Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Intro 1. 0:40 {Discussing Biblical “Contradictions”!} Can you please discuss some different Bible passages that appear to be contradictory? 2. 41:10 {Unnecessary Body Parts = Evolution?} I have a coworker that is an atheist. He said that there are parts of our bodies that are not necessary and that might prove evolution rather than a Creator. Any thoughts? 3. 48:11 {Is Salvation Sometimes Unfair?} One of my biggest issues is that you NEED to believe in Jesus to be saved. If someone is born in a Muslim country, they would have to sacrifice way more than the average westerner. How is that fair? 4. 53:53 {Historical Jesus & Manuscripts} How can we believe in a historical Jesus if the oldest manuscripts we have are from the second or third century? 5. 1:00:40 {Is Christianity the True Religion?} How do I know Christianity is right/true compared to other world religions? 6. 1:09:20 {Does God Make Mistakes?} I often hear the argument, “If God doesn't make mistakes when it comes to gender, then what about people with disabilities?" How would you respond? 7. 1:15:08 {Applying PSA on Earth?} If the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement is just, would it be just for an earthly judge to impute the guilt of a murderer to an innocent volunteer and sentence the volunteer to death instead of the murderer? If not, why? 8. 1:18:30 {Joseph in Jesus’ Lineage?} Any idea why Matthew and Luke list Joesph’s genealogy when he’s not Jesus’ birth father? Does that mean Jesus’ lineage isn’t what it needs to be to fulfill prophecy? 9. 1:20:27 {Is there Really an Afterlife?} Why do Christians think there is an afterlife? Why not just look at death as a return to the quantum state, like before we were born? 10. 1:24:26 {Did God Create Cancer?} If God created everything, why did He create cancer? As a Christian mother, I still struggle with these sorts of questions. 11. 1:27:54 {The Best Argument for God} What do you think is the best evidence/argument there is for God? 12. 1:30:21 {Does Trusting First Invalidate our Faith?} If you have to believe first in order to experience the reality of Christianity, if the "proof" only comes alive when one chooses to trust it, isn't that "truth" make-believe? 13. 1:33:54 {Would a Good God make a Terrible Hell?} When Jesus said that for the person who would betray Him it would be better not to be born, I assume Hell is worse than non-existence. How does this match with a good God? 14. 1:35:58 {Unrepentant Heart - Still Saved by Faith?} If I believe in my heart that Jesus rose from the dead and trust in Him alone for salvation, why would God then send me to Hell for being actively gay? Am I not saved by my faith instead of my works? 15. 1:42:16 {Salvation in the OT} How were people saved in the Old Testament before Jesus? And if they were saved without believing in Jesus, then why did it change? 16. 1:46:11 {Why do Christians Ask for Forgiveness?} My question from a skeptic is, if you are already saved, why do you still ask for forgiveness for your sins? 17. 1:47:26 {Hypostatic Union - Contradictory?} Is Jesus being God and Man a contradiction? The Bible says that the Son doesn’t know the day or the hour of His coming. Can Jesus know (as God) and not know (as Man) at the same time? 18. 1:49:32 {Bible = Pure Fiction?} As a Christian, what is an appropriate answer to an atheist claiming that the Bible is pure fiction? 19. 1:55:48 {Mixed Messages in Scripture?} I lost my faith due to all the mixed messages in the Bible. For example, is salvation by faith alone like John 5: 24, or faith plus works like James 2? Why doesn’t this cause you to doubt? 20. 1:58:39 {Does the Concept of Sin Apply to God?} Is God holy and sinless? Can God do things which, if we did them, would be considered sin? One example is killing the firstborn of Egypt. Does the concept of sin (or being sinless) even APPLY to God? 21. 2:03:30 {How to Trust in Christ} I’m a Bible believing non-Christian that hurt himself by absorbing bad Charismatic teachings. I have always had trouble trusting and accepting Christ. How would one begin to as a skeptic?
Mike Winger is a false teacher 1st Corinthians 4 and 5 preaching and teaching can not be done with words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of 3:45 3:46 power and Mike Winger does not have that but there are preachers who do
He is incapable, by their fruits you shall know them. What do you get, he doesn't know God. Have you ever read about Jesus doing what he does? Come on now>
@@Ironguy-gm6vf the word of God can not be taught by the enticing words of man's wisdom but by demonstration of God's power. Paul says it can't be done that way and Mike Winger is no expert he doesn't understand the word of God says
@@rebeccaczajor Mike Winger does not have any fruits of the Spirit. My Pastor has done many mighty works in the name of Jesus Christ some came in wheel chairs and left walking
Mike, as someone raised to be an atheist for whom this is all fairly new I LOVE that you did a skeptics edition! I've asked a lot of these questions. I cannot wait to delve into this!
@@NMemone Mike does not know what he is talking about Paul said the word of God can't be taught out of intelect but by the demonstration of the holy Spirit and the original word of God was written in Hebrew and in Greek and Mike knows neither
@@desireehelms8012 Mike took seminary. I can guarantee you he knows some Greek and Hebrew. Also, who are you to judge his heart? Who are you to claim he is not teaching in the Spirit? Where is your evidence? Where is your proof of claim? Without evidence, you are doing exactly what we are called not to do, judging. Take the log out of your own eye before you go complaining about Mikes speck.
@@MikeWinger 1 christ is not going to return and set up a kingdom on earth 2 God is not going to destroy this planet and make another one 1Co 15:45-50 ISV 45 This, indeed, is what is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual does not come first, but the physical does, and then comes the spiritual. 47 The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven. 48 Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will also bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay. 2Pe 3:7 ISV Now by that same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire and are being kept for the day when ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.
@@seaglass.jen86 Haha! I needed 1 more for the list but 2 really grabbed my heart. Normally in that situation I’d make the tough decision to “bump” a different question from the list and replace it, but I didn’t have the heart today to remove another skeptic’s question, so I sent them both, especially since he told me beforehand that the number today would be flexible. I love that it’s 21 Qs on episode 21!
Mike Winger is a false teacher and he is listed as a false prophet and Jack Mack 77 plainly exposes Mike Winger as a false teacher because Mike Winger fancies him self as an intelect and you can't teach the word out of intelect all those who do are false teachers and the Apostle Paul says so in first Corinthians 4 and 5
How about thinking logically and rationally instead? Seems like it'd be far more useful in every day life. Also the hilarity of your "one true religion" even needing apologetics.
Have you ever done Bible Study Fellowship? It’s a weekly study, discussion group, lecture, and notes with groups worldwide! It’s helped me grow in my biblical understanding and preparing me for sharing my faith with others. Starts up again in early September (and goes til May) and we’re studying Revelation this year!
With the book of judges "contradiction" of human sacrifice, it also shows that God takes vows seriously, and the importance of being careful of what you vow, and even the Bible takes it further and say "do not even take a vow"
Whoever was emojing yall are hilarious! Great episode Mike! I love your heart for not just truth but making it relevant, accessible, and understandable for those who still haven't reconciled with Jesus!
Please do more skeptics editions! They’re so helpful because I sometimes don’t know how to start an answer to some questions asked. These are so amazing
question 21 was my story also, I was new and very gullible. it was this ministry that helped me to help myself to how to properly read and understand the scriptures, with the help of the Holy Spirit I'm getting there I have 1000 times better understanding than I did 4 years ago.
I recommend impact video ministries and DLM Christian lifestyle, I don't have enough faith to be an atheist or for some provocative thoughts and healthy speculation, grace digital network as well. If you don't mind calvinism, Desiring God does a great job
I am smart ...but I don't speak smart and am not taken seriously. And because I'm "artsy" and not "sciencey" I am dismissed in my attempts to explain what Mike is saying. And unfortunately no one yet has even attempted to sit through one of Mike's vids. Additionally I'm a newish Christian (formerly agnostic sarcastic worldly and wild). My conversion is not really accepted by those who know me . They don't believe that I spend 20 hrs a week learning the Bible and no longer watch TV, Netflix etc. 😢🤷
@@ArmoredE6 keep going!! There will be more people that you encounter and you really don't know what kind of thoughts you provoke when you speak to others. We don't always get to see the fruits of our labor. Keep going!
same i try to post proof on reddit and got swarmed by people that just told me I'm wrong and when i ask please give me your proof evidence that i am wrong they start to be very aggressive and dishonest not answering when the whole post is about that. Unbelievers no matter what you show has evidence even from expert will reject God and find any excuse even stupid one to not check them. There is a verse from God to waste more time on them has others need saving
@@katiemorrow2398 thank you! I just don't know when I should sort of back off on the close friends and whatnot because I can clearly tell that I'm just annoying them and I want to stay in their good graces so that I can continue to love on them and hoping eventually that they will realize all of the trials and tribulations that I've gone through and kept my face and continued searching for the truth and stay hungry for the word. I'm not trying to appease them per se but I'm just thinking maybe I need to back off a little bit. However that's difficult I guess it's the Holy Spirit nudging me because every time I talk or text them I can't even get a paragraph or sentence out without talking about God LOL
@@reality1958"No sign will be given to [this generation] except for the sign of Jonah" - Matthew 12:39 That is to say, God has already given you more than enough evidence. That you reject it shows that you have a heart issue, not an intellectual one.
just thought you should know I have shared you/your channel with my 18 year old daughter who has then shared you with others her age... and they are LOVING you. I am truly thankful for your style of teaching and exegesis that is easy to "digest" and process and follow along. thanks mike
Frank is a logical man. But I don't understand why people keep saying he's rude. Is he right? Don't be so soft and weak, take the knowledge regardless of how it's presented.
@@Theonly_Onyx there is no knowledge and certainly no logic: just a few passive-aggressive tricks (like yours: "don't be soft and weak") which his interlocutors let pass. The day of these hucksters is passing, fortunately.
Mike, love your analogies. I am not an intellect so the analogies help me to easily understand some of these at first glance contradictions. Very helpful and clear. My faith grows every time I watch your videos. Thank you!
One helpful reference book I highly recommend for Christians is Keeping Faith in an Age of Reason: Refuting Alleged Bible Contradictions by Jason Lisle, Master Books, 2017. He covers 420 claims of Bible contradictions and sets the record straight.
*The Enuma Elish would later be the inspiration for the Hebrew scribes who created the text now known as the biblical Book of Genesis.* Prior to the 19th century CE, the Bible was considered the oldest book in the world and its narratives were thought to be completely original. In the mid-19th century CE, however, European museums, as well as academic and religious institutions, sponsored excavations in Mesopotamia to find physical evidence for historical corroboration of the stories in the Bible. ***These excavations found quite the opposite, however, in that, once cuneiform was translated, it was understood that a number of biblical narratives were Mesopotamian in origin.*** *Famous stories such as the Fall of Man and the Great Flood were originally conceived and written down in Sumer,* translated and modified later in Babylon, and reworked by the Assyrians ***before they were used by the Hebrew scribes for the versions which appear in the Bible.*** ***In revising the Mesopotamian creation story for their own ends, the Hebrew scribes tightened the narrative and the focus but retained the concept of the all-powerful deity who brings order from chaos.*** Marduk, in the Enuma Elish, establishes the recognizable order of the world - *just as God does in the Genesis tale* - and human beings are expected to recognize this great gift and honor the deity through service. *"Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Epic of Creation - Full Text - World History Encyclopedia"* *"Sumerian Is the World's Oldest Written Language | ProLingo"* *"Sumerian Civilization: Inventing the Future - World History Encyclopedia"* ("The Sumerians were the people of southern Mesopotamia whose civilization flourished between c. 4100-1750 BCE." "Ancient Israelites and their origins date back to 1800-1200 BCE.") *"The Myth of Adapa - World History Encyclopedia"* Also discussed by Professor Christine Hayes at Yale University in her 1st lecture of the series on the Hebrew Bible from 8:50 to 14:30 minutes, lecture 3 from 28:30 to 41:35 minutes, lecture 4 from 0:00 up to 21:30 minutes and 24:00 up to 35:30 minutes and lecture 7 from 24:20 to 25:10 minutes. From a Biblical scholar: "Many stories in the ancient world have their origins in other stories and were borrowed and modified from other or earlier peoples. *For instance, many of the stories now preserved in the Bible are* ***modified*** *versions of stories that existed in the cultures and traditions of Israel’s* ***older*** *contemporaries.* Stories about the creation of the universe, a cataclysmic universal flood, digging wells as land markers, the naming of important cultic sites, gods giving laws to their people, and even stories about gods decreeing the possession of land to their people were all part of the cultural and literary matrix of the ancient Near East. *Biblical scribes freely* ***adopted and modified*** *these stories as a means to express their own identity, origins, and customs."* *"Stories from the Bible"* by Dr Steven DiMattei, from his website *"Biblical Contradictions"* ------------------------------------------------------------------ In addition, look up the below articles. *"Yahweh was just an ancient Canaanite god. We have been deceived! - Escaping Christian Fundamentalism"* *"Hammurabi - World History Encyclopedia"* (Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon best known for his famous law code which served as the model for others, *including the Mosaic Law of the Bible.)* *"Debunking the Devil - Michael A. Sherlock (Author)"* *"The Greatest Trick Religion Ever Pulled: Convincing Us That Satan Exists | Atheomedy"* *"Zoroastrianism And Persian Mythology: The Foundation Of Belief"* (Scroll to the last section: Zoroastrianism is the Foundation of Western Belief) *"10 Ways The Bible Was Influenced By Other Religions - Listverse"* *"January | 2014 | Atheomedy"* - Where the Hell Did the Idea of Hell Come From? *"Retired bishop explains the reason why the Church invented "Hell" - Ideapod"* Watch *"The Origins of Salvation, Judgement and Hell"* by Derreck Bennett at Atheologica (Sensitive theists should only watch from 7:00 to 17:30 minutes as evangelical Christians are lambasted. He's a former theist and has been studying the scholarship and comparative religions for over 15 years) *"Top Ten Reasons Noah’s Flood is Mythology - The Sensuous Curmudgeon"* *"Forget about Noah's Ark; There Was No Worldwide Flood | Bible Interp"* *"The Search for Noah’s Flood - Biblical Archaeology Society"* *"Eridu Genesis - World History Encyclopedia"* *"The Atrahasis Epic: The Great Flood & the Meaning of Suffering - World History Encyclopedia"* Watch *"How Aron Ra Debunks Noah's Flood"* (8 part series debunking Noah's flood using multiple branches of science) *"The Adam and Eve myth - News24"* *"Before Adam and Eve - Psychology Today"* *"Gilgamesh vs. Noah - Wordpress"* *"Old Testament Tales Were Stolen From Other Cultures - Griffin"* *"Parallelism between “The Hymn to Aten” and Psalm 104 - Project Augustine"* *"Studying the Bible"* - by Dr Steven DiMattei (This particular article from a critical Biblical scholar highlights how the authors of the Hebrew Bible used their *fictional* god as a mouthpiece for their own views and ideologies) *"How do we know that the biblical writers were* ***not*** *writing history?"* -- by Dr Steven DiMattei *"Contradictions in the Bible | Identified verse by verse and explained using the most up-to-date scholarly information about the Bible, its texts, and the men who wrote them"* -- by Dr. Steven DiMattei
Mike! You are doing the Lords work! Thank you for giving me answers to these questions that I can verify for myself! Thank you for your passion and purpose. God be glorified!
