free will ?

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Free will in heaven: believers will have genuine free will but no desire to sin

Live Q&A - Theology, Apologetics and The Christian Life

Luis de Molina and Molinism: middle knowledge reconciles divine sovereignty and human free will

Live Q&A - Theology, Apologetics and The Christian Life

There is no single "the one" person to marry — biblical principles guide spouse selection, not divine designation

Live Q&A - Theology, Apologetics and The Christian Life

Q&A: Why would God create a world where things can exist that go against his nature? Answer: free will theodicy and soul-building theodicy

YouTube Atheism vs YouTube Christianity

Winger rejects irresistible grace: God's Spirit convicts all people universally but some freely reject him; Winger believes he personally would likely not believe without the Spirit's work

Mike Winger LIVE Q&A on Theology, Apologetics and the Christian Life

'Those who receive' in Romans 5:17 conditions justification on reception; Romans 10:13 confirms call-response salvation

Limited Atonement, Universalism and why I disagree with both.

Q&A: Does God's omnipotence and love require universal salvation? — No; free will and divine glory in judgment are countervailing factors

Limited Atonement, Universalism and why I disagree with both.

Good derives from God's nature; evil is the contrast to God's goodness, requiring permission not creation

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Moral evil as the result of free will; natural evil as a separate category

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Summary conclusion: God is source of goodness; evil is real by contrast but need not be created; God allows and will solve evil

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Q&A: If God gave us a wicked heart, can we blame him? — Shaking fist at God is foolish

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Q&A: Were Adam and Eve created perfect? Free will is not an imperfection; sin through free will is

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Q&A: Proverbs 16:33 and divine sovereignty — layered sovereignty model, not hard determinism

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Q&A: If God had not created anything, would evil exist? — No, because evil requires free creatures

Did God Create Evil？ A Misunderstood Bible Verse： Isaiah 45_7

Q&A: Acts 13:48 — 'appointed to eternal life' and the election/free will question

Why God's Wrath is Good

Q&A: Infants born guilty of Adam's sin — paedo-baptism response creates unsolvable problems

A Biblical Analysis of Infant Baptism

Mike does not hold to full Calvinist total depravity; the key disagreement is whether fallen humans can respond to the Holy Spirit's call

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 1)

No one overcomes unbelief "on their own" — God uses general revelation, conscience, and the Holy Spirit to call everyone

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 1)

Proverbs 16:4 is a text that theological grids are read INTO, not a proof text for either Calvinist determinism or open theism

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 1)

The elect are not a closed group from which some are necessarily excluded; election involves foreknowledge and preserves both God's and humanity's free choice

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 1)

Mike affirms free-will salvation against Calvinism but insists rejection of Calvinism must be theological, not emotional

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 9)

Molinism — middle knowledge reconciles divine sovereignty and human free will

Subscriber Hangout and Q&A - LIVE!

Does God choose who is saved? — Both election and free will are simultaneously true

Subscriber Hangout and Q&A - LIVE!

If intelligent aliens are sinless, they may be analogous to unfallen angels - no salvation offered, just a place in God's plan without redemption.

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 14)

Gift of singleness: a choice, not only a sovereign assignment

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 16)

God's hardening of hearts: temporary, judgment-related, not arbitrary — non-Calvinist reading

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 16)

1 Corinthians 10:13 -- No temptation is beyond your ability; sinning is a choice, not compulsion; God provides a way of escape

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 20)

Q2: Do we have free will? Mike asserts strong yes — biblically, intuitively, and philosophically supported

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 22)

Free will is biblically assumed throughout Scripture — humans are treated as responsible agents making real choices

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 22)

Free will and divine sovereignty are compatible — sovereignty means ultimate control, not micromanagement of every choice

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 22)

Without free will, punishment is morally problematic but stopping evil agents still makes sense

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 22)

Why God creates people he foreknows will reject him

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 19)

God is in control: sovereignty without divine determinism

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 19)

Romans 8:29-30 — the Golden Chain of Redemption: foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified; Calvinist and non-Calvinist interpretations

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 25)

Molinism helps explain how divine sovereignty and human free will operate together

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 25)

Universal atonement does not guarantee universal salvation; receiving Christ requires a personal decision.

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 28)

Satan in the Garden: God did not place Satan there; Satan's presence does not negate human free will responsibility for the Fall.

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 28)

Drew's Question 4: If God knows who will choose him, why not only create those people and skip earthly suffering? If free will is the answer, that implies heaven lacks free will (since there's no suffering there), making earth better than heaven.

4 Weird Questions That Should Not Make You an Atheist

Good #1: Freely choosing to enter a loving relationship with God is a great good — a love potion analogy shows forced love isn't real love. Good #2: Alvin Plantinga's supralapsarianism theodicy — the Incarnation and atonement (Christ dying for those who hate him) is among the greatest conceivable acts of love, only possible in a world with sin.

4 Weird Questions That Should Not Make You an Atheist

Q: Why can an atheist be a "better person" than a Christian? Because humans have free will. But our standard for "good person" is skewed — we judge by how someone treats us, ignoring whether they love God. Rejecting the Creator is a massive moral failure regardless of philanthropy. We evaluate select pockets while ignoring what matters most to God.

Your Theology and Apologetics Questions

Sovereignty of God: God is good, all-knowing, and in ultimate control. Romans 8:28: works all things for good for those who love him. But sovereignty doesn't mean exhaustive divine determinism (God causing every single thing). Job: God allowed Satan's attack but didn't cause it. God is in control of the flow of all things, can stop or allow anything, but humans have real choices.

