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Scripture Commentary article 2018-03-22

Was the death of Jesus evil? Calvinism and ordained evil

This question is often asked of those of us who do not believe that God initiates evil. If God predestined the death of Jesus, does this mean that God commanded or ordained the evil acts of men? A Calvinist website describes God’s ordaining of evil this way:

2 Corinthians 5:21 Acts 4:27-28 Acts 5:27–30 Soteriology Calvinism Atonement
Scripture Commentary article 2010-01-12

Pastor And Team In Haiti During Earthquake

I have a great concern tonight for my Pastor. Pastor Jim Reimer and two of our worship team along with a group of teens from our local high school flew into Haiti around noon today

Exodus 90 Hebrews 53 Hosea 20 Women in Leadership
Scripture Commentary article 2009-12-16

Does The Husband Alone Have Divine Wisdom

In a recent CBMW blog article, John Starke recounts Richard Baxter’s instructions for the Christian family. (Richard Baxter was a 17th century Puritan)

Proverbs 31:10 Proverbs 31:10-12 Proverbs 31:11 Authority & Submission Women in Leadership Complementarianism
Scripture Commentary article 2009-07-05

Wayne Grudem Part 2

In my last post I copied Wayne Grudem’s “Open letter to Egalitarians”, and I listed the first question of his “Six Questions That Have Never Been Satisfactorily Answered”. Today I am posting his second question, Suzanne McCarthy’s expert Greek answer, and my own challenge after that

1 Peter 3:1 Acts 5:21 Proverbs 5:21 Ephesians 5 Authority & Submission Women in Leadership
Scripture Commentary article 2009-01-24

The Emperor Has No Clothes

In the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood’s book Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood , chapter 3 is written by Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr

2 Corinthians 11:3 Genesis 3:13 Genesis 3:2-3 Genesis & Creation Headship & Kephale Adam & Eve
Scripture Commentary article 2008-03-27

To Diane Sellner Of Carm

**October 2008 addition Note: A public statement regarding Diane Sellner’s role in the public attacks against me is at

Women in Leadership Debates
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-12-28

@IemSparticus @harmonizedgrace Paul commends Philemon for his love and and faith, emphasizing qualities of generosity and compassion rather than authority (Phm 1:4-7). He then appeals to Philemon "for love's sake" to receive Onesimus back. He *expli...

@IemSparticus @harmonizedgrace Paul commends Philemon for his love and and faith, emphasizing qualities of generosity and compassion rather than authority (Phm 1:4-7). He then appeals to Philemon "fo

Phm 1:4-7 debate
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-10-25

@john_hand83 @masonmennenga Please show me where the Bible says that being rich

@john_hand83 @masonmennenga Please show me where the Bible says that being rich is a sin? Notice that Paul does not command those who are rich to become materially poor to enter heaven, but to be gene

debate
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-10-02

@ministrymisfit @masonmennenga Regarding capitalism…private property, free markets driven by supply and demand, profit and limited government intervention seem to me to be Biblical principles. The Bible also encourages the rich to be generous and ens...

@ministrymisfit @masonmennenga Regarding capitalism…private property, free markets driven by supply and demand, profit and limited government intervention seem to me to be Biblical principles. The Bib

general
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-03-15

@Dylan04169480 @MikeWingerii No, Mike seems to not want to engage knowledgeable egalitarians on this issue. Several scholars have reached out to him and he has declined to discuss or respond to their material. The work by Terran Williams and Andrew ...

@Dylan04169480 @MikeWingerii No, Mike seems to not want to engage knowledgeable egalitarians on this issue. Several scholars have reached out to him and he has declined to discuss or respond to their

debate
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-03-15

@RBM7211 @MikeWingerii @TerranWilliams4 Just read the article. There's no authority to appeal to. But Mike won't listen to a nobody like me. He seems to only want to consider those who are published. Well, here's two published authors who carefully a...

