Tag Archives: Atonement

The Nature of Jesus’ Suffering in Our Place

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The Nature of Jesus’ Suffering in Our Place by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 4:08pm QUESTION: When Jesus took on Himself the sin of all humanity, His death was considered by God as appropriate and full payment. How is it that the penalty for sin, which is eternal Hell, was not eternal for Jesus? ANSWER: I have addressed this question in my book, What the Bible Says About God the Redeemer, pp. 434-435; and in my book, The Faith Once for All, pp. 267-268. (These are basically the same.) The basic issue is this: exactly what … Continue reading →

IS REBAPTISM EVER NECESSARY?

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IS REBAPTISM EVER NECESSARY? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 3:17pm QUESTION: Is it ever a good idea, or even necessary, for a person to be rebaptized, i.e., baptized a second time? ANSWER: My approach to this question assumes that sometimes what is considered to be a baptism is indeed a valid baptism, but sometimes it is not. If a person has been baptized once with a valid baptism, there will never be a need for rebaptism. This is true even if a baptized person has fallen from grace and has now decided to return to … Continue reading →

Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine?

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Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 11:50am QUESTION: There are some who say that Jesus was in no way a substitute for our sins because this is Calvinism. I have your book, God the Redeemer, and have read your chapter dealing with the atonement. I believe that Jesus in some way “took our place” as in Gal. 3:13 (substitution does not have to be used), but I am not a Calvinist and would fight Calvinism rigorously. Can you offer any more help especially in locating materials that would support Jesus … Continue reading →

IMPUTED VS. IMPARTED RIGHTEOUSNESS

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IMPUTED VS. IMPARTED RIGHTEOUSNESS by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, June 3, 2011 at 10:05am QUESTION: Can you explain “imparted righteousness”? ANSWER: The real issue here is the distinction between imparted and imputed righteousness, and their relation to salvation, especially as this relates to the definition of justification. This is important because the Bible pictures sinners as being saved by “the righteousness of God” (Rom. 1:17; 3:21-22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9). I.e., God saves us by transferring his own righteousness to us in some way—by imparting it, or imputing it, or both. What is “righteousness” as such? Most fundamentally, … Continue reading →

GRACE IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

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GRACE IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 3:40pm QUESTION: Did Adam and Eve, in spite of disobeying the divine law, enter heaven? ANSWER: Let’s take this question a step at a time. First, what heaven are we talking about here? There are at least four kinds mentioned in the Bible. One is the “heavens above,” into which astronauts have entered; but this is probably not the one the inquirer means. Another is the divine heaven, equivalent to the very transcendent essence of God; but no one can enter this “unapproachable light” (1 … Continue reading →

WAS JOHN’S BAPTISM “FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”?

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WAS JOHN’S BAPTISM “FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS”? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, May 2, 2011 at 6:48pm QUESTION: Mark 1:4 says that John’s baptism was “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Now, if those baptized by John had their sins forgiven there, how can John’s baptism be any different from the Christian baptism that began on the Day of Pentecost? Also, if people could receive forgiveness through John’s baptism, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross? ANSWER: There are two questions here; we will take the second one first. Let’s grant for … 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 →

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 →

Did Jesus Go to Hell To Pay for Our Sins?

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Did Jesus Go to Hell To Pay for Our Sins? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 3:37pm QUESTION: Recently I heard a man say, “Jesus went to hell so you wouldn’t have to.” Where does this idea come from? Didn’t Jesus imply that he was going to Paradise when he died (Luke 23:43)? Does it not border on blasphemy to say that Jesus went to hell to pay for our sins? His atoning blood is what paid for our sins, not His suffering three days in hell “so we wouldn’t have to.” Have you heard of … Continue reading →

What’s the Big Deal about God’s Giving His Son?

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What’s the Big Deal about God’s Giving His Son? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 3:29pm AN INQUIRER says someone asked him these two questions, and he wasn’t sure how to answer. FIRST: “Why should God be so ‘stressed out’ about giving His ‘only begotten Son’? If He is God, couldn’t He just make more?” When I saw this question, my first thought was something like “What an idiot! If this guy is serious, this shows how utterly shallow his understanding of God and salvation must be.” But I will set down a few thoughts anyway. … Continue reading →