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 enriched our appreciation for salvation, etc.

Dr. Philpot gives an example that applies to our conversations as they relate to these hard to accept doctrinal truths. He shares that our aim ought to be to win the man instead of the argument. We are more app to win our family over to hearing the beauty of these things by a gentle, loving approach versus the hard hammered dogmatic approach that attempts to beat them over the head in an argument. Dr. Caldwell confirms the truth of this. He reminds us that our family will be watching our life and our life will demonstrate a stability that comes from believing these doctrines. As we go through hardships and trials our family will be able to see the peace, rest, and trust that we know because we understand that God is sovereign over ALL things, not just salvation. These sorts of experiences often open the door down the road for deeper conversations and explanations for how we go about handling life this way.

Final words Dr. Caldwell shares are to remember the doctrines themselves, remember God is sovereign. Conversationally share the truth in a way that emphasizes the blessing and the beauty found in the doctrines as they have impacted your life. Lastly, trust the Lord to change the hearts of your loved ones.

Help Me Explain The Doctrines of Grace.

Sermons that will help you think through this process more deeply and sermons that will help you to keep fresh in your mind the sovereignty of God can be listened to from the following links:

The Sovereignty of God

The Believers Response to Sovereign Grace

The Knowledge Grace Brings – Prts. 1 and 2

Grace that Brings More Grace – Prts. 1 and 2

The Teaching of Salvation – Prts. 1 and 2

The Glory of God in Salvation – Prts. 1 & 2

Gentleness

The post Help Me Explain The Doctrines of Grace appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

 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 Christ. All that we can do is know, love, and embrace the truth with a willingness to share the truth as best as we can in the strength and boldness that our Lord provides.  Dr. Caldwell says that God constantly uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines. He takes frail, weak and imperfect vessels, using them to do things that are mighty and eternal in nature, making clear that it is all His work and that all the glory goes to Him. So you can relax in the knowledge that it is not all resting on you, your role is to be faithful.

 Dr. Caldwell reminds us we need to remember that when sharing the gospel we won’t always be harvesting. Sometimes we’ll be planters, sometimes the waterers and at other times the harvester. We don’t have to get everything we know about the gospel, in totality, into every conversation. It is okay to give a partial witness, it’s okay to drop a seed or only speak a few words. We need not bear a load of guilt when an opportunity has only afforded us a moment or two to share some gospel truth. We just need to be faithful and do our very best in the time that has been given to us. It’s God who saves that has allowed you that opportunity, in that particular situation, that was limited in nature. 

 In terms of the fear that you experience when it comes to gospel sharing, the answer is to turn to the scriptures. You need to remember what the scriptures say about you, what you can expect as a Christian, and you must be armed for suffering. This is not about you, it’s about Christ, is about a great Savior who has had mercy upon you. Each time that you are obedient to share, the more you go about being faithful in the opportunities that are given, you will gain confidence. 

The more you do it the more confidence you gain, and greater yet, the confidence to continue in it. This your opportunity to tell others about the greatest person who exists, the God of the universe and the Savior of the world, allowing your pride to be mortified by the greatness of God.

I Am Afraid to Share My Faith.

To hear more about overcoming your fears and being a faithful witness for Christ consider listening to the following sermons from the Word of God by Dr. Richard Caldwell:

Confidence In The Gospel

Free From The Fear of Man

Confidence and Conscience

The Attitude of a Faithful Witness

Convictions That Fuel Gospel Courage

The Assignment of a Faithful Witness

The Ambition of a Faithful Witness – Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Answering Gospel Objections

Christ’s Witnesses

The post I Am Afraid to Share My Faith appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast, a listener has submitted a question regarding their conversion and profession of faith in Christ as it relates to their water baptism. Dr. Josh Philpot shares with us that the listener states they were baptized as a child, later they left the church, but have recently begun submitting to God through their understanding of His Word. Dr. Philpot also shares that the listener has shared that they want to obey the command of baptism, but aren’t sure if it was true the first time; they want to know if they should be baptized again. Dr. Philpot presents this to Dr. Richard Caldwell asking should this person be baptized again, what biblical advice can he offer here.

Dr. Caldwell says the question for the listener is not, should I be baptized a second time, but, have you been baptized? For baptism to be baptism it must follow conversion. What the listener will need to wrestle with is, were you truly regenerate when you professed faith initially? Do you believe that the Lord saved you then? If your conversion was genuine and you were baptized after being saved, then your baptism is genuine and legitimate. If it clear to you that it was not, then you need to be baptized.

