Tag Archives: Baptism

Are Sinners “Begotten” to New Life Before Being “Born Again” in Baptism?

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Are Sinners “Begotten” to New Life Before Being “Born Again” in Baptism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 1:14pm QUESTION: What do you think about the analogy that the work of the Holy Spirit before baptism is similar to that of the gestation period in the birth of a baby? This is the idea that the seed of the Word of God begins to produce spiritual life as soon as the sinner believes and repents. As that seed develops and grows, and as changes begin to occur in the attitudes and actions of the individual, he … Continue reading →

Questions About the Essentiality of Baptism

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Questions About the Essentiality of Baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 7:22pm QUESTION: An individual asked me some questions about baptism, and I would love to hear your response. Here are the questions: (1) If we are justified through faith (Rom 3:27—4:8) how are we justified in baptism? And (2) what about the man in the desert who is incapable of being baptized? Will he be lost, even if he has a genuine faith? I responded to the latter question by saying this is a rare case and that these types of situations are in … Continue reading →

1 Corinthians 1:17 and the Importance of Baptism

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1 Corinthians 1:17 and the Importance of Baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 1:17pm QUESTION: I have heard some use 1 Corinthians 1:17 to diminish the importance of baptism, or to say that baptism isn’t essential for salvation because Paul seems to put so little emphasis on it. What would be your response? ANSWER: When this text is rightly interpreted in its total context, it actually shows just the opposite of this. In fact, this text underscores the unique importance of baptism, and makes it clear that it cannot be considered to be just another … Continue reading →

Should the Emblems of the Lord’s Supper Be Taken by Christians Only?

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Should the Emblems of the Lord’s Supper Be Taken by Christians Only? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, April 2, 2010 at 10:09am QUESTION: Our small group has been discussing communion, and what it means when we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week. We were always taught that you do not partake of communion until you are a baptized believer. Does that come from Scripture or from tradition? Does “partaking in a worthy manner” (1 Cor. 11:27) mean that you must first be able to understand baptism and its meaning? ANSWER: I take it that your main question is … Continue reading →

Is Baptism a Sacrament?

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Is Baptism a Sacrament? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 7:54am QUESTION: Is baptism a sacrament? ANSWER: The short answer is NO, because there is no such thing as a sacrament. From a Biblical perspective, the category of “sacraments” does not exist. From an historical perspective, though, quite early in Christian history the Latin term “sacramentum” was used to translate the Biblical (Greek) word “mysterion,” or “mystery.” Since in the NT a “mysterion” refers to divine truths hidden to man, the word began to be used for sacred things in general, especially those with mysterious and … Continue reading →

What Is the Meaning of the “Baptism in Fire” in Matthew 3:11?

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What Is the Meaning of the “Baptism in Fire” in Matthew 3:11? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 3:37pm QUERY: You have discussed both baptism in water and baptism in the Holy Spirit, but what is the “baptism in fire” mentioned in Matt. 3:11 and Luke 3:16? ANSWER: In both of these texts John the Baptist says that when the Messiah comes “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The main issue is whether the fire baptism is the same as or separate and distinct from the Spirit baptism. Will Jesus give just … Continue reading →

What Is the Spiritual Status of the Unimmersed?

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What Is the Spiritual Status of the Unimmersed? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 5:08pm ANOTHER SERIOUS QUESTION: We know some very spiritual individuals who have never been immersed into Christ but who are living very dedicated, Spirit-filled lives. We agree that they should be immersed as the New Testament teaches, but are we to think about their present spiritual status? Are they saved or not? MY REPLY: This is an extremely difficult and delicate situation, and making a negative judgment in this case is certainly one of the hardest things a spiritual leader will ever … 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 →

What Is the Best Time for Baptism?

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What Is the Best Time for Baptism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 8:54am A RECENT QUESTION: We have had a number of baptisms lately during the week, i.e., not on Sunday. We keep our water warm and tell people we can do baptisms any time, when they have come to that decision, and will arrange for someone to be baptized on, say, Wednesday at 10 A.M. Of course, Sunday baptisms are always welcomed and encouraged, and we’ve had a number of those too. But my question is, is there a Scriptural reason to prefer having … Continue reading →

Baptism and Calling upon His Name

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Baptism and Calling upon His Name by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, November 27, 2009 at 10:54am QUESTION: Is it possible to correlate the Scripture that exhorts us to “call upon the name of the Lord” with 1 Peter 3:21, where Peter says that baptism is our “appeal” to God? In other words, is the exhortation to call upon the name of the Lord, in essence, baptism? MY REPLY: The closest thing to an exhortation to call upon the name of the Lord is Acts 22:16, where Ananias addresses the repentant Saul of Tarsus, “Now why do you delay? Get … Continue reading →