For Christians, can faith and doubt exist together? Can a Christian doubt God and still have faith? Is it okay to doubt; is doubt beneficial for Christians?

If Christianity is the ultimate truth, then why do Christians so often question their faith or go about doubting what they truly believe? This is the question presented for discussion this week on the Straight Truth Podcast. Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot take up this topic and help us think through these things biblically. Dr. Caldwell begins by sharing a few reasons why we doubt and some of the reasons behind them. First, we have an enemy of our souls, Satan. A second reason for doubt is due to the fallenness of our flesh, the ongoing battle with sin. A third is due to the smallness of our being, the smallness of our constitution.

Dr. Caldwell shares that Mark 9:17-24 is a good passage to turn to that helps us look at and consider doubt. Gathered up in this passage is a whole host of things we can take note of. Jesus never encourages doubt or acts as if it is neutral. He actually rebukes the lack of faith of many gathered here, not just the man with the demon-possessed son. Dr. Caldwell states that we ought never to get to a place where we praise doubt, glorify it, or where we act as if there is nothing negative or dangerous about it. It is not a good thing to doubt the Words of God. We need to encourage faith in one another and never take doubt as a badge of honor.

In this same passage, Jesus has compassion on the man who is lacking in faith. He doesn’t refuse to help the boy due to the lack of faith of his father. This man was struggling to believe what could be done by Jesus. Yet, he still believed that Jesus could do something because he was the one that brought his son to Jesus(vs.17). We see Christs’ compassion despite this man’s doubt and weak faith. We can know that when we struggle with doubts that God is greater than our doubts.

He is greater than our ability to believe Him. He does things all the time that surpasses our weakness in the realm of faith, and that’s encouraging. So we don’t magnify our doubts or act as if they don’t matter. We must encourage ourselves to believe the Lord. But when we do struggle as this man did, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”, we can know that God is not bound by our weakness. The compassion, grace, and mercy of Christ surpass our capacity and ability to believe.

Dr. Philpot says that this instance from Mark 9 shared Dr. Caldwell is about doubting that God can actually do something about our circumstance(s). But what can he share with us when we doubt our own faith?

Dr. Caldwell says that sometimes our doubts are not tied to God as much as they are actually to us. He shares that he has talked to people who don’t doubt who Jesus is, what He came to do, what He did, and what He goes on doing. These people believe the truths of Jesus, but they doubt their place in His story. They doubt they belong to Him. What should these people do with their doubts?

Dr. Caldwell tells us that if we have believed the biblical gospel, desire the Lord Jesus Christ, love Him, and want to serve Him, these are not natural desires. These evidences in us are supernatural as we do not naturally desire or love God. Therefore, we need to take our doubts to the Word of God, and we need to take hold of God’s promises which are not centered on us but on Christ. We are not saved by faith. We are saved by Christ. We need to believe these things, be encouraged by them, and follow Him.

God does not play games with people’s minds and souls. He does not tease people with the gospel. This is not what we are offered in Christ. This is not what is presented to us in the Old and New Testaments. He is a God who is willing to save. He desires for people to forsake their wickedness and be saved. He does not play games like that. His offer is real; it is genuine and sincere. He offers an invitation of rest for our souls that is genuine. We must turn from our sins, look to Christ, and be saved. We are to look to Christ and live!

You may be struggling with doubt right now. Your doubt might be in a particular circumstance or area of your life. It might be intellectually related or the kind of doubt that could ultimately damn you (unbelief). You might be weak in faith due to forgetfulness or a whole host of other things. But if we turn to God through Christ, calling out depending on Him and Him alone, He hears, and He answers. We must look to Christ to live and know that He has given us everything necessary to believe and not doubt. We must fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.

If you would like to learn more about how to do this, consider listening to the following sermons by Pastor Caldwell:

A Powerful Lesson In Faith

Dealing With Doubt – Parts 1 & 2

When Believers Doubt God

The Wonder of a Believer’s Life

The Call To Endurance

Blessed Assurance

The post Should Christians Doubt Their Faith? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

Can a Christian marry someone who is not a virgin? Doesn’t God’s Word teach us to remain pure before marriage and for the marriage bed to be undefiled? Does God allow for this kind of marriage, or is it prohibited?

