Search — Theology Explorer

Ephesians 6:17 identity in Christ assurance of salvation armor of God

Helmet of Salvation — remembering your identity in Christ as foundational protection

Fifth piece of armor. Helmet protects the head; salvation protects the believer's identity and eternal standing.

Ephesians 5:5-6 Colossians 3:5-6 soteriology sin unbelief

Question: Do people go to hell for sin or for not believing in Jesus?

Viewer Phil Agape asks whether hell is the penalty for sin or for unbelief; references Ephesians 5:5-6 and Colossians 3:5-6.

John 3:16-18 salvation soteriology sin

John 3:16-18 — condemnation precedes unbelief; unbelief leaves you in existing condemnation

Scriptural support for the pit analogy.

1 Kings 19 spiritual disciplines still small voice listening prayer

The still small voice (1 Kings 19) is not a model for seeking God through hints and whispers

Common proof-text for listening prayer misapplied.

Pastoral formation Seminary education Humility in ministry

Advice for a 20-year-old preparing for pastoral ministry: balance seminary education with active local church service, and remove ego.

Question from John Parizzo about preparing for pastoral ministry while in college and seminary.

Genesis 2:24 Genesis 2:24 Honor your parents Leave and cleave

Responding to an abusive parent who weaponizes 'honor your parents': adult children are not obligated to obey parents, and marriage triggers the leave-and-cleave authority shift.

Question from Enoch about an abusive father who uses 'honor your parents' to demand submission.

Bethel Church Holy Spirit Listening prayer

Listening prayer is not condemned in Scripture but formulizing the Holy Spirit's work is dangerous and can produce fabrications.

Question from Susan Krieg about whether the Bible endorses listening prayer.

Matthew 5:42 Kenneth Copeland Prosperity gospel Matthew 5:42

Matthew 5:42 ('give to him who asks') must be applied with wisdom — naive application would mean giving to every fraudster.

Continued discussion of Matthew 5:42 on generosity.

Abraham Old Testament saints Salvation exclusivism

Accepting Jesus is the only way to heaven, but those who never heard the gospel may be saved through faithful response to lesser revelation — analogous to Abraham.

Question from Jack Bradley about salvation for those who never heard or only heard harmful versions of the gospel.

Women in ministry Women as elders Church leadership

Women serving as elders is not Winger's current biblical position, but he plans a thorough future research project before finalizing his view.

Question from Patience Kachidza about a mother-in-law ordained as an elder in a church.

Assurance of salvation New Age spirituality Conversion and faith

How to find God: Christianity's goal is not emotional comfort but truth and relationship; reading and praying without trusting Christ is insufficient.

Question from an anonymous person (username 'it's me') who found comfort in the New Age but confusion in Christianity after 5 months of reading and prayer.

Proof-texting Hermeneutics Original audience interpretation

Proper Bible study: identify what the text meant to the original audience before asking how to apply it; context prevents proof-texting.

Question from Natural Glory about how to study the Bible properly.

Biblical canon Canonization Inspiration of Scripture

The biblical canon is a human list identifying inspired books; God's inspiration and providence guarantee we have the right books, with the OT ratified by Jesus himself.

Question from Ninja For Hire about whether canonization was itself inspired and whether inspired texts beyond the Bible could exist.

Evidence for God Christopher Hitchens Spiritual disciplines

Tips for an atheist starting to believe: gather intellectual reasons for God, practice spiritual disciplines, and make choices that shape belief.

Question from Emil Codrin about how to start believing after a lifetime of atheism.

Genesis 1 Job 40-41 Genesis 1 young earth creationism age of the earth

Dinosaurs and the age of the earth: three intra-Christian views summarized

Madison Torres asked how dinosaur fossils fit with Adam and Eve and the biblical timeline.

Mormonism Islam resurrection

Religion as social control: a compliment, not a refutation

Summer Monsoon asked how to respond to the claim that religion is just a mechanism for social control and helps people cope with death.

Matthew 13:24-30 free will theodicy problem of evil

Why God creates people he foreknows will reject him

Our Fish asked why God would create people he knows will not choose him.

evangelism Greg Koukl apologetics

Sharing the gospel with resistant loved ones: grace, strategy, and the book Tactics

Hannah/Henry Belvall asked for advice on humbly sharing Jesus with struggling loved ones who become defensive.

Romans proof-texting discernment false teaching

Protecting against false doctrine without a complete Bible knowledge: read in context and check the text

Katie, a newly saved teen (about 10 months old in the faith), asked how to guard against false teaching when she has not yet read the entire Bible.

Luke 11:24-26 atonement false teaching spiritual warfare

Generational curses: pastoral concern and theological rejection

Studio asked whether believers can be cursed by ancestral actions or ethnic heritage (specifically Native American bloodline).

Holy Spirit discernment prophecy

Testing whether a vision or impression is from the Holy Spirit

UK Dove Girl asked how to know whether a lucid open-eyed vision comes from the Spirit rather than the subconscious.

Deuteronomy 18:22 1 John 2:18 Jeremiah Johnson discernment prophetic accountability eschatology

Political prophecies, false prophets in 2020, and the antichrist

Joe Burton asked whether the wave of false political prophecies might be setting up the antichrist to appear as a savior.

evangelism repentance personal holiness

Ministry in strip clubs: evangelism principles and personal holiness

Carmen described joining a ministry that goes into strip clubs to spend time with women there and received family backlash.

discernment false teaching church discipline

Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: channeled content, demonic origin, pastoral danger

Rachel joined a church prayer group using the devotional Jesus Calling and found concerning content.

