At the very heart of classical theism stands the doctrine of Divine Aseity—the truth that God exists a se, “from Himself.” Unlike all created beings who are contingent, dependent, and derived, God alone is self-existent, self-sufficient, and uncaused. He is the ultimate explanation of His own being, the First Cause, and the ground of all reality. In this video, Anthony Alberino explores the rich meaning of divine aseity—both its negative aspect (God’s ontological independence: uncreated, uncaused, underived) and its positive aspect (God as pure actuality, the ultimate reality upon which all else depends).

We’ll examine:

• Why divine aseity means God is a necessary being that cannot fail to exist.
• The common misunderstanding behind the skeptic’s question, “What caused God?” -
• Why God is the explanation of His own existence (not His own cause).
• Aquinas’ profound insight that God is not composed of act and potency but is Pure Act, whose very essence is existence—I AM WHO I AM.

By unpacking this doctrine, we see why God is not just another being among beings, but Being Itself Subsisting—the transcendent source of all that is.

If you want to go deeper into classical Christian theology and understand how divine aseity illuminates the uniqueness of God’s nature, this teaching is for you.

In this episode, Anthony Alberino and Andrew Payne critically interact with one of the most popular and philosophically sophisticated attempts to reconcile God’s sovereignty with human libertarian freedom: Molinism. We’ve already considered the Thomistic “Dual Sources” view with Dr. Matthews Grant, and in the last episode we examined Open Theism. Now, we look at Molinism — a view originating with the 16th-century Jesuit Luis de Molina and defended today by leading philosophers such as Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, and Thomas Flint. Molinism hinges on the idea of middle knowledge: God’s knowledge of what any possible free creature would do in any possible circumstance. By appealing to middle knowledge, Molinists argue that God can sovereignly order the world while preserving genuine human freedom.

In this discussion, we:

• Explain Molina’s distinction between natural knowledge, middle knowledge, and free knowledge.
• Show how middle knowledge is supposed to secure both meticulous providence and libertarian free will.
• Explore why Molinism has been attractive to many theologians and philosophers, particularly within Arminian circles.
• Critically engage key challenges to Molinism, including the grounding objection, the tension with libertarian freedom, and problems related to divine aseity, simplicity, and sovereignty.
• Compare Molinism with both Open Theism and classical theism to see whether it truly resolves the tension between divine providence and human agency.

Does Molinism succeed where other views fail? Or does it compromise God’s ultimacy and the very nature of freedom? Join us as we unpack and critically examine this influential theological model.

In this in-depth conversation, Anthony Alberino and Andrew Payne tackle a theological proposal that has gained traction among some evangelicals: Open Theism. This view seeks to solve the long-debated tension between divine sovereignty and human freedom by rethinking the nature of God and especially his relationship to time and his knowledge of future free acts. Anthony and Andrew first explain the core claims of Open Theism, including its approach to divine foreknowledge and human choice. They then offer an extended critique, exploring its biblical, philosophical, and doctrinal implications—and why they believe it ultimately fails to provide a faithful solution to the sovereignty–freedom puzzle. Topics covered in this video:

• What is Open Theism?
• Why some evangelicals are attracted to it
• How it addresses the tension between God’s sovereignty and human freedom
• Key philosophical, theological, and biblical objections
• Why Anthony and Andrew believe a better solution exists

If you’ve ever wrestled with how God’s sovereignty works alongside genuine human choices, or if you’ve encountered Open Theism and want to understand it critically, this conversation is for you.