The Word of God characterizes a godly marriage by a covenant relationship between one man and one woman in which there is no sexual immorality. Ideally, by the grace of God, this is the coming together in marriage as husband and wife, having known no one sexually before the marriage. This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot sit down to discuss this topic. They seek to answer the questions posed along with a few additional ones. Their aim is to bring the Word of God to bear upon the questions and to make clear God has given a standard for marriage.

Dr. Caldwell reminds us that God’s will for marriage ought to be magnified and rejoiced over. It represents a wonderful, joyful, God-glorifying path, and we don’t want to diminish it in any way. It ought to be the aim of every believer who is saved early in life so that they can pursue this pathway for a lifetime.

However, having said this, he also reminds us that sin is forgiven in Christ. When sin is forgiven, it is truly and forever forgiven. So when two believers come together to be married where one has kept themselves pure, and the other is no longer a virgin, this does not prohibit the marriage. There can be other things that stand in the way of the marriage taking place. But where forgiveness for prior sin has taken place, it is real and does not stand in the way. This prompts Dr. Caldwell to share that in preparing couples for marriage, one thing that needs to be talked about is the practical realities that come about in life because of sin in a whole host of areas.

Having shared there are things that would prohibit or stand in the way of a marriage taking place for a believer, Dr. Caldwell elaborates on a couple. The marrying of an unbeliever is one, and the other is the issue of maturity/immaturity. Other questions Dr. Caldwell answers are: What should family members say and do when a child/relative is pursuing a marriage that doesn’t honor the Lord? What should be done when the child/family member is adamant about marrying someone of a different faith? What should family members say and do when the child/family member is not a Christian seeking to marry someone who is not a Christian?

In answering these questions, Dr. Caldwell also reminds us that God’s standard for marriage is different for the one professing to know Jesus Christ. For those who profess to know Christ, we must hold them to the standard of Scripture. We cannot support them as a professing believer as they knowingly violate God’s will in any area of their life. Doing so will devastate them, and it would be unloving of us to affirm them in their sinful path. We want to do everything in our area of responsibility to try to rescue our child/family member from this.

To learn more about a God-glorifying and God-honoring marriage, consider listening to the following sermons exposited from the Word of God by Pastor Caldwell:

Marriage, Divorce, & Re-Marriage

The Joy of Sexual Faithfulness in Marriage

Sexual Temptation & Marriage

Biblical Separation – Parts 1 & 2

Concerns, Considerations, & Conclusions

Foundational Matters For Healthy Marriages

A Christian Marriage

The post Important Questions to Ask Before Marriage appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

A podcast listener writes in to ask about the difficulties of dealing with family members who believe they are saved. The listener shares that the lifestyles of these family members do not, in their opinion, bear the fruit of salvation. The listener doubts the conversion of these family members. How should they go about evangelizing them? What is one to do when we suspect that new birth(regeneration/salvation) has not taken place in the life of someone professing Christ?

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot discuss these concerns regarding professions of Christ and false conversions. False profession of faith can and does exist among our physical family members, just as they do within our spiritual family, in our churches. What are believers to do when our lives regularly connect or intertwine with those who claim to belong to Christ, yet, their lives do not appear to reflect the fruit that salvation brings? These questions and more are discussed and answered as Dr. Caldwell seeks to guide us with biblical wisdom and a heart of a loving under-shepherd.

Dr. Caldwell tells us that there are some important ways we need to think through this. Before having a conversation with those we love and are concerned for, we would want to ascertain that they have a clear view of the gospel. Doing this will help in how to evaluate them further. If it is not clear, then this is where we would need to begin our conversation.

If we are convinced they know the gospel but see evidence of unfruitful life choices, our discussion will need to be different. We would want to try to talk with them about things that Christians should be able to agree on. Consider the Bible and Jesus; these are often things that those who profess Christ often, don’t even want to talk about. These are things New Testament believers do want to do. If they are unwilling to do this, it is an indicator of a problem.

