Yearly Archives: 2009

Thomas Campbell’s Declaration & Address

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Thomas Campbell’s Declaration & Address by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 9:33am ANOTHER RECENT QUERY: What is your opinion of the relevance or validity of Proposition 6 in Thomas Campbell’s “Declaration and Address,” which reads thus: 6. That although inferences and deductions from Scripture premises, when fairly inferred, may be truly called the doctrine of God’s holy word, yet are they not formally binding upon the consciences of Christians farther than they perceive the connection, and evidently see that they are so; for their faith must not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the … Continue reading →

Martin Luther on Immersion

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Martin Luther on Immersion by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 8:43am A RECENT QUESTION: Was Martin Luther himself immersed? The question came up at church yesterday in a discussion about Martin Luther’s high view of baptism. MY REPLY: I do not know the answer to your question. I do know that Luther strongly defended the practice of immersion. E.g., in his treatise, “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” printed in “Three Treatises” (Fortress 1960), he says, “The second part of baptism is the sign, or sacrament, which is that immersion in water from which it derives … Continue reading →

Are Demons Active Today?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Are Demons Active Today? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 8:26am QUESTION ABOUT DEMONS: Where does the Church of Christ (nondenominational) stand on the issue of demonic activity in modern times? Does demonic possession exist only in Catholic lore and legend, or does our fellowship also believe in its possibility, but not enough to ever really mention it? If you could refer me to any reputable reading on the matter, I’d be deeply appreciative. MY REPLY: There is no unanimity on this issue within Restoration Movement circles today. In earlier times, including my student days, the … Continue reading →

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 14:34

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Thoughts on 1 Corinthians 14:34 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 8:02pm A RECENT REQUEST ASKS, “Could you point me to some literature regarding Paul’s intent with his comment in 1 Corinthians 14:34 and what we are to make of it today? I am just now beginning a study on this and wanted a place to begin. Also, what is your take on this text?” MY REPLY: The place to begin on this or any similar text is at this web site: www.cbmw.org . This is the site for a scholarly evangelical non-feminist organization (for which … Continue reading →

“Common Grace” in Calvinism

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

“Common Grace” in Calvinism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 9:17am A STUDENT WRITES, “Calvinists talk about ‘common grace.’ The idea seems to be that whatever joy we experience in this life is attributed to God’s grace. I don’t remember you mentioning this in Doctrine of Grace. Do you agree with this notion?” MY REPLY: Not all Calvinists see eye-to-eye on the “common grace” concept. One of my Westminster Seminary professors, Cornelius Van Til, was its main defender. I do mention this concept in my grace course but do not dwell on it. See the section … Continue reading →

The Visible and the Invisible Church

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

The Visible and the Invisible Church by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 7:49pm HERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION recently received: “In a lesson on the Protestant Reformation Roger Chambers makes the claim that the invisible church, as Calvin, Zwingli, and even Augustine viewed it, is a ‘myth.’ Chambers says that their view was that the ‘real’ church was the invisible church, mainly because they looked around and saw the visible church as being so corrupted. This is why, when Protestant literature speaks of the ‘real’ church, or invisible church, they use the words ‘Christian’ or ‘Church of … Continue reading →

Sons of God and Daughters of Men in Genesis 6

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Sons of God and Daughters of Men in Genesis 6 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 3:43pm Sons of God and Daughters of Men in Genesis 6 I HAVE RECEIVED this inquiry: “A member of my church has grabbed onto some strange teaching that all centers on the interpretation of Genesis 6, that the ‘sons of God’ are fallen angels and that the giants in the land are half man, half demonic beings basically, and that the ‘seed of Satan’ still exists today. He weaves this together with lots of Scriptures that include in the end … Continue reading →

What about tongue-speaking?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

What about tongue-speaking? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 2:13pm A FaceBook fan asked, “What can you say about speaking in tongues?” My brief answer: Well, I have already said a LOT about it! In 2006 I published a small book, “The Holy Spirit: A Biblical Study” (College Press, pb., 131p.), in which the last three chapters are all about miraculous spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues. In 2007 I published a large book, “Power from on High: What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit” (College Press, hb, 506p.), in which the last (long) … Continue reading →

To Whom Should We Pray?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

To Whom Should We Pray? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 1:59pm I received this question from a FaceBook friend: “To whom should we pray? Jesus says we are to pray, ‘Our Father who art in heaven’ (Matt. 6:9). He also says if we ask HIM anything, he will do it (John 14:14). The final prayer of the Bible is made to the Son: Rev. 22:20. Is this a big issue?” FOR MY ANSWER, I will copy a couple of paragraphs from my book, “God the Redeemer” (p. 171), from the chapter on the Trinity. The … Continue reading →

A wrong view of law and grace

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

A wrong view of law and grace by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 18, 2009 at 12:41pm TODAY I RECEIVED the following (edited) inquiry: “In a Bible study, a member asked me about (I can’t recall the exact names, but I believe she said) ‘star, morning and evening’ dispensations. I don’t recall the exact terms. A previous minister had taught on these dispensations. I know he is a Premillennial Dispensationalist. Is this part of dispensational theology, or am I forgetting something? I can’t find any reference to these in the Bible, and neither could I find them in your … Continue reading →