Galatians 1:8-9 2 Corinthians 11:4 Jude 3 sola scriptura Galatians 1:8-9 Kenneth Copeland

Another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4): prioritizing doctrine over teachers

Chip Ludick asked why Paul warned the Corinthians about "another Jesus" in 2 Corinthians 11:4 and how it applies today in light of John 17:3.

1 Samuel 28 Leviticus 19:31 Deuteronomy 18:11 Samuel Catholicism afterlife

Ghosts, the witch of Endor, and demonic impersonation of the dead

Lindsay Kelso asked whether the Bible supports ghosts, and whether those who claim to see them are actually encountering demons.

Luke 23 Leviticus Luke 23 Leviticus burial

Burial symbolism matters even though cremation is permissible

Mike affirms cremation is acceptable but argues for the value of burial symbolism and honoring the dead.

Romans 11:25-32 eschatology Messianic Jews prophetic fulfillment

Romans 11:25-32 — partial hardening of Israel, fullness of the Gentiles, and end-times caution

Trevor T asks about Romans 11:25-32 and whether the rising number of Messianic Jews in Israel signals prophetic fulfillment.

evangelism Trinity apologetics

New Christians' obligation to evangelize and defend faith — know your limits

Stephanie, a new Christian and former LDS member, is being actively challenged by LDS family and friends on the Trinity and other doctrines. She asks whether new Christians are obligated to defend and evangelize.

Mormonism biblical inerrancy Trinity

Non-negotiable Christian doctrines — essentials vs. secondary issues

DJ Diner asks what doctrines Christians should plant their flag on and never back down from.

Revelation 21 millennium eschatology second coming

Where are we judged — earth, heaven, or in between? Eschatological timeline

Damon Brook asks where humans are located during the final judgment.

Matthew 10:23 Matthew 10 Mark 6 eschatology Matthew 10:23 Son of Man

Matthew 10:23 — 'before the Son of Man comes' refers to Christ's first-coming arrival, not the Second Coming

Kelly Book asks about Matthew 10:23 and why Mark's parallel account does not include the phrase 'before the Son of Man comes.'

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Proverbs 16:5 repentance pride grace

Covert narcissism and Proverbs 16:5 — misunderstanding grace; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Giant Mushroom Tree is being diagnosed with covert narcissistic personality disorder and fears Proverbs 16:5 means they are unsavable.

1 Corinthians 10:13 Psalm 34:18 Psalm 51:17 repentance sanctification 1 Corinthians 10:13

Hardened heart and repentance — how to break callousness and return to closeness with God

Final question: someone says their heart has become hard through continued rebellion, they no longer feel sorry, and they miss living close to Christ.

Luke 16:10-13 stewardship Luke 16:10-13 money and wealth

Luke 16:10-13 reframes the parable: the master is money itself — be a faithful steward so God controls you, not money

Reading Luke 16:10-13 as commentary on the parable

straw man argument apologetics atheism

Confirmation bias accusations are themselves prone to confirmation bias; fear of confirmation bias is not sufficient reason to disbelieve something

Responding to a young Christian worried that his theism might be confirmation bias given that most atheistic arguments seem like straw men and ad hominem

confirmation bias knowledge epistemology

Changing one's mind is not required for intellectual validity; core epistemic beliefs are foundational and need no further justification

Continuing the apologetics discussion about confirmation bias

obedience sexual purity Christian relationships

A new believer should lovingly but firmly set sexual boundaries with a girlfriend, even at the risk of losing the relationship

Responding to a 3-month-old believer whose girlfriend is hesitant to abstain from sex

justice divine judgment holiness of God

God's glory is displayed in just judgment of sin, like a good judge rightly sentencing the guilty

Responding to the question of how God's glory comes from judging unbelievers

youth ministry apologetics teenage atheism

Approaching a teenage atheist: dig for motives (often sin-related) rather than just arguments, in an environment of love

Advising a mother whose 16-year-old son has declared himself an atheist and can barely defend his position

Mark 13:9-13 Matthew 10:16-24 hermeneutics Mike Licona Mark 13:9-13

Matthew 10:16-24 uses Olivet Discourse language — either Jesus repeated similar words or it shows the connection between the disciples' temporary mission and the church's ongoing mission

Responding to why Matthew 10:16-24 contains Olivet Discourse wording not found in Mark 6 or Luke 9 parallels

Psalm memorization prayer meditation mindfulness

Mindful meditation: biblical meditation means active thinking; eastern meditation's spiritual claims are concerning; neutral practices are fine

Responding to whether mindful meditation for mental health can be used by a Christian

Richard Bauckham apologetics William Lane Craig

Apologetics resources: use general resources (Got Questions) to start, then targeted in-depth resources (books) for specific issues

Recommending starting points for apologetics study

Hebrews 11 Hebrews 12:1 Hebrews 11 inspiration Hebrews 12:1

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

Galatians 6:2 Proverbs 14:10 pastoral care Galatians 6:2 mental health

Helping a believer in mental anguish: bear burdens without requiring performance; listen and meet needs without trying to fix them

Responding to how to help and encourage a believer going through a season of mental anguish

Mark's Gospel Matthew 27:62-66 Richard Bauckham resurrection apologetics

The empty tomb was verifiable: women as witnesses (embarrassing to early church = authentic), the women are named (eyewitness identification per Bauckham), Roman guards monitored it

Responding to how anyone could be sure the right tomb was checked if Jesus was beaten unrecognizably