We want to be wise in how we go about this. We want to pray and ask the Lord to help us enter discussions and conversations with genuine Christlike love. Sometimes our relatives are unwilling to talk because we are so zealous. We want to remember that conversion is the work of the Lord. We want to be good evangelists and winsome in the process. We want to be able to talk about the things of the Lord and be able to press a bit on their claims to love Christ. So if they are open and willing to talk more, we would want to talk about how the Bible, in the New Testament, describes the fruit of genuine conversion. Would they agree with this, will they be willing to examine the Biblical evidence(s)?

But what about those persons who can articulate the gospel clearly? What about those who regularly attend church, quote scriptures, make bold claims, etc.? In our culture today, this is a real issue, especially here in America. There are many who do these things religiously. However, their lives often do not manifest spiritual growth. An appetite for solid biblical truth and spiritual things seems not to exist. Or, if one does exist, it does not appear to be rooted and grounded in Christ.

Dr. Caldwell says this is why he mentioned evidence(s). Evidence is important. The biblical evidence(s) of life in Jesus Christ is what should be reflected in the lives of those professing Christ. Making a verbal declaration and having the ability to say true aspects of the gospel, does not make one a regenerate person. The New Testament gives warnings about those who use the name of the Lord but do not know Him. Therefore, this is why we must be able to discuss biblical evidence with those for whom we are concerned. A great place to start this discussion is from the book of First John. Dr. Caldwell gives a few examples of the evidence(s) found in this short but powerful book.

Lastly, Dr. Caldwell mentions that it might also be helpful for those we genuinely love and are concerned about to know that this door of concern goes both ways. We want them to know that if we love them enough to have this kind of concern for their soul, that we are comfortable with them loving us so much to care about ours as well. So we will want to show and express this well. We want them to know if they see concerns in our life, that we want them, and invite them to share those with us, not just concern that surrounding our salvation, but of obedience to Christ as well.

This issue of professing Christ and not possessing Him is not a new problem. It existed during the time that Jesus was on the earth. It continued after the ascension of Christ during the time of the Apostles, and it will go on until the day Jesus returns. The parable of the wheat and tares confirms this (Matt. 13:24-30). Navigating discussions and conversations with professing Christians can be daunting, arduous, and overwhelming. How we approach those with whom we are concerned matters. It can mean the difference between open doors and closed ones for further conversations. We want to come humbly, having prayed and praying. We want to make sure our spirit is good in the way that we present the truth. We want to try to guide our discussions toward some common ground that all believers should be able to agree on.

To hear and learn more about the topic of false profession discussed today, consider listening to the following sermons by Dr. Richard Caldwell:

The Purpose For Parables

How The Gospel Is Received

Gospel Reception – Parts 1, 2, & 3

A Warning Against Worldliness

Proving Our Profession: Love

The Myth Of Lying Fruit

The Nature Of Genuine Faith

The post Evangelizing Professing Christians appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

Genesis 3 seems to imply that Adam and Eve didn’t have knowledge about good and evil before eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What did Adam and Eve know about good and evil before they sinned? Was it wrong for Adam and Eve to know about good and evil? What changed after they sinned? In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss these questions about what Adam and Eve knew. They seek to give us biblical insight and clarity about intellectual and experiential knowledge, along with what that difference means when we obey God at His Word.

Dr. Caldwell begins by saying that he thinks it’s possible to know things from an intellectual point of view that we don’t know by having an experiential point of view. There are things we can know about because God has told us in His Word. Yet, there are also things we can know about because we won’t listen to what He has told us in His Word. This is a kind of knowing that no one should want, a knowledge of things in such a way that God told you this was coming, but you weren’t willing to listen to Him. This is learning about something by disobeying God. You know it now through your own experience. This comes with the regret of now knowing something that you wish you never knew. Dr. Caldwell gives the example of sexual sin and shares how this plays out in the devastating pain and consequences that follow.

He next explains how Adam and Eve would have had the intellectual capacity to understand(know) that there is right and wrong, there is good and evil. They would have understood the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. They both would have had the conceptual knowledge. However, as soon as they disobeyed by eating from the forbidden tree, they now knew evil differently. They now experience it because they have participated in it. This was a knowing they did not need to know (experience). God had already told and warned Adam. Adam knew what the consequences would be. What they now experience (know) is invaded with the devastating effects God had warned about and more.