Dr. Caldwell gives an illustration of a wedding ring and marriage to help us further understand water baptism. The wedding ring is given and worn to symbolize the actual marriage event that has taken place, it’s not the marriage itself, it does not make us married by just putting it on. So, if you have not yet married the ring cannot have this symbolic significance. 

Like this, baptism does not make us a Christian, but on the other side of conversion, it speaks to the reality of salvation that has taken place in our life. Therefore what we have to get right with water baptism is that it takes place on the right side of our conversion, not before, but after. To help us even further, Dr. Caldwell also shares his profession of Christ at age 7, and later conversion at 16 along with some of the challenges that he went through in regards to his baptism.

Dr. Philpot shares that the listener has mentioned something regarding reformed theology and being awakened more to the things of God. He mentions that often when this happens, people have become aware of the doctrines of grace, coming to the true knowledge of God and that it’s His saving work in their life. Some of these things that we learn in reformed theology are sometimes things that we never knew, had never been taught or previously understood, but when they become known, understood, accepted, and real to us it quite often feels like a second conversion. But he says to Dr. Caldwell, this wouldn’t necessarily indicate or mean that a person was a non-believer before, would it? Dr. Caldwell’s answer is no, not at all, of course not. 

He says this is true when we discover some area of doctrine that we were ignorant of, in some cases it is like a second conversion and this is especially so if it’s the doctrines of grace. In these truths, we come to know God in a way that we didn’t know Him before, but it doesn’t mean that we weren’t saved and didn’t know Him, it just means that we vastly underestimated who He is. 

He explains that when the gospel comes to us and we see ourselves as a sinner in need of God’s grace, understanding that Jesus is the all-sufficient Savior, and we turn to Him in faith, believing that it is through Him alone that we receive forgiveness of our sins and through His finished work on the cross, in His death burial and resurrection that we are saved, it’s in that very moment that we believe, that we are saved. Just because we didn’t know at that time that it’s all the sovereign work of God doesn’t make it any less real. What we come to know in the doctrines of grace is a better understanding of what has already happened in our life, it’s an explanation of what God Himself has done.

A final point of advice Dr. Caldwell offers for the questioner, and for anyone else who might be asking these questions- if you find this to be an issue that continues to nag at you, there is probably a reason. If sometime in eternity, it is revealed that you were mistaken and were truly converted at the younger age, yet you followed through with water baptism now because you wanted to be certain that you honored the commandment of the Lord, you will not have sinned. Wanting to honor God in a baptism that has understanding is not sinful. So if there’s no doubt that you’re baptized today and in doing so, you know what you’re doing and why, that’s a God-honoring action.

Should I Get Baptized a Second Time? If there are questions that remain regarding regeneration, repentance, true salvation, and water baptism you can dive deeper into these subjects with Dr. Richard Caldwell as he exposits the Word of God in the following sermons:

The Holy Spirit’s Work in Conversion

The Holy Spirit as God’s Seal and Pledge

One Baptism

The Life That Pleases God

The post Should I Get Baptized a Second Time? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

Is it wrong for a Christian to use a Dating App or an Online Dating Service? Is it sinful to search in these places as a Christian with good intentions looking for someone who could potentially be a spouse someday? What if there are no good choices where I live and I meet someone through one of these services outside the area I live, would this be an impossibility?

In this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast Dr. Richard Caldwell and host, Dr. Josh Philpot discuss these questions and seek to answer them with a biblical perspective. Dr. Caldwell brings his years of experience as a pastor who has married and counseled numerous couples to the table. Together they give us food for thought and encourage us to consider carefully what is said and why it is said.

Dr. Caldwell begins by saying that he doesn’t believe that we can say it’s sinful for a Christian to use dating apps or online dating services. He comments that he even knows couples in recent years who have met that way and by God’s providence it has worked out in their favor, they both love the Lord and they have a good marriage today. So he says we can’t rule apps and services out.

However, he does say that Christians must think about the standard for marriage. For a Christian, the biblical parameter is set, it’s fixed. The standard or parameter for marriage is ‘in Christ’. As Christians, we are to desire to find someone who is in the Lord. If you are eligible to be married and the person you meet is eligible to be married by biblical standards, and they are in the Lord, then you can pursue dating them with the potential of marriage. Then when you find that you both love the Lord, you’re compatible, that you love one another and want to get married, you can do that according to Scripture. Yet, if you have used a dating app or online dating service, how will you know if someone is in the Lord?

