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Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 10: Cornelius is introduced -- the first non-proselyte Gentile to receive the gospel. He is a God-fearer but not circumcised and not under the law.

Survey of Acts chapter 10, Cornelius

Acts 10:1-2 Craig Keener Cornelius Josephus
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 15:6-11 -- Peter's speech at the Jerusalem Council: God made no distinction between Jew and Gentile, cleansing their hearts by faith; why put on them a yoke their fathers could not bear? Salvation is by grace alone.

Peter's speech at Jerusalem Council

Acts 15:6-11 Cornelius Holy Spirit salvation by grace
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

The four Apostolic Decree commands correspond to Leviticus 17-18, which lists things God judges Gentile nations for -- suggesting these were universal moral standards applicable even outside the law

Analysis of the four commands and their OT background

Leviticus 17-18 Acts 15:20 John Polhill table fellowship Apostolic Decree Leviticus 17-18
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

Historical context: Isaiah 45 is addressed to Cyrus, a pagan king — God asserting universal sovereignty

Mike examines the literary and historical setting of Isaiah 45

Isaiah 45 divine sovereignty Isaiah 45 Cyrus the Great
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Romans 10:21 — God holds out his hands to a disobedient people; implies genuine offer of salvation

Evidence for the Father genuinely desiring the salvation of non-elect Israel.

Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2 limited atonement Romans 10:21 genuine offer of salvation
Mike Winger idea 2019-08-07

Ezekiel 18:31 — God urges Israel to make new hearts and turn from wickedness

Mike cites a second Ezekiel passage reinforcing God's gracious invitation in the face of wrath.

Ezekiel 18:31 repentance God's wrath divine mercy
Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Epistle of Barnabas (early 2nd century) depicts the cross as a capital-T shape

The Epistle of Barnabas, written in the early second century (within ~100 years of Jesus's death), represents the cross of Christ using the capital letter T, implying a crossbeam.

Moses typology crucifixion
Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: Polygamy is inherently sinful; one-flesh marriage precludes a second wife by definition

A viewer asks how to demonstrate that polygamy is sinful for Christians. Winger argues from the nature of marriage itself and from both Testaments.

1 Timothy 3:2 Genesis 2:24 Titus 1:6 1 Timothy 3:2 Genesis 2:24 Titus 1:6
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Acts 2:38 — baptism is commanded alongside repentance, ruling out infants; "for your children" means descendants not infants

Winger analyzes Peter's Pentecost sermon as establishing the baptism-repentance link and addresses the "for your children" clause.

Acts 2:38 Acts 2:39 Pentecost repentance covenant
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Elijah on Mount Carmel: biblical example of knowing vs. showing — he knew God was real, he showed others through evidence

Old Testament narrative case study illustrating the knowing/showing distinction

1 Kings 18 Elijah 1 Kings 18 Mount Carmel
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

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.

Jeremiah 29:11 hermeneutics prosperity gospel Israel
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

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.

Galatians hermeneutics Galatians Sabbath
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Evidence for the Exodus exists and is growing; Inspiring Philosophy preparing a detailed video on the topic

Continued response on OT historical reliability, specifically the Exodus.

Exodus biblical inerrancy Exodus archaeology
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Malachi 3:8 is the most-cited pro-tithe verse but is addressed to the nation of Israel under the Mosaic law, not to Christians

Examining the primary Old Testament tithing passage used to support Christian tithing

Malachi 3:8 Malachi 3:10 hermeneutics tithing Malachi 3:8
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

The Malachi tithe rebuke also includes offerings (firstborn animals), which modern tithe-preachers ignore — revealing selective application

Expanding the argument that the Malachi tithe command is being applied inconsistently

Malachi 3:8 hermeneutics tithing Malachi 3:8
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Deuteronomy prohibits worshiping God the way pagan nations worship their gods

Old Testament argument against adopting pagan spiritual practices

Deuteronomy Deuteronomy New Age syncretism
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Biblical basis for celebrating holidays — God gave Israel feast days; Jesus attended Hanukkah

Positive biblical case for Christians celebrating holidays

John 10 Christian liberty Jesus John 10
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-17

Old Testament dietary laws — not binding on Christians; Isaiah 66 and Ezekiel future prophecy not a present command

Q from Ashley Koenig about whether Christians must follow OT dietary laws, citing Isaiah 66:16-17.

