Search — Theology Explorer

Luke 1:2 Gospel reliability Luke 1:2 paradidōmi

Luke's use of "just as delivered" (kathōs paredosan) emphasizes transmission accuracy

Luke's specific language about accurate transmission of the tradition.

Luke 24:18 John 19:25 eyewitness guarantors named individuals in Gospels Luke 24:18

Cleopas in Luke 24 and Clopas in John 19 — the same person as a named eyewitness source

Case study in named eyewitness sourcing: the road to Emmaus account.

Richard Bauckham Gospel historicity Jesus and the Eyewitnesses

Tal Ilan's Palestinian name database — confirming Gospel names match authentic first-century Palestinian onomastics

Statistical evidence from Jewish names scholarship supporting Gospel authenticity.

Mark 16:8 Mark 16:9-20 textual criticism biblical inerrancy Mark 16:8

Q&A: The ending of Mark 16 — short vs. long ending; not a threat to Gospel reliability

Q&A from an atheist about the ending of Mark and supposed Gospel contradictions.

Revelation 3:19 metanoia Repentance Revelation 3:19

Question: Does "repent" (metanoia) mean godly grief/sorrow?

Christopher White asks about a video by Creation Liberty Evangelism claiming metanoia means godly grief and sorrow.

King James Version Bible study methodology Strong's Concordance

Strong's Concordance is not a thorough Greek resource; Bible software lexicons provide better word definitions.

Mike explains methodology for Greek word study.

Blue Letter Bible Bible study resources

Blue Letter Bible (blueletterbible.org) recommended as a free online resource for Bible study.

Practical resource recommendation in the study tips section.

1 Corinthians 6:9 Greek lexicology Homosexuality arsenokoitai

Greek terms in 1 Corinthians 6:9 absolutely refer to homosexuality; attempts to claim otherwise are propaganda.

Addressing revisionist interpretations of 1 Corinthians 6:9.

1 Timothy 2:15 1 Timothy 2:15 sozo Women in ministry

1 Timothy 2:15 — "saved through childbearing" does not refer to eternal salvation but to restored/elevated status.

Addressing a commonly misunderstood verse.

Mike Winger idea 2019-02-27

Greek term 'historeo' - Paul's formal eyewitness inquiry in Jerusalem

Galatians 1:18 - Paul's investigative visit to Peter

Galatians 1:18 historeo Galatians 1:18 Eyewitness testimony

Mike Winger idea 2019-03-14

Etymology of "philosophy": love of wisdom; Christians need not fear it

Cameron's brief note on philosophy

philosophy etymology of philosophy

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

Modern-day apostles: the original apostles were unique authoritative founders whose authority is now held in the NT canon; the movement claiming ongoing apostolic offices is unbiblical, though the lowercase term can refer to missionaries

Response to question about whether modern-day apostles are biblical

Luke apostolic authority apostolos Barnabas

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-08

John 20:17 — 'Do not cling to me' means do not grasp or hold on, not 'do not touch'; the Greek haptomai connotes holding on, explaining why Jesus also allowed Thomas to touch him later

Response to question about why Jesus would not let Mary touch him but later allowed Thomas to touch him

John 20:17 Mary Magdalene John 20:17 Thomas

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-15

Romans 1:16 — "To the Jew first and also to the Greek" reflects a sequential gospel mission, not simultaneous Law-imposition

Connecting the Jewish-first mission to the broader outreach pattern

Romans 1:16 Gentile mission Romans 1:16 to the Jew first

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Extra-biblical corroboration: Luke 3 — soldiers on active duty near John the Baptist

McLatchie presents a subtle corroboration between Luke 3's soldiers and the specific military situation in the region during John the Baptist's ministry.

John the Baptist Luke 3:14 Josephus John the Baptist Herod Antipas

Acts 6:1 early church Acts 6:1 Hellenistic Jews

Acts 6: the Hellenistic Jews (Greek-speaking Jews) vs. native Hebrews dispute -- still entirely a Jewish internal matter; no Gentiles involved yet

Survey of Acts chapter 6

Acts 6:5 proselytes early church Acts 6:5

The seven deacons chosen in Acts 6 all have Greek names; one (Nicholas) is explicitly a proselyte. The Jerusalem church remains predominantly Jewish.

Acts 6:5 analysis

Acts 11:20 Luke (author) Gentile mission Acts 11:20 Antioch (Syria)

Acts 11:20 -- some men of Cyprus and Cyrene begin speaking to Greeks (Gentiles) in Antioch, preaching the Lord Jesus. Luke narrates this only after establishing how Gentiles can be saved.

Survey of Acts 11:20, first Gentile outreach from scattered believers

Acts 16:1-3 Timothy Paul the Apostle circumcision

Acts 16:1-3 -- Timothy is circumcised by Paul, despite delivering the decree that Gentiles need not be circumcised. His circumcision is for missionary effectiveness among Jews.