@ayiir7 Atheists usually quote Matthew 10:23 and 16:27-28. I have to admit, it certainly reads like Jesus predicted His return within the lifetime of His disciples.
@@ryanrevland4333 I’ve always assumed that Matthew 16:37-28 is referring to either A) a few humans that genuinely won’t die because limit God’s supernatural abilities and will in your mind? Or B) it’s a metaphor for the moving of The Holy Spirit within the people of Israel because scripture has referring to us believers as the Church or Christ’s Kingdom. I’d just spend some time researching that one if it’s weighing on your spirit. Doesn’t seem too complex to get to the bottom of.
@@ryanrevland4333 While I'm not sure of a solution to Matthew 10:23 off the top of my head, I think that Matthew 16:28 is referring to the Transfiguration rather than the 2nd coming of Christ. Jesus says this same line in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1, and on all 3 occasions this statement is immediately followed by an account of the Transfiguration where God's glory and kingdom are shown to Peter, James, and John. As additional support for this, Jesus specifically says that they will not die *before* they witness the kingdom of God, implying that they will die after witnessing it. If the kingdom of God in this context referred to the second coming, then they wouldn't die after. Hope this helps!
Thank you for being God's tool. Thank you for making this video. It is an answer to my prayers. My son just graduated from college and has been working through doubts. One of the discussions we had was the iron chariots argument. I was 😮 baffled by him even having this as a problem, but now I know where it came from. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for loving God so much that you want us to know him better.
This is great! I am looking forward to a series on this. I read the whole Bible 6 times and it all fits together without contradictions the more you study and understand it. The thing is you need the Holy Spirit, it is like the air that fills up an inflatable ball and the supposed contradictions vanish. All the Bible college and commentaries in the world can't do that job. If there are questions, make a list and pray, it really works as God answers them. The key is being open and truly wanting to know the truth. We do not fear the truth at all. Searching diligently is good and sharpens our apologetics. I can answer so many of these questions but you always learn something new and that is exciting. That was great about the justice systems comparison for instance! For one thing I am amazed how many do not understand the distinction between the Old and New Covenants, Jesus is the fulfillment of so much and so we don't need to keep the OT laws like the sabbath and circumcision, etc. Our circumcision is of the heart, our sabbath rest is Jesus, we do our thing on Sunday because of the Resurrection and Pentecost and that is when they met. It just shows me they never truly studied the Bible even to glean the elementary things of the faith. That is not a contradiction in the Bible, it is a lack of study. Now with evolution, you can't hold to that because with it, death came long before the fall. According to the Bible animals came before man, then man sinned and then death entered. God created man and all things, not evolution. Also, it is not a 'scientific fact,' it is called evolutionary 'theory' for a reason, it is merely a theory and not a fact. I do think the creation story is a bit simplified because the intention was not to write a science book but a salvation book. Like you would explain a complicated thing to a child. One last point is that there are some honest skeptics and seekers out there. But there are also some that are simply hostile and hateful and not open at all. One thing I see is that atheism is mostly not an issue of the mind or intellectual, but of the heart. When in a debate with an atheist, after a while it comes down to the existential issue of suffering and why God allows it, and there are reasons that man does not understand. But if you dig deeper you eventually come to a comment like; "But then why did God let..... (blank) happen in my life?" So it boils down to: 1. They know there is a God. It's not just hypothetical. 2. They had a bad thing happen. 3. They think since God is in control, all must be paradise now. 4. Thus they blame God, get angry, and turn on God. They spend a lot of time fighting someone they claim does not exist. If that thing had not happened, they may still believe in God, or be in relationship with Him actually. So there are intellectual aspects to it but mainly emotional and spiritual ones. In cases where the relationship is restored, it is always a heart issue that is dealt with rather a mind issue. A good way of approaching this is the following. Suppose you run into an atheist and have a discussion. You propose something to them. You say suppose every intellectual question was answered, every moral concern, every doubt and skepticism dealt with to full satisfaction. So every mental roadblock was cleared for them. Would they now turn to God? Would their hearts now do a U-turn to God? I would venture to say no because it is a heart issue and not a mind issue. Ultimately a spiritual thing and they rationalized with all these walls they built up in the name of science and such. Don't get me wrong, we need the intellectual aspects to be discussed. But for instance I keep running into atheist types who point to the bad behavior of Christians and the lack of love in the church, etc. as a justification for their stance. I can't help but think of Jesus' words at the Last Supper; "They will know you are My disciples by your love for one another." He is real, we are His disciples, Christianity is true, but the outside world will know by our love... for one another. Sadly I do see all this volunteerism where churches go around doing all these good works for the world, but when there is a sister or brother in the church who needs help; they are totally ignored. It creates problems like this. Blessings and looking forward to next time!
A lot of good input here. I just question "we don't have to have a sabbath ". It's so simplistic to dump the entire old testament because of the new covenant. I've taught my children this: the sacrifices, the symbolic, and the ceremonies are no longer required. Jesus fulfilled them. The basic moral laws stand. The 19 commandments, for example, stand. Including the sabbath. God made the sabbath for man. It's a "get to" not a " have to" if you receive it with gratitude. Things like the mixing of cloth fibers thst people mock were symbolic of carnality and worldliness mixed with holiness (the holy and the profane). We don't have to follow that law because it's symbolic, but maybe we should because the church is excessively worldly today.
@@seanodowd4085 Well, yes and no. It's all still true. It still makes the New Testament make more sense. It still has promises and moral laws to obey. But you would be a judaizer if you insist the ceremonies, sacrifices, and symbolism fulfilled in Christ must be followed.
Hey mike, the 4th Q was a person who asked how can we trust scripture when the earliest manuscripts are from the 3rd-4th centuries, this is not true at all, we have around 6k manuscripts of the new testement all from the 1st century, the latest by design was by John, around 75-90AD John's gospel and revelation, written after the destruction of the temple in 70AD, this late dating is silly and is a tactic by presupposing miricales don't happen, so the times jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple was after 70AD because people can't predict the future, its not scriptures fault, it's the unwillingness of the skeptic. I wish mike would have said no manuscript was written in the 3rd or 4th century, I can't think of anyone who is respected in scholarship that manuscripts were being written around the days of the council of naecea, the Canon was already closed around that time, skeptics do the same with late dating daniel, because a person can't predict the future, so we will date daniel super late because of our presuppositions. Daniel of the old testament is 1 of the.most powerful and deeply fulfilling prophetic books from the babylonian empire to asyrian and grecco-roman and seleucid empires and like over 700 years of 100% fullfilled prophecies, if a skeptic shows me there ID / license and I say no you look 65 not what this shows you can't be 46 years old, I will tell you your age as this document does not fit my presuppositions. Now apply this logic to the most popular and important writings of history and hope you see the hypocrisy and the double speak humans do.
@@NickTimmerright, the copies are from the 1st century still right ? There is parts of John's gospel written on a page the size of a credit card, my point is zero of the about 6k manuscripts are from the 3rd or 4th century. So I don't see your point ? There is this channel called "everything NT" I would love to see you test your new testament knowledge with a person who can back up there claims, I am no scholar or koine greek historian, however i am not completely ignorant on the matter, so again what is the point of your comment so I can better engage ?
Relating to the Jephtaph (sorry for the spelling) - I have read some Rabbinic explanations which are in conflict as to whether she was even sacrificed. This was one man's selfish wish to get victory. I am glad Mike mentioned that this man had option to redeem his child and that there is death penalty for child sacrifice. This story has been a thorn at my side and I am so glad to hear this explanation about the parents redeeming their children and about the children dedicated to the Lord.
Love the shirt!!! Your teachings are sound and I have learned a lot from the way you analyze and answer questions. Thank you for all you do. Thankful for bringing light to the darkness of Hinn. I’ve known about his false teachings since I first saw him in action. I believe there is a special place for people like him, and scammers, if they do not repent. Joe B!! lol…I have started saying that instead of I’m having a senior moment. My mother had dementia at the end of her days and I said I’m having a “mother’s name” moment. I respected her so much, so I’m not dissing Joe.
Hey, Mike- thanks for all you and your ministry. It’s been a big blessing to my faith walk. Question: “Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.”” Exodus 5:1-3 NIV I thought God purposed the exodus to be permanent.. not 3 days. Thoughts?
"Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God" there is the answer. This is for a specific time they are asking for, the exodus happens later
They ask for it because God knows it will be denied. This way, no one can claim they didn't try to be more 'reasonable' when they demanded to leave. It was also to show Aaron and Moses how their hearts had been hardened. At least, that's how I interpret it
just because the journey will take 3 days doesn't mean it won't be permanent i fail to see how this implies it isn't permanent, or that they'll be coming back just because they outline how long the journey would take
It was the actress Shirley MacLaine who stood on a beach and called out, "I am God" -- interestingly, a little bit before Frank Peretti published "This Present Darkness."
First thank you for doing this, love the work the Lord has you doing. I had a thought on the Muslim question and someone may have answered it but, the first followers of Jesus were not from a western nation. They had to "give up" a lot to follow Christ. We happen to be in an not so normal time period that we do not have to, generally give up as much as our brothers and sisters in Christ. But throughout history Christianity, true Christianity has suffered.
I think people asked him this before and he said he’s reluctant to share because he doesn’t want his recommendations to be misconstrued as endorsements of a persons theology
@@kamarwashington thats understandable, I assumed he would make a disclaimer, but people seem to put words in his mouth or make edits for their narrative often :(
Pastor Mike: I was told that the "turning the other cheek" is also a cultural thing that when a superior would smack a subordinate, they would backhand them. When I 'turn the other cheek' I would essentially force you to smack me open hand which is basically levelling the ground making us peers rather than a superior/subordinate. Do you know anything about this?
8:00-What software or website are you using to show the Hebrew wording/meaning of forever. I would be interested in being able to use that as a resource. Does it do Greek also? Being able to find the original meaning is sometimes important even for the lay Christian. if it doesn't do both could make some recommendations on what to use as far as looking up original Hebrew and Greek? Rather not have to do it old school if I don't have to. Thanks.
A simpler (and better in my opinion) explanation for Jephtha has 3 points: 1) His vow was unnecessary. God always keeps His promises and in this case it was to protect the Israelites. So Jephtha would have been victorious anyway. 2) Jephtha could have easily gotten out of his vow by following the guidance in Leviticus 5:4-6 which reads: "or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt- when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.". And 3) as Mike mentioned, Jephtha died very shortly after doing this sacrifice so he was unable to continue his family line which (in my view) is a punishment for his ignorance and/or arrogance concerning God's word. So there is absolutely zero contradiction whether it was Jephtha sacrificing his daughter's life or virginity as a replacement. We can easily see that Jephtha is simply a good example of what NOT to do
Hi Mike. I really enjoy your studies, but this time there is a "but". With what you stated at the beginning, we can now pick and choose if we want to obey God's Law and follow the 4th Commandment? Then, what do you say about Commandments 6 and 8? Do you believe we can pick and choose when we can murder and steal as well?
