Search — Theology Explorer

Matthew 8:16-17 Isaiah 53:4 healing atonement messianic prophecy

Matthew 8:16-17 applies Isaiah 53 to Jesus's physical healings — physical healing is in the atonement

Continuing Isaiah 53 / healing discussion; a complicating text for those who deny physical healing in the atonement.

Romans Acts Hebrews Romans Acts Hebrews

How to start reading the Bible — begin with the Gospels, Acts, Romans, Hebrews; not Genesis-to-Revelation in order

Question from Dallin Byrd about the best starting point for Bible reading.

1 John Matthew 6:14-15 1 John salvation Lord's Prayer

Matthew 6:14-15 — is forgiving others necessary for salvation, or evidence of it?

Question from David Ellington about whether failing to forgive others means losing salvation.

false teaching heresy discernment

Avoiding heresy-tracking burnout — know your realm of responsibility in the body of Christ

Question from Judah Matthews about discernment without anxiety over every false teaching.

Matthew 18 church leadership Matthew 18 ecclesiology

Addressing a church drifting from Scripture — approach thoughtfully, privately first, then through proper channels

Question from Nala about a church where the Bible is not preached and the lead pastor bulldozes people.

Matthew 5:44 Luke 6:28 prayer sanctification forgiveness

How to overcome long-held bitterness — pray for the person consistently; blessing them changes your own heart

Final question from Lillian McDonald about stopping bitterness held for years.

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Parable of the Talents: the main point is investing what God has given you for his kingdom

Q&A from Faded Princess about the Parable of the Talents and discerning spiritual gifts

Matthew 25 spiritual gifts stewardship Matthew 25

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Parable of the Wheat and Tares explains the presence of ungodly people within the visible church

Second biblical resource for answering the bloody-church-history objection

Matthew 13 church history visible vs invisible church Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Q (Quelle) is a hypothetical source document proposed in synoptic gospel studies; its existence is unproven and theologically non-threatening

Question from New Creation Coaching about the scholarly concept of "Q" and its reception among concerned Facebook users

textual criticism inspiration of Scripture synoptic problem

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Annihilationism fails because (1) immortality does not mean eternal existence, and (2) Jesus uses the same word "everlasting" for both heaven and hell

Question from Selenora about why annihilationism is unbiblical

Matthew 25:46 eschatology conditional immortality hell

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

"No man knows the day or the hour" — taking Jesus literally against rapture date-setting

Applying Matthew 24:36 to rapture date-setting

Matthew 24:36 false prophecy second coming Matthew 24:36

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

How Gospel writers knew what Jesus said when alone — Garden of Gethsemane example

Question from Meg Ward about eyewitness accounts for scenes where Jesus was alone

James John Matthew Peter James John

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-09

Persistent prayer vs. vain repetition — the biblical balance

Question from Lunggail Zandi about wrestling with God vs. vain repetitions in prayer

Matthew 6:7 Luke 18 prayer vain repetition persistent prayer

Matthew 24:34 Matthew 24 Matthew 24:34 eschatology Matthew 24

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 24:34 eschatology Israel

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 Matthew 24:6-8 eschatology false prophets Matthew 24

Wars, famines, earthquakes, and pestilences in Matthew 24 are NOT signs of the Second Coming — they are warnings that the end has not yet come

Mike reads Matthew 24 in sequence to reframe how the signs are commonly misunderstood.

Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9 Matthew 24 Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9 eschatology

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 Matthew 24:26-27 eschatology false prophets Matthew 24

During the Tribulation, false christs will appear — the real Second Coming will be unmistakably visible to all

Mike explains why Jesus warns so strongly against looking for a hidden or local return of Christ.

Matthew 24:32-33 eschatology fig tree parable Israel

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 hermeneutics secondary issues eschatology

Eschatology is a secondary issue — Christians should not divide over it

Mike closes his Matthew 24 exposition with an appeal for unity.

Matthew 26:46 crucifixion Judas Iscariot Garden of Gethsemane

Matthew 26:46 — Jesus voluntarily walks forward into betrayal and crucifixion

Question from Hunter Clyce about Matthew 26:46.

Matthew 25:1-13 Holy Spirit salvation parable interpretation

Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) — a warning about authentic faith, not about percentages of saved vs. unsaved

Question from Gloria Urban about whether Matthew 25:1-13 teaches that half the church will not be saved.

Matthew 13 Luke 8 parable interpretation Matthew 13 Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower — the four soil ratios do not give a percentage of who is saved

Mike applies the principle about not literalizing parable ratios to the Parable of the Sower.

Jeremiah 31 Matthew 5:17 Galatians 3 Jeremiah 31 New Covenant fulfillment of the law

The Old Covenant is "eternal" in the sense that Christ fulfilled it — fulfillment, not destruction, transitions to the New Covenant

Question from Jason and Alana about how the Old Covenant can be everlasting yet superseded.

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

Matthew 8 two demoniacs vs. Mark 5 one demoniac: narrative selectivity, not contradiction

Question from CM (from Germany) about the apparent discrepancy between Matthew 8 and Mark 5.

