipping tables does not justify violent protest or destruction of private property

Mike addresses a meme circulating after his Monday video on Jesus clearing the temple, which people were using to justify violent protests.

sin nature government political theology

Christians can serve God faithfully under any form of government; government structure is a secondary issue

Part of the discussion on socialism vs. biblical justice.

church culture sexual sin shame

Women and pornography: the church's silence stems from greater shame; solutions come from women who have found victory speaking out

Response to viewer asking for Christian resources for women struggling with pornography and why the church focuses more on men.

Ephesians 2:8-10 sola fide assurance of salvation sanctification

Saved by faith alone; works are evidence of salvation, not the means of it — applied to homosexual lifestyle

Response to viewer Tegunbai asking: if we are saved by faith alone not works, how can living a homosexual lifestyle indicate one is not saved? Isn't that mixing faith and works?

Romans 10:9 confession Romans 10:9 lordship

Romans 10:9 — confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in the heart involves personal yielding and trust, not merely intellectual assent

Response to Ryan Hasty asking how to know if one believes in the heart versus merely thinking the evidence points toward Christianity being true.

Romans 6:23 physical death Romans 6:23 wages of sin

Romans 6:23 — the death referred to is both physical death and eternal separation from God (the second death)

Response to Jesse Crocus asking what kind of death Romans 6:23 refers to.

Deuteronomy 18:21-22 testing prophecy discernment prophecy

Assessing modern prophecy claims: consistency in future fulfillment is the test

Response to Jody Wainwright asking about pastor Dana Coverstone and his prophetic dreams.

James 1:13-15 Matthew 5:28 temptation sin sexual sin

Distinction between temptation and lust/sin: sin begins when the will yields to desire, not at first awareness of attraction

Response to Hot Wax 93 asking the difference between simple sexual attraction and lust.

1 Samuel Eli 1 Samuel priestly accountability

God judged Eli both as a father and as high priest for failing to restrain his wicked sons

Response to Jackie Zaras asking whether God was angry with Eli as a father or as a priest for not restraining his sons.

Jude Jude Book of Enoch canon

The Book of Enoch is historically interesting but not canonical and was never part of the Jewish or Christian canon

Response to Spider-G asking about the Book of Enoch.

discernment church selection Bible translation

The Passion Translation is irresponsible and problematic; a pastor using it is a warning sign but not automatically disqualifying

Response to Chantal asking whether to reconsider joining a church whose pastor quotes the Passion Translation more and more.

evangelism Islam Christian liberty

Christians may read and study the Quran for education and evangelistic purposes; avoid it only if it causes personal spiritual instability

Response to Sarah Nordberg (Denmark) who feels convicted reading the Quran for a required university religion class.

Genesis 2-3 wisdom Genesis 2-3 Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was not about wisdom or knowledge in general but about moral autonomy through sinful rebellion

Response to Adriano asking why the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was bad if wisdom is generally a good thing in the Bible.

Isaiah 53:5 1 Peter 2:24 healing sin atonement

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.

Matthew 8:16-17 Isaiah 53:4 healing atonement messianic prophecy

Matthew 8:16-17 applies Isaiah 53 to Jesus's physical healings — physical healing is in the atonement

Continuing Isaiah 53 / healing discussion; a complicating text for those who deny physical healing in the atonement.

healing eschatology Holy Spirit

Timing argument: blessings purchased at the cross are not all present realities — healing is partially now, fully later

Disagreement with hyper-charismatic "claim healing now" theology, despite agreeing healing is in the atonement.

Mark 9:49-50 Old Testament typology discipleship

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.

Luke 17:5-6 faith discipleship mustard seed

Faith as small as a mustard seed — the call is to use existing faith, not to manufacture more

Question from Lavell Martinez about the tension between being told to have great faith and Jesus saying mustard-seed faith moves mountains.

Hebrews 4:16 Ephesians 1 sanctification hypocrisy abortion

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.

marriage singleness biblical ethics

What does the Bible teach on masturbation? — No direct address; biblical principles of lust, self-gratification, and marital fidelity apply

Question from Arvin Marlow.

1 John Matthew 6:14-15 1 John salvation Lord's Prayer

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.

Matthew 18 church leadership Matthew 18 ecclesiology

Addressing a church drifting from Scripture — approach thoughtfully, privately first, then through proper channels

Question from Nala about a church where the Bible is not preached and the lead pastor bulldozes people.

Exodus 22:16-17 Deuteronomy 22 marriage repentance fornication

Should two Christians who fornicated marry? — Consider it, but do not treat marriage as a required patch on the sin

Question from Spazzy Jazzy about rectifying fornication through marriage.

1 Peter 3:19 eschatology descent into hell intermediate state

Where was Jesus's spirit during the two days between death and resurrection?

Brief lightning-round answer (no questioner name given).