@RBM7211 @MikeWingerii @TerranWilliams4 Just read the article. There's no authority to appeal to. But Mike won't listen to a nobody like me. He seems to only want to consider those who are published.

debate
Scripture Commentary tweet 2024-01-16

@AdrienneRoyer @TheMuppetPastor @sailemptyskies Marriages can work in different

@AdrienneRoyer @TheMuppetPastor @sailemptyskies Marriages can work in different ways for sure! And just because the woman is equal doesn’t mean she should *demand* her rights! See Phil 2

general
Theology verse entry

Philippians 1:15-18

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Philippians 1:15-18 teaching,motive,truth,preaching,paul,egalitarian,complementarian
Theology verse entry

James 1:16-17

Sections: exegesis

James 1:16-17 good gifts,God character,no variation,Father of lights,egalitarian
Theology verse entry

Ephesians 1:4-5

Sections: cross_references, debate_points, exegesis, greek_analysis

Ephesians 1:4-5 soteriology,predestination,election,free will,Calvinism,provisionism,corporate election
Mike Winger idea 2018-04-18

Q&A: 666 and the mark of the beast — why any name can be made to equal 666 using flexible math; and why barcodes and microchips are not the mark

Question from 'Bible History Science' about whether 666 is itself numerological.

Revelation 13 mark of the beast numerology 666 mark of the beast Revelation 13
Mike Winger idea 2018-11-14

Romans 12:17-21 — do not repay evil for evil; leave vengeance to God; overcome evil with good, even toward enemies.

New Testament passage on retaliation and the theological grounding for non-retaliation.

Romans 12:17-21 anger Romans 12:17-21 repay evil
Mike Winger idea 2019-02-13

Tithing is an Old Testament concept; Christians are required to give but not mandated to a 10% figure

Viewer asking Mike to reconcile his teaching that the tithe is not required with the obligation to give

1 Timothy 5 Mosaic law New Covenant tithing
Mike Winger idea 2019-04-03

Tacitus (Annals, 109 AD) as non-Christian confirmation of early Christian persecution, crucifixion of Christ under Pontius Pilate, and the movement's origin in Judea

Mike quotes Tacitus as an external, non-Christian source confirming early persecution

crucifixion of Jesus Pontius Pilate early Christian persecution
Mike Winger idea 2019-04-10

Non-believer "Snoopit" acknowledges double standard: uses "trust" for human faith but "belief without evidence" for Christian faith

Examining skeptic responses to the poll

faith belief without evidence double standard in faith definitions
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-16

Bayesian approach: fine-tuning evidence favors theism over atheism

McLatchie articulates a Bayesian argument: the fine-tuning evidence is far more expected on theism than on atheism.

natural theology Jonathan McLatchie cosmic fine-tuning
Mike Winger idea 2019-05-22

Q&A: tithing -- the tithe is a Mosaic law (10% to Levites/temple) and is not required for believers; Christians should give freely as the Lord directs to the poor, persecuted, and ministers

Q&A on tithing

New Covenant Law of Moses Levites
Mike Winger idea 2019-06-19

Audience Q: Why doesn't anyone reference Tacitus on Christian persecution until the 4th century? — Multiple 1st-century sources confirm early persecution of Christians

Audience question from "Godless Engineer" about Christian persecution attestation

Acts Hebrews Paul Peter Acts
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-29

Tithing at 10% is not a biblical New Testament requirement, though generous giving absolutely is

Q&A: whether the tithe is biblically mandated for Christians

New Covenant tithing Old Testament law
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Christians are not required to tithe (give 10%), but are absolutely required to give generously

Opening question from Facebook: are Christians supposed to tithe?

tithing New Testament ethics Christian giving
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

New Testament giving priorities: the poor, the persecuted church, local ministers, and generosity as lifestyle — not limited to 10%

Constructive answer on what Christian giving should look like without a tithe mandate

James 1 Corinthians 9 James 1 Corinthians 9 Christian giving
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Old Testament slavery laws contained extensive humanitarian protections radically superior to surrounding cultures and incompatible with chattel slavery

Continued answer on Leviticus 25 and slavery.

Leviticus 25:44-46 Deuteronomy slavery laws Exodus redemption as theological grounding for humane treatment Leviticus 25:44-46 Slavery in the Old Testament Deuteronomy slavery laws
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

Matthew 5:38-42 addresses personal vengeance, not self-defense or courtroom justice — and does not require total pacifism.

