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Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

1 John 5:16-17: sin leading to death likely refers to physical death, not Catholic mortal/venial sin distinction

Q from Sarah Nordberg about the meaning of sin leading to death vs. sin not leading to death in 1 John 5:16-17.

1 John 5:16-17 atonement repentance mortal sin

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-04

Hebrews 6:4 requires thorough study; Mike plans a verse-by-verse Hebrews series after Mark

Q from Jeff Shoemaker asking about Hebrews 6:4 and whether it refers to backsliding or losing salvation.

Hebrews 6:4 eternal security apostasy Hebrews 6:4

Mike Winger idea 2020-09-11

Saved by faith alone; works are evidence of salvation, not the means of it — applied to homosexual lifestyle

Response to viewer Tegunbai asking: if we are saved by faith alone not works, how can living a homosexual lifestyle indicate one is not saved? Isn't that mixing faith and works?

1 John 5:16-17: sin leading to death likely refers to physical death, not Catholic mortal/venial sin distinction

Hebrews 6:4 requires thorough study; Mike plans a verse-by-verse Hebrews series after Mark

Saved by faith alone; works are evidence of salvation, not the means of it — applied to homosexual lifestyle

Romans 6:23 — the death referred to is both physical death and eternal separation from God (the second death)

The witness of the Spirit (Romans 8:16) — an internal truth-awareness of being God's child, not an emotion

Gethsemane — Jesus was not separated from the Father; "forsaken" means handed over to a terrible fate, not ontological separation of the Trinity

Matthew 6:14-15 — is forgiving others necessary for salvation, or evidence of it?

Personal testimony: as a teenager Mike was told he was not saved because he had not spoken in tongues

Declaring tongues required for salvation is spiritually abusive and demands repentance

The case for tongues-required-for-salvation rests on a few Acts passages used without context

Acts 2 — the inauguration of the Holy Spirit: all present spoke in tongues

Acts 10 — Cornelius and the Gentiles speak in tongues

Acts 19 — group that had not heard of the Holy Spirit is baptized and speaks in tongues

The absence of a universal prescriptive statement is the key problem with the tongues-salvation argument

1 Corinthians 14:5 — Paul wishes all spoke in tongues, implying not everyone does

1 Corinthians 12:30 — rhetorical questions imply not all speak in tongues

Summary: the three Acts tongues episodes demonstrate the Spirit's work in different stages, not universal salvation proof

Assurance of salvation comes from 1 John and James, not from speaking in tongues

Jesus never spoke in tongues — reductio ad absurdum against the tongues-salvation requirement

Symmetry of creation and salvation: both occur through the Son

John 1 — the Logos made all things; parallel to Genesis 1 and Hebrews 1

1 John 4 on love and assurance: knowing and believing God's love is the foundation for freedom from fear about the afterlife

1 John 4:17-18 — perfect love casts out fear; God's love applied to judgment produces confidence

1 John 3:19-20 — God is greater than our condemning heart and knows everything

Anxiety about the afterlife hinders prayer and joy; confidence before God enables effective prayer

Mike's personal experience of what he believes was genuine speaking in tongues during times of hardship

Hebrews 6:4-6 is the most challenging apostasy passage in the Bible; Mike is not yet ready to give a definitive answer on it

Unconditional Election — Mike partly affirms, partly rejects

Perseverance of the Saints — Mike is unresolved, not firmly opposed

1 John 3:6 — "keeps on sinning" does not mean Christians reach sinlessness

Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) — a warning about authentic faith, not about percentages of saved vs. unsaved

Guilt and shame before God — healthy guilt vs. unhealthy guilt that drives you away from God

God's choices of Jacob, Abraham, Moses, prophets — not favoritism but purposive grace for non-salvific roles

Mike affirms free-will salvation against Calvinism but insists rejection of Calvinism must be theological, not emotional

Hebrews 6:4-6 — the most difficult passage in the Bible; three main interpretive options explored

Witness of the Holy Spirit is mental/spiritual awareness of sonship, not necessarily emotional feeling; love for God is primarily volitional, not emotional

1 Corinthians 3 — believers are judged at the Bema for their works (gold/silver/precious stones vs. wood/hay/straw), not for salvation

Parachute/airplane illustration: beliefs do not determine outcomes — reality is independent of belief

Salvation is grounded in objective reality, not in the power of belief itself

Kung Fu / judo illustration: God redirects Satan's own force rather than controlling him directly

Whether lukewarm Christians are saved: this verse addresses corporate church impact, not individual salvation status

Genesis 1-11 allegorical interpretation does not necessarily violate John 5:44-47 or deny salvation

Francis Collins is cited as an example of a Christian who holds evolutionary creation yet is genuinely saved

Lordship salvation: repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin, not moral prerequisites for merit

All believers are indwelt by the Spirit at salvation, but degrees of Spirit-filling differ among believers

Acts 16:31 does not teach household salvation -- the household's rejoicing proves they individually believed

Romans teaches that physical descent from Abraham does not save -- only the faith of Abraham counts

Rejecting the deity of Christ is a salvation issue -- John 5 says dishonoring the Son dishonors the Father

Habitual sin and salvation: honest uncertainty, but the answer is always to press toward Christ rather than despair

Catholic Church has the right Jesus but a distorted gospel — Mike recommends his Catholicism series

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