Matthew 5:44 Luke 6:28 prayer sanctification forgiveness

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.

reductio ad absurdum Jesus tongues and salvation

Jesus never spoke in tongues — reductio ad absurdum against the tongues-salvation requirement

Final closing argument in the tongues-salvation section

hermeneutics tradition vs Scripture intellectual humility

Traditions can masquerade as pure biblical faith; willingness to change one's mind is essential

Closing reflection on how unbiblical traditions take hold in communities

Lord's Supper Passover eucharist

Question: Does Scripture authorize only one physical cup during the Lord's Supper?

Q&A question from Andrej about eucharistic practice

Lutheran Church progressive Christianity church tradition

Lutheran church: internal struggle between biblical faithfulness and progressive drift

Q&A from Peter Williams about the Lutheran Church, liturgy, and the gospel

Proverbs 18:21 soteriology Proverbs 18:21 tongue and speech

Confessing Christ is the ultimate expression of life and death in the power of the tongue

Theological application of Proverbs 18:21

1 John 3:19-20 assurance of salvation fear of judgment 1 John 3:19-20

1 John 3:19-20 — God is greater than our condemning heart and knows everything

Additional passage addressing the fear and self-condemnation of the questioner

apologetics presuppositional apologetics epistemology

Presuppositional apologetics requires assuming Christianity true rather than proving it — Mike disagrees

Specific critique of presuppositionalism

Christian liberty Christian ethics self-control

Video game content issues: overconsumption/obsession is a separate concern from content itself

Principles for evaluating video game engagement

Christian ethics video games witchcraft

Fantasy magic vs. actual witchcraft: the distinction matters for whether a video game element is spiritually dangerous

Applying principles to the specific RPG magic question

discernment Christian liberty Christian ethics

Two problematic extremes: hyper-strict rules and almost no rules about entertainment — both are spiritually dangerous

Summation of the video game and entertainment ethics discussion

Luke 22:36 Peter Gethsemane Luke 22:36

Peter using the sword in Gethsemane: Jesus stopped him — sword was for deterrence, not offensive action

Interpreting the immediate context of Luke 22:36

spiritual disciplines fasting

Scripture assumes fasting is part of normal Christian life without mandating specific schedules; fasting for a single meal is valid

Scope and flexibility of fasting

Exodus 7 Satan Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians

Exodus 7: Pharaoh's magicians reproduced some of Moses's signs — two possible explanations: sleight of hand or demonic power

Q&A from Garrett De Jong about how the magicians duplicated the signs

Exodus 7 Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians demonic power

Pharaoh's magicians' inferior reproductions reveal lesser power than Moses — turning fresh water to blood instead of reversing the Nile

Evidence that the magicians operated with limited power

church history apologetics Jesus

Response to the charge that the church is a bloody, evil institution: distinguish Christ from institutional church history

Q&A from Connor Robinson about the church's violent history as an apologetic challenge

Mark (gospel) prayer Kenneth Copeland faith

Upcoming Monday teaching: the strongest word-of-faith passage in Mark — assessing Kenneth Copeland's claims about faith and prayer

Preview of next teaching in the Mark series

violence Old Testament ethics self-defense

Christians have a biblical duty to protect others — pacifism taken to its logical extreme is evil

Question from Spazzy Jazzy about the extent to which Christians should protect and retaliate against abuse

violence discernment self-defense

Balance principle: being armed and ready for self-defense is healthy; preemptive strikes from anger or against God's will for martyrdom are not

Synthesizing the sword/Gethsemane discussion into a practical principle

Hebrews 10:26-27 judgment apostasy Hebrews 10:26-27

Hebrews 10:26-27 "sinning willfully" refers specifically to rejecting the gospel after knowing its truth, not to any deliberate sin

Question from Caleb McCurdy about Hebrews 10:26-27 and whether it implies differentiated judgment for those who never heard the gospel

Luke 12:47-48 judgment unevangelized hell

Degrees of judgment in hell: God factors in knowledge when judging — sinning in ignorance vs. sinning with full knowledge results in different severity of judgment

Expanding the Hebrews 10 discussion to address differentiated eschatological judgment

Sinning in dreams: only requires repentance if you yielded your will to it in the dream; involuntary dream content is not sin

Question from Christian Liang about whether to repent for sins committed in dreams

repentance sin dreams

Calvinism soteriology total depravity

Calvinism: regeneration precedes faith — the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner first, making belief inevitable

Question from Jason Staub about whether faith from a fallen nature is "fruitful" faith, touching on the Calvinist doctrine of regeneration preceding faith

Galatians 2 Romans 11:6 Genesis 15:6 Galatians 2 Abraham Romans 11:6

Mike's anti-Calvinist argument: faith is not a work regardless of its source; the Calvinist objection tries to smuggle faith into the "works" category

Mike's response to the Calvinist framing of faith as a "good work" that requires prior regeneration

Galatians 5:23 John 18:6 Anaheim Vineyard self-control charismatic gifts

"Slain in the Spirit" is not taught in the Bible and is inconsistent with the Spirit's fruit of self-control

Question from Steph T about whether being slain in the Spirit is biblical and how to distinguish it from demonic possession