Filter results by source database — Scripture Commentary, Theology, Mike Winger, or Pulpit. Click a tab to narrow to one database.

...more
All (178) Scripture Commentary (60) Theology (19) Mike Winger (96) Pulpit (3)
Mike Winger idea 2017-12-27

Tip 7: Take practical steps — lofty goals require specific, actionable commitments

Seventh and final tip. Mike insists that all the prior steps require concrete behavioral change to produce results.

marriage self-control practical discipleship
Mike Winger idea 2018-03-14

James's 'works' are not Catholic sacraments — they are practical Christian obedience (tongue, helping the poor, staying unspotted from the world)

Clarifying what 'works' means in James, contrasted with Catholic sacramental works

James 1:22-27 Catholicism James 1:22-27 works
Mike Winger idea 2018-03-14

James 1:22-27 read in context — James's 'works' are being a doer of the word, controlling the tongue, and helping orphans and widows

Reading James 1 to establish the meaning of 'works' before analyzing James 2

James 1:22-27 James 1:22-27 works doers of the word
Mike Winger idea 2018-03-14

Groups that use James 2 substitute their own list of required works (sacraments, tongues, church membership) for James's actual examples (tongue, helping poor)

Ironic observation about how misusers of James 2 actually apply it

James 2 hermeneutics Mormonism Jehovah's Witnesses
Mike Winger idea 2018-08-29

Psalm 22 describes crucifixion hundreds of years before it was invented

Continuing analysis of Psalm 22 as a crucifixion prophecy

Psalm 22 Messianic prophecy Psalm 22 Crucifixion prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2018-08-16

Why are miracles acceptable as evidence but not other things? Sye: he's a cessationist, so miracles as evidence is tongue-in-cheek — if you believe in miracles today, go do them; otherwise that evidence is unavailable

Audience question on consistency of Sye's position on miracles

Acts 17 Acts 17 resurrection evidential apologetics
Mike Winger idea 2018-11-14

Slander and obscene talk (Colossians 3:8) are what anger does to the tongue — attacking character and saying hateful things; Colossians 3:8 is a complete map of what to put off.

Final two elements of the Colossians 3:8 list; synthesis of the whole passage.

Colossians 3:8 sanctification anger Colossians 3:8
Mike Winger idea 2018-12-01

Refutation: Koine Greek is literally the 'common language' — the word koine means 'common' — it was a simplified lingua franca spread through Alexander the Great's empire, the exact opposite of an elite dialect

Mike corrects the Koine Greek claim with a university linguistics source

apologetics New Testament Koine Greek
Mike Winger idea 2018-12-19

Q&A: Core doctrines vs. peripheral doctrines — spiderweb illustration; Mormonism example

Answering viewer question from Jacob Inglot about when doctrine becomes heresy

Mormonism Christology soteriology
Mike Winger idea 2019-02-07

1 Corinthians 13 "the perfect" does not refer to the completed canon — cessationism refuted

Q&A question about whether 1 Corinthians 13 latter half refers to the completed canon of Scripture.

1 Corinthians 13 prophecy word of knowledge 1 Corinthians 13
Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Tongues in the New Testament: multiple types — tongues with interpretation (public) and tongues without interpretation (private).

Tanya Baltzer asks about tongues — actual languages vs. unknown languages.

1 Corinthians 14 Acts 2 (Pentecost) 1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 14 Tongues Acts 2 (Pentecost)
Mike Winger idea 2019-03-13

Personal testimony: Mike first encountered charismatic practices as a teenager and was confused; discovered 1 Corinthians 14 had rules for tongues much later.

Mike shares his personal experience with charismatic churches.

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14 Tongues Continuationism
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

1 Corinthians 13:10-12 is the primary cessationist proof-text in the cessationism vs. continuationism debate.

Introduction to the episode. Winger frames the central question: does 1 Cor 13:10-12 teach that tongues, prophecy, and knowledge ceased after the apostolic era?

1 Corinthians 13:10-12 cessationism continuationism spiritual gifts
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Cessationism defined: miraculous gifts belonged to the apostolic era only, served a unique founding purpose, and ceased before the canon closed.