Again the genealogies were 14 to make Cinderella's shoe fit. "While the number 14 is not a strict count of generations, it is profoundly symbolic in Jewish numerology, signifying completeness and perfection. "
Americans are generally major sabbath breakers. They want to backpack, go to the beach, water ski, go to the mall etc. Or otherwise gratify themselves. I spent time in New Zealand in the 80s and the families I stayed with went to church, had family over to eat a pre-prepared meal, and then chatted, lounged, or napped the rest of the day. Shops were CLOSED. You did your shopping, baking, errands, or cleaning on Friday evening or Saturday.
Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested* on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Jesus said “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”” Matthew 11:28-29 Jesus is our rest now. He fulfilled the Sabbath. He directs the thinking and doing of His sheep and keeps us in a state of constant rest. Other 9 commandments still stand as necessary, but for the Sabbath, we have a new rest that has been obtained thru Jesus.
Jesus being a fulfilment of the law is vastly different from what you are saying here. You are using the words fulfilment but in a completely different context of the original passage of “fulfilment of the Law”. Please look at the passage again. . Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18). . Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4). . Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22). In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New. . This has nothing to do with absolving man from obeying any of the commandments. . But YES, Jesus is also the “Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8). He decides the true meaning of the Sabbath because He created it, and He is our Sabbath rest in the flesh. So if Jesus states a different way to “do the sabbath”, then so be it. It is not a dishonouring of the Sabbath, it is a fulfilment of it, but different from what it was. . Hence, there are no actual commandments that you do not have to obey any longer. Simply one that you do not observe as one would at the time it was given. . And what then did Jesus say about this change: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27). Jesus was restating the principle that the Sabbath rest was instituted to relieve man of his labors, just as He came to relieve us of our attempting to achieve salvation by our works.
I was a skeptic with questions just like these who looked to Mike Winger’s Q&A series; to those that find themselves in this camp: keep sharpening your questions, keep asking them, and keep thinking honestly. Trust where it’ll lead you.
Loved your answer that advised something like, don’t die on the hill of evolution when speaking to atheists. The key thing is to help them understand their need to acknowledge a greater Being, and then what that Being is like (He gave His Son to save us). Why add stumbling blocks that are unnecessary? If they come to Christ, and surrender to Him, the Lord will continue to lead them into greater truth. Trust God to teach and lead those who have come to love Him.
@@RCGWhoI think the answer he gave was the best! Because it pointed them to God still. All the atheistic claims still lead to the existence of an uncreated creator, and uncaused cause. Why not figure what or who that is? Then propose explanations of what this being could be. . It will always come back to a being that has the characteristics of God if truly they are interested in the topic or at least intellectually honest.
Regarding definition about gender and sexuality, why should majority follow the new "definition" made by minority (tiny %) of people who confuse about themselves? Why should majority allow minority dictate majority?
4. Something interesting about the gospels is that they all end with very different accounts of what happened. Mark (earliest) says that the women at the empty tomb went and told no one what had happened (at first I assume?) Others say that they did, immediately. Then there’s the dispute about what Mary Magdalene went through at the tomb. Did she see an angel and then leave? Or did Christ reveal himself to her? These stories don’t mesh seamlessly. If you notice, as you move forward in time, the recordings of what went on after Jesus’s disappearance, I mean resurrection, become more and more “fanciful”…
41:00 evolution. I do not buy that evolution/creation is 2nd tier or third tier, or however humans try to categorize heresy vs acceptable doctrinal differences. Creation is God's primary way of displaying His existence and glory. It’s not optional to disbelieve God's revelation of His attributes. How like satan to co-opt God's primary way of revealing Himself. It's not salvific? You can call God a liar and still be saved?
I think you missed the point. As Mike said, it all leads back to God being the Creator. That’s the takeaway. Whether the Earth is young, or old, or whether God created the universe through the big bang, or didn’t, or whether evolution was part of God‘s creation, or wasn’t, none of that is a salvation issue. It’s not calling God a liar, simply because you’re not sure if the Genesis account is literal or not. And I’m sure as you will attest, not everything in the Bible IS literal. If you took it literally on flat earth, you would have to say the Earth is flat. But we know it’s not. Understanding that isn’t calling God a liar.
@@davegink9222 I find that riding the fence as an evolutionary creationist or theistic evolutionists or whatever they call themselves pleases no one (except themselves). Evolutionists aren't appeased by it and reject it. Creationist reject it. God knew people and where they'd go with this. So, in Genesis He was very detailed in His language to the point of redundancy. He said over and over, "And evening and morning were the.....day." No metaphor. NO room to assume a giant space of time. Unless you don't believe Him. Or don't want to be uncool among the educated. Or don't think He's able to do it as described. I can't speak for God, but I believe what we believe about this point is a much bigger deal than we're making it.
@@RCGWho Agree. I love Mike Winger. He is one of my favorite Bible teachers but I think he has a bit of a blind spot here. He has also said that he hasn't really studied it yet. I have a feeling that if he did, like the women series, then he'd come away with a similar conclusion. That the scholarship of those who try to combine the Bible with some form of evolution, old earth, etc is similar to that of the egalitarians (but maybe worse).
@@davegink9222 I'm not saying that you are calling God a liar but understand that most of the people preaching evolution/old earth are calling God a liar or saying He doesn't exist or maybe a god exists but not the one of the Bible. Yes there are poetic expressions in Scripture. The earth is God's footstool; no one has ever taught that God has literal giant feet resting on the planet. But that doesn't mean that we can just dismiss whatever we don't like as poetry. There are clear indicators for when something is historically described and when it is poetic. Is this salvific? Depends on what you mean. Is the truth of original creation the core gospel itself? No. Is it impossible for someone who believes in evolution to be a Christian? No. But is it profitable? Is it impossible for someone who doesn't believe in Virgin births, angels, or church gatherings to be a Christian? I don't think so but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Is the 2nd coming the core gospel itself? Is there no problem if we just say that all of Revelation is poetic, not literal? What about lgbtq issues? I'm not saying that evolution/creation teaching is a salvific issue for you or every person. However, I have heard many, many people explain that ideas related to evolution are what keep/kept them from believing the Bible and accepting Christ. Humanism/Marxism/atheism have become the dominant religion of the west and many hundreds of millions are in fact being led away from Jesus because of their lies. How is that not a salvific issue for those people? Not much different than the people rejecting God's Word because of LGBTQ or because of the Judaizers in the 1st century. I think it is dangerous for the church to continue to ignore this.
Hi Pastor Mike, due to timezone differences I usually find it hard to get my question in on time so I’ve resulted to the comment section. I know there’s a slim chance you’ll see this but it’s worth a shot. In one of your earlier videos you said Mark 11:23 wasn’t really talking about moving a mountain however Paul uses this same analogy in 1 Corinthians 13:2, is there a different interpretation for this passage? God bless you and keep up the good work🙏🏾❤️
I always enjoy your videos Mike, but I had a hang up right at the very beginning of this video - the Bible Does not contradict it's stance on the Sabbath as noted by the Roman Catholic Church that there is no biblical grounds for the Sabbath to be changed but for the Authority of the Roman Catholic Church to be able to change it from Saturday to Sunday - the story from your childhood although a good analogy need not advocate for the authenticity of the Sabbath throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations - that verse that they said is a contradiction is not even a contradiction of times past and times present if the scripture is studied deeply enough - you'll find that there is no contradiction at all within it's actual meaning and context - Blessings to this ministry and may it continue to draw people to Christ 💯
1. James was talking to ALREADY SAVED BELIEVERS. Use common sense here. Was James really telling his brethren they weren't really saved because they were disobedient? You can't use James 2 for salvific purposes. 2. James 2 is about PROFITING others with our works. It's about being justified in the sight of MEN for our works. Not God. According to Romans 4. 3. You're preaching a works based salvation, by insinuating people aren't really saved until they behave obediently to the law. 4. Paul was talking about the inner man vs the outer man. Our saved spirits vs our fallen flesh. Flesh and bone will not inherit the Kingdom.
Is it about being justified in the sight of men ... or about salvation? Let´s find out: James 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. The context here CLEARLY is that God credited it to him as righteousness, not men.
@@D12Min what about Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness”?
@@zaoadore so you are literally trying to pit the Bible against the Bible? Instead of just posting a verse against another verse, let´s look at both verses and let´s see how they are in harmony. The context of Romans 1-4 is clearly that you cannot EARN salvation. And that is Paul´s point here. Later in Romans (chapter 8) he makes the same point as James does in James 2. You can´t say I put my trust in Christ and then simply continue in sin. This type of faith will lead to condemnation. So Paul and James both stress that you cannot earn salvation, but that you will be condemned if you just continue in disobedience.
@@majorcajun5524 see my answer to zaodaore. You need to accept everything the Bible says at face value and then try to understand how everything plays together. Picking your favorite verse and trying to trump other verses with your favorites doesn´t work. God isn´t schizophrenic so that you can pick your favorite side of God...
There are verses that say to be very cautious about making vows, which infers that it's easy to make impulsive, stupid ones. I'm not looking to argue, so with that, I'll bow out.
What he vowed to do was expressly forbidden by God in Deuteronomy 12:31. But I will include the full passage so you may read the context. 29 ““When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?-that I also may do the same.’ 31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” Deuteronomy 12:29-32
@DepDawg he didn't do that. The word translated whole burnt offering in the Hebrew has nothing inherently to do with fire. The base of the word is total devotion, so in the case of an animal sacrifice it must be completely burned up (unlike the other sacrifices). Also, he gave the vow the next verse AFTER Holy Spirit came upon him. Furthermore, customary action would have been for the women of the town to come out greeting the victorious men as they returned from battle. He knew a person was coming out, not a random cow walking out of his home, he just thought it would be a servant. And he clearly knew his Bible well, as he showed when talking to the enemy at the beginning of the chapter. He was planning on committing someone to the tabernacle. It fits context, culture, and grammar. I studied all this in my Masters degree. But even just noting that the book of Hebrews praises him as no less then a hero of the faith should be a pretty good clue.
Mike, what's your take on sinning against the Holy Spirit, and how does one know if you have done it, and Is it punishable by death, so you cannot come back from it. What if you have done it without notice and if we don't have a clue what it was repent
Q- Bring the people of Israel back to their land? (Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 37:25-27) What is this referring to? Life after Jesus or heaven or what? Because we still have fear on earth at times but in heaven we can’t multiply/have children?
Great rebuttals that only apologetic study over years get this video. I’m presently thinking of going back to my Catholic roots. Papal infallibility led me to non denomination. Studies like these can help
I appreciate you taking time out of your day to break all of this down for us 😊 You had a lot of insightful answers. One thing I may disagree on though is what you said in reference to islamic people or people who don't know about Jesus. I can see why you see it that way though. I personally believe that if someone believes in a false god, they won't inherit the kingdom, even if they never knew of Jesus. Abraham, Moses, etc were different because not only had Jesus not come yet, but they were already worshipping the true God of heaven. I may not have a perfectly clear view, but that's how i interpret it.
Colossians 4:16 (latter part) “see that you also read the letter from Laodeicea.” Is Paul referring to Ephesians since it was a circulating letter? Or is it a lost letter? Is the Bible missing a book or are there other letters by Paul that were not included in the Bible?
Purgatory ❤ 1 Peter 3 verse 19 It was in the spirit also that he went to preach to the spirits in prison 20 They had disobeyed as long ago as Noah's day, etc etc. Chapter 4 verse 6 The reason the gospel was preached even to the dead was that, although condemned in the flesh in the eyes of men, they might live in the spirit in the eyes of God ❤
Regarding question 8, both genealogies say Joseph, zero of them say Mary. Why do you believe one is for Mary? Why do you believe Mary is of the Davidic line? Her cousin was a direct descendant of Aaron. Why wouldn't you think Mary was from the levitical line? Why David? It seems like you just *have to* believe Mary was Judahite when it seems to be saying in the Bible that she's Levite. Could you explain that? I'm trying hard to understand it but I'm actually doing more harm than good and not finding the right answers. Thank you!!
About Jephtag’s daughter being “sacrificed” look up Bensons commentary on Biblehub of judges 11:40, the Hebrew translation of “Lament” is to celebrate, meaning she was not dead. To help get more clarity about this. Thanks Mike! Blessings
Some Bible translations say the vow of Jefta to be "whatsover comes (...) will be Lord's OR I will offer it as a burnt offering". Also Judges 11,39 says about Jefta's daughter that "she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man." Bible seems to suggest that she wasn't burnt, but rather that she was consecrated to the Lord for the rest of her life
Two thoughts on Bible "contradictions": 1) They keep trotting out the same claims decade after decade, and they've all been answered. They continue in perpetuity because they're always new to some atheist who eats them right up without research. 2) Most of the claims demonstrate how the Holy Spirit allows for reading and understanding of the Scriptures, and without Him, things that are obviius seem confusing and strange and contradictory.
What is the Way in and of Jesus and how do you walk in the Way in and of Jesus. What are the 7steps of faith? What is the only biblical reason given for belief in Jesus?
Please give Jeptha a bit of a break. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And (Note this "and" at this critical point...) Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever[a] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it[b] up for a burnt offering.” Mike, my reading indicates that the Spirit was upon Jeptha during all of this time. If true, his vow was not silly and surely did not involve killing his daughter. I suspect this was a method of preventing Jeptha from trying to establish a hereditary dynasty through his daughter. Judicial heredity seems to have always gone badly.
