Search — Theology Explorer

Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 8:13 New Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 8:13

Big picture point 3: The Law was always heading toward replacement—Jeremiah 31 predicts a New Covenant unlike the old

Third foundational contextual claim: the Law had a built-in expiration point

Matthew 5:17 Matthew 5:17 pleroo prophetic fulfillment

After Jesus fulfills a prophecy, we do not continue to await its fulfillment—completion changes the expectation

Logical implication of fulfillment language

Galatians 3:19 Galatians 3:24-25 Galatians 3:19 Galatians 3:24-25 paidagogos

Galatians 3:19, 24-25 — the Law was a temporary guardian "until the offspring [Christ] should come"

Pauline support for the Law's transitional termination at the first coming

Luke 2:49 incarnation hypostatic union Luke 2:49

Q&A: Jesus likely knew his messianic identity by age 12 (Luke 2 temple incident), but what he knew before that is uncertain

Theological question about the development of Jesus's self-awareness

Acts 15:21 119 Ministries Gentiles and the Law Jerusalem Council

Q&A: Acts 15:21 is used by Hebrew Roots to justify Gentile Torah observance — Winger defers to full treatment next week

Preview of upcoming Acts 15 analysis

Romans 2:12 Hebrew Roots movement Gentiles and the Law Romans 2:12

Q&A: Romans 2:12 undermines the claim that everyone has always been under the Mosaic Law — Winger does not know how Hebrew Roots explains it

Engagement with a counter-question about Hebrew Roots consistency

Zechariah 2 Zechariah 4:8-9 Jonathan McLatchie intricate harmonies Zechariah 2

Divine plurality in Zechariah 2 — Yahweh sent by Yahweh

McLatchie gives Zechariah 2 as an example of intricate harmonies pointing to the Trinity in the Old Testament.

Hosea 11:1 Proverbs 30:1-4 Hosea 11:1 divine sonship Jonathan McLatchie

Proverbs 30:1-4 — God and his Son in the Hebrew Bible

McLatchie highlights Proverbs 30:1-4 as an often-overlooked text implying the divine sonship within the Hebrew Scriptures.

undesigned coincidences eyewitness testimony Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidences — definition and how they demonstrate historicity

Winger asks McLatchie to explain undesigned coincidences as a distinct argument for the historicity of the New Testament.

John 6:5 John 12:21 Luke 9:10 undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie John 6:5

Undesigned coincidence: why Jesus addressed Philip at the feeding of the 5,000

McLatchie's first example of an undesigned coincidence involving John 6, John 12, and Luke 9.

John 12:1 Mark 11-14 triumphal entry undesigned coincidences Jonathan McLatchie

Undesigned coincidence: John's Passover timeline and Mark's narrative calibrate perfectly

McLatchie's second Gospel-based undesigned coincidence — the precise synchronization of John 12 and Mark 11-14.

Acts 23:1-5 Josephus Jonathan McLatchie historicity of Acts

Acts corroboration: Ananias falsely acting as high priest — Acts 23

McLatchie gives a final Acts example showing extra-biblical corroboration explaining an apparent difficulty in the text.

Peter Williams historicity of the Gospels Can We Trust the Gospels?

Peter Williams — Can We Trust the Gospels?

Winger recommends Peter Williams's book as a resource for the general reliability of the Gospels.

Jonathan McLatchie biological fine-tuning intelligent design

Doug Axe's research — probability of functional proteins

McLatchie cites Douglas Axe's research on the ratio of functional to non-functional protein sequences.

God of the gaps inference to the best explanation Jonathan McLatchie

Objection: God of the gaps — and the response from information theory

McLatchie addresses the most popular objection to intelligent design: the God of the gaps fallacy.

1 Corinthians 15 James the brother of Jesus Luke 24:34 Peter 1 Corinthians 15 resurrection of Jesus

Criterion of restraint — no narratives of private resurrection appearances to Peter and James

McLatchie introduces the "criterion of restraint" as further corroboration of the resurrection's historicity.

Mark 16:1 Matthew 28:1 Luke 24:10 empty tomb Jonathan McLatchie historicity of the Gospels

Irreconcilable variation in empty tomb accounts — evidence for independence

McLatchie presents apparent discrepancies between Gospel accounts of the empty tomb as evidence for their independence.

Luke 8:2-3 Luke 24:10 Luke 23:55 Luke 8:2-3 Mary Magdalene Joanna

Undesigned coincidence within Luke: women from Galilee thread through Luke 8, 23, and 24

McLatchie presents an intra-Gospel undesigned coincidence within Luke demonstrating the authentic, non-fabricated character of the resurrection narrative.

dietary laws Jewish believers Peter (Apostle)

Peter did not violate food laws even years after the resurrection -- an important concession: there was no requirement for Jewish believers to stop Torah observance after coming to Jesus

Analysis of Peter's behavior regarding food laws

Acts 10 hermeneutics Acts 10 Gentile inclusion

Neither extreme interpretation of Acts 10 is correct: neither 'all food is now clean for everyone' nor 'all food is still unclean' -- the vision primarily establishes Gentile access to the gospel

Balanced interpretation of Acts 10 vision

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

resurrection Gentile evangelism Messiah (title)

Q&A: difference between preaching Jesus as Christ to Jews vs. as Lord to Gentiles -- connects to what the audience already knows from Scripture

