Search — Theology Explorer

hermeneutics faith apologetics methodology

Methodology: test the definition of faith against Scripture first, then the dictionary

Mike outlines his approach for the rest of the session.

Hebrews 11:1 hermeneutics faith Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 is a description of what faith looks like, not a definition of why or how we believe

Mike's core exegetical argument about the nature of Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:7 hermeneutics eschatology Noah

Hebrews 11: 'not seen' means future realities not yet occurring, not things lacking evidence — illustrated by Noah building the ark

Mike's second exegetical argument about the meaning of 'unseen' in Hebrews 11.

John 20:24-29 hermeneutics faith Thomas

John 20:24-29 — Thomas passage: 'not seen' does not mean 'without evidence'

Mike addresses the Thomas story as the third counter-passage.

John 3:36 obedience hermeneutics faith and works

Q&A: Connection between belief and obedience in John 3:36 — belief leads to obedience; lack of obedience implies lack of faith

Viewer question from Jacob Englet about John 3:36 and James 2:14-26.

hermeneutics biblical interpretation contextual reading

Q&A: How to know you have the proper interpretation of Scripture — hermeneutics and contextual reading

Viewer question from Eric Seagardia.

Mike Winger idea 2019-01-23

Jeremiah 1:5 — 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you' refers to God's plan for Jeremiah, not pre-conception literal existence

Q&A — question about whether life begins even before conception, citing God's foreknowledge in Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah Jeremiah 1:5 Jeremiah hermeneutics pre-existence

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

Literal vs. plain-sense biblical interpretation: read as intended, not mechanically literal

Viewer asking how literally to read the Bible, especially Genesis and Old Testament

Genesis Psalm 6 hermeneutics Genesis genre

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-20

Q&A: 1 Corinthians 7:14 — "sanctified" is a dictionary term, not a theological one; no automatic salvation for unbelieving spouse

Q&A on the meaning of sanctification language in Paul's marriage instruction.

1 Corinthians 7:14 hermeneutics sanctification 1 Corinthians 7:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Bible study tip: spend more time reading the text itself before turning to commentaries.

Joey Fisher asks for study tips for going deeper in the Bible.

Contextual reading Bible study methodology Hermeneutics

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Ephesians 5:18 — "be filled with the Spirit" is a CONTRAST to being drunk with wine, not a comparison; "drunk in the Spirit" is a misreading.

Mike addresses "drunk in the Spirit" and "slain in the Spirit" claims.

Galatians 5:22-23 Ephesians 5:18 Galatians 5:22-23 Ephesians 5:18 Drunk in the Spirit

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Preterism: all/most Bible prophecy fulfilled by 70 AD — initially appealing but breaks down under scrutiny.

Lindy Z asks about preterism.

Hermeneutics Eschatology Preterism

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Biblical worldview should transcend culture wars rather than being shaped by either conservative or liberal culture

Opening monologue before Q&A begins

hermeneutics Scripture authority biblical worldview

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Biblical cosmology should not be assumed to match ancient Near Eastern flat-earth cosmology just because surrounding cultures believed it; Genesis radically demythologizes creation compared to the Enuma Elish

Response to question about Hebraic cosmology and the flat-earth interpretation

Genesis 1 hermeneutics Genesis 1 demythologization

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Matthew 5 and Matthew 28 are from entirely different contexts and cannot be simply combined

First critique of the Hebrew Roots interpretive move

Matthew 10:5 Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 5:17 hermeneutics Matthew 10:5 Matthew 28:18-20

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Matthew 5:17 must be read pre-New Covenant: Jesus is speaking to Jews before the cross

Key hermeneutical frame for interpreting the Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:17 hermeneutics Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:17

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Two analytical questions for surveying Acts: (1) Did Jewish Apostles feel compelled to stop obeying the law? (2) Were Gentile converts taught to obey the law?

Analytical framework for the Acts survey

hermeneutics Torah observance Jewish believers

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Neither extreme interpretation of Acts 10 is correct: neither 'all food is now clean for everyone' nor 'all food is still unclean' -- the vision primarily establishes Gentile access to the gospel

Balanced interpretation of Acts 10 vision

Acts 10 hermeneutics Acts 10 Gentile inclusion

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Critique of the alternative view: using the idea that all foods are clean to communicate a message while insisting all foods are not actually clean is logically incoherent

Logical critique of Hebrew Roots reading of Acts 10

Acts 10 hermeneutics Acts 10 dietary laws

hermeneutics Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

Being lost in details vs. identifying a central/pivotal issue in the Hebrew Roots debate

Methodological framing for the episode

Romans 6:14 hermeneutics exegesis Law of Moses

Winger's critique: 119 Ministries compares "the law of X" phrases to the unqualified phrase "the law"

