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Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Hebrews 2:17 — "made like his brothers in every respect" does not imply Jesus had a sinful nature or that humans are born innocent

Question from Troy Mulberry about Hebrews 2:17 and human nature at birth

Hebrews 4:15 Hebrews 2:17 Jesus temptation incarnation
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Mike's view of sin nature: we are not guilty at birth, but our nature is bent toward temptation — distinct from Augustine's inherited guilt

Brief clarification on sin nature theology within the Hebrews 2:17 discussion

original sin infant salvation sin nature
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Romans 13:1 requires submission to governing authorities, but the command to gather (Hebrews 10:25) creates a potential tension during COVID restrictions

Question from Felicia Claan about Hosea 8:4 vs. Romans 13:1 in the context of COVID restrictions on household gatherings.

Romans 13:1 Romans 14 Hebrews 10:25 Romans 13:1 Romans 14 Hebrews 10:25
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Book of Life: names blotted out -- the phrase is too non-specific to resolve the eternal security debate

Question from Paul Redding about how one is written into or blotted out of the Book of Life.

Revelation Hebrews warning passages Revelation once saved always saved eternal security
Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

Mike advises a youth pastor that discipleship of willing students produces more fruit than constant outreach programming, drawing on his own early ministry failure when he focused on students who did not care.

Response to youth pastor viewer about ministry focus

Hebrews youth ministry evangelism spiritual maturity
Mike Winger idea 2018-10-31

Mike addresses the canonicity of Hebrews despite unknown authorship, arguing that inspiration does not require apostolic pen but apostolic teaching, and that the New Testament canon formed organically as first-century texts with apostolic content were recognized by the early church.

Response to viewer question about how Hebrews can be inspired if we do not know who wrote it

Hebrews Paul Apollos Barnabas
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Divine discipline in Hebrews 12: suffering is God's loving discipline and can be broad — including consequences of sin or trials for character formation.

Question from Jacob Duncan about how God disciplines believers per Hebrews 12.

1 Peter Hebrews 12:3-6 Proverbs on discipline 1 Peter Hebrews 12:3-6 Divine discipline
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

Matthew 13:44-46 (Pearl of Great Price / Treasure in the Field): interpretation debate — is the person Jesus or the believer? Mike leans toward Jesus as the buyer.

Question from C. Bates about Matthew 13:44-45.

Hebrews 12:2 Matthew 13:44 Matthew 13:45-46 Atonement Hebrews 12:2 Matthew 13:44
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-05

How to see God as a loving father: filter feelings about God through Scripture, especially Romans 5:8 — God loved us while we were sinners.

Question from Kaisu (Finland) about feeling that God is indifferent or impatient with her.

Romans 5:8 Ephesians 1 Hebrews 4 God's love Romans 5:8 Ephesians 1
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q4: Christian advice on overcoming the fear of death — Hebrews 2:15 says Jesus came to deliver us from that bondage

Viewer Letty Fernet asks for Christian counsel on anxiety about death.

Hebrews 2:15 Christian hope fear of death Hebrews 2:15
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

Mark 8:5-9 — Jesus asking for the loaves teaches using what you have; what Jesus chose not to do does not define the limits of his power.

Question from Lassie Clyman about why Jesus asks for loaves and why fish are brought separately in the feeding of the 4,000.

Mark 8:5-9 Hebrews 1 Mark 8:5-9 Feeding of the 4000 Hebrews 1
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

God's posture toward the backslidden is always welcoming return — the prodigal son parable and Jeremiah's call to Israel demonstrate this.

Question from Ethan Zaragoza, who drifted from faith for 1.5 years and fears God is done with him.

Jeremiah Hebrews 4:16 Luke 15 Jeremiah Hebrews 4:16 Repentance
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Fate of the devil: destruction, lake of fire, and whether Satan is annihilated

New Testament Theologist cited Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14, and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 to ask about the ultimate fate of Satan.

Romans 16:20 Hebrews 2:14 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 millennium eschatology Satan
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Pronouncing a blessing on others: Hebrews 7:7 and mutual blessing in the body of Christ

Andrej asked whether saying "I bless you" to someone implies a hierarchical superiority that is inappropriate between equals.

Hebrews 7:7 spiritual authority Levitical priesthood Abraham
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Hebrews 12:1 — the cloud of witnesses is the inspiring example of their lives, not people watching from heaven; secular inspiring figures are fine but cannot be primary mentors

Responding to whether it is sinful to be inspired by historical people outside the Bible

Hebrews 11 Hebrews 12:1 Hebrews 11 inspiration Hebrews 12:1
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-09

Hebrews 6:4-6 — apostasy, hardness of heart, and the possible national Israel interpretation

Question from A.D. Chan about whether Hebrews 6:4-6 applies to Judas and what "falling away" means for someone who has experienced the Spirit.