Therefore, after their initial sin, Adam and Eve’s capacity to know good and evil grew negatively. That knowledge is negative because it is detrimental. They are no longer only aware (intellectual knowledge) of wrong and evil. They are now active participants. Their sinning was against God, His Words, the truth He had told them; it brought death. Satan crept in and told them things. He told them they would know things, things that they didn’t know. His shrewd deceptive words contained an element of truth. What Satan hid from them is that this new knowing would come with great loss and devastating pain.

If you are interested in learning more about this subject matter and the only answer for it, consider listening to the following sermons by Pastor Richard Caldwell:

Marriage & Man’s Original Sin

Driven To Paradise

Under Sin

What Adam’s Failure Meant To Mankind

Through Faith In Jesus Christ

The post Knowing Good and Evil appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

Does God view all sin the same? Are some sins worse than others? Will there be different degrees of punishment in hell for some?

In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot seek to answer these questions about sin. They take us to the Bible for their responses and seek to show us how sinful sin really is. They seek to help us in how we think about sin and what our response to it should be.

Dr. Caldwell believes that there are indicators in the New Testament of different degrees that exist as they relate to punishments and rewards. Though Bible nowhere specifically states that there are different levels, it still seems to indicate this. Dr. Caldwell shares the example of Jesus as he contrasts Tyre and Sidon with Sodom and Gomorrah(Luke 10). The implication seems to be, with greater light comes greater responsibility, as also indicated by Hebrews 10:28.

Every sin is worthy of death from the standpoint of God’s holiness (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23). Yet, all sins are not the same in terms of their effect in the human realm. The effects will not be the same in all relational spheres. When Christ speaks with the Pharisees about tithing the herbs of their gardens, He chastises them for neglecting the weightier matters of the Law. Here we learn when it comes to God’s commands some things are weightier than others.

Dr. Caldwell wants us to stop and think about what makes sin sinful. When we think about disobeying and transgressing the commands of God, what really is the sinfulness of sin? It’s a bold attack against God Himself. Sin is a complete disregard of God’s honor, His glory, His worthiness; it’s the lacking of reverence for who He is. This makes sin exceedingly hateful. If we think about it from this standpoint, then even the smallest of transgressions would be something that we don’t want to be guilty of.

Dr. Caldwell speaks about the sin of lust and the sin of adultery as examples. He explains how Jesus, in the Scriptures, shows that sin begins in the mind and in the heart. Dr. Caldwell further shows how this sin is also coveting. He then explains how the book of Proverbs speaks of warning the young man about sexual sin and how it leads to the grave. The Proverbs go on to warn the young man about all sorts of things and how they are going to affect his life. So there’s this warning at the heart level about sin. There are also warnings of the repercussions that will come about in the physical life of the individual(s) who physically commits the sin. Lusting is a great sin and needs to be cut off at the level of our minds and our hearts. But to say that the relational effects of lust are entirely the same as the one who physically commits adultery would not be true.

Lastly, Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Philpot discuss the sermon on the mount given by Jesus. Jesus delivers this sermon using these words: ‘you have heard that it was said…’, ‘but I say…’. In these things He speaks of, He appears to be saying that these things are far greater than the people previously thought or had been taught. These sins aren’t just simple sins that happen externally. Jesus probes deep and points to the heart level of the commands. But, as Jesus shares in John 3, in conversation with Nicodemus, the only way one can truly obey God from this level is with a heart that has been transformed by the grace of God. When regeneration takes place in an individual’s life, there is a new understanding of the Scriptures that comes with this new life. We come to understand that we can commit sin, not just by what we do with our bodies but also by what goes on in our minds. So then, at the deepest level, to obey God means taking hold of what goes on in our minds. We are to be killing sin, or it will be killing us.

To hear and learn more about sin and what our response to it should be, consider listening to these sermons by Pastor Richard Caldwell:

The Seriousness of Easter

Getting To Know The God of Vengeance

God’s Greatest Commandment – Man’s Greatest Need

Life’s Most Important Question – Pts. 1 & 2

New Fruit

God-Given Motivations For Spiritual Growth

A Christian’s View of The Body

God’s Abandoning Judgement

Watching & Waiting

The post Degrees of Sin and The Punishment It Warrants appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

How are Christians to think when it comes to the ongoing hostility and fighting between Israel and Palestine? Should Christians support modern Israel based on biblical beliefs? What should our attitudes and posture be towards both Israel and Palestine?

