Articles by BibleThinker

Expand this for time stamps (also in the first comment for mobile users)

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
1. 1:04 Can a wife or mom have a job outside of the house?
2. 4:43 Is profanity ever acceptable? E.g. “I _-ing love you, man!” (not in anger)
3. 8:21 Can you talk about the relationship between obedience and faith?
4. 9:28 What purpose does prayer serve for an all-powerful God? How do we affect anyone/anything with prayer?
5. 13:36 Why do you think God created us if He knew it would result in the fall of man and He would have to save us through such an extreme act of love?
6. 16:45 How do you know that you’re REALLY saved?
7. 20:28 What do you think about the idea that it’s the worship leader’s job to “create an atmosphere for people to encounter God”?
8. 23:15 What are your thoughts on the belief that the Church is “spiritual” Israel which seems to lead to observing Torah? Is the Body of Christ separate from Israel?
9. 24:41 If Jesus, being God, knew He would defeat death, what is the significance of His sacrifice? I understand His resurrection is a pillar of the faith, but how can Jesus being dead for only a few days ‘count’?
10. 27:16 What is meant by the phrase “sharing the Gospel”? How do we share the Gospel, and what part of the Gospel do we include?
11. 29:35 I’m writing a paper on limited atonement for class. Any ideas on books to get/passages to cover?
12. 30:17 Any advice on how to “put sin to death”?
13: 35:45 Should all Christians follow the Old Testament Law, considering that Jesus didn’t come to change the Law?
14. 38:01 Do you have to speak in tongues to be saved?
15. 39:30 Where is the best place for teens who are new believers to start in the Bible?
16. 41:17 Is the doctrine of “soul sleep” biblical?
17. 42:47 Do you believe seminary is needed to be a minister of God’s Word?
18. 43:50 Is the Body of Christ separate from Israel?
19. 45:12 If the New Testament was implemented when Jesus died & rose again, is it fair to say that Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John should be considered part of the Old Testament, since Jesus hadn’t died yet?
20. 46:27 Does Lucifer’s fall (and ours) mean that God made a mistake? Or does it mean that He planned on sin and the fall happening?
21. 47:49 Do you have any tips for a new believer who wants to begin looking into theology and researching topics in the Bible?
22. 48:30 Is it ok to listen to music that is not classified as “Christian” but has no bad words/profanity?
23. 50:55 Should we go to church at all if we’ve been watching Bart Ehrman videos and we’re not sure?
24. 54:30 Do 12-step programs reconcile with being a Christian?
25. 55:40 Why are there so many denominations and only one true God?
26. 56:54 When we die, will we go to Heaven, or are we all dead until Jesus comes back?
27. 57:19 Some Christians who claim to not believe in sinless perfectionism say if we can go without sinning for minutes or hours, we can go without sinning for days, weeks, or months. Is this biblical?
28. 58:43 Do I have to be baptized when I decide to become a Christian?
29. 59:38 How much do you think aesthetics affects ethics? Do you think wearing worn-out/torn/ragged clothing is a means for the culture of death and destruction?
30. 1:00:19 If I read the Bible and pray, and still doubt & struggle with my faith, what can I do? It’s difficult to fight it.
31. 1:01:09 Is lust as simple as looking at a woman and thinking “Wow, nice!” or is it’s original meaning something much more, like, “I need to sleep with her. I want to make her mine.”?
32. 1:02:44 What do you think about 1 Tim. 2: 11-12 on women’s roles in the Church?
33. 1:03:39 Is Halloween Satan’s holiday?
34. 1:03:58 When should you stop asking for something in prayer, and start trying to transition your thinking into accepting “no” as God’s answer?

I highly recommend “The Bible for Beginners” if you haven’t heard it yet. https://youtu.be/SJG-AjxNiF8

The Romans series will ground you in solid theology https://www.yo

Get insights about demonology, the identity of Christ, the hope Jesus gives to even the most broken life, and some apologetics about a geography issue in Mark 5 related to the location of the region of the Gerasenes.
I got a questions after this study about why Matthew says “Gadarenes” instead of Gerasenes. I forgot to mention it during the study but Gadara was a well known city about 6 miles from Galilee with some territory reaching all the way to Galilee. Matthew seems to be using a different way of referring a region toward the south/east of the Sea of Galilee.
When it comes to the issue of demons I hope to provide a needed balance where we embrace the biblical worldview and reality of demons while being able to acknowledge other possible causes of illness. It can be harmful to land on either extreme of denying the spiritual realm or acting as if every ailment is caused by demons.

Here’s the playlist for the whole gospel of Mark series. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

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It’s worse than nonsense. It’s destructive. I think this is one of the most common bad ideas people have about God and religion. Let’s thoughtfully analyze the idea that all roads lead to God and see why this incredibly common viewpoint couldn’t possibly be true. Here’s a list of other slogans we’ll deal with today.
“All roads lead to God”
“How can you say that Jesus is the only way? How rude! How arrogant! How judgy!”
“All religions teach basically the same thing.”
“All religions have a different piece of the truth.”
“I think that sincere people will be OK.”
“I just think that God knows our hearts and that good people will be OK.”