Winger reads a definition from Theapedia. He contrasts it with continuationism, which holds the gifts are normative and available today.

cessationism continuationism spiritual gifts
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 in context: the love passage is embedded within 1 Cor 12-14, a sustained section on spiritual gifts.

Winger reads the passage aloud (1 Cor 13:8-13) and establishes its literary context before presenting cessationist interpretations.

1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 1 Corinthians 12-14 prophecy word of knowledge
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Verse-by-verse: v. 8 — love never ends; three gifts (prophecy, knowledge, tongues) will pass away; the context is clearly the spiritual gifts of 1 Cor 12-14.

Winger begins his own positive verse-by-verse treatment of 1 Cor 13:8-13.

1 Corinthians 13:8 spiritual gifts prophecy word of knowledge
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

The cure for hyper-charismatic abuse is not cessationism but the biblical regulative norms already given in 1 Cor 12-14 for how gifts function in the church.

Winger resists the reactionary move of becoming cessationist in response to charismatic excess.

1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 12-14 cessationism continuationism
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Q&A: Tongues in 1 Cor 14 are actual languages; tongues always requires genuine linguistic communication; "groaning" in Romans 8 is distinct from the gift of tongues.

Response to viewer question about whether 1 Cor 14 tongues are languages or ecstatic utterances.

1 Corinthians 14 Romans 8 1 Corinthians 13:1 1 Corinthians 14 Romans 8 spiritual gifts
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Can a person speak in tongues without having the gift of tongues? Possibly — but Romans 8 groaning is distinct: it is heart-pouring to God, not a spiritual gift requiring impartation.

Q&A — question about whether tongues-speaking requires the specific gift.

Romans 8 Romans 8 spiritual gifts tongues
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Historical question: sign gifts did not begin at Azusa Street; early church fathers (Justin Martyr, later Augustine) attest to prophecy and miracles continuing post-apostolically.

Q&A — viewer claims modern tongues/gifts stem from the 1906 Azusa Street revival. Winger corrects the historical record.

cessationism continuationism church history
Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Acts 10-11: Cornelius's household — all feared God, heard, received the Spirit, and spoke in tongues, excluding infants

Detailed exegesis of the Cornelius household baptism narrative.

Acts 10:2 Acts 10:33 Acts 10:44 Cornelius Holy Spirit infant baptism
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Mark 16:17-18 — the signs follow believers as a community/historically, not as individual mandates for every Christian

Question from Chretienis about Mark 16:17-18 and helping people escape the prosperity gospel.

Mark 16:17-18 Acts 28 textual criticism healing prosperity gospel
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Personal testimony: as a teenager Mike was told he was not saved because he had not spoken in tongues

Opening introduction before answering the first question about tongues and salvation

gifts of the Spirit tongues and salvation spiritual abuse
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Declaring tongues required for salvation is spiritually abusive and demands repentance

Mike's moral and pastoral assessment before turning to the biblical argument

pastoral care tongues and salvation spiritual abuse
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Acts hermeneutics Acts tongues and salvation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Acts 2 — the inauguration of the Holy Spirit: all present spoke in tongues

First of three Acts passages cited by tongues-required proponents

Acts 2 Acts 2 new covenant gifts of the Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Acts 10 — Cornelius and the Gentiles speak in tongues

Second Acts passage cited by tongues-required proponents

Acts 10 Acts 10 Jewish-Gentile distinction tongues and salvation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Acts 19 — group that had not heard of the Holy Spirit is baptized and speaks in tongues

Third Acts passage cited by tongues-required proponents

Acts 19 Acts 19 gifts of the Spirit tongues and salvation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

hermeneutics tongues and salvation descriptive vs prescriptive
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Acts 2 purpose: inauguration of the new covenant Spirit; Acts 10 purpose: extending that work to Gentiles

Mike's theological interpretation of the Acts tongues episodes

Acts 10 Acts 2 Acts 10 Acts 2 new covenant
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

1 Corinthians 14:5 hermeneutics gifts of the Spirit tongues and salvation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