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot discuss these questions and more regarding the ongoing unrest and conflict that is taking place between the State of Israel and Palestine. These questions relate primarily to the understanding that the land of Canaan belongs to the Jews. Christians will understand this differently based on their biblical interpretations of the covenants and their arrived eschatology.

Dr. Caldwell says he thinks Believers sometimes get confused over the things that transpire between Israel and Palestine based on their eschatological view. Premillennialists (not all) see a future for national Israel in the kingdom of God. So, some Believers take that biblical understanding and feel obligated to support Israel as it exists at the moment, regardless of what Israel does. Dr. Caldwell doesn’t agree with this. The Israel of the kingdom age is not the Israel that exists right now.That will be a believing Israel; current Israel is secular. So then, as he looks at their current circumstances, all he sees is national Israel defending herself.

He believes a good passage that will help Christians think through this is from Romans 11; he reads and walks us through verses 25 to 28 for this purpose. He explains that he has a love for ethnic Israelites because he has a love for God. He longs to see God’s purposes, plans and promises all fulfilled. Yet, this love is not indiscriminate. It’s not one without a proper recognition that what is right and what is wrong is not right and wrong regardless of who does it. Believing that God has a plan for ethnic Israel in the future kingdom to come does not make all that national Israel does today automatically right. What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong. But in regards to these specific circumstances, what is happening right now, he believes that the nation has every right to defend itself.

Dr. Philpot says that what he understands Dr. Caldwell as saying is that Christians should love all nations. But it is to be a love that is not indiscriminate. We should love our neighbors as ourselves. We should aim for the goal of their restoration in Christ. But there is this somewhat special attention given to this people group because of God’s future plans. Dr. Caldwell affirms these statements. He adds, regarding the latter, that we need to understand, no matter what we believe and understand, about this people group that it isn’t our task to bring it about. At any given moment, right is right, and wrong is wrong; what is righteousness, is righteousness, and what is sin, is sin, no matter who the people group it is that is carrying it out.

They also take up a discussion about the history of Israel, pre-Christ, and since Christ. Dr. Philpot asks Dr. Caldwell why does he think that they are constantly persecuted. Why is it that Israel is continually, in some sense, the center of attention in sort of a worldwide way and why, does Dr. Caldwell think there is so much anti-Semitism?

How we think about these things is notable, and how we behave and respond matters. As Christians, we have a great responsibility. We have been given a great commission. We are to share the gospel near and far, to teach and preach Christ. We are to humbly appeal, pray, and make petitions on behalf of all men. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4). So while we may or may not agree with each other about the situation and circumstances between Israel and Palestine, we can pray. We should pray for the people, for those leading them, and those in authority over them. We should pray for salvation, for peace, and for an amicable settlement and outcome. We should pray for God’s will to be done and for His purposes, plans, and promises to be fulfilled.

For additional help on how to think about these ongoing issues between Israel and Palestine, consider listening to the following sermons exposited from the Word of God by Dr. Richard Caldwell:

Observations For Evangelism

The Salvation of All Israel

Thinking Rightly About Israel

A Christian Vision For Engaging The World – Pts. 1 & 2

The Whole World Guilty

The Character of The Natural Man

The Character of Lost Humanity

Under Sin

The post Should Christians Support Israel or Palestine? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

The Old Testament seems to portray God as vengeful and wrathful. While the New Testament depicts God as merciful, loving, and forgiving. Does the New Testament hold a different view of justice and violence than the Old Testament?

Old Testament God vs. New Testament God will be the topic of conversation taking place this week on the Straight Truth Podcast. Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot answer these questions biblically by going to the source of Truth itself. They appeal to the Bible, allowing God’s Word to speak definitively on this subject. Thus giving us a fuller view and understanding based on both testaments.

