Search — Theology Explorer

Modern translations render ra in Isaiah 45:7 as calamity/disaster, not evil — English has shifted

Mike explains why the KJV uses "evil" and why modern translations differ

Isaiah 45:7 ESV NASB NIV

Greg Koukl moral evil evil as privation

Evil is not a created substance — analogy of donut hole and shadow

Mike transitions to the broader philosophical question: where did evil come from?

free will evil as privation origin of evil

Good derives from God's nature; evil is the contrast to God's goodness, requiring permission not creation

Positive account of where good and evil come from

Satan free will moral evil

Moral evil as the result of free will; natural evil as a separate category

Mike distinguishes two major categories of evil

Job John 9:1-3 spiritual warfare Job problem of evil

Three biblical causes of natural evil: divine judgment, spiritual warfare, and the greater good

Mike surveys biblical reasons for calamitous suffering

Christian response to suffering: trust God's sovereign goodness despite not knowing the outcome

Pastoral application regarding suffering and theodicy

theodicy suffering faith

Euthyphro dilemma Socrates Euthyphro

Euthyphro dilemma introduced: is something good because God wills it, or does God will it because it's good?

Mike introduces a classical philosophical challenge to theistic ethics

nature of God divine goodness Euthyphro dilemma

Resolution: Euthyphro dilemma is a false dilemma — third option is that God IS the good

Mike provides the Christian response to the Euthyphro dilemma

Plato polytheism nature of God

Euthyphro dilemma fails for the Christian God but was valid against finite pagan gods

Historical-philosophical context explaining why the dilemma persisted

theodicy free will evil as privation

Summary conclusion: God is source of goodness; evil is real by contrast but need not be created; God allows and will solve evil

Mike wraps up the theological teaching before Q&A

1 John 5:16-17 repentance apostasy 1 John 5:16-17

Q&A: Sin unto death in 1 John 5 — physical death (unrepentant sin) or spiritual death (apostasy)

Audience question about 1 John 5:16-17

Q&A: If God gave us a wicked heart, can we blame him? — Shaking fist at God is foolish

Audience question on whether God bears responsibility for human sinfulness

salvation sin free will

Genesis Genesis free will human nature

Q&A: Were Adam and Eve created perfect? Free will is not an imperfection; sin through free will is

Audience question about the nature of Adam and Eve's creation

Proverbs Job Proverbs 16:33 Proverbs free will Job

Q&A: Proverbs 16:33 and divine sovereignty — layered sovereignty model, not hard determinism

Audience question about whether God meticulously controls all things

hermeneutics Strong's Concordance Blue Letter Bible

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

Practical advice for laypeople on lexical Bible study

creation free will evil as privation

Q&A: If God had not created anything, would evil exist? — No, because evil requires free creatures

Audience question about counterfactual non-creation

Psalms Proverbs biblical hermeneutics Psalms Proverbs

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

Audience question about biblical hermeneutics

online ministry BibleThinker ministry transparency

Introduction: Ministry update overview and video structure

Mike Winger opens a Tuesday livestream with an agenda covering ministry changes, church status, goals, and Q&A.

BibleThinker atheist objections to Christianity YouTube ministry

Starting YouTube: Identifying a vacuum of quality Christian online content

Winger began experimenting with YouTube after feeling called to reach beyond his local church, motivated by the dominance of scoffing and misrepresentation of Christianity online.

biblical teaching verse-by-verse teaching ministry strategy

2015 turning point: Sunday evening service and weekly video strategy

In June 2015, Winger's senior pastor offered him the freedom to teach an adult Sunday evening service, which catalyzed a new approach to his YouTube ministry.

discipleship apologetics biblical worldview

Four target audiences for BibleThinker ministry

Winger articulates the specific audiences he aims to reach through his online ministry.

Romans 9 Leighton Flowers BibleThinker Romans 9

Ministry impact testimonies: Global reach and unexpected pastor influence

Winger shares concrete examples of ministry impact by late 2017 when he had ~9,000 subscribers.

BibleThinker Gary Ansdell ministry transition

December 2017: Senior pastor redirects Winger to prioritize online ministry

Pastor Gary challenged Winger with a hypothetical that forced a reckoning over ministry priorities.

BibleThinker ministry funding free content

Funding model: Donation-supported free content

Winger explains how the ministry sustains itself financially and his commitment to keeping all content free.

hermeneutics Bible study interpretation

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.

Isaiah 14:12 Revelation 22:16 NIV translation Satan Isaiah 14:12

Q&A: NIV Morningstar — does the NIV call Jesus Satan?

Question about why the NIV uses "Morningstar" for both Isaiah 14:12 (apparently referring to Satan) and Revelation 22:16 (Jesus).

