Search — Theology Explorer

1 Corinthians 4:17 Luke 1 Corinthians 16:10 Paul Timothy 1 Corinthians 4:17

Undesigned coincidence: 1 Corinthians 4 and Acts 19 — Timothy's route to Corinth

McLatchie gives an example of undesigned coincidences between Paul's epistles and the book of Acts, confirming Luke as Paul's traveling companion.

undesigned coincidences Lydia McGrew historicity of the Gospels

Lydia McGrew's book on undesigned coincidences

Winger references Lydia McGrew's scholarly work as a resource for deeper study on undesigned coincidences.

John the Baptist Mark 10:2-12 Josephus John the Baptist Herod Antipas

Extra-biblical corroboration: Mark 10 — why Jesus taught about divorce in that context

McLatchie uses Mark 10's divorce passage to show Josephus provides context explaining why the teaching is historically plausible.

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

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.

Numbers 23:19 Deuteronomy 21:23 resurrection deity of Christ Justin Martyr

Unlikely origin of the disciples' belief in the deity of Jesus — fifth argument

McLatchie introduces the argument that the disciples' belief in Jesus's deity is historically inexplicable without the resurrection, given the Jewish context.

Big Bang natural theology Kalam cosmological argument

Kalam Cosmological Argument — everything that begins to exist has a cause

McLatchie presents the Kalam Cosmological Argument as part of natural theology.

Matthew 28 empty tomb resurrection of Jesus Matthew 28

Earliest Jewish polemic presupposes the empty tomb — Matthew 28

McLatchie points to the earliest Jewish counter-argument to the resurrection as presupposing the tomb was empty.

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 9: Saul is converted and called as the apostle to the Gentiles, but immediately begins preaching in synagogues to Jews -- the Gentile mission has not yet begun

Survey of Acts chapter 9, Paul's conversion

Acts 9:15 Acts 9:20 Paul the Apostle Acts 9:15 Acts 9:20

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Paul preaches in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14) -- his standard method is synagogue first, then the broader city. His message presents Jesus as fulfillment of the law and prophets.

Survey of Acts 13:14, Paul's first missionary journey

Acts 13:14 Paul the Apostle fulfillment theology Acts 13:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Acts 13:38-39 -- Paul: forgiveness is proclaimed through Jesus, and through him everyone who believes is freed from all things from which they could not be freed through the law of Moses

Paul's synagogue sermon in Pisidian Antioch

Acts 13:38-39 Paul the Apostle justification Law of Moses

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

Romans 6:15 refutes 119's interpretation of Romans 6:14 by context

Contextual argument using the immediately following verse

Romans 6:14 Romans 6:15 Law of Moses under the law Romans 6:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

119 Ministries is used as the dialogue partner because they actually engage with challenging passages

Methodological note on choosing 119 Ministries

hermeneutics Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-05

Galatians 3:25 — we are no longer under the guardian (the law)

Surveying Pauline uses — fifth instance

Galatians 3:25 faith in Christ Law of Moses under the law

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

Q&A: Are the dead conscious after death? Are loved ones watching over us? — Believers go immediately to God's presence; watching over us is uncertain

Viewer Q&A about the state of the dead and whether loved ones watch over the living.

Ecclesiastes resurrection soul sleep intermediate state

Mike Winger idea 2019-05-30

Caution against Christians consuming antagonistic atheist YouTube content without a clear apologetic purpose

Winger advises viewers about atheist YouTube channels after a question about responding to 'Prophet of Zod.'

apologetics media discernment

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-13

Mike explains why he is doing a video to refute Steven Anderson

Introduction to the video

Steven Anderson biblical gospel media platforming of fringe teachers

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-13

Advice to everyone else: unsubscribe, stop watching, starve Anderson's platform

Practical counsel on engaging (or not) with Anderson's content

media discernment Steven Anderson platform and influence

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Paul's eschatology: 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:20-22 show an intermediate disembodied state after death, before the final bodily resurrection

Paul's two-stage eschatological framework

2 Corinthians 5:8 Philippians 1:20-22 Paul eschatology intermediate state

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

1 Thessalonians 4: Jesus will "bring with him" the dead in Christ, whose spirits are reunited with raised bodies — a transformer/transformative resurrection

Paul's 1 Thessalonians 4 passage on resurrection and the coming of Christ

1 Thessalonians 4 Paul eschatology intermediate state

Mike Winger idea 2019-06-26

Cessationism defined: miraculous gifts belonged to the apostolic era only, served a unique founding purpose, and ceased before the canon closed.