Dr. Caldwell says he thinks this statement and question reflects a lack of knowledge or interest in the Old Testament. We must not forget that the whole book is for us and belongs to us, from Genesis to Revelation. The idea that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament also reflects some lack of knowledge of the New Testament. Therefore, this is where Dr. Caldwell takes us as he opens the Word of God and walks us through a few Scriptures from both testaments.

He shares and gives commentary on these New Testament Scriptures:

He then turns to the Old Testament and does the same with the following verses:

After sharing these passages and discussing them further, he tells us that the question, with much respect, is off at its very inception. The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. In both testaments, He is a God of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love, but also the God who will punish sin in the end. A God of justice.

Dr. Philpot says that maybe people think of Joshua and his conquest of Canaan when they ask this question. That conquest includes a whole lot of death that took place. That death included old men, young men, women, and children alike. However, what is often ignored is what is actually going on there. The conquest did not involve the entire population of the land. Only certain cities were to be dispossessed. Perhaps people are thinking of the time of Joshua when asking this question. But if so, there is something else that ought to be considered. The conquest that Joshua led brought death to thousands. Yet the book of Revelation indicates that many times more than this will lose their lives. So, it almost appears that the New Testament is even more violent than the Old Testament. Dr. Caldwell agrees.

Dr. Caldwell says he thinks the common theme here is that we have to read the Bible contextually. We have to take note of what’s going on, what the Lord is doing, even how He is making Himself known. We have to hear these things in their context, and it will help us to better understand.

To learn more on this subject, consider listening to sermons from Dr. Caldwell as he faithfully exposits these truths from both the Old Testament and the New Testaments:

The Need For Grace

The Great Day of Judgment

The Sixth Seal

Meet The True God

Sins Against God’s Love

Where Is The God of Justice

God’s Character & Hope

The post Old Testament God vs. New Testament God – Different or the Same? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell is joined again by Dr. Jerry Wragg, Pastor/Teacher of Grace Immanuel Bible Church in Jupiter, Florida, and the President of The Expositors Seminary. Last week these two sat down and began a discussion on biblical discernment. This week they continue the discussion, diving in a bit deeper concerning the local church, how church members as a group discern, and how individuals can grow in it. Additionally, they speak about the drift that occurs at institutional seminaries.

Dr. Caldwell says that within our churches, there are various opinions about the issues of the day. Even when it comes to theological issues and doctrinal matters and discussions. Sometimes it’s opinions over things that aren’t doctrinal but perhaps peripheral. He asks Dr. Wragg how does he deal with this as a pastor? How does he help his people think about the unity of the church? How does his church work through the many differences of opinions and viewpoints? What do they do as elders to try to foster and encourage these things?

Dr. Wragg gives a helpful answer reminding us of how we are to look at the Scriptures. We need to see and know what the Scriptures mandate and what they don’t. He speaks about how there are things that are explicit, implicit, and other things that can be inferred from explicit or implicit texts. He shares about how there are things that are black and white. But also shares that there are areas outside of these that would be a sort of middle category requiring wisdom principles, a gray area. These are things where Christians will often disagree greatly on. He shares how we ought to look at and work through these gray areas. Further sharing that even when Christians disagree, they don’t have to disagree so starkly and be so different as to not talk about what might be the wisest course of action. He even gives a few helpful examples of this.

Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Wragg discuss how a person who wants to grow in discernment can go about doing this. Growing in biblical discernment requires us to hide God’s Word in our hearts. We need to know the Truth and its specifics to draw out principles by which we practice and live. Growing in discernment requires us to lay down our lives and to die to self. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It requires letting the Spirit of God direct our lives and control our motives. The bottom line is that if we aren’t doing these things, the Holy Spirit isn’t going to zap or infuse us at any given moment with discernment. The Holy Spirit is merciful and gracious. Yet, if we neglect His Words, we just end up in the weeds. Our minds must be saturated by God’s Word, and we must humbly submit to what we are learning. The renewal process that takes place as we do these things will build discernment.