1 Corinthians 14:29-32 Philip's daughters testing prophecy prophecy

Q&A: Distinguishing personal prophecy from adding to Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:30)

Question about how to tell the difference between someone claiming new revelation above the Bible versus a 1 Corinthians 14-style prophecy.

exegesis Bible study devotional reading

Q&A: Recommendation for exegetical devotional plan

Question from a listener looking for a devotional Bible study plan that is both engaging and exegetically sound.

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Mike's overall conviction: Scripture clearly teaches Jesus died for everyone

Before diving into objections, Mike states his position and epistemic posture.

Scripture authority unlimited atonement universal atonement

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Scripture should trump philosophical reasoning; most limited atonement arguments are not exegetical

Mike's meta-level argument about the structure of Calvinist argumentation for limited atonement.

Calvinism theological method Scripture authority

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-24

Owen's trilemma implies the elect were forgiven before they believed — which Ephesians 2 contradicts

Secondary refutation of the trilemma from Ephesians 2.

Ephesians 2:1-3 faith limited atonement trilemma

God's wrath BibleThinker app

Introduction and Bible Thinker app announcement

Opening of the Tuesday livestream before theological content begins.

false dichotomy God's wrath righteous anger

False dichotomy: God is either petty or wrathless

Mike challenges a common framing used by progressive Christians and atheists regarding divine wrath.

God's love God's wrath penal substitutionary atonement

God's wrath and love coexist; stripping either distorts the gospel

Mike addresses the theological error of removing wrath from God's character.

God's love divine judgment God's wrath

Critique of depersonalizing wrath: 'God hates sin but not sinners' is biblically insufficient

Mike critiques a popular pastoral slogan often used to soften the doctrine of wrath.

Genesis 1 Proverbs dominion mandate Genesis 1 stewardship

Q&A: Animal rights from a biblical perspective — Proverbs and the dominion mandate

Viewer asks whether the Bible supports animal welfare.

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Jehovah's Witnesses use the cross-vs-stake argument to undermine Christian Bible translations

The Watchtower organization teaches that Jesus died on a "torture stake" (single upright pole), not a cross. They use the Greek word stauros, which in its classical roots means an upright pole, to argue the Christian Bible mistranslates the word as "cross."

New World Translation Bible translation cross

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Watchtower quotes Greek lexicons selectively and out of context

The Watchtower's Insight on the Scriptures (Vol. 1) quotes Douglas's New Bible Dictionary (1985, p. 253) on stauros to support the torture-stake claim. Winger reads the actual quote the Watchtower uses.

selective quotation cross stauros

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Full quote from Douglas's New Bible Dictionary supports a traditional cross, not a stake

When the full entry from Douglas's New Bible Dictionary is read, it describes three historical types of crosses and leans toward the traditional lowercase-T cross for Jesus's crucifixion.

crucifixion stauros Douglas's New Bible Dictionary

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Is the God of Islam the same as the God of Christianity?

Viewer question from Kaeleen van Konan

Islam apologetics comparative religion

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Are people who deny the Trinity but believe in salvation by grace through faith saved?

Viewer question from Devin Nicely

Trinity Holy Spirit apologetics

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Why did God allow bears to kill 42 children for mocking Elisha? (2 Kings 2:23-24)

Viewer question from Pedro Jr.

2 Kings 2:23-24 apologetics Hebrew exegesis 2 Kings 2:23-24

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Winger states his position up front: infant baptism is not supported by Scripture

Rather than feigning neutrality, Winger openly declares his conclusion before building the case.

biblical interpretation infant baptism believers baptism

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Q&A: Are those who never hear the gospel lost? Is it your fault if you fail to share?

Winger addresses two connected questions about evangelistic responsibility.

Ezekiel 33 evangelism accountability hell

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

The Mormon burning-in-the-bosom claim does not undermine the Christian's witness of the Spirit

Responding to the classic objection that the Spirit's witness is unreliable because others claim the same for false religions

Mormonism Book of Mormon epistemology

Recommended Bible study resources for non-original-language readers: multiple translations, NET Bible, STEP Bible, Blue Letter Bible

Question from Naomi about where to start studying the Bible verse-by-verse without knowledge of original languages.

NET Bible ESV NASB

In the New Testament, "kurios" (Lord) replaces "Yahweh" — this is standard Greek translation convention, reflected in English by small-cap LORD

Question from Zanet about the Mark series — why is "Yahweh" rendered as "kurios" (Lord) in the Greek NT, and whether that changes the meaning.

Mark Mark kurios Yahweh

discernment wisdom Christian education

When at a liberal university with false Bible teaching, prepare to refute — don't fight every battle prematurely

Question from Nathaniel at a liberal Christian university where Scripture and the gospel are consistently undermined.