How do you or can you know what their fruit is compared to just their profession? How will you know if the evidence of genuine spiritual life is being manifested in their life? He reminds us that we have to know them, we have to be able to spend time with them. The dating app or online service might make the initial introduction, but you’re still going to have to be able to spend time with them to know these things. Where this will become more difficult and incredibly challenging is if you meet someone that lives outside your city, state, or even country.

Dr. Caldwell reminds us that what is most important is what we believe as Christians. Questions will need to asked about what each of you believes, it’s just not enough to say, “I’m a Christian and they are too”. Beginning questions would include: what does this person believe about God, Jesus, God’s Word, His Church, marriage, etc.

There will be 1000’s of subjects that you need to talk about and find out whether you agree on them or not. This is one of the primary reasons that Dr. Caldwell believes that a Christian looking for a spouse will never do better than their local church as the place to find the one whom they will someday marry. It’s in the local community of faith that you have the opportunity to get to know each other, a place where you are living life together as Christians. It is also here that you share in one another’s lives and go through ups and downs together. By the time you’re ready to consider dating someone here, you already know something about them, and maybe even about their family, their way of life and their belief system.

Understanding these things becomes very important when thinking about preparing for marriage. Knowing how marriage has been modeled for a potential spouse will be helpful. This enables you to know how they will navigate the difficulties and conflicts that come with marriage that typically aren’t there when dating.

One other thing Dr. Caldwell recommends and emphasizes strongly for those pursuing marriage is pre-marital counseling. He tells us that this cannot properly take place if a couple is involved in a relationship outside the local church. The counseling wouldn’t be effective in that sense, because then it isn’t just about the two of you getting to know each other. As Christians, pre-marital counseling ought to involve someone who knows and loves both of you, someone who will probe into the very depths of your lives.

This counseling is done by someone who comes with the Word of God, someone who has spiritual wisdom due to years of walking with Christ, someone who has a long term marriage that is proven, and someone who understands the difficulties and conflicts that are involved with every marriage.

This person needs to be able to look at the two of you face to face and ask you some very difficult questions. They need to be able to press on some issues that you need to think about, things that you wouldn’t ordinarily think about. Dr. Caldwell suggests that this person should be a pastor, and ideally he would be your pastor at the church you are a member of.

Should Christians Date Online? The following are sermons by Dr. Caldwell for anyone who would like to dive deeper into the wisdom and discernment needed in contemplating using dating apps and online services, also here are sermons that discuss the standard for Christians as they consider whom they should date and whom they can marry:

Walking in Wisdom – Pts. 1 & 2

Qualities of Love – Discerning

Biblical Separation – Pts. 1 & 2

Applying the Principles

The post Should Christians Date Online? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host, Dr. Josh Philpot’s topic of discussion is the Trinity. Dr. Philpot tells us that people outside Christianity know that Christians believe in one God yet, they also seem to know that we profess God as triune. Simply put, we confess God is three persons in one divine essence. This is the doctrine of the Trinity and it is foundational to Christianity. It is not an easy doctrine to understand and often difficult to explain even to believers. So why then would we want to explain the Trinity to unbelievers? We would do that because that’s who God is. The doctrine of the Trinity is our human way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God. How then can we best explain the Trinity to those outside the faith, to non-Christians? 

Dr. Caldwell says we will never do better than to just say what Scripture says. He confirms that even among believers the Trinity is hard to wrap our minds around. Many illustrations have been offered to help in understanding the Trinity. While some illustrations can be helpful, we need to recognize that no illustration is going to be perfect, and some are more dangerous than helpful. Dr. Caldwell explains that even as the Trinity is defined and explained in historic creeds and confessions, it is done so with very careful language. These creeds and confessions are human attempts to simply state what Scripture says and not be in conflict with it. 

However, he says, no matter who it is we are seeking to explain the Doctrine of Trinity to, we can never do better than what the Bible itself says. Because there is no single verse that says God is triune or is Trinity, we need to be prepared to take them through the passages of Scripture that make the truth of the Trinity inescapable. We make the case from the Scriptures. In doing this, we will be faithful to declare the true God, God as He has declared Himself to be in His revealed Word.

Having said the Bible is the best explanation for the doctrine of the Trinity, Dr. Caldwell does not say that creeds and confessions are not helpful. In fact, he says that depending on those who have gone before us in their work and labor is tremendously helpful. The creeds and confessions are vital to helping us remain in the flow of historic orthodoxy. It would be arrogant on our part to step away from these and think that we are not standing on dangerous ground. Those who have come before us have labored diligently so that we might understand how to best express these difficult truths.

But not all creeds and confessions are equally worthy of belief or confessing, we must use discernment and always compare what they say with the Scriptures. After all, the Bible alone is the inspired Word of God and only rule for our faith and life.

