Category Archives: General

THE PASSOVER LAMB

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THE PASSOVER LAMB JACK COTTRELL – FEBRUARY 2020       QUESTION:  First Corinthians 5:7 refers to Jesus as “Christ our Passover.”  What does this mean?      ANSWER:  To answer this we have to go back quite a way into Old Testament history.  Indeed, we have to go back to one of the greatest events in world of history, namely, to the event of the Exodus of the people of Israel from their bondage to slavery in the land of Egypt.  Many scholars place this at about 1440 B.C.       All the people of Israel had lived in Egypt for hundreds of … Continue reading →

Philippians 2:7 and the Incarnation

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            QUESTION:   In our Bible study we are examining Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  In chapter 2, verse 7, the text we are using (the NASB) translates it as saying that Jesus “emptied Himself.”  Our preacher says that this means that when God the Son became a human being, “he laid down his divinity” or “gave up his divine nature.”  Is this really what that verse is saying?           ANSWER:  I’m sorry that I have to disagree with your preacher, but this is an impossible understanding of this passage.  Here Paul is talking about the second person of the Trinity, … Continue reading →

IS BAPTISM A WORK?

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IS BAPTISM A WORK? By Jack Cottrell, 9/13/2019       QUESTION:  Why do so many followers of Jesus Christ deny the clear teaching of Scripture, that Christian baptism is the time when God bestows salvation upon sinners?       ANSWER:   [I have written and published my answer to this question many times, but I am happy to do so again.  Actually, after sixty-plus years of studying Bible doctrine, I consider what follows here to be my most significant insight.]         This is a good question.  To be fair, we need to recognize that many if not most people who have worn the … Continue reading →

THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

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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 garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” INTRODUCTION.  Are you ready for the Judgment Day?         A.    “Being ready” often means, “Are you appropriately dressed?”         B.    Being ready for the Judgment Day requires us to be wearing … Continue reading →

HOW CAN JESUS BE AMAZED?

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HOW CAN JESUS BE AMAZED? JACK COTTRELL, APRIL 2019         QUESTION:  My King James Version says in Mark 14:33 that when Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His death, He “began to be sore amazed.”  My 1901 American Standard Version likewise says He “began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled.”  How could Jesus, who is God the Logos as well as a human being, be AMAZED?  Does not God foreknow everything?  How could anything “amaze” Jesus?        ANSWER:  This is indeed an interesting question.  Mark is the only Gospel writer who puts it this way, but … Continue reading →

“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS”

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“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28). This is Matthew’s inspired record of some things Jesus said as He was establishing the church practice called communion, … Continue reading →

THE LORD’S SUPPER AS A COVENANT MEAL

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THE LORD’S SUPPER AS A COVENANT MEAL A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell Matthew 26:27-28 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.’” Luke 22:20 – “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” In a recent communion meditation I pointed out how the word “is,” … Continue reading →

“This is My body . . . This is My blood”

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“THIS IS MY BODY . . . THIS IS MY BLOOD” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell In the upper room, when establishing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus passed the bread to His apostles with these words: “Take, eat, this is My body” (Matthew 26:26). Then He passed the cup to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood” (Matthew 26:27-28). Here is a quote from recent history: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” What does this make you think of? Bill Clinton, of course. At his impeachment hearing, Clinton’s lawyer … Continue reading →

RAVI AND ME

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RAVI AND ME Let me tell you about the time Ravi Zacharias and I were on the same program. I’m serious. It really happened! Ravi accepted an invitation to speak at Cincinnati Christian University on April 29, 2014. He spoke twice, once in morning chapel and once for an evening banquet. About three weeks before that event, the school president, David Faust, sent me a request. Here is part of it: “As part of the program prior to Ravi’s speech in the evening, I would like to interview you briefly about the ongoing relevance of apologetics, especially as it relates … Continue reading →

SHOULD I BE REBAPTIZED OR NOT?

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SHOULD I BE REBAPTIZED OR NOT? By Jack Cottrell There are so many views about baptism that it is easy to understand how someone could be confused as to whether or not their own baptism was or is valid. If you are a conscientious person who sincerely wants to follow Biblical teaching as closely as possible, then you want to be sure that you have been baptized according to the Bible’s teaching about it. This is especially true since the Bible does say that baptism has something to do with one’s salvation. Let’s say you are a person with a … Continue reading →