I am writing to seek your guidance on a matter that has been on my heart. As someone who once identified as an atheist and would not even consider Christianity, I now reflect on my past and realize that I was spiritually blind. I believe that this blindness was caused by the god of this world(satan), as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:4. This leads me to wonder how many others are also spiritually blinded by satan. Specifically, I am grappling with the question of how we can reconcile the fact that some individuals may not be saved due to this spiritual blindness. Does this mean that their lack of belief is not entirely their fault?
Not everyone who sat under Jesus ministry committed their lives to Him. Many people in the New Testament record did not commit themselves to Christ even though they heard the same message from the apostles. Not Everyone was healed by Jesus or the apostles. There is the matter of faith, that is trust and the illumination by the Holy Spirt. There are often times in our lives when we are more open to hearing the gospel than other times. Romans states that our conscience and the world around us, nature, declare the existence of God. Not everyone will give their lives in Worship of Jesus/God but that does not give them an excuse to avoid punishment for rejecting Jesus. Read Romans. John 1v1-11 gives an explanation of the light darkness metaphor. And John 3v19. Hope this is helpful
I'm a Christian and definitely believe God is the creator of all things but that argument doesn't usually go well because they just say well ok if you have to have a creator of the strings or the multiverses....who created God?
1:13:10 It is true I've been taught to be mad and offended when somebody is lying and it could actually cause harm to people, yes I have been taught that.
I have not found one elder or Christian, apart from my husband who doesnt get offended. When i became a Christian, i was given a sister in Christ to desciple me but she gets offended or hold positions with conviction without biblical backing. If she finds that she cant answer your questions she goes, "I love you to bits but nobody thinks the way you do" or "dont worry about that, worry about what you believe" (even my elder said that) or "how does that affect your walk with Christ" or the classic "just look at the cross" or "you think everyone thinks the way you do" or "you need more grace from those that "feel like you shouldnt judge" (often if someone says something and you quote the bible to show them that their opinion is unbiblical). I find the "Internet guys actually helpful and many ministries have been useful. I am grateful that my husband has the rule which i have adopted, which is, "show me where it says that in the bible and i will believe you". I didnt know what i was walking into, and i would warn anyone trying to ask questions to not expect much, ask them questions which you know the answers to biblically and see how they respond to your criticism of their response before you ask for things you are wrestling with
When it comes to deal with strong habits or even addictions I found it challenging to draw benefit from the Bible or actually take action in faith. At the end of the day at least parts of the New Testament seem to condem those who have not sufficient willpower or not strong enough faith to grasp sanctification. I kind of envy apostle Paul because he had naturally so much willpower and straightforwardness that he was able to grasp, hold and practice the gospel to its full extent.
2 Corinthians 10:5 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, " Every thought. All of them. It does take discipline. Also, put on the full armor of God. Pray through that passage in Ephesians. Be willing to pray out loud if necessary or go get on your knees or face in private if you can. Read more scripture than seems necessary. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Read great books.
1 Corinthians 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Hello mike love the videos. I wish i can ask questions live but timezones make it hard for me. Ill just try asking in comment just in case Q: What do you think about Romans being in 2 parts? While studying Romans 7:1 i noticed it is addressed to "those who knows the law" and the Gentiles were only addressed in Romans 11. Going further on my research i found videos show that from Romans 1 that it is addresses only to Jews. I wanted to ask you cause you've also done an extensive study in Romans.
Exactly! Everytime I have to clarify this. Such man from fish evolution has been debunked but people continue to use the word evolution but to say micro-evolution aka adaptation within the SAME genus or species.
Paul vs James. Faith and works. My brother wrote the following and I thought this was a good place to share it. This is something that I studied quite in depth because not a lot of people gave a satisfactory answer to it. Ultimately I came to this conclusions because of the context of the rest of the scripture. Here in Luke 7 Jesus says "Luke 7:33-35 NKJV [33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ [34] The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ [35] But wisdom is justified by all her children.”" Do you see the use of the word 'justified' here? It certainly doesn't mean that Wisdom's children are the propitiation of her sins, or that their works save Wisdom. It's because there are alternative definitions for the word 'justified'. Justified, according to Webster in definition 1 means: having or shown to have a just, right, or reasonable basis. Similary, Justify definition 1b: to show to have had a sufficient legal reason. Notice the common word "show" - this is key to understanding these passages - otherwise Paul and James are in clear contradiction of one another (which doesn't seem to have any support throughout church history). What then can we conclude? Wisdom is shown to be wise by her children - the actions of her children bear witness to the fact that wisdom is wise. Similarly, a man is shown to be just (or justified) by his works. The faith and righteousness of a man being clearly evident by his works. Was not Abraham shown to be faithful when he offered up Isaac? And by his works wasn't it made clear that he truly had faith in God? But show me your faith without your works, such a faith is dull and lacking in any true faith or belief - not having changed the heart of a person to conform his actions to that belief - yet this faith is dead - being merely a confessed faith, and not a lived faith.
The doctrine of salvation by grace through faith and not by works doesn't mean there is no requirement for salvation. Taken out of context, a lot of churches preach that only a head conviction of Christ's existence, death, and resurrection is enough for salvation. However, the words faith and believe in the original Greek mean a full trust, adherence, or relying on what you've heard. That level of faith isn't as superficial as modernized "Christianity" would have us believe but rather it requires obedience. If you fully entrust yourself to what Jesus preached, you will obey it. You will rely on it to the point of action. The action required is simple though. Jesus preached in Mark 16:15-17 that those who trust in His word AND are baptized will be saved and that the true believers would speak in tongues. In John 3:1-8 He had the same message for Nicodemus when he said that unless a man is born again of water and Spirit he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God and that EVERYONE born of the Spirit hears the voice/language of the Spirit. And this is the salvation we see confirmed multiple times in Acts chapters 2, 8, 9, 10-11, and 19. When Paul wrote to the church that they aren't saved by works, the context is clear that it's the works of the 613 Old Testament laws. Abraham was justified by his faith in God before he was circumcised so it wasn't the work of the law that justified Abraham (Galatians). And when he tells the Ephesian church the same message (by grace through faith) he also says Ephesians 1:13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,. If we look back where the assembly in Ephesus started (Acts 19) we see that after Paul corrected the doctrine these 12 disciples of John had believed he made them get baptized again and prayed for them to receive the Spirit, which they did, speaking in new tongues. Their faith led them to be baptized in spite of the fact that they'd done it before and to seek for the Spirit (the same salvation requirement that Paul had in Acts 9). Salvation being by grace through faith doesn't contradict the salvation requirement that Jesus and the first church laid out. It's by grace because morally we could never earn it. We can never pay for what Christ did for us. It's a gift that we don't deserve. Peter, in telling the men of Judea that the tongues they were hearing was what was prophesied about the Spirit and that they needed to repent and be baptized and receive the Spirit as well called it "the gift of the Holy Ghost". It's no less of a gift just because we have to obey the gospel for it. It's like adding a contingent clause in your will that your children get money when they reach a certain age or that it can only be used for higher education. And faith again means to trust in, adhere to, or rely on. Believing that if you're baptized by full immersion to the point of obeying it and ask and keeping asking until you receive the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 11:5-13) is an act of faith. Peter writes in one of his letters that "baptism does now save us". Paul wrote we are "buried with Him in baptism". Jesus when getting baptized said "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that we receive power to be witnesses when we receive the Spirit. Peter later wrote that that divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. We can't expect ourselves or others to live a godly life without having and using the Spirit (praying in tongues daily). Paul said that when you walk in the Spirit you don't carry out the desires of the flesh. Also people get confused with salvation being evident by good works. James never says that everyone who has good works is saved. Look at Cornelius in Acts 10-11. He and his house were devout, god-fearing, praying always, giving alms, and even saw angels. But they still needed Peter to come tell them "words by which you will be saved". Peter came and preached to them and while he was still speaking they all received the Spirit, speaking in other tongues and were commanded to be baptized because that's the only salvation available.
I'm not sure question 4 was answered in the way that was intended by the questioner. The question was: given the first manuscripts we have are at least 100 years after they were first written, how do we know that they reflect what the authors actually wrote? We have no manuscripts from 80AD-200AD and very few from 200AD-300AD (that only have a small amount of text). With later copies we can compare them to the other manuscripts too see what has changed. However, if changes were made in the first 100-200 years there is nothing to compare to. This raises the question why didn't God preserve any of the originals, so we can ensure that there aren't changes that were made in this first 100-150 years after Jesus's death.
A better explanation for the Son not knowing (Matthew 24:36) is to put it in the context of the Greek writing. The word "know" in this passage is expressed as "οἶδεν" (oiden) which means "to know" in the declarative. So a better translation for this verse is "It is for no one except the Father to MAKE KNOWN (declare) the day". We can see the literary context of this in 2 ways: 1) In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he says: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." - 1 Corinthians 2:2. The same word "oiden" is used. Paul wasn't saying that he didn't know his name or where he was at, etc. He was saying that he did not make known anything about himself and instead began preaching his Gospel. 2) We see throughout Scripture the relationship between the church and Christ as being likened to a Jewish wedding. The father of the bride is the one who declares the date and location of the wedding but the bride and groom still know these things before everyone else does so it only makes sense for Jesus to say what He said in Matthew 24:36
Hello there, I really like this insight that you provided - I think it could be very helpful for people to know this perspective. I will now go and verify in the greek c:
Mike I appreciate your ministry. However with respect to the Sabbath day it was instituted in Genesis before Israel existed, before the Law of Moses was given and it is present in the 1000 year reign of Jesus on this earth. Isaiah 66v23 . Does this not mean that it is to be remembered and kept?
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:40 {Discussing Biblical “Contradictions”!} Can you please discuss some different Bible passages that appear to be contradictory?
2. 41:10 {Unnecessary Body Parts = Evolution?} I have a coworker that is an atheist. He said that there are parts of our bodies that are not necessary and that might prove evolution rather than a Creator. Any thoughts?
3. 48:11 {Is Salvation Sometimes Unfair?} One of my biggest issues is that you NEED to believe in Jesus to be saved. If someone is born in a Muslim country, they would have to sacrifice way more than the average westerner. How is that fair?
4. 53:53 {Historical Jesus & Manuscripts} How can we believe in a historical Jesus if the oldest manuscripts we have are from the second or third century?
5. 1:00:40 {Is Christianity the True Religion?} How do I know Christianity is right/true compared to other world religions?
6. 1:09:20 {Does God Make Mistakes?} I often hear the argument, “If God doesn't make mistakes when it comes to gender, then what about people with disabilities?" How would you respond?
7. 1:15:08 {Applying PSA on Earth?} If the doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement is just, would it be just for an earthly judge to impute the guilt of a murderer to an innocent volunteer and sentence the volunteer to death instead of the murderer? If not, why?
8. 1:18:30 {Joseph in Jesus’ Lineage?} Any idea why Matthew and Luke list Joesph’s genealogy when he’s not Jesus’ birth father? Does that mean Jesus’ lineage isn’t what it needs to be to fulfill prophecy?
9. 1:20:27 {Is there Really an Afterlife?} Why do Christians think there is an afterlife? Why not just look at death as a return to the quantum state, like before we were born?
10. 1:24:26 {Did God Create Cancer?} If God created everything, why did He create cancer? As a Christian mother, I still struggle with these sorts of questions.
11. 1:27:54 {The Best Argument for God} What do you think is the best evidence/argument there is for God?
12. 1:30:21 {Does Trusting First Invalidate our Faith?} If you have to believe first in order to experience the reality of Christianity, if the "proof" only comes alive when one chooses to trust it, isn't that "truth" make-believe?
13. 1:33:54 {Would a Good God make a Terrible Hell?} When Jesus said that for the person who would betray Him it would be better not to be born, I assume Hell is worse than non-existence. How does this match with a good God?
14. 1:35:58 {Unrepentant Heart - Still Saved by Faith?} If I believe in my heart that Jesus rose from the dead and trust in Him alone for salvation, why would God then send me to Hell for being actively gay? Am I not saved by my faith instead of my works?
15. 1:42:16 {Salvation in the OT} How were people saved in the Old Testament before Jesus? And if they were saved without believing in Jesus, then why did it change?
16. 1:46:11 {Why do Christians Ask for Forgiveness?} My question from a skeptic is, if you are already saved, why do you still ask for forgiveness for your sins?
17. 1:47:26 {Hypostatic Union - Contradictory?} Is Jesus being God and Man a contradiction? The Bible says that the Son doesn’t know the day or the hour of His coming. Can Jesus know (as God) and not know (as Man) at the same time?
18. 1:49:32 {Bible = Pure Fiction?} As a Christian, what is an appropriate answer to an atheist claiming that the Bible is pure fiction?
19. 1:55:48 {Mixed Messages in Scripture?} I lost my faith due to all the mixed messages in the Bible. For example, is salvation by faith alone like John 5: 24, or faith plus works like James 2? Why doesn’t this cause you to doubt?
20. 1:58:39 {Does the Concept of Sin Apply to God?} Is God holy and sinless? Can God do things which, if we did them, would be considered sin? One example is killing the firstborn of Egypt. Does the concept of sin (or being sinless) even APPLY to God?