Romans 11 Hebrews 6:4-6 Romans 11 Judas Iscariot Repentance
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-09

Hebrews 10:25 and the obligation to gather: absolute or contextual?

Question from The Invisible Hand about online-only churches during COVID and whether they violate the command not to forsake assembling.

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 Christian conscience Corporate worship / assembly
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-23

Melchizedek is a historical figure who typologically prefigures Christ as king-priest; the Melchizedekian order is non-genealogical and superior to the Levitical system.

Continued Q3 on the Melchizedekian priesthood.

Psalm 110 Genesis (Melchizedek passage) Hebrews (Melchizedek) typology Abraham Psalm 110
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-23

Hebrews 12:6 uses "scourges" (from the Septuagint of Proverbs 3:12) to describe God's fatherly discipline; the intensified language is contextually appropriate fatherly correction, not brutal punishment.

Q6 from Stephanie: Hebrews 12:5-6 quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 but ends with "scourge" — why does it imply God brutally whips every believer?

Hebrews 12:5-6 Proverbs 3:11-12 Septuagint (LXX) Hebrews 12:5-6 Proverbs 3:11-12
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Kalam leads to God with biblical attributes via conceptual analysis

Continuation of the Kalam answer, explaining the conceptual analysis step.

Genesis 1 Hebrews 11 John 1:1 Genesis 1 Hebrews 11 John 1:1
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

Baptism: biblical basis and urgency; no reason to delay

Listener Kenneth asks how to explain the importance of baptism to a new Christian who has not yet been baptized.

Acts 2:38 Acts 8:36-38 Hebrews 5 Philip the Evangelist Ethiopian eunuch Acts 2:38
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-30

Modern (rabbinic) Judaism differs fundamentally from biblical Judaism; good works now replace the sacrificial system.

Question 9 from Meg Smiley about how Jews obtain forgiveness without the Temple.

Hebrews Romans 10:1-4 Hebrews works-righteousness Day of Atonement
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-04

Q: Why can't we be forgiven after death? God's mercy is forever, but the question is whether you've received it through Christ. Hebrews: "it is appointed for man to die once, then judgment" — implies permanence of decisions upon death. No biblical reason to think post-mortem opportunities exist.

Q&A — forgiveness after death

Hebrews 9:27 Hebrews 9:27 forgiveness after death
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

Selflessness should drive decisions — even if you're low-risk, older/vulnerable congregants face serious danger. Mike's personal practice: running errands for his elderly mother with COPD. Churches can close for a season without spiritual compromise — maintain community through calls, small groups, and online gatherings.

Selflessness and community during lockdown

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 COVID lockdown church closures
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

Q: Is this a case of obeying authorities when it doesn't conflict with God's law? Yes. If not going to church were sinful, defy the order. But missing a season of gathering isn't forsaking fellowship — people hospitalized for a month aren't forsaking fellowship either. The principle is proportionate and temporary.

Q&A — obeying authority and church attendance

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 government obedience forsaking assembly
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-08

John 3:16: "God so loved the world" means God loved the world IN THIS WAY — by giving his Son. Whoever believes should not perish but have eternal life. Hebrews 4:16: because of Jesus, we can now confidently approach God's throne to receive mercy and grace despite our sin.

God's love and access to grace

John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16 John 3:16 Hebrews 4:16
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-19

Mike presents 24-26 ways Passover was prophetically fulfilled by Jesus. Passover is a typological prophecy — not direct prediction/fulfillment but symbolic correspondence between OT events and Christ's work. 1 Corinthians 5:7: "Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed." Jesus chose to die during Passover week — his timing was deliberate.

Introduction — Passover as prophetic type

1 Corinthians 5:7 Passover Passover Passover as prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-19

Points 1-2: (1) A sacrificial lamb — Jesus is the lamb offered for us (Hebrews 9:12-14, 10:1-14). OT sacrifices were shadows; Jesus is the reality. He offered himself ONCE vs yearly repetition. (2) Purpose: avoiding punishment for sin — Passover was explicitly a judgment (Exodus 12:12). Israel needed the lamb too because they were also guilty of idolatry (Ezekiel 20:7). The cross saves us from God's wrath.

