Search — Theology Explorer

Genesis 1:28 Genesis 1:28 Hermeneutics Be Fruitful and Multiply

The command in Genesis 1 is a collective mandate for mankind as a whole, not a personal obligation on every individual — applying it to each person individually leads to absurd conclusions (e.g., condemning infertile people).

Interpretive principle applied to Genesis 1:28.

Genesis 9:1 Genesis 9:7 Noah Be Fruitful and Multiply Genesis 9:1

Genesis 9:1,7 re-issues the fruitful-and-multiply command to Noah and his sons after the flood, emphasizing the command operates in the context of a very low world population.

Canonical survey — the command is repeated in Genesis 9 after the flood.

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

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.

Marriage and Childbearing Human Value / Imago Dei Selfishness

Much modern refusal to have children is simply selfishness — the 'life isn't worth living' excuse reflects a deficiently low view of human life, not genuine realism about hardship.

Pastoral diagnosis of childlessness by choice.

1 Corinthians 8-10 — Meat Offered to Idols 1 Corinthians 8-10 — Meat Offered to Idols Christian Liberty / Conscience Worship Music and Discernment

Worship leaders bear collective responsibility to their congregations: presenting music in corporate worship is like preparing a meal for everyone — songs known to cause stumbling should be avoided.

Application of the meat-in-marketplace analogy to congregational worship leading.

Calvary Chapel Jehovah's Witnesses Church Selection

Advice to a former JW: Do not transfer the JW 'true church' mentality to a new denomination — move from following an institutional governing body to following Christ, and seek genuine (not perfect) Christians.

Q: Former JW, not properly baptized — how to choose a church and who should baptize me? Afraid of being misled.

1 Corinthians 5:11 1 Corinthians 5:11 Church Discipline Fellowship vs. Outreach Mode

1 Corinthians 5:11 — not associating with a so-called 'brother' guilty of ongoing sin — targets life-pattern behavioral sins, not theological disagreement; the context is likely the communion/love-feast meal.

Q: How should 1 Corinthians 5:11 affect relationships with liberal Christian friends with unbiblical beliefs and practices?

1 Corinthians 5:11 Evangelism 1 Corinthians 5:11 Church Discipline

When someone professing faith lives as an unbeliever, the individual Christian's posture should shift from fellowship mode to outreach mode — still loving and gracious but with different relational goals.

Application of 1 Corinthians 5:11 to personal relationships with professing but lifestyle-unbelieving friends.

Evangelism Discipleship Church Mission / Ecclesiology

The role of the church's Sunday service is primarily discipleship with contextual outreach emphasis — the degree depends on the season and makeup of the congregation; discipleship always happens, outreach emphasis is more variable.

Q: Should the church be focused on reaching unbelievers or teaching believers who then go out and evangelize?

Evangelism Church Mission / Ecclesiology Personal Witness

Personal evangelism by individual believers throughout the week is more effective than Sunday-service-only outreach — placing the entire evangelism burden on the pastor is both ineffective and inappropriate.

Continued discussion of church role and outreach strategy.

Darrell Bock Textual Criticism Pauline Epistles — Authorship

Mike has authorship of the contested Pauline epistles on his list but far down in priority; he recommends Darrell Bock as an existing resource for those who need it now.

Q: Do you ever plan to do a deep dive into the authorship of the contested Pauline epistles?

Seventh-day Adventism Cults and False Religions

Mike leans toward classifying the Seventh-day Adventist church as a cult and plans a full dedicated video on the SDA topic in the coming year.

Q: Do you think the SDA is a cult?

Romans 10:1-4 Galatians — Law as Condemner Paul Romans 10:1-4 Jewish Salvation / Two-Covenant Theology

Romans 10:1-4 refutes the idea that Jews can be saved apart from Jesus: Paul's heart's desire is that his Jewish kinsmen be saved — meaning they currently are not — despite their genuine zeal for God.

Q: How do I respond to family who believe Jews will go to heaven even if not saved by Jesus?

Romans 1:16 — Jew First Galatians — Law as Condemner Jewish Salvation / Two-Covenant Theology Romans 1:16 — Jew First Galatians — Law as Condemner

Everything possible is theologically wrong with two-covenant theology (Jews saved by law, gentiles by Christ) — it is unloving to Jewish people because it withholds their own Savior from them.

Summary judgment on two-covenant soteriology.

Eschatology Amillennialism Premillennialism

Mike is pre-millennial and futurist: he believes in a literal seven-year tribulation and a thousand-year reign of Christ; he does not believe amillennialism is biblical but has not done deep recent study on eschatology.

Q: Do you believe amillennialism is biblical, and what arguments do you have for and against it?

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

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?

Romans 16 — Simon's Sons Simon of Cyrene Crucifixion of Jesus Romans 16 — Simon's Sons

Why Jesus allowed Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross: possibly to display the depth of his physical suffering, and Simon and his sons apparently came to faith — suggesting the encounter introduced him more fully to Jesus.

Q: Why did Jesus allow Simon of Cyrene to help him carry his cross?

Proof-texting Hermeneutics Church Fathers

Practical guidance on reading church fathers: read whole works from start to finish rather than isolated quotes — this prevents the proof-texting problem the same way it prevents biblical proof-texting.