Because I suspect someone will ask about it. Here’s what the Bible says about those who die without hearing the gospel -https://youtu.be/IiyxpE5UBz4

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Let’s get a handle on the various passages where the Bible says that God repents, relents or changes His mind. Personally, I found this study very rewarding and I hope it blesses you as well. Someone came up after I taught this study and shared something with me that I think might add to the content in this message. They said something like, “God is jealous, but not like man’s jealousy. God has wrath, but not like man’s wrath. And in a similar way God repents but not in the same way or with the same meaning as when man does it.” I thought this was worth adding here for you.

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Tips on how to prepare a message, how to maximize your gifting, good software to use to make your study time more efficient, how to think about failures, how to stay true to the Bible, how to process insecurities and nervousness, how to avoid pitfalls of pride, and much more.

Free, and very useful, Bible study resources
– NetBible has good insights into textual issues and some stuff commentaries often skip. https://netbible.org
– BlueLetterBible has tons of free commentaries and helps. I wish it had been around when I first started teaching. https://www.blueletterbible.org

Paid Bible software.
– Here’s the link for a discount on Logos software. Make sure to use the coupon code BIBLETHINKER8 at checkout.
https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner

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I’ve heard whole Bible studies through the passage where Jesus calms the storm where the teacher fails to identify a key point in it. When Jesus commanded the storm to cease it revealed something of the divinity of Jesus that had the apostles in awe and reverence for Jesus in a whole new way. Even though they had previously seen Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick, this act of commanding a storm to stop meant something to these first century Jews which is often overlooked by people today.

This is part 15 in the Mark series covering theology and apologetics through a verse by verse study of the Gospel of Mark. Here is the whole playlist (new vids added weekly) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

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BibleThinker coffee mugs are available here. Made by a potter who is a fan of this ministry. https://www.zockollpottery.com/product-page/bible-thinker-mug

I have use Logos Bible software for many years and have recently partnered with them to get you a 10% discount and some free books if you use this affiliate link and the code BIBLETHINKER8. https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner

Suicide is a big issue that most of us haven’t thought about very carefully.
I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers, or easy answers. But what I can do is analyze some of the issues related to suicide from a biblical worldview and try to point you toward biblical help. I need to offer a disclaimer though. Some of what I share here is going to be based not just on the plain teaching of scripture but on my own experience as a counselor, friend and human being. I want you to consider and weigh what I share rather than thinking everything out of my mouth is clearly taught in scripture. My goal isn’t to say that I have figured it all out but to offer some clarity and some help to those who deal with their own suicidal thoughts or the life-devastating impact of the suicide of a loved one. I hope and PRAY this is useful for you and brings blessings into your life.

Find a suicide hotline for your own country and language.
http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html

Be sure to subscribe if you want to learn to think biblically about everything. And check out the hundreds of videos on my channel!

My video on the unforgivable sin https://youtu.be/KmCHX8-2Smo

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If you’re interested in what Bible software I have been using for the past 13 years here it is. I’ve recently partnered with Logos to give you 10% off and some free books if you use the code BIBLETHINKER8 and this affiliate link. At no cost to you a commission will also come to me to help me continue doing this work. https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner

I hope this helps you understand the parables better than ever before. These four parables are found in Mark 4:21-34 and they include the parable of the lamp on a stand, the parable of the measuring scales, the parable of growing seed, and the parable of the mustard seed.
Unlocking the parables of Jesus depends simply on learning the pattern of interpretation Jesus established when he explained the parable of the soils and that of the tares. In this study we will give special attention to the meaning of the birds in the parable of the mustard seed because this is not only debated, it’s also really interesting.

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I have used Logos Bible Software for the past 13 years and you can check it out and get 10% off of it if you use this affiliate link. Be sure to use the code BIBLETHINKER8 to get your discount. https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner

A detailed description of the crucifixion of Jesus was written hundreds of years before it happened! Let’s analyze this Old Testament passage and respond to objections from an atheist and a Jewish Rabbi. Does Psalm 22 really support the idea that God inspired the Bible and planned ahead of time for Jesus to die for us? Can it stand under careful examination and scrutiny from contrary sources? I think the answer is yes. Allow me to make my case. Here’s that REALLY good video I mentioned where Dr. Michael Brown goes into even more detail on the “pierced” controversy:https://youtu.be/LsFvNLf7Iv0
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If you want a BibleThinker coffee mug they are available here: https://www.zockollpottery.com/product-page/bible-thinker-mug
The Bible software I use is called Logos. Logos has given me this link where you can get a discount on it and some free books as well: https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner
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The Parable of the Sower helps us understand all parables from Jesus. Learn it’s meaning and some principles for interpreting the parables of Jesus from this study in Mark 4:1-20. I also encourage you to really consider how to apply this passage to your own life.

This is part 13 in the Mark series. Here’s the whole paylist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF

If you love this ministry and would like to help support it please click here (but feel no obligation as my intention is for all the content to be and remain free). https://biblethinker.org/index.php/donate

If your interested in a BibleThinker coffee mug they can be found here. https://www.logos.com/partner/biblethinker?utm_source=biblethinker&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=promo-partner