Tag Archives: Adam

Saved by Grace #13 — ORIGINAL SIN–OR ORIGINAL GRACE?

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What about babies—when they are conceived, while in the womb, at birth? Are they under law, or under grace? This question is actually raised and answered in Romans 5:12-19, where Adam’s sin is contrasted with Christ’s cross. The issue being settled here is simply this: which of these is stronger? Which prevails over the other? At least since the time of Augustine (d. A.D. 430), the Christian world has tended to focus on what this text says about Adam more than what it says about Christ. Most see it as teaching the doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN. What does this phrase … Continue reading →

Homosexuality and the Biblical World View

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HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW © Jack Cottrell – July 17, 2015 [NOTE: I preached this as a sermon at First Church of Christ, Greendale IN, on July 19, 2015. There I gave it the title, “The Sermon I Don’t Want To Preach.” That title was literally true, since I would actually have preferred to preach on something else. But recent events in our country’s history have led me to conclude that we as a church need to know what the Bible says about gay marriage, and about homosexuality as such. That is the rationale for this message.] It … Continue reading →

YOUR WORST ENEMY: DEATH

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YOUR WORST ENEMY: DEATH! (A sermon by Jack Cottrell — October 2014) INTRODUCTION. We all know about villains: Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, Godzilla, the Joker, the Penguin—to name a few fictitious ones. In real life we could name Stalin, Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Sadam Hussein. The worst villain of all, though, is DEATH! The event of death may be defined simply and briefly as the loss of life. As a state, death is simply the absence of life (where life is the normal state). It is a state of separation from the source of life. We … Continue reading →

Baptism and Original Sin

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Baptism and Original Sin by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 3, 2010 at 2:29pm QUESTION: How does baptism relate to original sin? ANSWER: To answer this question we must first begin with the fact that the NT teaches that baptism is a salvation event. I.e., it teaches that baptism is the point of time when God bestows the double cure for the problem of sin. In that moment God takes away the GUILT of sin by uniting us with Jesus Christ’s atoning death. This is called “baptism for the forgiveness of sins” (Acts 2:38). Also in that moment God … Continue reading →

Is Infant Immersion a Valid Baptism?

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Is Infant Immersion a Valid Baptism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 5:00pm A SERIOUS QUERY: In our congregation we accepted a member by transfer upon his testimony that he had been previously immersed. We have only recently discovered that he was indeed immersed, but as an infant in a Greek Orthodox church. He assumed that this was sufficient; and no one is questioning the genuineness of his faith or his salvation, because he is certainly displaying the fruit of the Spirit. But now that we have the facts, we are not sure what to do. … Continue reading →

Depravity: Total, Partial, or None at All?

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Depravity: Total, Partial, or None at All? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 2, 2009 at 1:26pm A QUESTIONER ASKS, what Scriptures disqualify (I take this to mean disprove) Total Depravity in human beings? And if Total Depravity is ruled out, does that mean we are PARTIALLY depraved? MY REPLY: Depravity as such has to do with the sinfulness of our human nature, i.e., having a nature that has been infected with sin like the body can be infected with disease. It means having a sinful, evil, spiritually diseased or dead nature. The first issue is WHETHER a sinner’s … Continue reading →

Are We Arminian , Pelagian, or Whatever?

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Are We Arminian , Pelagian, or Whatever? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 12:45pm HERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION: How does the Restoration Movement compare with Calvinism and Augustinianism? I am assuming that we are of an Arminian persuasion, but I would flatly deny the doctrine of total depravity and original sin, which many Arminians claim to believe. So, does that make me a Pelagian or semi-pelagian? HERE IS MY ANSWER: Not all Arminians affirm total depravity and original sin. Even those who say they do (mostly Wesleyan Arminians) have a device called “prevenient grace” that nullifies … Continue reading →

Are we justified by Christ’s LIFE or by his DEATH–or both?

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Are we justified by Christ’s LIFE or by his DEATH–or both? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:27am HERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION I received recently: “I have been following a discussion on a Calvinist blog re: the ‘active obedience’ view of the atonement. I read your section in ‘The Faith Once for All’ [p. 323], wherein you call this a ‘serious error.’ I’d be interested to know why this is such a serious error, i.e. what it in fact might lead to. Thanks for any help.” HERE IS MY REPLY: I usually speak of Christ’s “active … Continue reading →

Calvinism summarized

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Calvinism summarized by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 1:15pm Someone writes, “I have been following the modern reformed church for some time now as a means for modeling a church plant. I see great success in converts and in the growth and life of the church through modern reformed preaching and practices (not to be confused with emergent church). The one thing I am struggling with is [how to] pick between the theological schools of thought called Calvinism and Arminianism. Can you clarify the key differences, or point me to a book that would be helpful … Continue reading →

More on Original Sin

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More on Original Sin by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 9:13am This is a follow-up discussion growing out of my earlier note on “Original Sin and the Incarnation.” My friend Tom Lawson makes some interesting observations, and I give a response. (OS=original sin) TOM LAWSON: In discussing OS, I come back to the old debate if post-fall humanity was born with a nature damaged in any degree that resulted in a tendency toward sin and whether this was universally reversed at the atonement? Pelagius, if accurately represented in the extant (and biased) material would seem to … Continue reading →