21. 2:03:30 {How to Trust in Christ} I’m a Bible believing non-Christian that hurt himself by absorbing bad Charismatic teachings. I have always had trouble trusting and accepting Christ. How would one begin to as a skeptic?
Mike Winger is a false teacher 1st Corinthians 4 and 5 preaching and teaching can not be done with words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of 3:45 3:46 power and Mike Winger does not have that but there are preachers who do
@@desireehelms8012 brrrrrr *incorrect buzzer* brrrrrr
He is incapable, by their fruits you shall know them. What do you get, he doesn't know God. Have you ever read about Jesus doing what he does? Come on now>
@@Ironguy-gm6vf the word of God can not be taught by the enticing words of man's wisdom but by demonstration of God's power. Paul says it can't be done that way and Mike Winger is no expert he doesn't understand the word of God says
@@rebeccaczajor Mike Winger does not have any fruits of the Spirit. My Pastor has done many mighty works in the name of Jesus Christ some came in wheel chairs and left walking
Mike, as someone raised to be an atheist for whom this is all fairly new I LOVE that you did a skeptics edition! I've asked a lot of these questions. I cannot wait to delve into this!
Welcome
@@NMemone Mike does not know what he is talking about Paul said the word of God can't be taught out of intelect but by the demonstration of the holy Spirit and the original word of God was written in Hebrew and in Greek and Mike knows neither
@desireehelms8012 Which one are you fluent in? Hebrew or Koine Greek? Or both?
@@desireehelms8012 Mike took seminary. I can guarantee you he knows some Greek and Hebrew. Also, who are you to judge his heart? Who are you to claim he is not teaching in the Spirit? Where is your evidence? Where is your proof of claim? Without evidence, you are doing exactly what we are called not to do, judging. Take the log out of your own eye before you go complaining about Mikes speck.
21 questions on episode 21 of the 10 question series. Now THERE'S a contradiction!
🤣🤣🤣
@@MikeWinger 1 christ is not going to return and set up a kingdom on earth
2 God is not going to destroy this planet and make another one
1Co 15:45-50 ISV 45 This, indeed, is what is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual does not come first, but the physical does, and then comes the spiritual. 47 The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven. 48 Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will also bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 Brothers, this is what I mean: Mortal bodies cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and what decays cannot inherit what does not decay.
2Pe 3:7 ISV Now by that same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire and are being kept for the day when ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.
And it was an accident, wasn’t it?? Way to go Sarah!
@@seaglass.jen86 Haha! I needed 1 more for the list but 2 really grabbed my heart. Normally in that situation I’d make the tough decision to “bump” a different question from the list and replace it, but I didn’t have the heart today to remove another skeptic’s question, so I sent them both, especially since he told me beforehand that the number today would be flexible. I love that it’s 21 Qs on episode 21!
So many juicy theological details in this video! My favorite Friday Q&A ever❤️
Mike, thanks for all you do. I don’t always agree with you, but you help me think Biblically and have made me better at apologetics.
That’s the good thing. We can disagree on minor things and still treat other well. He is masterful at being humble , yet brilliant
I think many of us can copy this exact comment 😇 He's helped me greatly with applying Matt 10:16 with disagreements inside the body.
Mike Winger is a false teacher and he is listed as a false prophet and Jack Mack 77 plainly exposes Mike Winger as a false teacher because Mike Winger fancies him self as an intelect and you can't teach the word out of intelect all those who do are false teachers and the Apostle Paul says so in first Corinthians 4 and 5
How about thinking logically and rationally instead? Seems like it'd be far more useful in every day life.
Also the hilarity of your "one true religion" even needing apologetics.
@@Israphel776go to question 5 buddy
That shirt is fire
I truly love yoir answer to question 19! Please continue to pray for me sharing with my skeptical (grown) children.
Have you ever done Bible Study Fellowship? It’s a weekly study, discussion group, lecture, and notes with groups worldwide! It’s helped me grow in my biblical understanding and preparing me for sharing my faith with others. Starts up again in early September (and goes til May) and we’re studying Revelation this year!
With the book of judges "contradiction" of human sacrifice, it also shows that God takes vows seriously, and the importance of being careful of what you vow, and even the Bible takes it further and say "do not even take a vow"
Whoever was emojing yall are hilarious!
Great episode Mike! I love your heart for not just truth but making it relevant, accessible, and understandable for those who still haven't reconciled with Jesus!
Please do more skeptics editions! They’re so helpful because I sometimes don’t know how to start an answer to some questions asked. These are so amazing
Take your time Mike… we Christians preach patience. Another minute loading software will not deter us.and thank you
You mean you are Christians, have you ever read Jesus Doing what this Mike is doing? And you feel he is Christian, wow
question 21 was my story also, I was new and very gullible. it was this ministry that helped me to help myself to how to properly read and understand the scriptures, with the help of the Holy Spirit I'm getting there I have 1000 times better understanding than I did 4 years ago.
I recommend impact video ministries and DLM Christian lifestyle, I don't have enough faith to be an atheist or for some provocative thoughts and healthy speculation, grace digital network as well. If you don't mind calvinism, Desiring God does a great job
I am smart ...but I don't speak smart and am not taken seriously. And because I'm "artsy" and not "sciencey" I am dismissed in my attempts to explain what Mike is saying. And unfortunately no one yet has even attempted to sit through one of Mike's vids. Additionally I'm a newish Christian (formerly agnostic sarcastic worldly and wild). My conversion is not really accepted by those who know me . They don't believe that I spend 20 hrs a week learning the Bible and no longer watch TV, Netflix etc. 😢🤷
@@ArmoredE6 keep going!! There will be more people that you encounter and you really don't know what kind of thoughts you provoke when you speak to others. We don't always get to see the fruits of our labor. Keep going!
same i try to post proof on reddit and got swarmed by people that just told me I'm wrong and when i ask please give me your proof evidence that i am wrong they start to be very aggressive and dishonest not answering when the whole post is about that. Unbelievers no matter what you show has evidence even from expert will reject God and find any excuse even stupid one to not check them. There is a verse from God to waste more time on them has others need saving
@@katiemorrow2398 thank you! I just don't know when I should sort of back off on the close friends and whatnot because I can clearly tell that I'm just annoying them and I want to stay in their good graces so that I can continue to love on them and hoping eventually that they will realize all of the trials and tribulations that I've gone through and kept my face and continued searching for the truth and stay hungry for the word. I'm not trying to appease them per se but I'm just thinking maybe I need to back off a little bit. However that's difficult I guess it's the Holy Spirit nudging me because every time I talk or text them I can't even get a paragraph or sentence out without talking about God LOL
@@funnygaming2672I’m an unbeliever. Does this god know that if a god ever revealed itself to me that I would no longer be an atheist?
@@reality1958"No sign will be given to [this generation] except for the sign of Jonah" - Matthew 12:39
That is to say, God has already given you more than enough evidence. That you reject it shows that you have a heart issue, not an intellectual one.
just thought you should know I have shared you/your channel with my 18 year old daughter who has then shared you with others her age... and they are LOVING you. I am truly thankful for your style of teaching and exegesis that is easy to "digest" and process and follow along. thanks mike
Another great book for skeptics who truly want to dive in and find truth is "I Don't Have Enough Faith To Be An Atheist" by Frank Turek
Not that guy again 😂
Sorry but he’s not all he’s cracked up to be.
Leave the atheists alone 😂 you can be one if you never even hear of faith
100% agree its a great book
@handsomemonkeyking5299 yes, Turek is rude, aggressive and ill-informed.
Frank is a logical man. But I don't understand why people keep saying he's rude. Is he right? Don't be so soft and weak, take the knowledge regardless of how it's presented.
@@Theonly_Onyx there is no knowledge and certainly no logic: just a few passive-aggressive tricks (like yours: "don't be soft and weak") which his interlocutors let pass. The day of these hucksters is passing, fortunately.
Mike, love your analogies. I am not an intellect so the analogies help me to easily understand some of these at first glance contradictions. Very helpful and clear. My faith grows every time I watch your videos. Thank you!
One helpful reference book I highly recommend for Christians is Keeping Faith in an Age of Reason: Refuting Alleged Bible Contradictions by Jason Lisle, Master Books, 2017. He covers 420 claims of Bible contradictions and sets the record straight.
420? Nice.
Nice
*The Enuma Elish would later be the inspiration for the Hebrew scribes who created the text now known as the biblical Book of Genesis.* Prior to the 19th century CE, the Bible was considered the oldest book in the world and its narratives were thought to be completely original. In the mid-19th century CE, however, European museums, as well as academic and religious institutions, sponsored excavations in Mesopotamia to find physical evidence for historical corroboration of the stories in the Bible. ***These excavations found quite the opposite, however, in that, once cuneiform was translated, it was understood that a number of biblical narratives were Mesopotamian in origin.***
*Famous stories such as the Fall of Man and the Great Flood were originally conceived and written down in Sumer,* translated and modified later in Babylon, and reworked by the Assyrians ***before they were used by the Hebrew scribes for the versions which appear in the Bible.***
***In revising the Mesopotamian creation story for their own ends, the Hebrew scribes tightened the narrative and the focus but retained the concept of the all-powerful deity who brings order from chaos.*** Marduk, in the Enuma Elish, establishes the recognizable order of the world - *just as God does in the Genesis tale* - and human beings are expected to recognize this great gift and honor the deity through service.
*"Enuma Elish - The Babylonian Epic of Creation - Full Text - World History Encyclopedia"*
*"Sumerian Is the World's Oldest Written Language | ProLingo"*
*"Sumerian Civilization: Inventing the Future - World History Encyclopedia"*
("The Sumerians were the people of southern Mesopotamia whose civilization flourished between c. 4100-1750 BCE."
"Ancient Israelites and their origins date back to 1800-1200 BCE.")
*"The Myth of Adapa - World History Encyclopedia"*
Also discussed by Professor Christine Hayes at Yale University in her 1st lecture of the series on the Hebrew Bible from 8:50 to 14:30 minutes, lecture 3 from 28:30 to 41:35 minutes, lecture 4 from 0:00 up to 21:30 minutes and 24:00 up to 35:30 minutes and lecture 7 from 24:20 to 25:10 minutes.
From a Biblical scholar:
"Many stories in the ancient world have their origins in other stories and were borrowed and modified from other or earlier peoples. *For instance, many of the stories now preserved in the Bible are* ***modified*** *versions of stories that existed in the cultures and traditions of Israel’s* ***older*** *contemporaries.* Stories about the creation of the universe, a cataclysmic universal flood, digging wells as land markers, the naming of important cultic sites, gods giving laws to their people, and even stories about gods decreeing the possession of land to their people were all part of the cultural and literary matrix of the ancient Near East. *Biblical scribes freely* ***adopted and modified*** *these stories as a means to express their own identity, origins, and customs."*
*"Stories from the Bible"* by Dr Steven DiMattei, from his website *"Biblical Contradictions"*
------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, look up the below articles.
*"Yahweh was just an ancient Canaanite god. We have been deceived! - Escaping Christian Fundamentalism"*
*"Hammurabi - World History Encyclopedia"*
(Hammurabi (r. 1792-1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the Amorite First Dynasty of Babylon best known for his famous law code which served as the model for others, *including the Mosaic Law of the Bible.)*
*"Debunking the Devil - Michael A. Sherlock (Author)"*
*"The Greatest Trick Religion Ever Pulled: Convincing Us That Satan Exists | Atheomedy"*
*"Zoroastrianism And Persian Mythology: The Foundation Of Belief"*
(Scroll to the last section: Zoroastrianism is the Foundation of Western Belief)
*"10 Ways The Bible Was Influenced By Other Religions - Listverse"*
*"January | 2014 | Atheomedy"* - Where the Hell Did the Idea of Hell Come From?
*"Retired bishop explains the reason why the Church invented "Hell" - Ideapod"*
Watch *"The Origins of Salvation, Judgement and Hell"* by Derreck Bennett at Atheologica
(Sensitive theists should only watch from 7:00 to 17:30 minutes as evangelical Christians are lambasted. He's a former theist and has been studying the scholarship and comparative religions for over 15 years)
*"Top Ten Reasons Noah’s Flood is Mythology - The Sensuous Curmudgeon"*
*"Forget about Noah's Ark; There Was No Worldwide Flood | Bible Interp"*
*"The Search for Noah’s Flood - Biblical Archaeology Society"*
*"Eridu Genesis - World History Encyclopedia"*
*"The Atrahasis Epic: The Great Flood & the Meaning of Suffering - World History Encyclopedia"*
Watch *"How Aron Ra Debunks Noah's Flood"*
(8 part series debunking Noah's flood using multiple branches of science)
*"The Adam and Eve myth - News24"*
*"Before Adam and Eve - Psychology Today"*
*"Gilgamesh vs. Noah - Wordpress"*
*"Old Testament Tales Were Stolen From Other Cultures - Griffin"*
*"Parallelism between “The Hymn to Aten” and Psalm 104 - Project Augustine"*
*"Studying the Bible"* - by Dr Steven DiMattei
(This particular article from a critical Biblical scholar highlights how the authors of the Hebrew Bible used their *fictional* god as a mouthpiece for their own views and ideologies)
*"How do we know that the biblical writers were* ***not*** *writing history?"* -- by Dr Steven DiMattei
*"Contradictions in the Bible | Identified verse by verse and explained using the most up-to-date scholarly information about the Bible, its texts, and the men who wrote them"* -- by Dr. Steven DiMattei
Love your t-shirt Pastor! Ty for all you do. I don't think you can ever know the impact of your work.