How to read the church fathers responsibly.

thinking biblically BibleThinker ministry

Introduction and ministry update for 2021

Opening of first livestream of 2021 (New Year's Day)

discipleship biblical thinking

Goal: teach people to think biblically, not just memorize answers

Ministry philosophy discussion

Ecclesiastes 9:5 afterlife Ecclesiastes 9:5 state of the dead

Q2: Can the dead be aware of what happens on earth? Ecclesiastes 9:5 examined

Response to viewer question citing Ecclesiastes 9:5 ("the dead know nothing")

1 Samuel 28 Samuel 1 Samuel 28 state of the dead

Samuel called up by Saul: evidence that the dead may not be actively aware of earth until summoned

Discussion of dead awareness; 1 Samuel 28

Revelation 6:10 afterlife state of the dead Revelation 6:10

Revelation: saints in heaven concerned for earthly events, asking "how long, Lord?"

Continuing discussion on dead's awareness of earth

James 1:14-15 sanctification sin temptation

Q5: Do Christians sin every second? Distinguishing temptation from sin

Response to question about frequency of sin in the Christian life

Galatians 6:1 sin habitual sin humility

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

Continuing Q5 on Christian sin frequency

spiritual authority Jehovah's Witnesses baptism

Q6 (wrong week): Advice for someone leaving a cult (JW) and finding a church; overcoming spiritual abuse

Response to question about choosing a church after leaving JW (note: Mike realized partway through this was from a previous week's questions)

Mark 11:22-25 Daniel 1 Kings 8 prayer temple indwelling Holy Spirit

Q7: Daniel prayed without a temple — praying toward the temple as access to God (OT parallel to praying in Jesus' name)

Response to question about Mark 11:22-25 and temple-based prayer

1 Corinthians 6:19 prayer temple indwelling Holy Spirit

Believers as the temple — the astonishing access to God available through Christ

Continuation of Q7; reflection on prayer and access to God

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

Hebrews 12:2 Holy Spirit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit anxiety

Q13: Anxiety about salvation and blasphemy of the Holy Spirit — prayer and resource recommendation

Response to viewer ("Spazzy Jazzy") anxious about salvation and blasphemy of Holy Spirit

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

election soteriology God's love

Q15: Does God love us unconditionally? Love requires some conditionality; relational nature of love

Response to multi-part question about God's unconditional love

1 Corinthians 11:10 Ephesians 5:22-25 headship submission marriage

Q19: 1 Corinthians 11:10 and Ephesians 5:23 — no biblical grounds for a husband disciplining his wife

Response to question about whether husbands have authority to discipline wives based on headship texts

Matthew 25:41 Revelation 20:10 metaphor eschatology fire

Q20: Is hell a literal place of fire and gnashing of teeth, or metaphorical? Open question, research project planned

Response to question about the nature of hell

Christian worldview kingdom of God eternal security

God is good and His promises remain — our eternal kingdom is incorruptible and preserved in Christ

Opening encouragement at the start of the Q&A, framed against social and political polarization in early 2021

discipleship kingdom of God Christian political engagement

Christians risk confusing Christ's kingdom with contemporary political events, as did the first disciples

Transition from opening encouragement into a warning about political entrenchment

John 18:36 Christian fellowship kingdom of God Christian political engagement

Political disagreement should not fracture Christian fellowship; the kingdom of Christ is not of this world

Question from Mariano Rogers about reaching a fellow believer deceived by mainstream media regarding conservative politics

John 18:36 Peter kingdom of God Christian political engagement

Christians should not use political grievances as justification for storming government or causing violence

Closing thought on political question, referencing the January 6, 2021 Capitol events contextually

Psalm 37:4 hermeneutics prosperity gospel covetousness

Psalm 37:4 is misused in Word of Faith teaching as a blank-check promise to receive material desires

Question from Lungil Zandi about how to read Psalm 37:4 without falling into a Word of Faith trap

Psalm 37 contextual interpretation eschatology prosperity gospel

Psalm 37 in context is an encouragement to the righteous who are NOT experiencing abundance, not a promise of material wealth

Contextual reading of Psalm 37 to correct the Word of Faith misuse

Hebrews 11:31 Joshua 2 faith Rahab Christian ethics

Rahab's deception of those seeking the spies is commended in Hebrews 11, suggesting not all deception is sinful

Biblical case study on deception and the ethics of intelligence work

vocation Christian ethics moral accountability

Moral limits apply in every job; a Christian working in intelligence may face a moment requiring resignation

Concluding thought on Christians in intelligence work

self-sacrifice marriage love

Love in marriage means giving yourself to your spouse regardless of desire — selfless love, not feeling-dependent love

Practical application of 1 Corinthians 7 to the questioner's situation

marriage lust pornography

Lust toward others outside marriage diminishes desire for your spouse — exclusivity of sexual attention is essential

Second issue addressed in the marriage/intimacy question — possible causes of diminished desire

Desire is nice but not required for loving action in marriage

Closing thought on the marriage/intimacy question

marriage love covenant

idolatry government early church

A prayer opening Congress in the name of the Hindu god Brahma is blasphemy — but the appropriate Christian response is not rebellion

Question from Gorilla Christianity about a US Congress session opened in the name of Brahma

Philippians 3:13-14 calling Paul discouragement

The feeling of "not being there yet" in Christian growth is healthy when it motivates pressing on rather than giving up

Question from Derry Draws about how to grow spiritually when the fire feels gone

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

1 Peter 3:1 submission Sarah Abraham

1 Peter 3:1 says a wife's godly conduct MAY win her husband — not that it WILL — preserving his moral agency

Careful reading of 1 Peter 3:1 regarding wives with unbelieving or disobedient husbands