Colossians Romans 14 Acts Colossians Romans 14 Mosaic Law
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

Matthew 24:34 — "this generation" does not mean the generation hearing Jesus speak; it refers to those who witness specific end-time events

Question from Jason Stob about the meaning of Matthew 24:34.

Matthew 24:34 Matthew 24 Matthew 24:34 eschatology Matthew 24
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

Refutation of the 1948 Israel founding as a generational clock for Matthew 24

Mike critiques the popular dispensational application of Matthew 24:34 to Israel's statehood.

Matthew 24:34 Matthew 24:34 eschatology Israel
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

The one true sign in Matthew 24 is the Abomination of Desolation — referenced from Daniel 9

Mike identifies the single definitive sign Jesus gives in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9 Matthew 24 Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9 eschatology
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

The fig tree parable: its lesson is about the Abomination of Desolation as the trigger sign, not Israel's re-founding

Mike addresses the common identification of the fig tree with Israel in Matthew 24.

Matthew 24:32-33 eschatology fig tree parable Israel
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

God's choices of Jacob, Abraham, Moses, prophets — not favoritism but purposive grace for non-salvific roles

Question from Ryder Ness, a "struggling Calvinist," about divine favoritism in biblical election.

Isaiah 6 Romans 9 Genesis 25 election Moses Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

Hebrews 6:4-6 — the most difficult passage in the Bible; three main interpretive options explored

Question from Delante Dingo about whether the Parable of the Sower clarifies Hebrews 6 and whether salvation is eternal.

Hebrews 6 Hebrews 6:4-6 Luke 8:4-15 salvation eternal security Hebrews 6
Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

1 Corinthians 6:3 — We will judge angels: ruling/leading rather than condemning

A viewer asks what Paul meant when he said believers will judge angels.

1 Corinthians 6 1 Corinthians 6:3 judges of Israel 1 Corinthians 6 Gideon 1 Corinthians 6:3
Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Israel 1948 prophecy claim — Mike is skeptical; caution about unverified fulfilled prophecy arguments

A viewer asks if Israel becoming a nation in 1948 was prophesied to the day in the Bible.

eschatology fulfilled prophecy Israel
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Hebrews 1:1-2 does not prohibit God from speaking to individuals today

Question about whether God still speaks through a still small voice today, referencing Hebrews 1:2.

Hebrews 1:1-2 1 Timothy 1:18 Revelation of John Hagar charismatic movement prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Revelation 7:4 — the 144,000 are a literal future group of ethnic Jewish men

Question about what the 144,000 sealed in Revelation 7:4 means.

Romans 11 Revelation 7:4 Jehovah's Witnesses tribulation futurism
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

No single biblical form of government; Christianity fits any system through principles

Question about biblical support for monarchy and the Christian attitude toward it.

Romans 13 theocracy justice Romans 13
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Old Testament believers were saved but lacked the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Question about whether Old Testament believers were born again and could be called children of God.

Acts 2 Psalm 51:11 John 14:17 David Acts 2 Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Modern Israel and biblical Israel are continuous, but God's promises do not make every Israeli action righteous

Question about how modern political Israel correlates to biblical promises for Israel.

Romans 11 Abrahamic covenant Jewish people Romans 11
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Dual covenant theology is unbiblical; Jewish people need Jesus — Romans 10:1-4 and John 5:46

Final question about whether Jews can be saved without believing in Jesus through a special covenant.

Romans 10:1-4 John 5:46 Moses soteriology Messiah
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Jephthah's vow was sinful rebellion: the law expressly forbids human sacrifice; God repeatedly states he never wanted it and judges Israel for practicing it.

Why Jephthah's fulfillment of the vow was wrong

Judges 11 Jephthah vows Judges 11
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

The book of Judges follows a downward trajectory of increasingly flawed deliverers (Gideon → Jephthah → Samson) to show Israel's depravity and create expectation for the true Deliverer - Jesus.

Theological purpose of the book of Judges

Judges hermeneutics Judges typology
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Jewish feasts were commanded for Jews in Israel, not universally for all people; Gentiles were never given the Mosaic law and are not obligated to keep the feasts.

Question: why don't Christians celebrate Jewish holidays?

Hebrew Roots Movement Gentiles covenant theology
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's claim that the NT contains anti-Semitic propaganda and forged passages is theologically foolish — it substitutes his personal agenda for textual criticism and makes him the effective authority over Scripture.

