Yearly Archives: 2009

Occult Practices in the Bible

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Occult Practices in the Bible by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 7:35pm In a few weeks I will begin teaching a Wednesday-night series of lessons at my church on “demonology and spiritual warfare.” One major factor in spiritual warfare is resisting the temptation to become involved in occult activities, which always have been and still are a major weapon of demons. The following is an outline of the three main kinds of occult activity, and the Biblical teaching regarding each. I’m not sure how all aspects of my outline will show up in the FB format. … Continue reading →

Books that Have Influenced Me

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Books that Have Influenced Me by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 9:39am Some recently asked me this question: Would you mind sharing some of the books, besides the Bible, that helped to shape your views and understanding of the Bible? Also, who are the contemporary authors which continue to influence you? I thought I would share my (amplified) answer with everyone: “This is always a hard question for me to answer since the list is shorter than it seems it should be: Martin Luther (on grace and salvation issues); B. B. Warfield (for his meticulousness in … Continue reading →

Did Jonah die in the fish’s belly?

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Did Jonah die in the fish’s belly? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 10:26am A preacher friend sent me this request: ” In graduate studies this past week, the professor asserted that Jonah had actually died in the belly of the big fish and was three days and three nights in Sheol per his prayer he prayed [Jonah 2:2]. … When Jesus says in Matthew that he will be three days in the earth just as Jonah was three days in the belly of the big fish, there is no assertion to the fact by Jesus … Continue reading →

LABOR DAY MUSINGS: AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE

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LABOR DAY MUSINGS: AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 3:13pm THOUGHTS ON AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE RE: UPCOMING LABOR DAY Jack Cottrell – August 2009 PART ONE: AUTHORITY IN GENERAL. I. What IS authority? A. It is the right to declare what is right and wrong, and to enforce right conduct by punishing wrongdoers. I.e., it is the right to make the rules, the right to tell others what to do. B. It is the right of a person to impose norms for belief and conduct that are binding on others in … Continue reading →

Made in God’s Image

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Made in God’s Image by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, August 17, 2009 at 7:17pm Someone pointed out that the Bible says we are made in God’s image, and asked me, “What significance does that have for the Christian life today?” Here are a couple of things that immediately came to mind: One of the main differences this makes in today’s world is that it shows us that we are NOT in the same category or class of beings as animals. The theory of naturalistic evolution has all but erased the distinction between humans and animals. If we buy this … Continue reading →

Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38

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Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 12:56pm I am adapting my “Tyranny of the Paradigm” essay for a Christian Standard article (next year); this is one small part of it: Finally, an absolute, a priori commitment to the sola fidei paradigm leads to an irrational distortion of NT texts that relate baptism to salvation. One example is a rather common twisting of Acts 2:38. It is an argument that attempts to separate baptism from forgiveness through a blatantly faulty analysis of the Greek forms in this verse. E.g., Cal … Continue reading →

Faith and Reason

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Faith and Reason by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 9:21am Someone asked in a post, “Do you believe faith is independent of reason?” I answered thus: NO — the separation of faith and reason is a myth. You exercise faith EVERY TIME you accept someone else’s word about something, whether it be your doctor, your friend, the newspaper, a politician, or apostles. That is the ESSENCE of faith. But we must always ask, WHY should I accept another person’s word about anything? This is where reason enters. We should never accept someone’s word without adequate evidence–even … Continue reading →

Acts 2:38 in the NIV

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Acts 2:38 in the NIV by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 2:01pm In the original version of the NIV (1973), Acts 2:38a was translated thus: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that [eis] your sins may be forgiven.’” Here the Greek word “eis” is given its natural meaning, “so that, in order that, for the purpose of.” In the next edition of the NIV (1978) this was changed without notice: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus … Continue reading →

Another question about baptism

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Another question about baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 7:51pm Someone asked another question about baptism: “What about someone baptizing you that is not a Christian? Or they call themselves a Christian, but they are living in the world everyday but Sunday?” Here is my brief answer: Thanks for the question. My understanding is that baptism is an encounter between the baptized person and God. The baptizer is merely an instrument. There is no power in the baptizer; the baptizer lends no authenticity to the baptism. If the person being baptized is trusting to meet … Continue reading →

Can women perform baptisms?

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Can women perform baptisms? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 8:27am Someone asked me if it is OK for a woman to baptize a new convert in the church service. In defense of the practice, one person says the great commission is for everyone. Against this another person says that the great commission was given before the church began. Here is my response: (1) Yes, the great commission was given before the church began, but it was given FOR the church. The Lord’s Supper was given before the church began, too. Should we then not practice … Continue reading →