Points 1-2 — sacrificial lamb and dealing with sin

Exodus 12 Hebrews 9:12-14 Hebrews 10:1-14 wrath of God substitutionary atonement wrath of God
Mike Winger idea 2020-04-19

Points 3-5: (3) Lamb had to be male — Jesus as male representative of all humanity, as Adam represented all (1 Cor 15:22,45). (4) Without blemish — Jesus was sinless (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 1:18-19: "precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish"). YOU didn't have to be holy; your SACRIFICE had to be holy. (5) Lamb was examined/inspected before sacrifice — Jesus was examined by Pilate, Herod, Sanhedrin and found faultless (John 19:4-6).

Points 3-5 — male, without blemish, inspected

1 Corinthians 15:22 1 Corinthians 15:45 Hebrews 4:15 1 Corinthians 15:22 1 Corinthians 15:45 Hebrews 4:15
Mike Winger idea 2020-05-06

Evidence for early Christian persecution: (1) Multiple attestation across the entire NT — Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, James, 1 John, Peter, Revelation all attest to Christians paying a price for faith. (2) Earliest church fathers (Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp) confirm the theme. (3) Non-Christian sources (Tacitus, Suetonius) confirm persecution under Nero.

Evidence for early persecution — multiple independent sources

multiple attestation Tacitus Clement of Rome
Mike Winger idea 2020-08-21

Deliberate sin and condemnation (Hebrews 10): (1) The NT provides forgiveness for sins the OT law couldn't cover — Jesus is better than the law. (2) Hebrews' "willful sin" passage is about apostasy (rejecting Christ entirely), not individual acts of deliberate sin. The context of Hebrews 10 is about abandoning the faith, not occasional moral failures.

Deliberate sin — Hebrews 10 is about apostasy

Hebrews 10 willful sin apostasy apostasy Hebrews 10 willful sin
Mike Winger idea 2021-09-24

About the Subordination of the Son: How do you explain the subordination of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:3; 15: 28) to the Father within Trinitarian theology? I explain it via incarnational subordination (Philippians 2:5; Hebrews 29; 5:8).

Q&A question: About the Subordination of the Son

1 Corinthians 11:3 1 Corinthians 11 1 Corinthians 11:3 Trinity Jesus
Mike Winger idea 2021-10-29

Was it Right for Rahab to Lie?: Hebrews 11: 31 says that Rahab's faith saved her. Yet Joshua 2:4-6 shows Rahab lying about the Israelite spies. Romans 3:7-8 condemns good from evil. How do we reconcile this, Pastor Mike?

Q&A question: Was it Right for Rahab to Lie?

Hebrews 11 Joshua 2 Romans 3 Rahab Hebrews 11 pastoral ministry
Mike Winger idea 2022-01-14

Were OT Sacrifices Purely Symbolic?: Did Levitical sacrifices really do anything beyond point people to Jesus? Hebrews 10:4 and Romans 3: 25 tell us that Jesus' atonement was applied retroactively to Old Testament saints, so were their sacrifices only symbolic?

Q&A question: Were OT Sacrifices Purely Symbolic?

Hebrews 10 Romans 3 Jesus atonement Hebrews 10
Mike Winger idea 2022-06-03

Why is Deborah not Mentioned in Hebrews 11?: I’ve appreciated your Women in Ministry series so much. Regarding Deborah, why do you suppose her name is not mentioned with the other 4 Judges in Hebrews 11: 32, but Barak is mentioned?

Q&A question: Why is Deborah not Mentioned in Hebrews 11?

Hebrews 11 Deborah Barak Hebrews 11
Mike Winger idea 2022-08-05

One Death or Two in Scripture?: How do we reconcile Hebrews 9: 27 with there also being a “second death” (as in: Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6,14, & Revelation 21:8)? Is there one death or two?

Q&A question: One Death or Two in Scripture?

Revelation 20:6 revelation Revelation 2 Revelation 20:6 revelation Revelation 2
Mike Winger idea 2022-10-21

How Could Jesus have been “Perfected”?: Hebrews 5:9 says Jesus was "perfected" when He became the author of salvation to those who obey Him. How can an already perfect Jesus be “perfected”?

Q&A question: How Could Jesus have been “Perfected”?

Hebrews 5 Jesus salvation Hebrews 5
Mike Winger idea 2023-03-03

Does Hebrews Support Cessationism?: Is Hebrews 1:1 a reasonable proof text for cessationism in relation to prophecy? It says God spoke to our ancestors through prophets, but "in these last days," He has spoken to us through Christ. Are we in the "last days" Paul refers to?

Q&A question: Does Hebrews Support Cessationism?

