Search — Theology Explorer

Ephesians 6:14 imputed righteousness sanctification armor of God

Breastplate of Righteousness — holy living as protection from spiritual attack

Second piece of armor. Mike argues this is about the believer's conduct rather than imputed righteousness.

Ephesians 5:5-6 Colossians 3:5-6 soteriology sin unbelief

Question: Do people go to hell for sin or for not believing in Jesus?

Viewer Phil Agape asks whether hell is the penalty for sin or for unbelief; references Ephesians 5:5-6 and Colossians 3:5-6.

John 3:16-18 salvation soteriology sin

John 3:16-18 — condemnation precedes unbelief; unbelief leaves you in existing condemnation

Scriptural support for the pit analogy.

mental illness ADHD sin and biology

Question: A website claims ADHD and all mental illness are caused by sin or the devil

Viewer Dora has ADHD and found a website attributing all mental illness to sin or demonic influence, claiming ADHD is a parental discipline failure.

personal responsibility Christian ethics sin

Having a disorder does not excuse sin — personal responsibility is always preserved

Even if ADHD is neurologically real, it cannot become an excuse to sin.

1 Corinthians 10:13 personal responsibility temptation sin

1 Corinthians 10:13 — God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able

The key biblical principle that preserves human responsibility even in disability: no temptation is irresistible.

eschatology second coming pastoral care

Closing encouragement: abide in Christ as the first peg; upcoming study on the return of Jesus

Mike closes the Q&A with pastoral encouragement and preview of upcoming content.

Brian Simmons Passion Translation Tremper Longman

The Passion Translation is not a real translation — scholars hired by Winger unanimously agree it contains fabrications and mistakes, not genuine Hebrew/Greek insights.

Responding to a Twitter question from Jeff Gaitzens about a pastor using the Passion Translation.

Brian Simmons Passion Translation Pastoral accountability

How to approach a pastor who uses the Passion Translation: lead with grace toward the person while critiquing the translation, not the person.

Continued advice to Jeff Gaitzens on handling a pastor using the Passion Translation.

Psalm 1 The Message Bible Eugene Peterson Paraphrase vs. translation

The Message Bible is a very loose paraphrase — idiomatic, interpretive, and potentially misleading, but not heretical; inadvisable as a primary study Bible.

Question from Jeanette Perry about the Message Bible and Nicky Gumbel/Alpha.

Bethel Church Holy Spirit Listening prayer

Listening prayer is not condemned in Scripture but formulizing the Holy Spirit's work is dangerous and can produce fabrications.

Question from Susan Krieg about whether the Bible endorses listening prayer.

Isaiah 6 Isaiah 1:18 Atonement Isaiah 6 Divine sovereignty and human responsibility

Isaiah 6's commissioning does not mean God does not want Israel healed — the prophet's message hardens already-rejecting hearts, and God's overall posture throughout Isaiah is restorative.

Question from V Palumbi about Isaiah 6 and God's apparent unwillingness for the people to return and be healed.

Assurance of salvation New Age spirituality Conversion and faith

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.

Genesis 2-3 Genesis 2-3 Tree of knowledge of good and evil Divine foreknowledge

Why did God create the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if he foreknew the fall? Guessing divine motives is risky, but free will and genuine love require real choices.

Question from Reggie LQ about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and divine foreknowledge.

Mark 8:5-9 Hebrews 1 Mark 8:5-9 Feeding of the 4000 Hebrews 1

Mark 8:5-9 — Jesus asking for the loaves teaches using what you have; what Jesus chose not to do does not define the limits of his power.

Question from Lassie Clyman about why Jesus asks for loaves and why fish are brought separately in the feeding of the 4,000.

Jeremiah Hebrews 4:16 Luke 15 Jeremiah Hebrews 4:16 Repentance

God's posture toward the backslidden is always welcoming return — the prodigal son parable and Jeremiah's call to Israel demonstrate this.

Question from Ethan Zaragoza, who drifted from faith for 1.5 years and fears God is done with him.

Evidence for God Christopher Hitchens Spiritual disciplines

Tips for an atheist starting to believe: gather intellectual reasons for God, practice spiritual disciplines, and make choices that shape belief.

Question from Emil Codrin about how to start believing after a lifetime of atheism.

Revelation 13 Mark of the Beast Revelation 13 Mark of the Beast COVID vaccine

The COVID vaccine is not the mark of the beast; Winger would take it, and dismisses mark-of-the-beast vaccine claims as theological irrationality.

Bonus question from Solomon Paparazzi via Sarah Zimmerman: should a Christian take the COVID vaccine?

Psalm 18:20-24 Psalm 51 Romans 3 David justification by faith Abraham

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.

1 Timothy 2:8 imputed righteousness worship holy hands

Lifting holy hands: holiness comes from imputed righteousness, not personal moral purity

Embedded in the Psalm 18 discussion — the worship lyric "I lift up holy hands" was the prompt for the question.

1 Timothy 3 Galatians 3:28 Matthew 23:8-12 servant leadership overseer episkopos

Ministry titles and the clergy-laity distinction: what Jesus really forbade in Matthew 23

Chris Horn asked whether Matthew 23:8-12 prohibits using ministry titles like pastor or elder.

Matthew 13:24-30 free will theodicy problem of evil

Why God creates people he foreknows will reject him

Our Fish asked why God would create people he knows will not choose him.

Luke 11:24-26 atonement false teaching spiritual warfare

Generational curses: pastoral concern and theological rejection

Studio asked whether believers can be cursed by ancestral actions or ethnic heritage (specifically Native American bloodline).

