Tag Archives: Atonement

JEWS AND THE LAND OF ISRAEL: DOES AMOS 9:14-15 APPLY TODAY?

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JEWS AND THE LAND OF ISRAEL: DOES AMOS 9:14-15 APPLY TODAY? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 2:57pm QUERY: I am having a discussion with a dispensationalist friend about God’s promises to the Jews. (I have also been reading what you say about this on pp. 463-470 in your book, “The Faith Once For All,” in the chapter on “Interpreting Biblical Prophecy.”) My question pertains to Amos 9:14-15, which speaks of Israel as never having to leave their land again. My friend says this applies to Israel of today. What is the meaning of these verses … Continue reading →

Were Old Testament Saints Truly Forgiven?

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Were Old Testament Saints Truly Forgiven? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 12:34pm QUESTION: I have heard it said that God could not truly forgive sins until Jesus died on the cross; therefore the Old Testament saints were in a real sense “put on hold” and were not actually forgiven and allowed into Paradise until after Jesus died. Until that time, according to this view, they were in a kind of neutral “holding pen,” or state of limbo called the “limbus patrem,” the “limbo of the fathers,” where (as one writer says) “the just of the … Continue reading →

Modalism: An Heretical View of the Trinity

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Modalism: An Heretical View of the Trinity by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 1:54pm QUERY: I have a question about modalism. I know the early church condemned it as a heresy, but is it serious enough to be a threat to one’s salvation? What is the Biblical evidence against it? REPLY: Traditional, orthodox Christian faith says Jesus Christ is not only equal with the Father; he is also distinct from the Father in that he is a separate, distinct person, i.e., a separate center of consciousness with his own distinct thoughts, emotions, and actions. This point … Continue reading →

Tips for Preparing Lord’s Supper Meditations

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Tips for Preparing Lord’s Supper Meditations by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 4:55pm QUERY: Can you give some suggestions on how to prepare meditations for the Lord’s Supper? I hear many meditations that somehow do not seem to relate to the subject at hand. MY REPLY: It is important that the meditation have just ONE MAIN IDEA, and that this idea be related in some way to the CROSS or DEATH of Christ. It is also important that the meditation be brief (usually no more than four or five minutes). In preparing meditations, we must remember … Continue reading →

More on the Christological Fallacy

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More on the Christological Fallacy by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 3:10pm I. HERE ARE REFERENCES to the Christological fallacy taken from my systematic theology, “The Faith Once for All.” The first is from the section on “The Normative Source for Theology” (pp. 24-25): The WHOLE Bible is our norm for theology, and not just the life and teachings of Jesus. It was never Jesus’ purpose simply to be a source and norm for truth, knowledge, ethics, or theology. The main purpose of Christ’s incarnation and work was to redeem mankind from sin through the atonement … Continue reading →

The Christological Fallacy

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The Christological Fallacy by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 2:27pm QUESTION: What is the “Christological fallacy”? REPLY: One of the most serious threats to sound doctrine is something I call “the Christological fallacy.” It is a fallacy because it places Jesus in a role he was never intended to fill. How does it do this? It makes Jesus the SOURCE and/or NORM for all doctrine. Why is this a serious threat to sound doctrine? Because trying to look at everything through Christological lenses distorts our understanding of some if not all of the most crucial truths … 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 →

Forgiveness in the Old Testament

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Forgiveness in the Old Testament by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 1:32pm HERE’S A QUESTION ABOUT FORGIVENESS: In your Romans commentary (Vol. I, p. 264) you say that the sins of OT saints were not just “rolled back” until Jesus’ crucifixion, but that the certainty of Jesus’ propitiatory sacrifice enabled God to forgive the sins of OT saints even during the OT era. What, then, is Isaiah referring to when he says in 22:14: “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for.” What is the sin? Why was it not forgiven during their … 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 →