Matthew 8 Mark 5 inerrancy Matthew 8 Mark 5

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

Keeping faith private: a private relationship with God signals shame or embarrassment, not genuine privacy

Question from Dusty Matthew about a friend who says faith is a private matter.

Matthew 10:33 Luke 12:9 evangelism private faith shame of the gospel

Matthew 18 Brian Simmons Matthew 18 Bill Johnson

Matthew 18 is widely misused on the internet to silence discernment of public teachers

Mike introduces the recurring question about whether he has the right to critique public teachers like Bill Johnson, Todd White, Brian Zond, and Brian Simmons

Matthew 18:15-17 hermeneutics church discipline Matthew 18:15-17

Matthew 18:15-17 is about personal sin resolution, not evaluation of public teaching

Mike reads Matthew 18:15-17 and explains its actual contextual meaning

Mark 16:18 Psalm 91 Matthew 4 Mark 16:18 Psalm 91 Matthew 4

Snake handling is condemned as tempting God, mirroring Satan's temptation of Jesus using Psalm 91

Mike addresses the serpent-picking clause in Mark 16:18

James John Matthew 16:28 Peter James John

Matthew 16:28 "some standing here will not taste death" is fulfilled by the Transfiguration, not the Second Coming

Responding to a question from Lucas Callahan about Matthew 16:28 and the failed apocalyptic prophet charge

Matthew 5:20 imputed righteousness righteousness Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5:20 — Righteousness exceeding the scribes and Pharisees

A viewer asks what Jesus meant in Matthew 5:20 about righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees.

Matthew 5:29 1 John 2:1 repentance hyperbole sin

Pluck out your eye (Matthew 5:29) vs. having an advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)

A viewer asks how to reconcile the command to pluck out your eye with the promise of an advocate with the Father.

Matthew 7:16 Mary Catholicism Marian apparitions

Marian apparitions — unreliable; evaluated by bad fruit of Mary-worship

A viewer asks whether visions of the Virgin Mary are reliable.

Matthew 24:15 Acts 1:7 Matthew 24:15 eschatology Martin Luther

Are we the last generation? — Acts 1:7 epistemic humility; abomination of desolation as one signpost

A viewer asks if Mike believes we are the last generation before Christ's return.

Matthew 4 1 Peter 5:8 Ephesians 6:12 spiritual warfare Holy Spirit indwelling exorcism

Can a Christian be demonized or possessed? — No, the Spirit-indwelt believer cannot be internally possessed

A viewer asks if a Christian can be demonized and if Mike has ever cast out a demon.

1 Timothy Mark Luke 1 Timothy textual criticism Mark

Dating the Gospels — pre-70 AD arguments deserve more weight than commonly given

A viewer asks whether most NT historians date all four Gospels to around 70 AD or later.

Matthew 18:15-17 Galatians 6:1-2 false teaching church discipline mysticism

Handling a friend pursuing unbiblical mysticism — staged intervention using Galatians 6:1-2

Mike answers an emailed question from Nikki about a close Christian friend who keeps pursuing mystical and unbiblical things despite multiple conversations.

Matthew 5:13-16 salt and light gospel proclamation religious persecution

Standing up for faith before it is taken away — Christians always stand; democracy creates gospel opportunity

A viewer asks at what point Christians should stand up for their faith before it is taken away.

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Word of Faith 'little gods' teaching is serious enough to warrant leaving a church

Question from someone whose pastor teaches the Word of Faith 'little gods' doctrine and has rejected private correction.

Matthew 18 false teaching Matthew 18 church discipline

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-20

Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven are synonyms in the Gospels

Question about whether the two phrases refer to different things.

Matthew biblical theology Matthew kingdom of God

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Jesus commends voluntary singleness (making oneself a eunuch for the kingdom) — therefore a blanket command for every person to have children cannot be right.

New Testament witness on the fruitful-and-multiply question.

Matthew 19 — Eunuchs for the Kingdom 1 Corinthians 7:32-38 Paul Jesus Marriage and Childbearing

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

There may be seasons — such as extreme hardship — where a married couple may avoid pregnancy; but this is entirely distinct from abortion (murder) or any contraception that kills a conceived human being.

Discussing contextual exceptions to the general childbearing mandate.

Matthew 24 — Woe to Nursing Mothers Marriage and Childbearing Contraception Abortion

Matthew Vines biblical authority apologetics homosexuality

Diagnosing the root belief driving a gay-identifying Christian friend — four possible positions

Continuing Q8 — strategy for engaging friend

1 Corinthians 7 Matthew 19 1 Corinthians 7 marriage singleness

Q9: Is it sinful to not want to marry? Singleness is a gift, not inferior to marriage

Response to viewer asking about call to singleness

Matthew 24 hermeneutics eschatology second coming

Eschatology as the field most prone to overconfident errors; lessons from misapplied messianic expectation

Continuing Q12 on fear of theological error

Luke 23:34 Ezekiel 18:23 Matthew 23:37 judgment God's love Luke 23:34

Does God love those who go to hell? Yes — but love stopped by rejection; holiness demands judgment

Continuing Q15 — part about God's love for the damned