Mike's anti-Calvinist argument: faith is not a work regardless of its source; the Calvinist objection tries to smuggle faith into the "works" category

Calvinists argue that since only good fruit comes from a regenerated heart, and belief is good fruit, belief must come after regeneration. Mike says this conflates faith with works. Faith is fundamentally counter to works — Paul in Romans and Galatians makes this explicit: it is either by faith or by works, they are mutually exclusive categories. Abraham believed and God credited it to him as righteousness — that was not working. Romans 11:6 (paraphrased): if it is by faith it is no longer of works; if by works it is no longer of faith. The Calvinist objection only works if you agree that faith is a good work, which Mike denies.