Winger reads a definition from Theapedia. He contrasts it with continuationism, which holds the gifts are normative and available today.

cessationism continuationism spiritual gifts

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-03

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

Euthyphro dilemma Socrates Euthyphro

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.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 unlimited atonement universal salvific will 1 Timothy 2:1-6

1 Timothy 2:1-6 — God desires all people to be saved; Christ gave himself as ransom for all

Mike's central proof-text for the Father's universal salvific intention.

Ephesians 2:1-3 election limited atonement intercession

Ephesians 2 refutes the intercession argument: the elect were still under wrath after the cross, before believing

Mike uses Ephesians 2 as a direct rebuttal to the Calvinist intercession/atonement link.

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.

Mike Winger idea 2019-08-07

Three reasons people struggle with God's wrath: false dichotomy, wounded past, inflated view of human goodness

Mike diagnoses the pastoral and psychological sources of resistance to the doctrine of divine wrath.

Romans 5:8 God's wrath human sin divine holiness

Mike Winger idea 2019-09-04

Rutherford praised the cross before reversing; the 1932 booklet What Is Truth introduced the stake

Rutherford — the same man who would later label the cross a pagan symbol — wrote glowingly of it in Harp of God: "The cross of Christ is the greatest pivotal truth of the divine arrangement from which radiates the hopes of men." The 1932 booklet What Is Truth introduced the torture-stake image.

cross torture stake Joseph Rutherford

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Fire alarm analogy: even if the messenger is a jerk, truth remains truth — cultural taboo vs. actual wrong

Further defense of proclaiming Jesus as the only way

gospel proclamation exclusivity of Christ cultural Christianity

Mike Winger idea 2019-10-02

Religious pluralism summarized as dangerous, not merely wrong: a false diagnosis that makes you feel good while killing you

Final evaluation of religious pluralism's impact

apologetics false teaching gospel proclamation

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Part 2: Introduction to the household baptism argument for infant baptism

Winger presents the paedo-baptist household baptism case charitably before critiquing it.

Acts Acts infant baptism paedobaptism

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Acts 16:15: Lydia's household baptism — likely no infants present given her context as a traveling businesswoman

Examination of the Lydia household baptism passage and contextual clues.

Acts 16:15 Acts 16:14 Lydia Acts 16:15 Acts 16:14

Mike Winger idea 2019-07-31

Circumcision-baptism parallel breaks down on multiple fronts: faith requirement, compulsion, and gender exclusivity

Winger extends the critique of the circumcision-baptism parallel by pressing its internal inconsistencies.

Lydia faith baptism

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Everything genuinely from God is true; the problem is misidentifying non-divine impressions as God speaking

Q&A: pastoral guidance on how to handle perceived divine guidance that turns out to be wrong

prophecy witness of the Holy Spirit divine communication

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Repentance from lust should be immediate; do not delay until emotional relief arrives

Q&A: pastoral guidance to a viewer who struggled with lust

repentance sanctification lust

Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

When an atheist asks context-free gotcha questions and refuses to engage answers, move on

Q&A: strategy for handling an atheist who uses OT verses as traps without wanting real dialogue

evangelism apologetics atheism

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

Righteous anger is anger that is rightly caused and rightly applied; Ephesians 4:26 is the governing principle

Q from Naomi Yurkov about what righteous anger is biblically and when it applies to humans.

Ephesians 4:26 social media righteous anger Ephesians 4:26

Isaiah 53:5 hermeneutics healing Word of Faith

Isaiah 53:5 interpretation — "by his stripes we are healed" in context

Question from Cindy Johanneson about Word of Faith use of Isaiah 53:5 to support divine health and the claim believers should never be sick.

Psalm 15:4 marriage covenant contracts

Are marriage contracts biblical? — Yes, with wisdom; keeping one's word is a biblical principle

Question from Mahit (likely from India) about whether signing a pre-marriage contract is biblical.

1 Peter 3:19 eschatology descent into hell intermediate state

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

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

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.

Hebrews 1:1-2 dia Trinity Hebrews 1:1-2

Hebrews 1:1-2 — God created the world "through" his Son: economic Trinity and the agency of the Son in creation

Q&A from Ed Jacobson about the meaning of "through" in Hebrews 1:2

discernment Holy Spirit leading of the Spirit

Knowing the Holy Spirit: the Spirit's leading will always be consistent with Scripture

Q&A from Tia Jane about having a relationship with the Holy Spirit beyond gifts

discernment Holy Spirit leading of the Spirit

Track record in discerning Spirit leading is a practical check

Additional criteria for discerning Holy Spirit leading

Judges 4 Judges 4 Christian ethics video games

Sexual content in any media is a hard redline for Christians; violence is treated differently in Scripture

Distinguishing sexual content from violent content in media evaluation