Dr. Caldwell gives us an example of understanding the Trinity as related to our prayers. He explains that the New Testament pattern of prayer that we see most often, is to the Father, in the power of the Spirit, in the name of the Son. He goes on to say that Christians are more trinitarian in their daily lives than they realize. He speaks about how we go about living out our Christian lives with the knowledge of the Trinity, but most times without thinking directly about it. It’s always there in the background, but not much thought is given to it. 

He expands on this, showing us how prayer is one of those ways. Every time we go to the Father in the name of Jesus, understanding that we need help, it’s the Spirit that’s animating and informing us how to pray. In those times that we don’t know what to say or ask, it’s the Spirit that’s at work interceding for us, helping us to live out this trinitarian truth.

To learn more about how should christians choose their entertainment, developing an informed Christian conscience, understanding Christian liberty and freedom, and about pleasing God in matters of individual choice, consider listening to the following sermons by Dr. Richard Caldwell:

Matters of Conscience

Heavenly Minded People

Living Like Free Men – Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

The Importance of Joy

The Worthy Walk – Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

The post How Should Christians Choose Their Entertainment? appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.

This week on the Straight Truth Podcast, Dr. Richard Caldwell and host, Dr. Josh Philpot’s topic of discussion is the Trinity. Dr. Philpot tells us that people outside Christianity know that Christians believe in one God yet, they also seem to know that we profess God as triune. Simply put, we confess God is three persons in one divine essence. This is the doctrine of the Trinity and it is foundational to Christianity. It is not an easy doctrine to understand and often difficult to explain even to believers. So why then would we want to explain the Trinity to unbelievers? We would do that because that’s who God is. The doctrine of the Trinity is our human way of acknowledging what the Bible reveals to us about God. How then can we best explain the Trinity to those outside the faith, to non-Christians? 

Dr. Caldwell says we will never do better than to just say what Scripture says. He confirms that even among believers the Trinity is hard to wrap our minds around. Many illustrations have been offered to help in understanding the Trinity. While some illustrations can be helpful, we need to recognize that no illustration is going to be perfect, and some are more dangerous than helpful. Dr. Caldwell explains that even as the Trinity is defined and explained in historic creeds and confessions, it is done so with very careful language. These creeds and confessions are human attempts to simply state what Scripture says and not be in conflict with it. 

However, he says, no matter who it is we are seeking to explain the Doctrine of Trinity to, we can never do better than what the Bible itself says. Because there is no single verse that says God is triune or is Trinity, we need to be prepared to take them through the passages of Scripture that make the truth of the Trinity inescapable. We make the case from the Scriptures. In doing this, we will be faithful to declare the true God, God as He has declared Himself to be in His revealed Word.

Having said the Bible is the best explanation for the doctrine of the Trinity, Dr. Caldwell does not say that creeds and confessions are not helpful. In fact, he says that depending on those who have gone before us in their work and labor is tremendously helpful. The creeds and confessions are vital to helping us remain in the flow of historic orthodoxy. It would be arrogant on our part to step away from these and think that we are not standing on dangerous ground. Those who have come before us have labored diligently so that we might understand how to best express these difficult truths.

But not all creeds and confessions are equally worthy of belief or confessing, we must use discernment and always compare what they say with the Scriptures. After all, the Bible alone is the inspired Word of God and only rule for our faith and life.

Dr. Caldwell gives us an example of understanding the Trinity as related to our prayers. He explains that the New Testament pattern of prayer that we see most often, is to the Father, in the power of the Spirit, in the name of the Son. He goes on to say that Christians are more trinitarian in their daily lives than they realize. He speaks about how we go about living out our Christian lives with the knowledge of the Trinity, but most times without thinking directly about it. It’s always there in the background, but not much thought is given to it. 

He expands on this, showing us how prayer is one of those ways. Every time we go to the Father in the name of Jesus, understanding that we need help, it’s the Spirit that’s animating and informing us how to pray. In those times that we don’t know what to say or ask, it’s the Spirit that’s at work interceding for us, helping us to live out this trinitarian truth.

To learn more about the Trinity consider listening to the following sermon’s from Founders Baptist Church, where Dr. Richard Caldwell is the senior pastor.  These sermons come by way of Dr. Bruce Ware, who was invited to come and speak at Founders Baptist Church to teach specifically on the Doctrine of the Trinity:

The Trinity – Part 1

The Trinity – Part 2

The Trinity – Part 3

The Trinity – Part 4

The post Explaining the Trinity to an Unbeliever appeared first on Straight Truth Podcast.