Yearly Archives: 2010

Can a Christian Who Falls Away Ever Become Saved Again?

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Can a Christian Who Falls Away Ever Become Saved Again? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 3:49pm QUESTION: I understand that a true, saved believer can “fall from grace” and become lost; but can such a person ever return and become saved again? Does not Hebrews 6:4-6 suggest that a person who falls away can never again be saved? ANSWER: The idea that a fallen-away sinner can never again be saved has brought much anguish to many sincere people. It is also a false doctrine, one that is based mainly on a seriously-false translation of the … Continue reading →

CRANBERRY JUICE IN THE LORD’S SUPPER?

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CRANBERRY JUICE IN THE LORD’S SUPPER? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, November 19, 2010 at 12:53pm QUESTION: Is it “necessary,” or is it just “tradition,” to use grape juice (or wine) for communion? Is “fruit of the vine” (Matt. 26:29) limited to the grape vine, or is any juice allowed? Someone told me they went to a church that used cranberry juice, because they got a deal on it at the store! What do you think? ANSWER: Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper [LS] during the yearly Passover feast (Matt. 26:17ff.), which God established for Israel on the night of … Continue reading →

APOSTOLIC PRECEDENT AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

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APOSTOLIC PRECEDENT AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 12:06pm QUESTION: Regarding NT teaching on church worship, I have a question about how apostolic precedent relates to singing praises as an act of public worship. Regarding apostolic precedent, you have said, “Since the apostles were the primary authoritative teachers in the early church, we accept the practice of these acts of worship [‘musical praise, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and giving’], as perpetually binding upon the church by the authority of apostolic precedent” (Cottrell, The Faith Once for All, pp. 449-450). Now, most church music … Continue reading →

Can a God of Love Be a Jealous God?

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Can a God of Love Be a Jealous God? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 3:23pm QUESTION: If God is love, why does He say He is a jealous God? ANSWER: One of the biggest mistakes made in reference to God’s nature is to assume that LOVE is His primary attribute, the one over-arching, all-inclusive attribute that must somehow include all other attributes. This false presupposition seems to underlie this question, i.e., isn’t jealousy somehow inconsistent with love? How can love express itself in jealousy? One of my main theses with reference to God is that … Continue reading →

More on Remarriage after a Non-Biblical Divorce

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More on Remarriage after a Non-Biblical Divorce by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 15, 2010 at 2:10pm QUESTION: You have said that in a new marriage after a non-Biblical divorce, the new spouses initially commit the sin of adultery, but that this is not an on-going sin. The new marriage is a valid marriage, and the husband and wife are not “living in adultery,” even though Matt. 19:9 uses the present tense for “commits adultery.” Therefore this marriage should not be broken up so that this couple may attempt to return to their original spouses. But does not the … Continue reading →

The Preterist View of Christ’s Second Coming

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The Preterist View of Christ’s Second Coming by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 8:48am QUESTION: Can you give a brief evaluation of the view of the end times known as preterism? ANSWER: Preterism is a particular approach to prophecy concerning the end times. Some preterist views are more moderate than the more popular one, which I will discuss here. The following material is mostly from my book, “The Faith Once for All,” pp. 541-543. The prefix “preter-” means “beyond,” and in a grammatical context it refers to the past, as in “past tense.” In eschatology “preterism” … Continue reading →

When Was Satan Created?

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When Was Satan Created? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 12:48pm QUESTION: When do you think Satan was created? Some say that since God created ALL things within the six days of creation described in Genesis 1, this means that all angelic beings must have been created within this time frame, probably on the sixth day. Is there any basis for this idea? ANSWER: The answer, of course, depends on who Satan, demons, and angelic beings in general are. As to his identity, the first point to emphasize is that Satan is indeed a created being, … Continue reading →

Can the Guilty Party Remarry after a Divorce?

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Can the Guilty Party Remarry after a Divorce? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 11:02am QUESTION: In a Christian marriage which dissolves due to marital unfaithfulness, is the guilty party not allowed to remarry? And would this be the case even if the guilty party under the leadership of the elders tried everything possible to save the marriage? In view of 1 Cor. 7:9, would remarriage in such a case—even if it is a sin—be the “lesser of two evils”? ANSWER: First, let’s get this straight: 1 Cor. 7:9 does not apply to this issue in … Continue reading →

Divorce and Church Leadership

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Divorce and Church Leadership by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 8:58am QUESTION: What is the meaning of the expression, “one-woman man” (“mias gunaikos andra”), as it applies to elders and deacons, in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6? This phrase is often translated, “the husband of one wife.” Does it mean that a divorced man can never hold one of these church offices? ANSWER: There are several different views of this phrase. Some have said that it simply requires than an elder be married. (I will speak only of elders, understanding that the phrase is … Continue reading →

Is Genesis One a Poem?

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Is Genesis One a Poem? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 7, 2010 at 3:13pm QUESTION: I showed a video by Rob Bell to my youth group. In the video Bell says that Genesis 1 is a poem written to set up the Sabbath. Some parents objected to my showing the video. They assume that since Bell says Genesis 1 is a poem, he must be saying that it is not an actual historical account of creation. What do you think? Could this crucial passage be poetry? And if it is, how does this affect our interpretation of it? … Continue reading →