The final portion of their discussion remains on the subject of discernment. However, Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Wragg move from discussing the local church and the members to what is happening in institutional seminaries. As previously mentioned, Dr. Wragg is the President of The Expositors Seminary. The Expositors Seminary is made up of a group of churches, of which Founders Baptist is one of the campuses. The Expositor’s Seminary states its purpose is to magnify the glory of God by serving the local church (emphasis added), through training, equipping, mentoring, and affirming men who are called by the Lord Jesus Christ into the ministry of the gospel. With this in mind, Dr. Caldwell asks Dr. Wragg to talk with him about the sad tendency over time for seminaries to drift theologically and sometimes even morally.

They discuss both why Dr. Wragg thinks this happens and why he thinks this pattern emerges. They discuss how the next generation of pastors can be protected from participating in and being part of the drift. Dr. Wragg then shares what he believes is the best way to train future pastors. And lastly, he shares what he sees as some of the dangerous issues facing the church. Their conversation speaks of faithfulness and fidelity to the Truth, tendencies toward pride and false humility, insipid teaching, lack of discernment in leadership, and the fear of man that brings a snare.

Prayerfully this discussion has revealed the magnitude of importance that discernment must be to Christians. We are to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. We are to abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. We cannot be this nor do this without biblical discernment.

To grow in and cultivate biblical discernment, consider listening to sermons by Dr. Caldwell from the Book of Romans (Series from 2019-2021). Specifically, consider listening to the sermons exposited from chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15. These passages of Scripture relate directly to this discussion. In addition to these, the following sermons will assist in this endeavor as well:

The Sweetness of Truth

Pursuing The Harmony That Glorifies God

Perseverance and The Local Church

The Fear of God

Free From The Fear of Men

The post Discernment, Faith, and Fidelity to the Truth Part 2 | Jerry Wragg appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell sits down with a special guest, Dr. Jerry Wragg. Dr. Wragg is the Pastor/Teacher of Grace Immanuel Bible Church in Jupiter, Florida, and the President of The Expositor’s Seminary, which has eleven locations throughout the US. Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Wragg sit down to have a serious and salient conversation on the subject matter of discernment.

Dr. Caldwell has put together some questions that he would like Dr. Wragg to answer and share from his heart. Dr. Caldwell begins by asking Dr. Wragg when thinking about the subject of discernment, how would he define it from the Scriptures?

Dr. Wragg says essentially, it’s the ability to see right from wrong, to perceive the truth from error. We see this in Hebrews 5:14, where it speaks of having our senses trained. We are to have the senses of our spiritual mind trained that we can take principles from Scripture and learn to apply them wisely to life. When we do this in an ongoing way, not remaining elementary or generalized in our understanding of truth, we will be able to make clear defining lines between good and evil. When we don’t do this, in some sense, our senses become atrophied.

Dr. Caldwell asks, aren’t we also aren’t attempting to discern that which God sets His good pleasure on? On that which God affirms, versus that which He would reject? Isn’t our aim a striving to have our affirmations and refusals match that of God?

Dr. Wragg says that’s actually a great way to say it, and it points back to the whole reality that practicing the truth is the only way to get there. Sometimes, even in the Church, discernment is thought of as cleverness, human intellect, or ingenuity. But we are looking to know the mind and heart of God that only the Spirit knows.

Other questions they discuss concerning discernment are: Where is the Church when it comes to discernment? Is the Church’s discernment sound? Or is the Church more like the culture which is being tossed here and there in its confusion? What about pride and humility, as they relate to the Word of God in being definitive over and against the multitudes of opining that goes on today? Is the Bible really that clear, and do we really have the ability to know the will of God, and if so, why are there so many different interpretations of it? And lastly, what is God’s plan for the growth of the discernment of His people?

To learn more about the importance of Gods people being discerning and how to grow and cultivate discernment, consider listening to the following sermons by Dr. Caldwell, along with those from the conference mentioned in the podcast:

Discernment For The Ages

Encountering God’s Word

Immaturity Rebuked

The Ministers of The Word In The Life of The Church

A Healthy Church

The Gift Of Discernment – Pts 1 & 2

A Christian Response To Sowers of Discord

Truth In Love Conference 2021 – Discernment

The post Jerry Wragg | Discernment, Faith, and Fidelity to the Truth appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

How should one think about and handle unspoken prayer requests? Are unspoken prayer requests biblical? How can we pray for the request if we don’t know what it is? Should we even submit unspoken requests for prayer?

