Search — Theology Explorer

John Owen universalism limited atonement John Owen

Objection 4 stated: John Owen's trilemma

Classic Calvinist logical argument from John Owen's Death of Death in the Death of Christ.

1 John 2:2 kosmos 1 John 2:2 propitiation

1 John 2:2 refutes Trinitarian harmony: Jesus is propitiation for the whole world, not just believers

Mike applies 1 John 2:2 directly against the Trinitarian harmony argument.

Ezekiel 33:11 election Ezekiel 33:11 universal salvific will

Ezekiel 33:11 — God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; desires all to turn and live

Old Testament support for God's universal salvific desire.

1 John 2:2 David Allen 1 John 2:2 unlimited atonement

Trinitarian harmony argument can be reversed: if Scripture says Christ died for all, the Father must have intended it

Mike turns the Trinitarian harmony argument back on the Calvinist position.

John Owen faith universalism unlimited atonement

John Owen's trilemma answered: extent and application are distinct; the trilemma conflates them

Mike's direct rebuttal to John Owen's trilemma / false dilemma.

Ezekiel 33:11 repentance Ezekiel 33:11 God's wrath

Ezekiel 33:11 — God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked

Mike demonstrates Old Testament consistency on God's wrath and mercy.

Ezekiel 18:31 repentance God's wrath divine mercy

Ezekiel 18:31 — God urges Israel to make new hearts and turn from wickedness

Mike cites a second Ezekiel passage reinforcing God's gracious invitation in the face of wrath.

new covenant progressive revelation the cross

Q&A: Why doesn't the death penalty for homosexuality apply today? — Old Testament law and Christ

Viewer asks why the Old Testament death penalty for various sins does not apply under the new covenant.

eschatology God's love divine judgment

Q&A: Does God's love have a time limit — does it turn to hatred at death for the damned?

Viewer asks whether God's love for the unrepentant ceases at death and becomes everlasting hatred.

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Epistle of Barnabas (early 2nd century) depicts the cross as a capital-T shape

The Epistle of Barnabas, written in the early second century (within ~100 years of Jesus's death), represents the cross of Christ using the capital letter T, implying a crossbeam.

Moses typology crucifixion

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

The real Watchtower error: denying the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, not just the shape of the cross

Winger argues that the cross-shape dispute, while useful in exposing Watchtower unreliability, is secondary to the far more serious Watchtower error: they deny that Jesus's death on the cross was sufficient to pay for sin.

Ephesians 2:8-9 John 19:30 justification by faith atonement Ephesians 2:8-9

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Q&A: Sinless perfection — not achievable in this life; a new body required

A viewer asks about sinless perfection. Winger holds that sinless perfection is a future reality (resurrection/glorification), not a present one.

pride glorification resurrection

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Refutation of "all religions work": Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre as a test case

First reductio ad absurdum argument against religious pluralism

reductio ad absurdum cults religious pluralism

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Q&A: Does God have divine hatred? — Yes, Scripture affirms it, alongside God's love

Viewer question from Johnny

Ezekiel 33:11 John 3:16 Psalm 5:5 God's love Ezekiel 33:11 John 3:16

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Baptism represents identification with the death and resurrection of Christ — Romans 6:3-4

Part 1: establishing what baptism means before asking who should receive it.

Romans 6:3-4 repentance faith death and resurrection of Christ

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

Scriptural language about things not being "remembered" in heaven means no bitter grief, not literal loss of memory

Side note during the heaven/marriage question, addressing a teaching that people will have no memories in heaven based on Isaiah.

Revelation Isaiah biblical hermeneutics Revelation Isaiah

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

A childhood "blood pact with Satan" has no power over someone who trusts in Christ — the cross cancels all such claims

Question about a friend who at age 12 signed his soul over to Satan in a blood pact and now feels he cannot be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 salvation Satan spiritual warfare

Mike Winger idea 2020-08-28

The Great Commission applies to all Christians at some level; discipleship includes both evangelism (initiation) and ongoing teaching

Question from Cass Magnuson about how Matthew 28:18-20 applies to individual Christians and what making a disciple involves.

Acts Matthew 28:18-20 Great Commission discipleship baptism

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

1 John 5:16-17: sin leading to death likely refers to physical death, not Catholic mortal/venial sin distinction

Q from Sarah Nordberg about the meaning of sin leading to death vs. sin not leading to death in 1 John 5:16-17.

1 John 5:16-17 atonement repentance mortal sin

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Romans 6:23 — the death referred to is both physical death and eternal separation from God (the second death)

Response to Jesse Crocus asking what kind of death Romans 6:23 refers to.