He’ll know one day! ☺️🙌
Mike! You are doing the Lords work! Thank you for giving me answers to these questions that I can verify for myself! Thank you for your passion and purpose. God be glorified!
Please more skeptics editions. They're asking questions I struggle to put into words as a believer
The most difficult to answer is about Jesus's failed prophecies. I struggle to answer that one.
@@ryanrevland4333 Whatever you’re referring to likely hasn’t come to pass or has been misinterpreted
@ayiir7 Atheists usually quote Matthew 10:23 and 16:27-28. I have to admit, it certainly reads like Jesus predicted His return within the lifetime of His disciples.
@@ryanrevland4333 I’ve always assumed that Matthew 16:37-28 is referring to either A) a few humans that genuinely won’t die because limit God’s supernatural abilities and will in your mind? Or B) it’s a metaphor for the moving of The Holy Spirit within the people of Israel because scripture has referring to us believers as the Church or Christ’s Kingdom.
I’d just spend some time researching that one if it’s weighing on your spirit. Doesn’t seem too complex to get to the bottom of.
@@ryanrevland4333 While I'm not sure of a solution to Matthew 10:23 off the top of my head, I think that Matthew 16:28 is referring to the Transfiguration rather than the 2nd coming of Christ. Jesus says this same line in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1, and on all 3 occasions this statement is immediately followed by an account of the Transfiguration where God's glory and kingdom are shown to Peter, James, and John. As additional support for this, Jesus specifically says that they will not die *before* they witness the kingdom of God, implying that they will die after witnessing it. If the kingdom of God in this context referred to the second coming, then they wouldn't die after. Hope this helps!
Great question and wonderful answers. I really enjoyed watching. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. And your jokes crack me up 😁
Love your program ,it’s helps me a lot 🙏🥰🌹
Thank you for being God's tool. Thank you for making this video. It is an answer to my prayers.
My son just graduated from college and has been working through doubts.
One of the discussions we had was the iron chariots argument. I was 😮 baffled by him even having this as a problem, but now I know where it came from.
Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for loving God so much that you want us to know him better.
Thank you so much for this Q&A
Thanks so much for all you do; these videos are so helpful!! And where did you get your t shirt? I love it! ☺️
This is great! I am looking forward to a series on this.
I read the whole Bible 6 times and it all fits together without contradictions the more you study and understand it. The thing is you need the Holy Spirit, it is like the air that fills up an inflatable ball and the supposed contradictions vanish. All the Bible college and commentaries in the world can't do that job. If there are questions, make a list and pray, it really works as God answers them. The key is being open and truly wanting to know the truth. We do not fear the truth at all. Searching diligently is good and sharpens our apologetics. I can answer so many of these questions but you always learn something new and that is exciting. That was great about the justice systems comparison for instance! For one thing I am amazed how many do not understand the distinction between the Old and New Covenants, Jesus is the fulfillment of so much and so we don't need to keep the OT laws like the sabbath and circumcision, etc. Our circumcision is of the heart, our sabbath rest is Jesus, we do our thing on Sunday because of the Resurrection and Pentecost and that is when they met. It just shows me they never truly studied the Bible even to glean the elementary things of the faith. That is not a contradiction in the Bible, it is a lack of study. Now with evolution, you can't hold to that because with it, death came long before the fall. According to the Bible animals came before man, then man sinned and then death entered. God created man and all things, not evolution. Also, it is not a 'scientific fact,' it is called evolutionary 'theory' for a reason, it is merely a theory and not a fact. I do think the creation story is a bit simplified because the intention was not to write a science book but a salvation book. Like you would explain a complicated thing to a child.
One last point is that there are some honest skeptics and seekers out there. But there are also some that are simply hostile and hateful and not open at all. One thing I see is that atheism is mostly not an issue of the mind or intellectual, but of the heart. When in a debate with an atheist, after a while it comes down to the existential issue of suffering and why God allows it, and there are reasons that man does not understand. But if you dig deeper you eventually come to a comment like; "But then why did God let..... (blank) happen in my life?" So it boils down to:
1. They know there is a God. It's not just hypothetical. 2. They had a bad thing happen. 3. They think since God is in control, all must be paradise now. 4. Thus they blame God, get angry, and turn on God. They spend a lot of time fighting someone they claim does not exist. If that thing had not happened, they may still believe in God, or be in relationship with Him actually. So there are intellectual aspects to it but mainly emotional and spiritual ones. In cases where the relationship is restored, it is always a heart issue that is dealt with rather a mind issue. A good way of approaching this is the following. Suppose you run into an atheist and have a discussion. You propose something to them. You say suppose every intellectual question was answered, every moral concern, every doubt and skepticism dealt with to full satisfaction. So every mental roadblock was cleared for them. Would they now turn to God? Would their hearts now do a U-turn to God? I would venture to say no because it is a heart issue and not a mind issue. Ultimately a spiritual thing and they rationalized with all these walls they built up in the name of science and such. Don't get me wrong, we need the intellectual aspects to be discussed. But for instance I keep running into atheist types who point to the bad behavior of Christians and the lack of love in the church, etc. as a justification for their stance. I can't help but think of Jesus' words at the Last Supper; "They will know you are My disciples by your love for one another." He is real, we are His disciples, Christianity is true, but the outside world will know by our love... for one another. Sadly I do see all this volunteerism where churches go around doing all these good works for the world, but when there is a sister or brother in the church who needs help; they are totally ignored. It creates problems like this. Blessings and looking forward to next time!
You need the Holy Spirit? Can you demonstrate the Holy Spirit?
A lot of good input here. I just question "we don't have to have a sabbath ". It's so simplistic to dump the entire old testament because of the new covenant. I've taught my children this: the sacrifices, the symbolic, and the ceremonies are no longer required. Jesus fulfilled them. The basic moral laws stand. The 19 commandments, for example, stand. Including the sabbath.
God made the sabbath for man. It's a "get to" not a " have to" if you receive it with gratitude.
Things like the mixing of cloth fibers thst people mock were symbolic of carnality and worldliness mixed with holiness (the holy and the profane). We don't have to follow that law because it's symbolic, but maybe we should because the church is excessively worldly today.
@@RCGWho does your god change? If not, then everything in the Old Testament still stands.
@@seanodowd4085 Well, yes and no. It's all still true. It still makes the New Testament make more sense. It still has promises and moral laws to obey. But you would be a judaizer if you insist the ceremonies, sacrifices, and symbolism fulfilled in Christ must be followed.
@@RCGWho what does “yes and no” mean? Can you demonstrate the Holy Spirit or not?
I haven’t watched this yet but immediately saw your shirt and thought “ I NEED THAT”!
I really appreciate your work. Thank you
I need that shirt Mike! God bless your ministry you have helped me through some troubling times in my life
Hey mike, the 4th Q was a person who asked how can we trust scripture when the earliest manuscripts are from the 3rd-4th centuries, this is not true at all, we have around 6k manuscripts of the new testement all from the 1st century, the latest by design was by John, around 75-90AD John's gospel and revelation, written after the destruction of the temple in 70AD, this late dating is silly and is a tactic by presupposing miricales don't happen, so the times jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple was after 70AD because people can't predict the future, its not scriptures fault, it's the unwillingness of the skeptic. I wish mike would have said no manuscript was written in the 3rd or 4th century, I can't think of anyone who is respected in scholarship that manuscripts were being written around the days of the council of naecea, the Canon was already closed around that time, skeptics do the same with late dating daniel, because a person can't predict the future, so we will date daniel super late because of our presuppositions. Daniel of the old testament is 1 of the.most powerful and deeply fulfilling prophetic books from the babylonian empire to asyrian and grecco-roman and seleucid empires and like over 700 years of 100% fullfilled prophecies, if a skeptic shows me there ID / license and I say no you look 65 not what this shows you can't be 46 years old, I will tell you your age as this document does not fit my presuppositions. Now apply this logic to the most popular and important writings of history and hope you see the hypocrisy and the double speak humans do.
We have copies of John's writings. We do not have the original letters that the gospel writers and Paul sent out.
@@NickTimmerright, the copies are from the 1st century still right ? There is parts of John's gospel written on a page the size of a credit card, my point is zero of the about 6k manuscripts are from the 3rd or 4th century. So I don't see your point ? There is this channel called "everything NT" I would love to see you test your new testament knowledge with a person who can back up there claims, I am no scholar or koine greek historian, however i am not completely ignorant on the matter, so again what is the point of your comment so I can better engage ?
Relating to the Jephtaph (sorry for the spelling) - I have read some Rabbinic explanations which are in conflict as to whether she was even sacrificed. This was one man's selfish wish to get victory. I am glad Mike mentioned that this man had option to redeem his child and that there is death penalty for child sacrifice. This story has been a thorn at my side and I am so glad to hear this explanation about the parents redeeming their children and about the children dedicated to the Lord.
That shirt is iconic. Where did you get it 🤣
Love the shirt!!! Your teachings are sound and I have learned a lot from the way you analyze and answer questions. Thank you for all you do. Thankful for bringing light to the darkness of Hinn. I’ve known about his false teachings since I first saw him in action. I believe there is a special place for people like him, and scammers, if they do not repent. Joe B!! lol…I have started saying that instead of I’m having a senior moment. My mother had dementia at the end of her days and I said I’m having a “mother’s name” moment. I respected her so much, so I’m not dissing Joe.
Thank you Mr. Winger & Sarah. Tracy Abellera
❤ God bless you, sister Tracy!
we wouldn’t mind if you’d match the number of answered questions to the episode number. can’t wait for the hundred video:)
Hey, Mike- thanks for all you and your ministry. It’s been a big blessing to my faith walk. Question:
“Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’ ” Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.””
Exodus 5:1-3 NIV
I thought God purposed the exodus to be permanent.. not 3 days. Thoughts?
"Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God" there is the answer. This is for a specific time they are asking for, the exodus happens later
They ask for it because God knows it will be denied. This way, no one can claim they didn't try to be more 'reasonable' when they demanded to leave. It was also to show Aaron and Moses how their hearts had been hardened.
At least, that's how I interpret it
just because the journey will take 3 days doesn't mean it won't be permanent
i fail to see how this implies it isn't permanent, or that they'll be coming back just because they outline how long the journey would take
It was the actress Shirley MacLaine who stood on a beach and called out, "I am God" -- interestingly, a little bit before Frank Peretti published "This Present Darkness."
Adding a comment to help spread this channel 🤗
First thank you for doing this, love the work the Lord has you doing. I had a thought on the Muslim question and someone may have answered it but, the first followers of Jesus were not from a western nation. They had to "give up" a lot to follow Christ. We happen to be in an not so normal time period that we do not have to, generally give up as much as our brothers and sisters in Christ. But throughout history Christianity, true Christianity has suffered.
Hey, Mike, can you do a book recommendation video?
@@Tina-ts9wv I would love a monthly book recommendations from Mike. Great idea
I would love Mike to have a book recommendation list on his website. Would be great to be able to see what books he likes for particular topics.
@@goldengaming177 that would be great to have a list like that, even books he feels are a good resource on a list 👍
I think people asked him this before and he said he’s reluctant to share because he doesn’t want his recommendations to be misconstrued as endorsements of a persons theology
@@kamarwashington thats understandable, I assumed he would make a disclaimer, but people seem to put words in his mouth or make edits for their narrative often :(
Pastor Mike: I was told that the "turning the other cheek" is also a cultural thing that when a superior would smack a subordinate, they would backhand them. When I 'turn the other cheek' I would essentially force you to smack me open hand which is basically levelling the ground making us peers rather than a superior/subordinate. Do you know anything about this?
Mike Winger for president!!!
8:00-What software or website are you using to show the Hebrew wording/meaning of forever. I would be interested in being able to use that as a resource. Does it do Greek also? Being able to find the original meaning is sometimes important even for the lay Christian. if it doesn't do both could make some recommendations on what to use as far as looking up original Hebrew and Greek? Rather not have to do it old school if I don't have to. Thanks.
I’m not sure what Mike uses for his research, but I use the Blue Letter Bible. It’s a website and an app. It shows the Hebrew and Greek words.
Could the lesson be about foolishly making vows without thinking?
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
Hi Mike, very helpful thank you. Lyn
A simpler (and better in my opinion) explanation for Jephtha has 3 points: 1) His vow was unnecessary. God always keeps His promises and in this case it was to protect the Israelites. So Jephtha would have been victorious anyway. 2) Jephtha could have easily gotten out of his vow by following the guidance in Leviticus 5:4-6 which reads: "or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt- when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.". And 3) as Mike mentioned, Jephtha died very shortly after doing this sacrifice so he was unable to continue his family line which (in my view) is a punishment for his ignorance and/or arrogance concerning God's word. So there is absolutely zero contradiction whether it was Jephtha sacrificing his daughter's life or virginity as a replacement. We can easily see that Jephtha is simply a good example of what NOT to do
True love your comment
@@bitsoffaith I appreciate it!