Q&A + Jesus Taught Monogamy

Calvinism and free will: Mike isn't a Calvinist. He believes in genuine human free will while also affirming God's sovereignty. The key issue: does God determine every single human decision (Calvinist compatibilism) or do humans have genuine libertarian choice? Mike believes libertarian free will better fits Scripture and makes better sense of God's commands, judgments, and the problem of evil.

I’ve got announcements and then I’m taking your live questions.

Calvinism, Arminianism, Molinism — Mike identifies as a Molinist

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 4)

John 3 born-again analogy: the Calvinist 'you don't choose to be born' argument is overextended

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 10)

Free will does not mean freedom from consequences — the golden calf judgment illustrates this

20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 26)

Drew's Question 4: If God knows who will choose him, why not only create those people and skip earthly suffering? If free will is the answer, that implies heaven lacks free will (since there's no suffering there), making earth better than heaven.

4 Weird Questions That Should Not Make You an Atheist

Good #1: Freely choosing to enter a loving relationship with God is a great good — a love potion analogy shows forced love isn't real love. Good #2: Alvin Plantinga's supralapsarianism theodicy — the Incarnation and atonement (Christ dying for those who hate him) is among the greatest conceivable acts of love, only possible in a world with sin.

4 Weird Questions That Should Not Make You an Atheist

Q: Why can an atheist be a "better person" than a Christian? Because humans have free will. But our standard for "good person" is skewed — we judge by how someone treats us, ignoring whether they love God. Rejecting the Creator is a massive moral failure regardless of philanthropy. We evaluate select pockets while ignoring what matters most to God.

Your Theology and Apologetics Questions

Sovereignty of God: God is good, all-knowing, and in ultimate control. Romans 8:28: works all things for good for those who love him. But sovereignty doesn't mean exhaustive divine determinism (God causing every single thing). Job: God allowed Satan's attack but didn't cause it. God is in control of the flow of all things, can stop or allow anything, but humans have real choices.

Q&A + Jesus Taught Monogamy

Calvinism and free will: Mike isn't a Calvinist. He believes in genuine human free will while also affirming God's sovereignty. The key issue: does God determine every single human decision (Calvinist compatibilism) or do humans have genuine libertarian choice? Mike believes libertarian free will better fits Scripture and makes better sense of God's commands, judgments, and the problem of evil.

I’ve got announcements and then I’m taking your live questions.

God did speak to Eve. Thanks Cheryl for this wisdom from the Spirit! Lord Jesus Forgive me for believing that Eve added to your word or lied! Now I have the Right Truth & Understanding. Yes WITHOUT ...

Cheryl, I’m glad I popped by too 🙂 and lets use your style of response to clarify my stance, (C)There are many things that Jesus is to the Church that the husband is not. (T) I agree. (C)Althou...

Tarun, Again, welcome and thanks for posting. > You said: I was not trying to imply that the Husband “is” the Saviour/Lord and God of his wife.That is a role that only Christ can fulfill. However ev...

Ron, All of Eve’s children have the sin nature except for Jesus because all of Eve’s offspring (except again for Jesus) have a human father. Eve did not deliberately sin but scripture says she â€...

truthseeker, You said: “Where in the bible does it say we ‘naturally inherited his rebellious nature? After all, if an inherited nature is required to sin, then where did Adam get his, since he sinne...

In Jesse Morrell’s article here are some of the areas that he has gotten wrong. Under II. Why homosexuals say that they are born that way: > A. If the fault is their nature, and not their choice, the...

#33 truthseeker, You said: > Where in the bible does it say we ‘naturally inherited his rebellious nature? After all, if an inherited nature is required to sin, then where did Adam get his, since he...

Hi Michael, You ask a great question about the creation of animals. First of all in answer to your question, the issue is not about animals ONLY being created after Adam. The Hebrew is specific in th...

> “I have come to believe that most leaders/ Pastors want conformity instead of unity, and when conformity is the goal it eventually and effectively stifles the working of the Spirit through the peopl...

Cheryl, It was unconscionable for Matt to call you names like that. It’s ad hominem and he knows it, not to mention in violation of the most basic Christian principles. And as you keep saying, but th...

Charis said, > I discern the Lord telling me (for my marriage) that the antichrist spirit within each one of us us will GO OUT from among us because they do not belong to us! (The antichrist being th...

Greg, The problem with those who promote patriarchy is that their methods are akin to the world system. They speak about servanthood but their way actually promotes abuse. Where is the limits and wh...

Thank you, Bob K. Wright! Cheryl, I too am baffled at how Bruce Ware can remotely and with any sense of good conscience quote Augustine (when discussing Christ being the Eternal Son of the Father — ...

**I notice a commen theme in those who opposes our viewpoint. They say ONLY married people can “Reflect” Christ in the Home and Chruch ( a brick building made with human hands). ALL believers can Refl...

“On another topic, what kinds of church circumstances have those of you who are egalitarian found for yourselves?” Well, my situation is a bit strange. I left a Christian seeker-mega after 16 years t...

Barry, you asked: > this has always bugged me…. How did sin come about in the deceiver ? Originally, it wasn’t there……as that’s not how God creates things. He creates things perfectly and w/o sin. G...

God already said “I will make a Woman…. She was already called Woman by God, no need for adam to say anything. Adam breaking out in a poem was adam using his free will, nothing more. The Woman was to...

Hi Charis, I cannot presume to know God’s heart on this matter, but I think that it has something to do with God’s sovereignty and allowing evil to exist for those who want to practice evil.  I coul...

bgk #54, > The carageenan in my ice cream comes from seaweed, but I don’t know if it has seeds.  Very cute!  And a mighty fine sense of h...

Don, Yes, you are right in that submit and obey are not synonyms.  Obedience can be chosen as an extreme end of submission if one desires to do this.  However the term obey implies a command is given...