Question from Adriano about the Sermon on the Mount passages on non-retaliation and self-defense.

Matthew 5:38-42 Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5:38-42 Turn the other cheek
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

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.

Matthew 5:42 Kenneth Copeland Prosperity gospel Matthew 5:42
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

Ephesians 5:5 — "impure" (akathartos) refers to moral impurity; the passage warns that a lifestyle of immorality, impurity, or covetousness calls salvation into question.

Nero Manser asks what Paul means by "impure" in Ephesians 5:5.

1 Corinthians Ephesians 5:5 BDAG lexicon 1 Corinthians assurance of salvation
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-26

2 Samuel 12:8 does not endorse polygamy; the phrase "I would have given you more" is a figure of speech for God's provision, not a promise of additional wives; God explicitly forbids polygamy for kings in Deuteronomy 17:17.

Joshua Bambrick asks whether 2 Samuel 12:8 refutes the claim that God does not affirm polygamy.

Deuteronomy 17:17 2 Samuel 12:8 David Nathan marriage
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-19

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 — the identity of the Restrainer is uncertain

Listener Louise Sorensen (Denmark) asks whether, when the restrainer of 2 Thessalonians 2 is removed, non-believers will lose compassion and morals.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 Holy Spirit Antichrist Eschatology
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 2020-05-06

McDowell responds to Moss's dismissal of Nero persecution: (1) 50-year gap doesn't warrant dismissal — McDowell's father remembers Nixon 50 years ago. (2) Suetonius provides additional support she doesn't cite. (3) Her claim that "Christian" wasn't used until end of first century is false — Acts records the term at Antioch c.47 AD. (4) Tacitus says "great multitude" — not a handful. Nero needed a sufficiently large scapegoat group.

Responding to Moss on Nero — four rebuttals

Acts 11:26 Tacitus Candida Moss Suetonius
Mike Winger idea 2022-02-11

Giving to Different Ministries: If I don't feel edified by the watered-down milk preaching at my local church, it is wrong to give less money to the local church and more money to online ministries that I spend hours listening to?

Q&A question: Giving to Different Ministries

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2022-12-16

Should Churches Keep Records of Giving?: My church requires all employees to give to the church (in general; any amount is fine). They pulled me aside to ask why I haven’t been giving, and when I told them I was, but that I felt better giving anonymously in the offering plate rather than having a record attached to my name, they told me it needed to be tracked. Am I wrong for feeling weird about this, or are they?

Q&A question: Should Churches Keep Records of Giving?

tithing generosity
Mike Winger idea 2022-12-16

Principles for Offering Advice to Others: What are some good steps to giving advice to fellow Christians without coming across as condescending and patronizing?

Q&A question: Principles for Offering Advice to Others

tithing generosity
Mike Winger idea 2023-09-15

Does the Devil Persecute Believers?: Is God giving the Devil permission to persecute the lives of certain Christians today, like in the book of Job?

Q&A question: Does the Devil Persecute Believers?

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2024-04-19

Do We Give Off “Energy”?: Is “energy” in the esoteric form of the word biblical? I was recently told in a Christian forum that I was “giving off [blank] energy.” Is this biblical?

Q&A question: Do We Give Off “Energy”?

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2024-05-17

Led by the Spirit vs. our Own Feelings: My mom changed her name recently. She felt God was giving her a new name. She often feels led by the Spirit where I don't agree. Any advice for those times, and should I introduce her by new name?

Q&A question: Led by the Spirit vs. our Own Feelings

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2024-08-16

The Changing Morality of the Bible?: Why does God seem more wrathful in the Old Testament and more forgiving and loving in the New Testament? Does the Bible have changing morals?

Q&A question: The Changing Morality of the Bible?

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2024-11-08

What is a Heart of Flesh?: What does giving us a heart of flesh mean, when flesh is usually negative?

Q&A question: What is a Heart of Flesh?

generosity
Mike Winger idea 2024-11-15

Investing in Rental Properties – Sin?: I would like to start investing in rental homes. Is this flat out a sin and should I be just giving my excess to the needy people, or is it OK to invest to earn more, and just give then?

Q&A question: Investing in Rental Properties – Sin?

generosity