First critique of 119 Ministries' method

hermeneutics Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

119 Ministries is used as the dialogue partner because they actually engage with challenging passages

Methodological note on choosing 119 Ministries

hermeneutics Law of Moses Old Testament application

How do the Ten Commandments relate to Christians? Against the moral/civil/ceremonial law division

Q&A: Susan and Ron's question about the Ten Commandments today

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-13

Anderson misuses the Old Testament law by applying it selectively to one group

Critique of Anderson's theological method

Leviticus 1 Timothy 1:8 hermeneutics Leviticus Steven Anderson

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

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

Practical advice for laypeople on lexical Bible study

hermeneutics Strong's Concordance Blue Letter Bible

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

Q&A: How to determine what is literal vs. metaphorical in the Bible — genre and context

Audience question about biblical hermeneutics

Psalms Proverbs biblical hermeneutics Psalms Proverbs

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-17

Q&A: Hermeneutics — advice for a new Bible student afraid of misinterpretation

Question from a student who has taken hermeneutics courses but feels intimidated to start studying.

hermeneutics Bible study interpretation

1 Timothy 2:1-6 hermeneutics Calvinism unlimited atonement

Calvinist interpretation of 1 Tim 2:1-6 refuted: "all kinds of people" reading fails

Mike engages and then rejects the standard Calvinist re-reading of 1 Timothy 2.

Romans 8:29-32 hermeneutics limited atonement negative inference fallacy

Negative inference fallacy: Romans 8 makes inclusive statements, not exclusive ones about the atonement's extent

Mike's main exegetical response to the Calvinist use of Romans 8.

Romans 8:29-32 Romans (book) hermeneutics union with Christ Romans 8:29-32

Romans 8 is about benefits to those in Christ, not an exclusive statement limiting the atonement's extent

Contextual argument about what Romans 8 is actually teaching.

1 John 3:1 1 John 3:13 hermeneutics limited atonement kosmos

1 John 3:1 and 3:13 — "world" in the same letter refers to those who do not know God

Mike surveys other uses of kosmos in 1 John to establish the author's usage.

1 John 2:2 hermeneutics kosmos 1 John 2:2

"World" in 1 John 2:2 refers to people, not structures — and "our sins" parallels individual people

Rebutting a possible Calvinist reading of kosmos as referring to world systems.

James White hermeneutics James White Scripture authority

Closing: Scripture texts for unlimited atonement still stand; Calvinist trump concepts do not override them

Mike's final assessment of the debate.

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Marcus Borg as an example of a scholarly universalist with weak arguments

Viewer question from Bobby Miller about scholarly defenders of universalism

John 14:6 hermeneutics John 14:6 universalism

Revelation Isaiah biblical hermeneutics Revelation Isaiah

Scriptural language about things not being "remembered" in heaven means no bitter grief, not literal loss of memory

Side note during the heaven/marriage question, addressing a teaching that people will have no memories in heaven based on Isaiah.

Proverbs 16:4 hermeneutics Molinism middle knowledge

Proverbs 16:4 is a text that theological grids are read INTO, not a proof text for either Calvinist determinism or open theism

Question from Tobias about whether Proverbs 16:4 suggests God predestined the wicked for condemnation.

Jeremiah 29:11 hermeneutics prosperity gospel Israel

Jeremiah 29:11 is often misapplied as a personal prosperity promise; properly applied, it points to eternal hope in the New Covenant

Question from Brandi about whether verses like Jeremiah 29:11, written to Israel, apply to Christians today.

1 Timothy 2:12-15 women in ministry hermeneutics complementarianism

1 Timothy 2:12-15 restricts women from the pastoral/authority role in the church, but does not prohibit co-ed Bible study or women's ministry generally

Question from Seanya about whether 1 Timothy 2:12-15 makes co-ed Bible studies unbiblical and how it affects women's ministry.

Galatians hermeneutics Galatians Sabbath

Christians are not under the Mosaic Law including the Sabbath; they are under the law of Christ and walk by the Spirit

Question from Cetl P about why Christians do not keep the Sabbath even though it is in the moral law and written by God's finger on stone.

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

Acts hermeneutics Acts tongues and salvation

The case for tongues-required-for-salvation rests on a few Acts passages used without context

Beginning the biblical refutation of the tongues-salvation link

hermeneutics tongues and salvation descriptive vs prescriptive

The absence of a universal prescriptive statement is the key problem with the tongues-salvation argument

Mike's core logical point about what Scripture would need to say to support the tongues-salvation requirement

1 Corinthians 14:5 hermeneutics gifts of the Spirit tongues and salvation

1 Corinthians 14:5 — Paul wishes all spoke in tongues, implying not everyone does

First Corinthians passage introduced as evidence against the tongues-salvation requirement

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

Genesis flood hermeneutics Genesis flood biblical cosmology

The global vs. humanity-wide flood debate is an active exegetical question, not just a science vs. Bible debate

Nuance added to the flood discussion