Q&A on Jewish vs. Gentile evangelism vocabulary

Revelation 20-21 eschatology Law of Moses new heavens and new earth

Q&A: Revelation 20-21 as the end of the Mosaic law -- Winger is uncertain; notes a real transition happens in new heavens/new earth but declines to definitively call it the end of the law

Q&A on eschatology and the law

Hebrew Roots movement Messianic Judaism Jewish believers

Q&A: difference between Hebrew Roots movement (HRM) and Messianic Judaism -- HRM is predominantly Gentiles taking on Torah; Messianic Judaism is Jews who believe Jesus is Messiah

Q&A distinguishing HRM from Messianic Judaism

hermeneutics Hebrew Roots Movement 119 Ministries

Being lost in details vs. identifying a central/pivotal issue in the Hebrew Roots debate

Methodological framing for the episode

Romans 3:20 knowledge of sin Law of Moses law and sin connection

Romans 3:20 establishes a connection between the law and the knowledge of sin

Scriptural support for the law-sin connection

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

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

Contextual argument using the immediately following verse

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

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

Surveying Pauline uses — fifth instance

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

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

Romans 7:6 new covenant Law of Moses Romans 7:6

Romans 7:6 — released from the law to serve in the new way of the Spirit

Final key verse summarizing the new covenant mode of life

false teaching 119 Ministries charitable interpretation

Are Hebrew Roots teachers false teachers? Winger extends charity, attributing error to wrong assumptions not bad faith

Q&A: question about false teaching

Proverbs 8 creation Proverbs 8 wisdom Christology

Brief mention of Proverbs 8 and wisdom in creation as a potential future study topic

Q&A: Jesse Cheek asks about Proverbs 8 and wisdom/creation

James White 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 James White limited atonement 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Introduction: topic triggered by viewer question and James White announcing he would listen

Mike Winger opens the Wednesday livestream and explains why he went deeper into limited atonement than originally planned; James White tweeting that he would listen prompted more thorough preparation.

Calvinism limited atonement TULIP

Definition of limited atonement: Jesus's death only paid for the sins of the elect

Winger defines limited atonement as the doctrine that God only provided payment for the sins of certain people (the elect), not for all humanity.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 evangelism limited atonement 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Paul's application of the theology confirms the universal-extent, limited-application reading: the missions mandate

How Paul applies his theology tells us what his real theology is; his application is the missions mandate.

Colossians 1:20 Colossians 1:16-17 Colossians 1:21-23 reconciliation extent of atonement application of atonement

Colossians 1:20 — 'all things' reconciled through the blood of the cross supports universal extent

Winger turns to Colossians 1:20 as a secondary passage confirming the universal extent of the atonement.

1 John 2:2 limited atonement kosmos 1 John 2:2

1 John 2:2 — Jesus is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world

Winger introduces 1 John 2:2 as perhaps the strongest single verse against limited atonement.

1 John 3:1 1 John 3:13 1 John 4:3-5 kosmos 1 John 3:1 1 John 3:13

1 John's own usage of 'world' across multiple verses defines the term as the ungodly — not scattered believers

Winger grounds the interpretation of 'world' in 1 John 2:2 by examining how the same author uses the word elsewhere in 1 John.

D.A. Carson limited atonement elect

Homework challenge: find one verse where kosmos clearly means the elect — D.A. Carson says no such verse exists

Winger issues an exegetical challenge and cites D.A. Carson's agreement.

James White textual criticism James White Bart Ehrman

James White tweet: respectful but firm disagreement; White acknowledged for textual criticism work and Ehrman debate

Winger shows the James White tweet that prompted deeper preparation for this stream.

Luke 9:54-56 James and John Steven Anderson Luke 9:54-56 spirit of Christ vs. spirit of destruction

Luke 9:54-56: Jesus rebukes disciples who want to call down fire to destroy enemies

Biblical response to Anderson's death-wish for homosexuals

Romans 3:19-23 knowledge of sin Romans 3:19-23 purpose of the law

Romans 3:19-23: The purpose of the law is to close every mouth and make all the world accountable

The true purpose of the OT law

Romans 3:21-24 justification by faith grace righteousness of God

Romans 3:21-24: The law leads to Christ — righteousness through faith for all who believe

The law's positive function: pointing to Christ

Romans 10:2 discernment zeal without knowledge Romans 10:2

Advice to Anderson followers: recognize the problems and apply a filter

Pastoral counsel to people in Anderson's orbit

1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus) Paul 1 Corinthians James (brother of Jesus)

Paul as historical witness: he knew Jesus's brother James, persecuted the church, and lived in the same region and time as Jesus

Discussing Paul's evidence for the historical Jesus

argument from silence Josephus Philo

Roman historians didn't mention Jesus more because he wasn't significant to Roman history — they didn't even mention Pontius Pilate, known only from Philo, Josephus, and NT sources

Explaining the relative silence of Roman sources about Jesus

scholarly consensus Bart Ehrman historicity of Jesus

Bart Ehrman is in a small minority who deny Jesus was known as a miracle worker during his lifetime; most scholars disagree

Noting limits and minority positions within the broader consensus

Acts 13 Psalm 16:10 David Paul resurrection

Paul quotes Psalm 16:10 in Acts 13, arguing Jesus's body did not decay — therefore the resurrection was physical and bodily, not merely visionary

Paul's bodily resurrection theology inferred from Acts 13

Mike Licona criteria of authenticity historical methodology

Licona published a critique of the Keith/Le Donne volume in the Bulletin for Biblical Research, arguing scholars are too pessimistic about the criteria

Licona's scholarly engagement with the debate over historical criteria