This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss another listener's question. Michael wants to know how much time is enough when it comes to personal devotional time. He shares some of the things he regularly does and the approximate amount of time he spends doing them. But then shares that he sometimes feels overwhelmed by this commitment and at other times guilty, for not doing it all. He asks if this amount of time is too much, not enough or just right--Dr. Caldwell says in all honesty, he doesn't think he can answer the question as asked, whether it's too much, not enough or just right. He explains that this is an individual issue, each one of us having to weigh this according to our life circumstances, time available, etc. He further explains what's important to remember is what these times of devotion are for. They are for your own personal worship, study, and growth, but also so that you will go out into the world and live it out. Individual time with the Lord is only one aspect of our Christian life. Serving Christ will look similar yet different for each individual based on where you are in life and the responsibilities you have at that time. There are all sorts of things that are addressed in the Scriptures as it relates to serving and living out our lives. The time spent during our devotional time ought to move us toward living well. The aim is to know God and to have that knowing reflected in our living. This is a way we can actually weigh our devotional time. It's not just about tasting and receiving the knowledge, but it's taking what we have learned and applying those truths as we go about life daily.-Dr. Caldwell

Introduction---Having shown the comparisons and the contrasts between the two representative men, the first man Adam and the 2nd man, the God man, Jesus, there is now a question to be answered.--The question and the answer have already been touched on somewhat earlier in this letter. But now he is ready to take it head on.--He knows that the question will come, what then was the purpose for God's law---If it is really about whether we are in Adam, or in Christ, then why did God go to the trouble, so to speak, of giving law through Moses- What was the purpose for all of that-----And it is refreshing and encouraging noting that 2,000 years later the question is still being asked. Over and again it is proven that the Bible is word of God by the very questions that men ask. How does this prove the Bible- It is proof of the inspiration of the scriptures because the Bible anticipates them all. The Bible is prepared for these questions.--This past week I was teaching the gospel in a Bible study and had two people ask very sincerely and very intensely this very same question. They said, -if salvation is a gift, if it isn't a matter of how we live but whether or not we have had faith in Jesus, then why did God give commandments----That is the very same question isn't it---Paul knew he would face it, we know that we face it, and God gives us an answer right here.---I. THE LAW WAS GIVEN BECAUSE OF SIN -vs.20---When you first read this, you could almost get the idea that God gave His law so that there would be more sin in the world. That of course would mean that God somehow wants sin to increase. We know right away that this is an error. God doesn't even tempt people to s

Introduction---Our salvation is accomplished through union with Jesus Christ.--This section advances the argument concerning security-This section builds on what has gone before---From our position due to justification--To the purpose that explains our justification--To the person who secured our justification--We saw that Adam is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ -vs.14-.--Adam is a type of our Lord, there is likeness to our Lord, in at least two ways---The idea of representation-The idea of imputation--Now, when we come to verse 15, we come to see that Paul not only compares the first Adam with the last Adam in terms of likeness, he also points out their differences. --In these verses we see glorious contrasts.--Why does he point out these contrasts---Each of the contrasts points us to a facet of salvation. Our God wants us to have a better understanding of the grace that we have received.--Each of the contrasts points to the PERSON in whom all of it was accomplished, THE LORD JESUS. Our God wants us to worship our Savior, to be thankful for what God has done for us in Christ.

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss another listener's question. Molly writes asking for some passages of scripture and questions to ask when engaging her Arminian relatives in conversation about the doctrines of Grace. She has written that she is eager for her family to know and believe these truths- she wants them to love and submit to them as the Word of God. However, she shares that she is fearful that her zeal over her new convictions will be more of a deterrent than anything else. Dr. Philpot asks Dr. Caldwell what kind of advice can be offered and given in this situation.-Dr. Caldwell assures Molly that for those of us who have come to this place of understanding and loving these doctrines, we can definitely identify with her zeal. We understand this desire for those we love to see and embrace these things for the glory of God. It's because of God's glory that we are driven for Him to be in their minds and hearts as He should be. Yet what's interesting about this is that it's these very doctrines we have embraced that should set us free to rest in God's sovereignty. As we go about striving to teach our family members these things, we ought to be able to rest as we present the truth, waiting and watching for His work in their lives. Dr. Caldwell suggests a way of approaching this that is more about sharing what God is doing by way of enrichment in our life, instead of just sharing information. He encourages an approach that is more personal, conversational instead of confrontational, i.e., describing how we have been blessed as a result of understanding these truths, how the things we are hearing at church have

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss another listener's question about sharing the gospel. Dr. Philpot shares that Brenda has written saying that she has always struggled to share the gospel with others. She states that she has done it a few times but never in a direct way. She tells us that as she has examined her heart, she sees that she fears the rejection of man, she's afraid to be offended and feels inadequate. She shares that she has a desire to share the gospel but it just seems like she can't. She asks, 'how can I overcome all these sins and share the gospel with boldness-'- Dr. Caldwell says it sounds like Brenda knows the answers. She has already identified that the fear of man and the fear of rejection are a big part of the problem. He tells us one of the ways that we can overcome these hindrances is by our very desire. If you desire to share the gospel and give a reason for the hope that is in you that is a great thing, now you just have to be ready to do it. But, that readiness will not come by just having all the right information. Being prepared to share is as important as having the right knowledge to share. Something that might be helpful is to sit down with someone a little older in the Lord. Ask for help, ask about ways that they witnessed to others, ask about ways to introduce the gospel into the conversation, and what to do if the conversation takes a wrong direction. So in your readiness and preparedness, recognizing your human weakness and frailty, also remember that God is sovereign in the matter of salvation. People's eternal destinies are not hanging on our abilities to convince them to trust