Romans 6:23 physical death Romans 6:23 wages of sin

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Distinction between temptation and lust/sin: sin begins when the will yields to desire, not at first awareness of attraction

Response to Hot Wax 93 asking the difference between simple sexual attraction and lust.

James 1:13-15 Matthew 5:28 temptation sin sexual sin

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

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.

Romans Acts Hebrews Romans Acts Hebrews

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-18

Where was Jesus's spirit during the two days between death and resurrection?

Brief lightning-round answer (no questioner name given).

1 Peter 3:19 eschatology descent into hell intermediate state

Calvary Chapel tradition vs Scripture church tradition

Calvary Chapel's informal warehouse-church aesthetic is itself a tradition, not an inherently superior form

Mike's reflection on his Calvary Chapel upbringing and liturgy

Proverbs 18:21 Proverbs 18:20 hermeneutics Proverbs 18:21 Proverbs 18:20

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 soteriology Proverbs 18:21 tongue and speech

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

Theological application of Proverbs 18:21

1 John 4:17-18 atonement assurance of salvation fear of judgment

1 John 4:17-18 — perfect love casts out fear; God's love applied to judgment produces confidence

Continuing the 1 John 4 reading and application

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Old Testament law: killing in self-defense carried no penalty, establishing self-defense as a legitimate moral category

Biblical grounding for self-defense

Mosaic Law self-defense homicide law

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Near-death / heaven-visiting accounts: deep skepticism warranted; Paul's 2 Corinthians 12 model shows the right posture is silence, not book tours

Question from S.M. Hart about people selling books on visiting heaven or hell

2 Corinthians 12 Paul 2 Corinthians 12 false prophets

Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Grace Community Church COVID decision: Mike is on the fence — neither fully endorsing nor opposing their refusal to close

Question from Teonbay about Grace Community Church defying California government COVID gathering restrictions

Acts 5:29 Romans 13 Acts 5:29 Romans 13 COVID-19

soul sleep intermediate state death and afterlife

Introduction to soul sleep vs. immediate presence with God at death

Opening question of the 20 Questions livestream format

eschatology intermediate state bodily resurrection

Future bodily resurrection is distinct from the question of immediate post-death state

Framing the soul sleep question by distinguishing it from end-times resurrection

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 intermediate state 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 walking by faith

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 — walking by faith not by sight, preferring to be with the Lord

Reading and applying 2 Corinthians 5 to the soul sleep question

Philippians 1:19-23 Paul intermediate state Philippians 1:19-23

Philippians 1:19-23 — context of Paul in prison writing about life vs. death

Mike introduces Philippians 1 as the stronger text on immediate post-death presence with Christ

Philippians 1:23 Paul soul sleep intermediate state

Philippians 1:23 — "my desire is to depart and be with Christ" refutes soul sleep

Exegesis of Philippians 1:23 as the strongest argument against soul sleep

Philippians 1 Paul soul sleep intermediate state

Paul's tension between ministry and being with Christ only makes sense if death means immediate presence

Logical argument from Philippians 1 structure

Ecclesiastes Philippians 1 intermediate state rapture Ecclesiastes

Can raptured believers help loved ones left behind? No biblical basis; Paul implies post-death impact ends

Question from Lassie Clyman about acting for loved ones after the rapture

Galatians 3:23-24 Paul paidagogos covenant theology

Galatians 3:23 — the Law as guardian/nanny: imprisoned under law until Christ

Question from Jesse Jack about Galatians 3:23 and being confined/imprisoned by the law

Galatians 3 justification by faith atonement imputed righteousness

Freedom from the law through Christ — justified by faith, law's penalty absorbed by Jesus

Completing the Galatians 3 explanation

catechesis baptism discipleship

Baptism: no required level of knowledge — New Testament pattern is immediate baptism upon faith

Question from Dimitar Bratov about the level of understanding required before baptism

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

salvation resurrection objective truth

Salvation is grounded in objective reality, not in the power of belief itself

Conclusion of the relativism discussion.

Christology hypostatic union death of Christ

Jesus's death was a real human physical death; the divine nature did not cease to exist

Part of the atonement discussion, carefully distinguishing Christ's two natures.

John 19:30 1 Peter 3:18-20 atonement descent into hell it is finished

'It is finished' — full payment was complete at the moment of death; descent to spirits in prison was proclamation, not suffering

Follow-up on the atonement question about whether Jesus experienced the equivalent of hell.