Yearly Archives: 2012

DOES THE BIBLE TELL US HOW TO VOTE?

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DOES THE BIBLE TELL US HOW TO VOTE? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 4:31pm QUESTION: Does the Bible tell us how to vote? ANSWER: The following is a sermon I plan to preach at my local church on October 7, 2012: The answer to this question is: yes and no. No, the Bible obviously does not give us the names of any candidates, nor any political parties. Yes, the Bible does tell us what God wants presidents, senators, judges, commissioners, and other governmental leaders to do. In other words, the Bible does not tell us … Continue reading →

IS BAPTISM A PART OF THE GOSPEL?

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IS BAPTISM A PART OF THE GOSPEL? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 2:13pm QUESTION: I know someone who argues that baptism cannot be related to salvation because (a) salvation comes via the power of the gospel (Rom. 1:16), and (b) baptism is not part of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17). Therefore (c) baptism has nothing to do with salvation. What do you think about this argument? ANSWER: This is a bit of a twist on the usual Zwinglian (faith-only) argument against baptism for salvation based on this Corinthians text. I have briefly discussed and refuted … Continue reading →

WHAT IS CENTRAL TO OUR LIVES?

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WHAT IS CENTRAL TO OUR LIVES? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 10:56am QUESTION: In my understanding and in my experience as a Christian, Jesus is the center of everything we do. Yet in your note about Jesus and the Biblical world view, you say Jesus is not the center. How can this be? ANSWER: Several of my readers were confused and/or upset by my Facebook note on how Jesus relates to the Biblical world view. They were disturbed that I said that God’s work of creation is the fundamental, foundational, central element of our world … Continue reading →

JESUS AND THE BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW

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JESUS AND THE BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at 2:34pm QUESTION: Why are so many pious-sounding yet false doctrines held by so many people, and thought to be based on the Bible? ANSWER: OK, I admit it. I made up this question myself, just to give me an excuse for writing what follows. It does relate, however, to some recent comments related to the upcoming (Nov. 2012) election. I am coming more and more to realize that one of the most prolific sources of doctrinal error, or one of the biggest hindrances to … Continue reading →

How Should We Vote in November?

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How Should We Vote in November? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, July 23, 2012 at 9:35am Bob Russell recently posted a note about voting for the presidency in November. He was dealing with the fairly common idea that Christians should not vote for Romney because he is a Mormon, and Mormonism is a seriously wrong cult. Bro. Russell’s view was VERY good, and I shared his post on my page. That generated a lot of discussion, including many remarks advocating–alas–voting AGAINST Romney because he is a Mormon–the very thing Russell was arguing against. Today I decided to enter my … Continue reading →

WAS IT POSSIBLE FOR JESUS TO SIN?

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WAS IT POSSIBLE FOR JESUS TO SIN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 9:13am QUESTION: In a book I read recently, the author says that since Jesus was God in the flesh he was incapable of sinning. Obviously, Jesus was really tempted by Satan. Doesn’t this mean that he was actually capable of sinning? What are the implications for the Godhead had he sinned? ANSWER: In answer to this question, I am reprinting below a section called “The Sinlessness of Jesus,” from chapter 13 of my book, The Faith Once for All, (pp. 228-229). Scripture testifies … Continue reading →

IS FAITH A GIFT? CALVINISM VS. THE BIBLE

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IS FAITH A GIFT? CALVINISM VS. THE BIBLE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 3:57pm QUESTION: In defense of his belief in total depravity and irresistible grace, my Calvinist friend quotes Biblical passages that seem to say that faith and repentance are sovereign gifts of God, e.g., 2 Tim. 2:25, which says that “God may perhaps grant them repentance.” How may we understand such passages? ANSWER: Calvinism teaches that all human beings (except Christ) are born totally depraved as a result of Adam’s sin. This means that no one has the free will to decide to … Continue reading →

HADES: WHAT IS IT?

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HADES: WHAT IS IT? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 3:14pm QUESTION: I have seen the word “Hades” in the New Testament several times, but I am not sure what that means. Can you explain it? ANSWER: I can try. First, the OT equivalent to Hades is Sheol, which appears about 65 times in OT writings. The Greek OT (the Septuagint) translates this word with Hades almost every time. The NT then uses Hades ten times (or 11 if 1 Cor. 15:55 is counted). The main thing to remember is that these words are always connected … Continue reading →

IS CREMATION MORALLY PERMISSIBLE?

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IS CREMATION MORALLY PERMISSIBLE? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 9:52am IS CREMATION MORALLY PERMISSIBLE? QUESTION: Is it wrong to cremate the body of a deceased person? Does this practice in some way violate the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead? ANSWER: I have a book called “The History of American Funeral Directing,” written by Robert Habenstein and William Lamers (1955). On page 4 the authors point out the cultural diversity regarding the choice of methods of disposing of bodies: “Assume that we are confronted with the dead body of a man. What disposition … Continue reading →

UNDERSTANDING HOMOSEXUALISM

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UNDERSTANDING HOMOSEXUALISM by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, June 11, 2012 at 1:41pm QUESTION: If homosexualism is wrong, what should be the Christian’s attitude toward it? ANSWER: Here are some general considerations. ONE. The first thing is that we must distinguish between a homosexual disposition and homosexual behavior. A homosexual disposition is a real sexual preference for or attraction to persons of one’s own sex. Such a person is “a homosexual” (gay or lesbian), whether sexually active or not. On the other hand, homosexual behavior refers to sexual desire and sexual contact between persons of the same sex. Homosexual desire, … Continue reading →