Search — Theology Explorer

Christian liberty Thanksgiving gratitude

Thanksgiving as a biblical holiday in practice though not in name

Applying the holiday criteria to Thanksgiving

Christian liberty Jehovah's Witnesses biblical interpretation

Birthdays: Jehovah's Witness argument from bad birthday examples in the Bible is fallacious

Addressing the JW teaching that birthdays are pagan/forbidden

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

discernment biblical accuracy The Chosen

The Chosen series — artistic interpretation, not Scripture; worth watching with discernment

Question from Dilly Guy about Mike's view on The Chosen

Calvinism Free Will Election

Corporate view of election and God's foreknowledge conditioned on faith

Mike's alternative to Calvinist individual unconditional election.

Calvinism TULIP Total Depravity

Irresistible Grace — Mike rejects it as the mirror image of Total Depravity

Fourth point of TULIP addressed.

Proverbs Genesis 24 Proverbs Marriage The One

God as matchmaker — Mike rejects "the one" theology applied universally

Q from Haruhi Anderson about the doctrine that God has one divinely chosen spouse for every Christian.

Isaiah 53 Isaiah 52 Isaiah 53 Hermeneutics Isaiah 52

How to construct a biblical theology — start with contextual reading plus the doctrine of inspiration

Q from Nick (Quint/Quiet) about building a biblical theological method.

1 Samuel 28 Samuel Saul Jehovah's Witnesses

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.

Trinity heresy Oneness Pentecostalism

Oneness Pentecostalism: critique of modalism and concern about authoritarian/bully theology

Question from Stephen Serrano about Oneness Pentecostalism.

same-sex marriage sexual ethics biblical marriage

Same-sex marriage distinguished: no biblical mandate exists to support it as a legitimate covenant

Contrasting same-sex marriage with a believer/unbeliever marriage in the context of wedding attendance.

parental authority communion children and church

Children and communion: readiness is knowledge-based not age-based; parents decide, not the church

Question from Kimberly Mencina about a four-year-old not participating in communion.

Bible study Blue Letter Bible new believers

Bible study tips for new believers: study Bibles and Blue Letter Bible as foundational resources

Question from Mia Joe, a new Christian of a couple months.

Acts 2 Galatians 5:23 Acts 2 self-control charismatic gifts

Three arguments against drunk-in-the-spirit theology: self-control is a fruit of the Spirit; accusers were unsaved; Scripture describes the gifts

Mike's comprehensive rebuttal of drunk-in-spirit theology.

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

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

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

Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 do speak about Satan, contra the scholarly majority

Responding to a question from Nathanael H about whether these passages reference Satan

Isaiah 14 Ezekiel 28 biblical theology Satan Isaiah 14

John 10:11 2 Corinthians 5:21 Mark 10:17-18 John 10:11 Ray Comfort deity of Christ

Mark 10:17-18 — Why does Jesus ask why he is called good? Implicit claim to deity

A viewer asks Mike to explain Mark 10:17-18, the rich young ruler passage.

Philippians 4 Romans 6 Proverbs 11:14 Philippians 4 Romans 6 pastoral counseling

Scriptures for believers needing deliverance — Romans 6 for sin, Philippians 4 for oppression

A viewer at 3am asks for scriptures for believers needing deliverance.

discernment worship music Bethel

Worship music evaluation — two questions: is the song sound? Do I want to partner with the movement?

A viewer asks whether worship music should contain Scripture and doctrine, and whether Chris Tomlin and Jesus Culture are fine.

Calvary Chapel sola scriptura theological method

Denominational influence on belief — Mike vets positions through Scripture before teaching them publicly

A viewer asks whether Mike's beliefs come from his denomination.

1 Kings 21 Genesis 4 Exodus 20 theocracy 1 Kings 21 right to life

Biblical basis for rights to life, liberty, and property

Question asking for verses that imply life, liberty, and property are inalienable rights.

Hebrews 1:1-2 1 Timothy 1:18 Revelation of John Hagar charismatic movement prophecy

Hebrews 1:1-2 does not prohibit God from speaking to individuals today

Question about whether God still speaks through a still small voice today, referencing Hebrews 1:2.

personal testimony divine calling ministry

Mike's personal testimony: a burden from God that led to his YouTube ministry

Mike illustrates genuine individual divine communication with personal experience.

Romans 5:12 Romans 8:20-22 young earth creationism Fall of Man Romans 5:12

Death before the Fall: Romans 5 and 8 address human death, not animal death

Question about whether macro-evolution is consistent with Scripture given death entered through sin.

anachronism church history sola scriptura

Early church creeds: authoritative insofar as they reflect Scripture, not equal to Scripture; beware anachronism

Question about the Athanasian Creed and whether it is biblical, specifically the implication that one must believe in the Trinity to be saved.

epistemology aliens and Christianity biblical silence

The Bible neither affirms nor denies the existence of aliens; Christians can follow the evidence without a presuppositional commitment either way.