Hi Mike. I really enjoy your studies, but this time there is a "but". With what you stated at the beginning, we can now pick and choose if we want to obey God's Law and follow the 4th Commandment? Then, what do you say about Commandments 6 and 8? Do you believe we can pick and choose when we can murder and steal as well?
Love your shirt.
Fantastic work with this Q&A.
Again the genealogies were 14 to make Cinderella's shoe fit. "While the number 14 is not a strict count of generations, it is profoundly symbolic in Jewish numerology, signifying completeness and perfection. "
Exactly. Matthew cracked open Chronicles and Kings and did a little copy pasta. He had to leave out a few names to fit the number he was going for
God bless your content !!!
If we're going to use the Sabbath as a law that Jesus fulfilled, then did He fulfill the other Ten COmmandments as well, to make them optional?
Huge
Americans are generally major sabbath breakers. They want to backpack, go to the beach, water ski, go to the mall etc. Or otherwise gratify themselves. I spent time in New Zealand in the 80s and the families I stayed with went to church, had family over to eat a pre-prepared meal, and then chatted, lounged, or napped the rest of the day. Shops were CLOSED. You did your shopping, baking, errands, or cleaning on Friday evening or Saturday.
Mike, please think about this question! It makes so much sense! Jesus kept the Sabbath! Makes no sense He would not want us to as well.
Exodus 20:11 “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested* on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Jesus said “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”” Matthew 11:28-29
Jesus is our rest now. He fulfilled the Sabbath. He directs the thinking and doing of His sheep and keeps us in a state of constant rest.
Other 9 commandments still stand as necessary, but for the Sabbath, we have a new rest that has been obtained thru Jesus.
Jesus being a fulfilment of the law is vastly different from what you are saying here. You are using the words fulfilment but in a completely different context of the original passage of “fulfilment of the Law”. Please look at the passage again.
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Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17-18).
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Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4).
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Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35-40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22). In living a perfect life, Jesus fulfilled the moral laws; in His sacrificial death, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws. Christ came not to destroy the old religious system but to build upon it; He came to finish the Old Covenant and establish the New.
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This has nothing to do with absolving man from obeying any of the commandments.
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But YES, Jesus is also the “Lord of the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:8). He decides the true meaning of the Sabbath because He created it, and He is our Sabbath rest in the flesh. So if Jesus states a different way to “do the sabbath”, then so be it. It is not a dishonouring of the Sabbath, it is a fulfilment of it, but different from what it was.
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Hence, there are no actual commandments that you do not have to obey any longer. Simply one that you do not observe as one would at the time it was given.
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And what then did Jesus say about this change:
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).
Jesus was restating the principle that the Sabbath rest was instituted to relieve man of his labors, just as He came to relieve us of our attempting to achieve salvation by our works.
I was a skeptic with questions just like these who looked to Mike Winger’s Q&A series; to those that find themselves in this camp: keep sharpening your questions, keep asking them, and keep thinking honestly. Trust where it’ll lead you.
Re Evolution v Creator; recommend “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist” by Geisler and Turek.
Loved your answer that advised something like, don’t die on the hill of evolution when speaking to atheists. The key thing is to help them understand their need to acknowledge a greater Being, and then what that Being is like (He gave His Son to save us). Why add stumbling blocks that are unnecessary? If they come to Christ, and surrender to Him, the Lord will continue to lead them into greater truth. Trust God to teach and lead those who have come to love Him.
But what if that's the topic they present. Do you concede or just change the subject and risk appearing evasive?
@@RCGWhoI think the answer he gave was the best! Because it pointed them to God still. All the atheistic claims still lead to the existence of an uncreated creator, and uncaused cause. Why not figure what or who that is? Then propose explanations of what this being could be.
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It will always come back to a being that has the characteristics of God if truly they are interested in the topic or at least intellectually honest.
OH YEAH LOVE THE SHIRT! I have 2 Black Cats.
Mike, any recommended reading for apologetics? I appreciate your channel, your humility and your knowledge. Peace in Christ.
Regarding definition about gender and sexuality, why should majority follow the new "definition" made by minority (tiny %) of people who confuse about themselves? Why should majority allow minority dictate majority?
Imagine letting the patients run the asylum and calling anyone who wuestions it derogatory names.
I even believe that this distinction should have NEVER been made and it is fundamentally anti-Christian and anti-reality.
4. Something interesting about the gospels is that they all end with very different accounts of what happened. Mark (earliest) says that the women at the empty tomb went and told no one what had happened (at first I assume?) Others say that they did, immediately. Then there’s the dispute about what Mary Magdalene went through at the tomb. Did she see an angel and then leave? Or did Christ reveal himself to her? These stories don’t mesh seamlessly. If you notice, as you move forward in time, the recordings of what went on after Jesus’s disappearance, I mean resurrection, become more and more “fanciful”…
41:00 evolution. I do not buy that evolution/creation is 2nd tier or third tier, or however humans try to categorize heresy vs acceptable doctrinal differences. Creation is God's primary way of displaying His existence and glory. It’s not optional to disbelieve God's revelation of His attributes. How like satan to co-opt God's primary way of revealing Himself.
It's not salvific? You can call God a liar and still be saved?
I think you missed the point. As Mike said, it all leads back to God being the Creator. That’s the takeaway. Whether the Earth is young, or old, or whether God created the universe through the big bang, or didn’t, or whether evolution was part of God‘s creation, or wasn’t, none of that is a salvation issue. It’s not calling God a liar, simply because you’re not sure if the Genesis account is literal or not. And I’m sure as you will attest, not everything in the Bible IS literal. If you took it literally on flat earth, you would have to say the Earth is flat. But we know it’s not. Understanding that isn’t calling God a liar.
@@davegink9222 I find that riding the fence as an evolutionary creationist or theistic evolutionists or whatever they call themselves pleases no one (except themselves). Evolutionists aren't appeased by it and reject it. Creationist reject it.
God knew people and where they'd go with this. So, in Genesis He was very detailed in His language to the point of redundancy. He said over and over, "And evening and morning were the.....day." No metaphor. NO room to assume a giant space of time. Unless you don't believe Him. Or don't want to be uncool among the educated. Or don't think He's able to do it as described. I can't speak for God, but I believe what we believe about this point is a much bigger deal than we're making it.
@@RCGWho Agree. I love Mike Winger. He is one of my favorite Bible teachers but I think he has a bit of a blind spot here. He has also said that he hasn't really studied it yet. I have a feeling that if he did, like the women series, then he'd come away with a similar conclusion. That the scholarship of those who try to combine the Bible with some form of evolution, old earth, etc is similar to that of the egalitarians (but maybe worse).
@@davegink9222 I'm not saying that you are calling God a liar but understand that most of the people preaching evolution/old earth are calling God a liar or saying He doesn't exist or maybe a god exists but not the one of the Bible.
Yes there are poetic expressions in Scripture. The earth is God's footstool; no one has ever taught that God has literal giant feet resting on the planet. But that doesn't mean that we can just dismiss whatever we don't like as poetry. There are clear indicators for when something is historically described and when it is poetic.
Is this salvific? Depends on what you mean. Is the truth of original creation the core gospel itself? No. Is it impossible for someone who believes in evolution to be a Christian? No. But is it profitable? Is it impossible for someone who doesn't believe in Virgin births, angels, or church gatherings to be a Christian? I don't think so but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Is the 2nd coming the core gospel itself? Is there no problem if we just say that all of Revelation is poetic, not literal? What about lgbtq issues?
I'm not saying that evolution/creation teaching is a salvific issue for you or every person. However, I have heard many, many people explain that ideas related to evolution are what keep/kept them from believing the Bible and accepting Christ. Humanism/Marxism/atheism have become the dominant religion of the west and many hundreds of millions are in fact being led away from Jesus because of their lies. How is that not a salvific issue for those people? Not much different than the people rejecting God's Word because of LGBTQ or because of the Judaizers in the 1st century. I think it is dangerous for the church to continue to ignore this.
Hi Pastor Mike, due to timezone differences I usually find it hard to get my question in on time so I’ve resulted to the comment section. I know there’s a slim chance you’ll see this but it’s worth a shot.
In one of your earlier videos you said Mark 11:23 wasn’t really talking about moving a mountain however Paul uses this same analogy in 1 Corinthians 13:2, is there a different interpretation for this passage?
God bless you and keep up the good work🙏🏾❤️
Ima need the link to that shirt
Amazon
I always enjoy your videos Mike, but I had a hang up right at the very beginning of this video - the Bible Does not contradict it's stance on the Sabbath as noted by the Roman Catholic Church that there is no biblical grounds for the Sabbath to be changed but for the Authority of the Roman Catholic Church to be able to change it from Saturday to Sunday - the story from your childhood although a good analogy need not advocate for the authenticity of the Sabbath throughout the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelations - that verse that they said is a contradiction is not even a contradiction of times past and times present if the scripture is studied deeply enough - you'll find that there is no contradiction at all within it's actual meaning and context -
Blessings to this ministry and may it continue to draw people to Christ 💯
Don’t get Bidened!
- now as seeing, how the process of humility works
1. James was talking to ALREADY SAVED BELIEVERS. Use common sense here. Was James really telling his brethren they weren't really saved because they were disobedient? You can't use James 2 for salvific purposes.
2. James 2 is about PROFITING others with our works. It's about being justified in the sight of MEN for our works. Not God. According to Romans 4.
3. You're preaching a works based salvation, by insinuating people aren't really saved until they behave obediently to the law.
4. Paul was talking about the inner man vs the outer man. Our saved spirits vs our fallen flesh. Flesh and bone will not inherit the Kingdom.
Is it about being justified in the sight of men ... or about salvation? Let´s find out:
James 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
The context here CLEARLY is that God credited it to him as righteousness, not men.
@@D12MinTry again.
Romans 4:2 KJV
[2] For IF Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but NOT before God.
@@D12Min what about Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness”?
@@zaoadore so you are literally trying to pit the Bible against the Bible?
Instead of just posting a verse against another verse, let´s look at both verses and let´s see how they are in harmony.
The context of Romans 1-4 is clearly that you cannot EARN salvation. And that is Paul´s point here. Later in Romans (chapter 8) he makes the same point as James does in James 2. You can´t say I put my trust in Christ and then simply continue in sin. This type of faith will lead to condemnation. So Paul and James both stress that you cannot earn salvation, but that you will be condemned if you just continue in disobedience.
@@majorcajun5524 see my answer to zaodaore. You need to accept everything the Bible says at face value and then try to understand how everything plays together. Picking your favorite verse and trying to trump other verses with your favorites doesn´t work. God isn´t schizophrenic so that you can pick your favorite side of God...
Thank you! Blessings!
Where does it say in the bible Jeptha's vow is stupid?
There are verses that say to be very cautious about making vows, which infers that it's easy to make impulsive, stupid ones. I'm not looking to argue, so with that, I'll bow out.
@@mugglescakesniffer3943 Nowhere! Hebrews 11 singles him out as a hero of faith, without any specific incident being cited.
What he vowed to do was expressly forbidden by God in Deuteronomy 12:31. But I will include the full passage so you may read the context.
29 ““When the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,
30 take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?-that I also may do the same.’
31 You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.”
Deuteronomy 12:29-32
@DepDawg he didn't do that. The word translated whole burnt offering in the Hebrew has nothing inherently to do with fire. The base of the word is total devotion, so in the case of an animal sacrifice it must be completely burned up (unlike the other sacrifices).
Also, he gave the vow the next verse AFTER Holy Spirit came upon him. Furthermore, customary action would have been for the women of the town to come out greeting the victorious men as they returned from battle. He knew a person was coming out, not a random cow walking out of his home, he just thought it would be a servant. And he clearly knew his Bible well, as he showed when talking to the enemy at the beginning of the chapter. He was planning on committing someone to the tabernacle. It fits context, culture, and grammar. I studied all this in my Masters degree. But even just noting that the book of Hebrews praises him as no less then a hero of the faith should be a pretty good clue.
lol do you need others to say something is wrong before you deduce that it is based on the set standards? This is clear.
Food for spiritual thought
Your shirt made me laugh! God bless you man
finished the mark series ..all 70 episodes ....great teachings .
now ono the questions with winger.
Awesome!
mike...it was shirley mc clain ....wentcrazy with this agenda.
I appreciate, from Mike, the acceptance of me and my fellow Theistic Evolutionists
Love your videos. You have helped me so much. Keep it up.
I love how you teach Mike with humour and humility
Mike, what's your take on sinning against the Holy Spirit, and how does one know if you have done it, and Is it punishable by death, so you cannot come back from it.
What if you have done it without notice and if we don't have a clue what it was repent
Q- Bring the people of Israel back to their land? (Jeremiah 23:3-8, Ezekiel 37:25-27) What is this referring to? Life after Jesus or heaven or what? Because we still have fear on earth at times but in heaven we can’t multiply/have children?
Great rebuttals that only apologetic study over years get this video. I’m presently thinking of going back to my Catholic roots. Papal infallibility led me to non denomination. Studies like these can help
I appreciate you taking time out of your day to break all of this down for us 😊 You had a lot of insightful answers. One thing I may disagree on though is what you said in reference to islamic people or people who don't know about Jesus. I can see why you see it that way though. I personally believe that if someone believes in a false god, they won't inherit the kingdom, even if they never knew of Jesus. Abraham, Moses, etc were different because not only had Jesus not come yet, but they were already worshipping the true God of heaven. I may not have a perfectly clear view, but that's how i interpret it.