Hebrews 1 cessationism prophecy Hebrews 1
Mike Winger idea 2023-04-21

Repentance After Death?: Can someone repent after death? Hebrews 9: 27 seems to say “no,” BUT Revelation 2: 21-27 seems to suggest “yes” for it is the “unwillingness” to repent that condemns. I really hope the latter is true.

Q&A question: Repentance After Death?

revelation Revelation 2 repentance revelation Revelation 2
Mike Winger idea 2024-02-09

Should we Infer Doctrine from Scripture?: Is it wrong to base doctrine on inference? Is it ever legitimate? E.g., the context of Hebrews 12:1 says nothing about saints watching us from Heaven, but some say it’s implied by the word “witnesses.”

Q&A question: Should we Infer Doctrine from Scripture?

Hebrews 12:1 Hebrews 12:1
Mike Winger idea 2024-02-16

Does Sin Separate Believers from God?: I often hear that sin "breaks fellowship" or causes "relational unforgiveness" (to quote GotQuestions.org), but is there Scripture to show that sin can, in any way, separate a Christian from God (Hebrews 10: 19)?

Q&A question: Does Sin Separate Believers from God?

Hebrews 10 Hebrews 10 forgiveness
Mike Winger idea 2024-03-01

When was the Old Covenant in Effect?: Hebrews 8: 13 says that the Old Covenant is becoming obsolete and about to disappear. Does this mean the Old Covenant was still in effect at the time this book was written?

Q&A question: When was the Old Covenant in Effect?

Hebrews 8 Hebrews 8
Mike Winger idea 2024-06-28

Did God or an Angel Give Moses the Tablets?: How do we reconcile Exodus 31: 18 with Acts 7: 38, Galatians 3: 19, and Hebrews 2:2? I’m unconvinced that Scripture contradicts itself, but this lives in my head rent free and I need a resolution.

Q&A question: Did God or an Angel Give Moses the Tablets?

Hebrews 2:2 Acts 7 Galatians 3 Moses Hebrews 2:2 Acts 7
Mike Winger idea 2024-06-28

Winger says a wife co-teaching an adult Sunday school Bible study IS an elder-type role and would be wrong under his complementarian view. However, co-teaching a topical class (like parenting) is NOT eldership and he'd be fine with it. He warns against creating Pharisaic rules but draws the line at verse-by-verse Bible teaching.

Bonus Q after viewer watched WIM series: Is a woman helping her husband teach a co-ed adult Sunday school class an elder-type role?

1 Timothy 2:12 women in ministry complementarianism egalitarianism
Mike Winger idea 2024-07-19

Does Hebrews 1 Prove Cessationism?: Is Hebrews 1:1 supportive of the idea that there are no prophets since the 1st century as God only speaks from Jesus Christ?

Q&A question: Does Hebrews 1 Prove Cessationism?

Hebrews 1 Jesus Christ Jesus cessationism
Mike Winger idea 2024-12-13

Author Unknown = Still Inspired?: Can we be confident that a book of the Bible is truly inspired and belongs in the canon if the author is unknown (like Hebrews)? If we don’t know who wrote it, how can we trust what it contains? How can we know it wasn’t just the written version of a sermon? A pastor may be educated, but they aren’t inerrant.

Q&A question: Author Unknown = Still Inspired?

pastoral ministry
Mike Winger idea 2024-12-20

Purity in the Marriage Bed: Are married Christian couples allowed to engage in things like kink, costumes, and roleplay in the bedroom? Hebrews 13:4 states that the marriage bed must remain pure. But what is in and out of bounds?

Q&A question: Purity in the Marriage Bed

Hebrews 13:4 marriage Hebrews 13:4
Mike Winger idea 2025-01-10

Was Jesus Tempted with Unbelief?: As a former atheist, the verse in Hebrews 4: 15 comforts and confuses me; how could the Son of Man be tempted with unbelief in Himself?

Q&A question: Was Jesus Tempted with Unbelief?

Hebrews 4 Jesus atheism Hebrews 4
Mike Winger idea 2025-10-03

Why is David in Heaven?: Can you explain how David would be in Heaven when he knew 1 wife was God’s design but was living in continuous sin (1 John 3:4-9, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Hebrews 10: 26, Ephesians 5:3-7)?

Q&A question: Why is David in Heaven?

1 Corinthians 6 Ephesians 5 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 David marriage 1 Corinthians 6
Mike Winger idea 2026-02-20

Can Fallen Angels Be Forgiven?: Does Hebrews 2: 16 imply that fallen angels can never be forgiven? If not, what else could it mean?

Q&A question: Can Fallen Angels Be Forgiven?

angels
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