In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host Dr. Josh Philpot consider the unspoken prayer request. Those are requests that we sometimes read on a prayer list or hear from someone asking for prayer but, there is a lack of details or specifics. Pastor Caldwell says some of us struggle with unsatisfied thoughts when we see or hear a request for prayer labeled unspoken. The struggle is real because, in some sense, we don’t know what to do with them. We don’t know what we are being asked to pray about, therefore, we often struggle with how we ought to pray. Even so, says Pastor Caldwell, there are two things we should consider when it comes to unspoken requests.

First, he says we want to be generous. Sometimes when people ask for or submit a request for prayer that doesn’t have details, it may be that the person feels inadequate to express it in words. It could be that time does not permit them to expand on all that is burdening them or bringing sadness to their lives. The request might be extremely sensitive, it could involve details that are intensely personal or perhaps damaging to others. There is more than one kind of unspoken prayer request, and there may be all sorts of reasons why those asking do not share the details. So what we want to do in these situations is be generous. Since we really have no way of knowing what to pray for, we can pray for the person that has made the request.

Secondly, Pastor Caldwell shares some advice for those who make these kinds of requests. He shares that if we have something like this in our minds and on our hearts, something where we feel unable to share the details, it would be better to ask: would you pray for me? We know what is in our minds. We know the situations and circumstances that are burdening us. When we ask others to pray for what only we know, this does not allow them to come alongside us and assist us in our need. In addition to this, Pastor Caldwell tells us that we can reduce these unspoken prayer requests greatly, by practicing a proper kind of transparency. We do this by opening up and being vulnerable with one another. He reminds us that we can go individually to our pastor or our elders, asking them to come alongside us. We can even ask them as a group to pray about these things for us. In this way, we can take some of these unspoken requests and make them spoken.

Unspoken prayer requests can appear vague, lacking in specifics and details, but that doesn’t make them invalid nor unworthy of our prayers. There are no specific biblical illustrations or examples of praying for unspoken requests. Yet, there are places where the Apostle Paul mentions praying for others, even though we do not read of them asking for prayer. Paul doesn’t always express the specifics of what it was that he has prayed about. Still, he shares that he has prayed, and he does this as a means of encouragement without going into the details.

Another question that Pastor Caldwell addresses is whether we should always make our private thoughts and struggles known to someone else for prayer. He says there are times when we talk to other people about things when we ought to be talking to God. There are things we do not need to tell others. Instead, we need to take those things to the Lord and make our request known before Him. Pastor Caldwell says there is a possibility that this may even be an area of struggle for those who present unspoken requests. It may be that there is a broader issue of an individual struggling in their prayer life. If this is the case, then the prayer request ought to be presented as such. Otherwise, their request can be shared privately with someone else. Pastor Caldwell reminds us that we want to be humble and transparent. He shares that the Lord has provided ways for this to be accomplished without us doing damage to ourselves or others. But he also states emphatically that some of the things that end up on the prayer request list may be better dealt with in the prayer closet.

We may feel limited in the manner in which we make our requests for prayer known to others. But God is not limited to answer by that manner since He knows all things. Whether requests for prayer are spoken or unspoken, verbal or non-verbal, detailed, or lacking specifics, we still must pray and trust that God hears and answers. Even so, this does not mean that we should not seek to be more specific when asking others to pray for our needs. God has provided the means for us through the body of Christ, that our brothers and sisters would be there to help and assist us in our times of need. Different situations and circumstances may call for sharing details and specifics, but with whom and when will require discernment and discretion. Other times we may need to go before the Lord in private because sometimes our struggles need to be worked out with Him alone.

To learn more about prayer, how to pray, difficulties present in prayer life, and the responsibility we have to pray for others, consider listening to the following sermons by Pastor Caldwell:

The Life of Peace – Trusting Prayer

Effective Prayer

Wisdom For Life’s Trials

The Do’s & Don’ts of Prayer

Our Helper In Prayer

The Motivation For Prayer

Prayer – God’s Willingness & Our Reluctance

The Priority & Passion of Prayer

The post The Unspoken Prayer Request appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.