Survey of Acts 16, Timothy's circumcision

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

119 Ministries subtly changes the wording of Romans 6:14 from "dominion" to "under sin"

Third interpretive move: textual alteration

Romans 6:14 dominion exegesis 119 Ministries

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

Greek word analysis: kyrieuō (dominion) vs. hypo (under) in Romans 6:14

Greek word-level critique of 119 Ministries' interpretation

Romans 6:14 dominion Greek exegesis Romans 6:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

Galatians 3:21-28 read in full: no Jew or Greek distinction in Christ undermines Hebrew Roots' position

Extended scriptural reading to demonstrate freedom from the law

Galatians 3:21-28 in Christ covenant Hebrew Roots Movement

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 2019-07-03

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

New World Translation Bible translation cross

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."

apologetics Dan Barker atheism

Atheists (Dan Barker) also use the cross-vs-stake argument to discredit Christianity

Beyond JWs, some atheists promote the idea that Jesus did not die on a cross. Winger specifically names Dan Barker, known in online atheist circles as an authority on New Testament Greek, who argues Christians are wrong about even the basic shape of the cross.

etymological fallacy linguistics stauros

The etymological fallacy: a word's origin does not fix its meaning

The core linguistic error in the JW argument is the etymological fallacy — assuming that the root meaning of a word is always its current or proper meaning. Winger explains this is a recognized fallacy in linguistics.

selective quotation cross stauros

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.

BDAG selective quotation cross

BDAG lexicon also supports lowercase-T cross when read in full

The Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich (BDAG) Greek lexicon is another source the Watchtower cites selectively. Like Douglas's dictionary, the full entry supports a crossbeam on Jesus's cross.

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament lists three cross forms including traditional cross

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) is a third major scholarly source Winger cites. It describes stauros as used for three basic cross shapes.

TDNT crucifixion cross

crucifixion cross early church history

Early NT manuscripts (P75, P66) abbreviate stauros with Tau-Rho symbol depicting a cross with crossbeam

In some of the earliest New Testament manuscripts, the Greek word stauros is abbreviated using the letters Tau (T) and Rho (P-shape), superimposed on each other to form a visual symbol. This combination appears to depict a man on a cross with a crossbeam.

atonement idolatry worship

Christians worship God, not the cross symbol; cross use is a reminder, not icon worship

Winger clarifies that Christians do not worship the cross as an object. It serves as a reminder of what Christ accomplished. The pagan origin argument for the cross is irrelevant — pagans used Greek before the NT was written in Greek; usage context determines meaning.

etymological fallacy linguistics stauros

Clarification: the etymological fallacy is a linguistic fallacy, not a logical fallacy

A viewer misunderstood Winger's use of the term "etymological fallacy," thinking he invented or misapplied it. Winger clarifies the distinction between logical and linguistic fallacies.

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

1 Corinthians 15:3-8: the apostles argued historically for the resurrection by listing eyewitnesses

NT case study showing apostles using evidential showing to establish what they already knew

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 eyewitness testimony knowing vs. showing

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

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

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Matthew 21 has two animals at the Triumphal Entry while Mark and Luke have one; the young donkey points to Jesus's sacrificial nature

Q from Flora about why Matthew 21:1-8 mentions both a donkey and a colt while other Gospels only mention one animal.

Mark Luke Matthew 21:1-8 Gospel harmonization Mark Luke

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Luke 23:43 — comma placement debate: "today" with Jesus or delayed until resurrection?

Question from Hot Wax 93 about the comma in Luke 23:43 (thief on the cross)

Luke 23:43 thief on the cross soul sleep intermediate state

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Greek grammar does not support moving the comma — nearly universal translation consensus

Technical defense of the standard comma placement in Luke 23:43

Luke 23:43 Greek grammar soul sleep Bible translation

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Survey of Jesus's use of "today" (semeron) supports the standard reading

Additional lexical argument for Luke 23:43 standard reading

Luke 23:43 soul sleep intermediate state Luke 23:43

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-17

Immortal soul — JW/annihilationist claim that it is a Greek import, not Jewish or biblical

Q from Grace Lou 22 about a JW friend who says the Greek word for soul just means any living being and that the immortal soul concept is Greek philosophy smuggled into Christianity.

1 Samuel 28 Samuel Saul Jehovah's Witnesses

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-17

1 John 3:6 — "keeps on sinning" does not mean Christians reach sinlessness

Q from Nat Atheist about Christians who use 1 John 3:6 to argue for progressive sinlessness/perfectionism.

Revelation Galatians 6 1 John 3:6 Revelation Galatians 6 Salvation

John 1:1 Jehovah's Witnesses theos John 1:1

Greek grammar of John 1:1 — theos/theon and the definite article (ton)

Mike walks through the Greek text of John 1:1 using Logos Bible Software.

John 1:1 John 1:6 Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation theos

John 1:6 refutes JW argument — theos without article still means God Almighty

Mike demonstrates the JW argument is self-defeating using another verse in the same chapter.

John 1:1 Trinity Deity of Christ theos

Dan Wallace on John 1:1: the articular construction fights Sabellianism; the anarthrous predicate fights Arianism

Mike quotes Greek scholar Dan Wallace's commentary on John 1:1.