THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, GREENDALE, INDIANA Jack Cottrell – August 11, 2019         Isaiah 61:10 – “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with … Continue reading

HAVE WE LEARNED TO THINK IN GRACE?

HAVE WE LEARNED TO THINK IN GRACE? AN AID FOR SELF-EXAMINATION Jack Cottrell – June 2016 In Romans 6:14-15, Paul says we Christians are “not under law, but under grace.” I.e., we are not under the law system as a … Continue reading

THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8

THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8 A DEVOTIONAL GIVEN BY JACK COTTRELL AT THE MAY 2016 MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CHRISTIAN RESTORATION ASSOCIATION I. INTRODUCTION. How can we discern what Paul is teaching in Romans 1-8, or … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #1 — GRACE ISN’T FAIR, BUT THAT’S GOOD!

Almost everyone develops a “fairness mentality” to some degree. We are conditioned from childhood to respect and seek fairness, otherwise known as justice. We know what it means to deserve (or not deserve) something. Very early in life, kids learn … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #2 — SAVED BY GRACE, NOT BY LAW

Think of heaven (just for the purpose of this illustration) as a gigantic city enclosed by an impenetrable and unscalable wall. You can see this city from afar, and you desperately want to enter into it. Your life is a … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #3 — DOUBLE CURSE, DOUBLE CURE

The English word “grace” can be used in three ways. First, it can refer to the cause of salvation: it represents the aspect of God’s nature that causes him to love sinners and seek their salvation even though they do … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #4 — SAVED BY GRACE, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

Romans 3:24-25 says, “We are all justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation—a sacrifice of atonement—through faith in his blood” (composite translation). The only way to … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #5 — JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: THE KEY TO ASSURANCE

The immediate practical benefit of understanding that we are saved by grace is that we have assurance of salvation. Assurance is not the same as “once saved, always saved.” It is a confidence in our present security in Jesus Christ. … Continue reading

Saved by Grace #6 — GRACE VS. GALATIANISM

In lesson five I said that many Christians lack assurance of salvation because they do not understand how “justification by faith” relates to STAYING saved, once one has become a Christian. It is important to distinguish between these two questions: … Continue reading