1 Corinthians 12:30 — rhetorical questions imply not all speak in tongues

Second and final Corinthians passage used to refute tongues-salvation requirement

1 Corinthians 12:30 1 Corinthians 12:27-29 gifts of the Spirit tongues and salvation 1 Corinthians 12:30
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Summary: the three Acts tongues episodes demonstrate the Spirit's work in different stages, not universal salvation proof

Summation of the main argument against tongues-required-for-salvation

Acts 10 Acts 2 Acts 19 Acts 10 Acts 2 Acts 19
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Assurance of salvation comes from 1 John and James, not from speaking in tongues

Positive alternative answer to what Scripture says proves salvation

James 1 John James 1 John sanctification
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Final closing argument in the tongues-salvation section

reductio ad absurdum Jesus tongues and salvation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Proverbs 18:21 — death and life in the power of the tongue; verses 20-21 are a unit

Q&A from Noah Lavell Martinez about the word-faith misuse of Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 Proverbs 18:20 hermeneutics Proverbs 18:21 Proverbs 18:20
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Proverbs 18:21 teaches the practical real-world consequences of speech, not speaking things into existence

Interpretation of Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 Proverbs 18:21 word of faith tongue and speech
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

James 3 on the tongue: words start fires — practical impact, not metaphysical creation

Cross-reference used to support the interpretation of Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 James 3 Proverbs 18:21 word of faith tongue and speech
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Theological application of Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 soteriology Proverbs 18:21 tongue and speech
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Mike's personal experience of what he believes was genuine speaking in tongues during times of hardship

Anecdotal response to a question about scientific evidence for tongues

personal testimony speaking in tongues gifts of the Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

"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

Galatians 5:23 John 18:6 Anaheim Vineyard self-control charismatic gifts
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Paul's instructions on tongues and prophecy require self-control, proving the Spirit does not override the person's will

Continuing the argument against slain in the Spirit using 1 Corinthians 14 as evidence

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14:32 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14:32 prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

Acts 2 Pentecost: the drunk accusation was caused by incomprehensible tongues, not ecstatic behavior

Question from Gringo Nebrasa about whether Acts 2 supports drunk-in-the-spirit or ecstatic charismatic behavior.

Acts 2 Acts 2 Pentecost charismatic gifts
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

If Mark 16:17-18 is original, signs accompanying believers does not mean every believer at all times

Mike gives a conditional interpretation of Mark 16:17-18 assuming its authenticity

Acts Mark 16:17-18 signs and wonders speaking in tongues Acts
Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Cessationism vs. continuationism — Mike holds continuationism but respects cessationists

A viewer asks what Mike thinks about cessationists.

word of wisdom word of knowledge prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

1 Corinthians 14:22 — tongues are a sign for unbelievers only when interpreted; the apparent contradiction explained

Question about the apparent flip in 1 Corinthians 14:22-23 where tongues are a sign for unbelievers yet unbelievers will think speakers are mad.

1 Corinthians 14:22-23 spiritual gifts tongues 1 Corinthians 14:22-23
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Mike identifies as charismatic (gifts active today, cessationism rejected) but not hyper-charismatic; he opposes fabricating gifts and "Acts 2.0" theology.

Question clarifying what Mike means by calling himself charismatic

cessationism Holy Spirit tongues
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Using frequency of tongues-speaking as a spiritual credential is spiritually abusive; Mike refuses to disclose personal charismatic experiences in that context.

Spiritual abuse in hyper-charismatic circles around tongues-speaking

1 Corinthians 12 tongues charismatic theology gifts of the Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Acts 2 tongues were real human foreign languages — each person heard in their own native language, not a single universal language

Question from Joel Holberg about whether the apostles in Acts 2 spoke a language everyone understood or each spoke a different foreign language.

Acts 2 Acts 2 Tongues / glossolalia Day of Pentecost
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

"Drunk in the Spirit" is not supported by Acts 2 — the mockers said they were drunk because they couldn't understand the foreign languages

Bonus note during Acts 2 discussion on the misuse of Acts 2:13 to justify charismatic "drunk in the Spirit" practices.

Acts 2:13 Tongues / glossolalia Acts 2:13 Drunk in the Spirit