Hebrews 7:7 spiritual authority Levitical priesthood Abraham

Pronouncing a blessing on others: Hebrews 7:7 and mutual blessing in the body of Christ

Andrej asked whether saying "I bless you" to someone implies a hierarchical superiority that is inappropriate between equals.

evangelism repentance personal holiness

Ministry in strip clubs: evangelism principles and personal holiness

Carmen described joining a ministry that goes into strip clubs to spend time with women there and received family backlash.

discernment false teaching church discipline

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: channeled content, demonic origin, pastoral danger

Rachel joined a church prayer group using the devotional Jesus Calling and found concerning content.

eschatology Christian witness kingdom of God

Closing exhortation: Christians bring hope to the world, not from the world

Closing remarks at the end of the 20 Questions livestream.

salvation resurrection cremation

Cremation does not threaten resurrection or salvation

Anonymous questioner facing financial hardship asks if cremation prevents resurrection or constitutes sin. A nearby pastor told the questioner that cremation is pagan and only burial is biblical.

Luke 23 Leviticus Luke 23 Leviticus burial

Burial symbolism matters even though cremation is permissible

Mike affirms cremation is acceptable but argues for the value of burial symbolism and honoring the dead.

James 1:17 1 John 1:5 prayer incarnation James 1:17

Visualizing God in prayer — dangers of anthropomorphism, suggestion to visualize light

Marty Moxie asks how to see God when praying since the mind naturally wants to picture a person.

Romans 11:25-32 eschatology Messianic Jews prophetic fulfillment

Romans 11:25-32 — partial hardening of Israel, fullness of the Gentiles, and end-times caution

Trevor T asks about Romans 11:25-32 and whether the rising number of Messianic Jews in Israel signals prophetic fulfillment.

Mormonism biblical inerrancy Trinity

Non-negotiable Christian doctrines — essentials vs. secondary issues

DJ Diner asks what doctrines Christians should plant their flag on and never back down from.

Matthew 18 Ephesians 5:8-14 Matthew 18 church discipline restoration

Exposing works of darkness (Ephesians 5:8-14) — when to involve church vs. police

Michael Francisco has a family member claiming to be Christian who sells food with vulgar messages and is supplying alcohol to minors through her business.

John 3:16 Psalm 5:5 Proverbs 6:16-19 God's love God's wrath John 3:16

How can God love the world and also hate sinners? Psalm 5:5 and Proverbs 6:16-19

Fly Serve Disciples asks how God can love the whole world (John 3:16) while Psalm 5:5 says God hates evildoers.

marriage encouragement discipleship

Wife more spiritually mature than husband — encouragement over competition

Lil Mik Nick asks for advice when a wife is more spiritually mature than her husband who has admitted it.

Galatians 2:20 Ephesians 1 in Christ Galatians 2:20 Ephesians 1

Unconfessed sin at death — positional vs. conditional righteousness; in Christ theology

Popham asks if a born-again Christian who dies suddenly with an unconfessed momentary sin (not a lifestyle) goes to hell.

Matthew 27:52-53 Lazarus crucifixion Matthew 27:52-53

Saints rising from tombs after the crucifixion (Matthew 27) — who were they?

James and Lindsey ask about the people coming out of tombs after Jesus's resurrection in Matthew 27 — did they continue living or ascend?

repentance pride spiritual warfare

Getting close to God and overcoming demonic oppression — prerequisites and warnings

Professor of Everything asks for advice on getting close to God and overcoming demons and oppression.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Proverbs 16:5 repentance pride grace

Covert narcissism and Proverbs 16:5 — misunderstanding grace; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Giant Mushroom Tree is being diagnosed with covert narcissistic personality disorder and fears Proverbs 16:5 means they are unsavable.

1 Corinthians 10:13 Psalm 34:18 Psalm 51:17 repentance sanctification 1 Corinthians 10:13

Hardened heart and repentance — how to break callousness and return to closeness with God

Final question: someone says their heart has become hard through continued rebellion, they no longer feel sorry, and they miss living close to Christ.

Luke 16:1-13 parable interpretation Luke 16:1-13 Parable of the Dishonest Manager

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager: Jesus uses a bad actor to illustrate one positive quality — shrewd urgency about the future

Reading and explaining Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:9 parable interpretation gospel proclamation stewardship

Luke 16:9 — "make friends by means of unrighteous wealth" may refer parabolically to using all earthly resources for gospel proclamation

Interpreting the command to "make friends by means of unrighteous wealth" so they receive you into eternal dwellings

Galatians 2:10 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 early church care for the poor church responsibility

Western churches may not give adequate attention to caring for the poor

Discussing the almsgiving interpretation of Luke 16:9

Luke 16:10-13 stewardship Luke 16:10-13 money and wealth

Luke 16:10-13 reframes the parable: the master is money itself — be a faithful steward so God controls you, not money

Reading Luke 16:10-13 as commentary on the parable

straw man argument apologetics atheism

Confirmation bias accusations are themselves prone to confirmation bias; fear of confirmation bias is not sufficient reason to disbelieve something

Responding to a young Christian worried that his theism might be confirmation bias given that most atheistic arguments seem like straw men and ad hominem

confirmation bias knowledge epistemology

Changing one's mind is not required for intellectual validity; core epistemic beliefs are foundational and need no further justification

Continuing the apologetics discussion about confirmation bias

apologetics biblical inspiration fulfilled prophecy

Christianity has a mountain of evidential support — fulfilled prophecy, unity of Scripture, historical verification

Closing the apologetics discussion by pointing to positive evidence for Christianity

obedience sexual purity Christian relationships

A new believer should lovingly but firmly set sexual boundaries with a girlfriend, even at the risk of losing the relationship

Responding to a 3-month-old believer whose girlfriend is hesitant to abstain from sex

justice divine judgment holiness of God

God's glory is displayed in just judgment of sin, like a good judge rightly sentencing the guilty

Responding to the question of how God's glory comes from judging unbelievers