Does the Bible say anything about aliens?

Hebrews 13:2 hermeneutics angelology Hebrews 13:2

Entertaining angels unawares is a super-rare event in Scripture; the main application of Hebrews 13:2 is the importance of showing kindness to strangers, not predicting frequency of angelic visits.

Application of Hebrews 13:2

hermeneutics discernment commentaries

For new Christians evaluating commentaries: trust your Bible more than commentators; blueletterbible.org is recommended as a generally reliable free resource.

Question from a new Christian about evaluating Bible teachers and commentaries

1 Corinthians 12 tongues charismatic theology gifts of the Spirit

Using frequency of tongues-speaking as a spiritual credential is spiritually abusive; Mike refuses to disclose personal charismatic experiences in that context.

Spiritual abuse in hyper-charismatic circles around tongues-speaking

Genesis flood Genesis 6-9 hermeneutics Genesis flood Genesis 6-9

The flood narrative: "destroy all flesh" is a sweeping statement not meant to be woodenly literal - fish dying would be an example of over-literalism.

Question about fish surviving the flood if God said he would destroy all flesh

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's claim that the NT contains anti-Semitic propaganda and forged passages is theologically foolish — it substitutes his personal agenda for textual criticism and makes him the effective authority over Scripture.

Q: What do you think of Shmuley Boteach's claim that the NT has anti-Semitic propaganda Christians should reject as forgeries?

Romans 9-11 Shmuley Boteach Anti-Semitism and the New Testament Romans 9-11

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Angels could fall but redeemed humans in eternity will not — Scripture promises 'with him forever'; the mechanisms likely include: prior choice already made, maximum Holy Spirit indwelling, perfected environment, and crucially the removal of the sin nature.

Q: If angels were not 100% safe in heaven because they could be seduced by Satan, how can we be certain we will be safe in eternity with God?

1 Corinthians 15:53 — Incorruption Eschatology Eternal Security in Heaven Fallen Angels / Satan

Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

Church fathers have historical value — especially the earliest second-century writers — but should not be granted extra theological authority; they are windows into early church history, not infallible teachers.

Q: How much utility should we find in the church fathers? Should we view them with extra credibility?

Justin Martyr Polycarp Church Fathers

Hebrews 11:4 faith worship sacrifice

Hebrews 11:4: Abel's sacrifice was better because it was offered by faith

Resolving the Cain/Abel question using Hebrews 11

Galatians 6:1 sin habitual sin humility

Galatians 6: distinction between living in sin vs. occasional sin

Continuing Q5 on Christian sin frequency

1 Corinthians 7 1 Corinthians 7 singleness free will

Gift of singleness: a choice, not only a sovereign assignment

Continuing Q9 on singleness

Philippians 4:8 Brian Simmons prosperity gospel Philippians 4:8

Q10: Dangers of treating positivity/negativity as moral categories — New Age/New Thought origins

Response to question about "happy church" culture where positivity = moral good

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

Proverbs 3:5 Trinity epistemology faith and reason

Q14: "Don't lean on your own understanding" (Prov 3:5) — using understanding vs. leaning on it

Response to question about how to know truth when you can't trust your own understanding or tradition

1 Corinthians 11 John 14:6 John 1:1-14 hermeneutics Craig Blomberg Douglas Moo

Many ways to interpret the Bible — but the most important truths are plainly clear

Continuing Q14 on Bible interpretation and despair

epistemology theological error intellectual humility

Calibrated theological humility: hold beliefs with appropriate confidence, expect some error, keep learning

Continuing Q14 on following heart vs. conscience vs. Scripture

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

Ephesians 6:1 Ephesians 5:22 Ephesians 6:4 submission hupotasso marriage

Wives submit vs. children obey — different words, different authority structures; discipline is for children not wives

Continuing Q19 on husband-wife authority vs. parent-child authority

Bible translation Bible study methods New Living Translation

When reading Scripture, consult a second translation when you genuinely do not understand a passage

First question / tip of the stream: when to reference secondary Bible translations

Joshua Rahab Christian ethics deception

Whether a Christian can work for the CIA or NSA involves the question of whether all deception is always wrong

Question from Mick Making Oreo1113 about whether Christians can work in intelligence agencies where lying is part of the job

1 Peter 3:1 submission 1 Peter 3:1 marriage

The claim that a wife's submission will cause her husband to repent is not biblical — each person is accountable for their own behavior

Rebuttal of a specific style of marriage counseling

prayer Bible study methods Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer is an excellent structured guide for prayer when used as a launch pad, not as a rote formula to repeat

Positive application of the Lord's Prayer and recommendation for daily devotional practice