Q: What do you think of Shmuley Boteach's claim that the NT has anti-Semitic propaganda Christians should reject as forgeries?

Romans 9-11 Shmuley Boteach Anti-Semitism and the New Testament Romans 9-11
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

The NT is pro-Jewish rather than anti-Semitic: Romans 9-11 teaches the future salvation of all Israel, the gospel goes to the Jew first, and Jesus and all the original apostles are Jewish.

Counter-argument to the anti-Semitism charge against the NT.

Acts of the Apostles Romans 9-11 Romans 1:16 — Jew First Acts of the Apostles Romans 9-11 Jewish Salvation / Two-Covenant Theology
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Prayer is powerful precisely because God's will can be conditionally contingent on prayer — he may desire to do something but not do it if we do not pray; Moses' intercession for Israel is the paradigmatic example.

Answering the secondary question: what is the point of praying if it is already God's will?

Exodus 32 — Moses Intercession Prayer Divine Sovereignty and Human Free Will Moses — Intercession
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-01

Q11: Most notable OT leader — Moses

Response to question on biblical leadership study

Exodus David Moses Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Church attendance decisions during COVID are a matter of conscience — Christians should not cause division over this

Question from Israel Garcia about whether Christians are obligated to attend church during the pandemic

Romans 14 Romans 14 Christian liberty conscience
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Judges 20 — Israel's early defeats against Benjamin were not deception by God but a means of bringing them to their knees

Question from Jason and Alana about why God apparently deceived Israel by telling them to fight before giving them victory

Judges Judges 20 Judges suffering divine providence
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Leviticus 25:44-46 must be read within a full survey of Old Testament slave laws — anachronism of projecting chattel slavery onto the text is the core hermeneutical error

Question from James W. about Leviticus 25:44-46 and whether the Bible endorses slavery.

Leviticus 25:44-46 Anachronism in biblical interpretation Leviticus 25:44-46 Slavery in the Old Testament
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Old Testament slavery laws contained extensive humanitarian protections radically superior to surrounding cultures and incompatible with chattel slavery

Continued answer on Leviticus 25 and slavery.

Leviticus 25:44-46 Deuteronomy slavery laws Exodus redemption as theological grounding for humane treatment Leviticus 25:44-46 Slavery in the Old Testament Deuteronomy slavery laws
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

The theological basis for freeing fellow Israelites: God redeemed Israel from Egypt, so they cannot hold one another in permanent slavery

Explaining the theological rationale behind Israelite-specific slave laws.

Exodus redemption narrative Leviticus 25:42 Slavery in the Old Testament Exodus redemption narrative Leviticus 25:42
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Hosea's family as prophetic type; Ezekiel as the strongest Christ-type prophet who bears Israel's iniquity bodily

Question from Drifter 2003 about whether Hosea's children having names like 'Not Loved' is a type of Christ bearing others' burdens.

Hosea Ezekiel Ezekiel 4 typology Hosea Ezekiel
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Background to Exodus 4:24 — circumcision as covenant sign and Moses's failure to circumcise his son.

Question from Dave Baran about why God sought to kill Moses in Exodus 4:24 and what Zipporah meant by "bloody husband."

Exodus 4:24 Moses Exodus 4:24 Circumcision
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Exodus 4:24 interpreted: God's threat on Moses's life is a warning to leaders who are hypocrites — faithful in ministry but unfaithful in personal obedience.

Interpretation of why God sought to kill Moses before he led Israel out of Egypt.

Exodus 4:24 Moses Exodus 4:24 Circumcision
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

The blindness of Israel as a theological theme: Israel had the Messiah in their midst and did not recognize him.

Additional layer of meaning in the Messianic Secret passages.

Christology Messianic Secret Israel's blindness
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

The gods of Egypt in Exodus 12:12: the plagues systematically judge the deified forces Egypt worshipped, demonstrating Israel's God controls all creation.

Question from Essoptron about the identity of the "gods of Egypt" in Exodus 12:12.

Exodus 12:12 Exodus 12:12 Ten Plagues of Egypt Egyptian gods
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

1 Samuel 16 — King Saul tormented by a harmful spirit

Best OT example of possible demonic activity/possession: the harmful spirit that tormented Saul after the Spirit of the Lord departed.

1 Samuel 16 1 Samuel 16 demonic activity King Saul