Colossians 4:16 (latter part) “see that you also read the letter from Laodeicea.”
Is Paul referring to Ephesians since it was a circulating letter? Or is it a lost letter? Is the Bible missing a book or are there other letters by Paul that were not included in the Bible?
Where can I get that tshirt?
Purgatory ❤ 1 Peter 3 verse 19 It was in the spirit also that he went to preach to the spirits in prison 20 They had disobeyed as long ago as Noah's day, etc etc. Chapter 4 verse 6 The reason the gospel was preached even to the dead was that, although condemned in the flesh in the eyes of men, they might live in the spirit in the eyes of God ❤
Regarding question 8, both genealogies say Joseph, zero of them say Mary. Why do you believe one is for Mary? Why do you believe Mary is of the Davidic line? Her cousin was a direct descendant of Aaron. Why wouldn't you think Mary was from the levitical line? Why David?
It seems like you just *have to* believe Mary was Judahite when it seems to be saying in the Bible that she's Levite.
Could you explain that? I'm trying hard to understand it but I'm actually doing more harm than good and not finding the right answers. Thank you!!
About Jephtag’s daughter being “sacrificed” look up Bensons commentary on Biblehub of judges 11:40, the Hebrew translation of “Lament” is to celebrate, meaning she was not dead. To help get more clarity about this. Thanks Mike! Blessings
I think so as well. But regardless the situation had nothing to do with what God commands or wants. That was all jepthahs doing.
Some Bible translations say the vow of Jefta to be "whatsover comes (...) will be Lord's OR I will offer it as a burnt offering". Also Judges 11,39 says about Jefta's daughter that "she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew not man."
Bible seems to suggest that she wasn't burnt, but rather that she was consecrated to the Lord for the rest of her life
Two thoughts on Bible "contradictions": 1) They keep trotting out the same claims decade after decade, and they've all been answered. They continue in perpetuity because they're always new to some atheist who eats them right up without research. 2) Most of the claims demonstrate how the Holy Spirit allows for reading and understanding of the Scriptures, and without Him, things that are obviius seem confusing and strange and contradictory.
What is the Way in and of Jesus and how do you walk in the Way in and of Jesus. What are the 7steps of faith? What is the only biblical reason given for belief in Jesus?
Please give Jeptha a bit of a break. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. 30 And (Note this "and" at this critical point...) Jephthah made a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 31 then whatever[a] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it[b] up for a burnt offering.” Mike, my reading indicates that the Spirit was upon Jeptha during all of this time. If true, his vow was not silly and surely did not involve killing his daughter. I suspect this was a method of preventing Jeptha from trying to establish a hereditary dynasty through his daughter. Judicial heredity seems to have always gone badly.
I am writing to seek your guidance on a matter that has been on my heart. As someone who once identified as an atheist and would not even consider Christianity, I now reflect on my past and realize that I was spiritually blind. I believe that this blindness was caused by the god of this world(satan), as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
This leads me to wonder how many others are also spiritually blinded by satan. Specifically, I am grappling with the question of how we can reconcile the fact that some individuals may not be saved due to this spiritual blindness. Does this mean that their lack of belief is not entirely their fault?
Not everyone who sat under Jesus ministry committed their lives to Him.
Many people in the New Testament record did not commit themselves to Christ even though they heard the same message from the apostles. Not Everyone was healed by Jesus or the apostles.
There is the matter of faith, that is trust and the illumination by the Holy Spirt.
There are often times in our lives when we are more open to hearing the gospel than other times.
Romans states that our conscience and the world around us, nature, declare the existence of God.
Not everyone will give their lives in Worship of Jesus/God but that does not give them an excuse to avoid punishment for rejecting Jesus. Read Romans.
John 1v1-11 gives an explanation of the light darkness metaphor. And John 3v19. Hope this is helpful
I'm a Christian and definitely believe God is the creator of all things but that argument doesn't usually go well because they just say well ok if you have to have a creator of the strings or the multiverses....who created God?
1:13:10 It is true I've been taught to be mad and offended when somebody is lying and it could actually cause harm to people, yes I have been taught that.
"You don't 'fix the Bible'. The Bible fixes you." -Shepherd Book
I have not found one elder or Christian, apart from my husband who doesnt get offended. When i became a Christian, i was given a sister in Christ to desciple me but she gets offended or hold positions with conviction without biblical backing. If she finds that she cant answer your questions she goes, "I love you to bits but nobody thinks the way you do" or "dont worry about that, worry about what you believe" (even my elder said that) or "how does that affect your walk with Christ" or the classic "just look at the cross" or "you think everyone thinks the way you do" or "you need more grace from those that "feel like you shouldnt judge" (often if someone says something and you quote the bible to show them that their opinion is unbiblical). I find the "Internet guys actually helpful and many ministries have been useful. I am grateful that my husband has the rule which i have adopted, which is, "show me where it says that in the bible and i will believe you". I didnt know what i was walking into, and i would warn anyone trying to ask questions to not expect much, ask them questions which you know the answers to biblically and see how they respond to your criticism of their response before you ask for things you are wrestling with
When it comes to deal with strong habits or even addictions I found it challenging to draw benefit from the Bible or actually take action in faith. At the end of the day at least parts of the New Testament seem to condem those who have not sufficient willpower or not strong enough faith to grasp sanctification. I kind of envy apostle Paul because he had naturally so much willpower and straightforwardness that he was able to grasp, hold and practice the gospel to its full extent.
How do you know that Paul had it naturally?
@@wishyouthebest9222 Obviously Paul had a strong character from the very beginning. See Acts
2 Corinthians 10:5
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, "
Every thought. All of them. It does take discipline.
Also, put on the full armor of God. Pray through that passage in Ephesians.
Be willing to pray out loud if necessary or go get on your knees or face in private if you can.
Read more scripture than seems necessary. Meditate on it. Memorize it.
Read great books.
1 Corinthians 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
@@RCGWho Thanks for the effort you put into your response. May the Lord bless you.
Jesus said “ I am the way the truth and the life NO one comes to the Father BUT by Me”
Thanks for the caps-lock words that really helps....
meaning; it is our lord and saviors choice who enters the kingdom and who does not.
Hello mike love the videos. I wish i can ask questions live but timezones make it hard for me. Ill just try asking in comment just in case
Q: What do you think about Romans being in 2 parts? While studying Romans 7:1 i noticed it is addressed to "those who knows the law" and the Gentiles were only addressed in Romans 11. Going further on my research i found videos show that from Romans 1 that it is addresses only to Jews. I wanted to ask you cause you've also done an extensive study in Romans.
Our bodies have adapted over time. We didn’t become a completely different species or genus.
Exactly! Everytime I have to clarify this. Such man from fish evolution has been debunked but people continue to use the word evolution but to say micro-evolution aka adaptation within the SAME genus or species.
Paul vs James. Faith and works.
My brother wrote the following and I thought this was a good place to share it.
This is something that I studied quite in depth because not a lot of people gave a satisfactory answer to it. Ultimately I came to this conclusions because of the context of the rest of the scripture. Here in Luke 7 Jesus says "Luke 7:33-35 NKJV
[33] For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ [34] The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ [35] But wisdom is justified by all her children.”" Do you see the use of the word 'justified' here? It certainly doesn't mean that Wisdom's children are the propitiation of her sins, or that their works save Wisdom. It's because there are alternative definitions for the word 'justified'.
Justified, according to Webster in definition 1 means: having or shown to have a just, right, or reasonable basis.
Similary, Justify definition 1b: to show to have had a sufficient legal reason.
Notice the common word "show" - this is key to understanding these passages - otherwise Paul and James are in clear contradiction of one another (which doesn't seem to have any support throughout church history).
What then can we conclude? Wisdom is shown to be wise by her children - the actions of her children bear witness to the fact that wisdom is wise.
Similarly, a man is shown to be just (or justified) by his works. The faith and righteousness of a man being clearly evident by his works. Was not Abraham shown to be faithful when he offered up Isaac? And by his works wasn't it made clear that he truly had faith in God?
But show me your faith without your works, such a faith is dull and lacking in any true faith or belief - not having changed the heart of a person to conform his actions to that belief - yet this faith is dead - being merely a confessed faith, and not a lived faith.
The doctrine of salvation by grace through faith and not by works doesn't mean there is no requirement for salvation. Taken out of context, a lot of churches preach that only a head conviction of Christ's existence, death, and resurrection is enough for salvation. However, the words faith and believe in the original Greek mean a full trust, adherence, or relying on what you've heard. That level of faith isn't as superficial as modernized "Christianity" would have us believe but rather it requires obedience. If you fully entrust yourself to what Jesus preached, you will obey it. You will rely on it to the point of action. The action required is simple though. Jesus preached in Mark 16:15-17 that those who trust in His word AND are baptized will be saved and that the true believers would speak in tongues.
In John 3:1-8 He had the same message for Nicodemus when he said that unless a man is born again of water and Spirit he cannot see or enter the kingdom of God and that EVERYONE born of the Spirit hears the voice/language of the Spirit.
And this is the salvation we see confirmed multiple times in Acts chapters 2, 8, 9, 10-11, and 19.
When Paul wrote to the church that they aren't saved by works, the context is clear that it's the works of the 613 Old Testament laws. Abraham was justified by his faith in God before he was circumcised so it wasn't the work of the law that justified Abraham (Galatians).
And when he tells the Ephesian church the same message (by grace through faith) he also says Ephesians 1:13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,. If we look back where the assembly in Ephesus started (Acts 19) we see that after Paul corrected the doctrine these 12 disciples of John had believed he made them get baptized again and prayed for them to receive the Spirit, which they did, speaking in new tongues. Their faith led them to be baptized in spite of the fact that they'd done it before and to seek for the Spirit (the same salvation requirement that Paul had in Acts 9).
Salvation being by grace through faith doesn't contradict the salvation requirement that Jesus and the first church laid out. It's by grace because morally we could never earn it. We can never pay for what Christ did for us. It's a gift that we don't deserve. Peter, in telling the men of Judea that the tongues they were hearing was what was prophesied about the Spirit and that they needed to repent and be baptized and receive the Spirit as well called it "the gift of the Holy Ghost". It's no less of a gift just because we have to obey the gospel for it. It's like adding a contingent clause in your will that your children get money when they reach a certain age or that it can only be used for higher education. And faith again means to trust in, adhere to, or rely on. Believing that if you're baptized by full immersion to the point of obeying it and ask and keeping asking until you receive the promised Holy Spirit (Luke 11:5-13) is an act of faith.
Peter writes in one of his letters that "baptism does now save us". Paul wrote we are "buried with Him in baptism". Jesus when getting baptized said "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."
Jesus said in Acts 1:8 that we receive power to be witnesses when we receive the Spirit. Peter later wrote that that divine power gives us everything we need for life and godliness. We can't expect ourselves or others to live a godly life without having and using the Spirit (praying in tongues daily). Paul said that when you walk in the Spirit you don't carry out the desires of the flesh.
Also people get confused with salvation being evident by good works. James never says that everyone who has good works is saved. Look at Cornelius in Acts 10-11. He and his house were devout, god-fearing, praying always, giving alms, and even saw angels. But they still needed Peter to come tell them "words by which you will be saved". Peter came and preached to them and while he was still speaking they all received the Spirit, speaking in other tongues and were commanded to be baptized because that's the only salvation available.
I'm not sure question 4 was answered in the way that was intended by the questioner. The question was: given the first manuscripts we have are at least 100 years after they were first written, how do we know that they reflect what the authors actually wrote? We have no manuscripts from 80AD-200AD and very few from 200AD-300AD (that only have a small amount of text). With later copies we can compare them to the other manuscripts too see what has changed. However, if changes were made in the first 100-200 years there is nothing to compare to. This raises the question why didn't God preserve any of the originals, so we can ensure that there aren't changes that were made in this first 100-150 years after Jesus's death.
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A better explanation for the Son not knowing (Matthew 24:36) is to put it in the context of the Greek writing. The word "know" in this passage is expressed as "οἶδεν" (oiden) which means "to know" in the declarative. So a better translation for this verse is "It is for no one except the Father to MAKE KNOWN (declare) the day". We can see the literary context of this in 2 ways: 1) In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he says: "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." - 1 Corinthians 2:2. The same word "oiden" is used. Paul wasn't saying that he didn't know his name or where he was at, etc. He was saying that he did not make known anything about himself and instead began preaching his Gospel. 2) We see throughout Scripture the relationship between the church and Christ as being likened to a Jewish wedding. The father of the bride is the one who declares the date and location of the wedding but the bride and groom still know these things before everyone else does so it only makes sense for Jesus to say what He said in Matthew 24:36
Hello there, I really like this insight that you provided - I think it could be very helpful for people to know this perspective. I will now go and verify in the greek c:
@@jakubwolski4755 I'm glad I could help!
Mike I appreciate your ministry. However with respect to the Sabbath day it was instituted in Genesis before Israel existed, before the Law of Moses was given and it is present in the 1000 year reign of Jesus on this earth. Isaiah 66v23 . Does this not mean that it is to be remembered and kept?