Tag Archives: apostles

WHAT KIND OF “ROCK” IS PETER?

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WHAT KIND OF “ROCK” IS PETER? Jack Cottrell – February 2018 QUESTION: Does Matthew 16:18 say that the Apostle Peter is the ROCK on which the church is built? Does this support the Roman Catholic teaching that Peter was the first Pope? ANSWER: The text in question is included here, in Matthew 16:15-18: “15 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ 16 Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 17 And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to … Continue reading →

JOHN 6:65 AND CALVINISM

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JOHN 6:65 AND CALVINISM Jack Cottrell – November 2015 QUESTION: In John 6:65 Jesus says, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” This sounds a lot like Calvinism. How do you understand it? ANSWER: The sixth chapter of John might be described as the Calvinist’s “happy hunting ground.” Verse 65 (cited above, NASB), plus verse 44 (“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him”), are proof texts usually cited to establish such Calvinist doctrines as monergism, total … Continue reading →

The Bible, the Church, and Catholicism

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THE BIBLE,THE CHURCH, AND CATHOLICISM Jack Cottrell – March 2015 QUESTION: My Roman Catholic friend says that the Bible is not our final authority. Rather, the Church itself (understood as the Catholic Church) is our final authority because the church is actually the source or origin of the Bible. My friend points out that there was a period of time after Pentecost when there was no Bible. All truth came through the apostles, who taught orally long before the Bible itself was written and compiled. This oral teaching was the original authoritative truth; it is still passed along to us … Continue reading →

THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A COMMUNION MEDITATION

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THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A COMMUNION MEDITATION by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 2:35pm THE SPRINKLED BLOOD: A Communion Meditation In the days of the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses required many kinds of animal sacrifices. In such a sacrifice, when the animal’s throat was cut, a priest collected its blood in a basin, then sprinkled the blood on various things—sometimes on the worshipers themselves! For example, regarding the special covenant-making ceremony recorded in Exodus 24, verse 8 describes part of it thus: “So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, … Continue reading →

HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK?

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HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 at 3:14pm QUESTION: I am confused about the various references to the working of the Holy Spirit [HS] in the Book of Acts. E.g., do Acts 1:5 and 1:8 refer to the same work of the Spirit? Is the promise in 1:5 fulfilled in 2:4? Does 11:15-16 tie 1:5 and 2:4 together? ANSWER: Once source of such confusion is the assumption that all works of the HS are basically the same. Some add to this the assumption that all works of the Spirit involve salvation. … Continue reading →

Does Ephesians 1:1-11 Support Calvinism?

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Does Ephesians 1:1-11 Support Calvinism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, April 27, 2012 at 4:32pm QUESTION: Calvinists say that Ephesians 1:1-11 clearly establishes the absolute and all-inclusive sovereignty of God, including the unconditional predestination of the elect to salvation. How do you interpret this text? ANSWER: A right understanding of Ephesians 1:1-11 begins with the recognition that God’s purpose for Israel was from the beginning limited to preparing for the coming of the Messiah, namely, for the incarnation of God the Logos as the human person Jesus of Nazareth. Once the Messiah came, it was God’s eternal purpose to … Continue reading →

WHEN WERE THE APOSTLES BAPTIZED?

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WHEN WERE THE APOSTLES BAPTIZED? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 9:47am QUESTION: Do we know when the apostles received the baptism in which the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit is given? I assume they received John’s baptism. Do we assume that at some point they were rebaptized? Does their ability to speak in tongues (languages) in Acts 2:1ff. show that they had the indwelling of the Spirit at that point? How does John 20:22 fit in? ANSWER: Since we are not specifically told when (or even if) the apostles were baptized with Christian baptism, … Continue reading →

THE MEANING OF FOOTWASHING IN JOHN 13:1-17

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THE MEANING OF FOOTWASHING IN JOHN 13:1-17 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 4:27pm QUESTION: When Jesus washes the apostles’ feet in John 13:1ff., is this just a lesson in humility, or does it have some spiritual significance beyond that? E.g., does the footwashing as Jesus performs it stand for personal cleansing from sin? Is it a figure for baptism? Does the act itself represent Jesus’ service of dying on the cross for the sins of the world? ANSWER: My initial reaction to this question is that this episode is just a lesson in humility, and … Continue reading →

Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part Two)

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Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part Two) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 2:22pm I wrote an earlier note called “Does It Matter What Church We Attend?” What I said in that note stirred up quite an active discussion, with some responders consigning me to some version of theological (if not literal) Tartarus. That’s OK; I don’t expect everyone to agree with my (always) completely rational and Biblical answers! I do like to avoid being misunderstood or misinterpreted, however. Thus I have chosen to follow up on that note with a two-part essay that addresses … Continue reading →

Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part One)

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Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part One) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 2:19pm Do we have a moral obligation to believe everything the Bible teaches? I will approach this question from two directions. First, I will set forth (here) what the New Testament itself says about this; then (in a later note) I will answer the question based on the nature of the Bible. What does the New Testament say about our responsibility toward its teaching? Here I will survey how it uses the two basic Greek words that are usually translated as “teaching” … Continue reading →