Tag Archives: Baptized

“Good Fruit” from the “Unbaptized”

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“Good Fruit” from the “Unbaptized” by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 1:32pm QUESTION: “The idea of the visible and invisible church was a mystery to me until I read your book ‘Baptism: A Biblical Study’ (ch. 8). This includes the idea that only God knows who is truly justified. I was wondering though, how we can explain the tremendous fruit by such scholars of the day that don’t believe and have not been baptized for the forgiveness of sin, e.g., John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and Norman Geisler.” MY REPLY: This is not an easy question, but … Continue reading →

WHY DO CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS?

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WHY DO CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 8:37am SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS? AN INQUIRER WRITES: “We are studying prayer in our small group. I remember a conversation that came up in one of our classes in Bible college. Since Jesus has already died for our sins, do we ask for forgiveness in a prayer, or do we simply just thank God for having already forgiven us of our sins? Do we make a request or just say ‘Thank you’?” MY REPLY: First, you would not say it this way: “Since … Continue reading →

Martin Luther on Immersion

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Martin Luther on Immersion by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 8:43am A RECENT QUESTION: Was Martin Luther himself immersed? The question came up at church yesterday in a discussion about Martin Luther’s high view of baptism. MY REPLY: I do not know the answer to your question. I do know that Luther strongly defended the practice of immersion. E.g., in his treatise, “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church,” printed in “Three Treatises” (Fortress 1960), he says, “The second part of baptism is the sign, or sacrament, which is that immersion in water from which it derives … Continue reading →

More on Baptism in the Name of Jesus Only

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More on Baptism in the Name of Jesus Only by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, September 7, 2009 at 4:24pm This is a follow-up to my earlier note on “Baptism in the Name of Jesus Only.” One of the comments that followed that note was by Tom Lawson; see that note for its content. Then another comment was added by Titus Chapman, as follows: “tom its not as clear to me maybe you can explain it to me. I have not found anyone who can use other scriptures or examples for bapt ecpt mt 28 19 to explain why it … Continue reading →

Baptism in the Name of Jesus Only

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Baptism in the Name of Jesus Only by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 3, 2009 at 3:11pm TODAY I HAD A QUERY about baptism in the name of “Jesus only.” The inquirer asked me to “cite some resources regarding baptism in Jesus’ name (only),” since “recently there have been quite a few folks who have been asking about it.” In fact, “three of our folks recently went to a [Oneness Pentecostal] service…, were taught baptism in Jesus’ name, accepted rebaptism, and now claim tongues and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” The following is my answer: WHAT’S WRONG WITH … Continue reading →

What about Rebaptism?

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What about Rebaptism? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, August 27, 2009 at 7:02pm THE QUESTION OF REBAPTISM On Aug. 26 I received the following query about whether a “rebaptism” would be advisable in the questioner’s case. I thought my response might be of interest. (I have the writer’s permission to use this.) QUESTIONER’S QUERY. I would like to go over some basic background information that may help you better understand my dilemma. I was raised in a home where there was no strict doctrine. Though my mother had grown up in church, our family did not regularly attend for … Continue reading →

Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38

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Answering a false interpretation of Acts 2:38 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 12:56pm I am adapting my “Tyranny of the Paradigm” essay for a Christian Standard article (next year); this is one small part of it: Finally, an absolute, a priori commitment to the sola fidei paradigm leads to an irrational distortion of NT texts that relate baptism to salvation. One example is a rather common twisting of Acts 2:38. It is an argument that attempts to separate baptism from forgiveness through a blatantly faulty analysis of the Greek forms in this verse. E.g., Cal … Continue reading →

Acts 2:38 in the NIV

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Acts 2:38 in the NIV by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, August 14, 2009 at 2:01pm In the original version of the NIV (1973), Acts 2:38a was translated thus: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that [eis] your sins may be forgiven.’” Here the Greek word “eis” is given its natural meaning, “so that, in order that, for the purpose of.” In the next edition of the NIV (1978) this was changed without notice: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus … Continue reading →

Another question about baptism

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Another question about baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 7:51pm Someone asked another question about baptism: “What about someone baptizing you that is not a Christian? Or they call themselves a Christian, but they are living in the world everyday but Sunday?” Here is my brief answer: Thanks for the question. My understanding is that baptism is an encounter between the baptized person and God. The baptizer is merely an instrument. There is no power in the baptizer; the baptizer lends no authenticity to the baptism. If the person being baptized is trusting to meet … Continue reading →