Tag Archives: Creation

THE PARADOX OF PRAYER

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

THE PARADOX OF PRAYER JACK COTTRELL – 2020      QUESTION:   If God can do whatever He chooses, and if He really loves us, why doesn’t He answer all of our prayers?       ANSWER:  The answer to this question might seem like a paradox to some, but here is at least part of the deal:  God does not answer all of our prayers just because He loves us!.       Here I will approach this issue based on James 5:13-18.  I will use this text to help resolve the paradox of prayer.  First, I will make some general comments on these verses … Continue reading →

IS JESUS GOD?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

QUESTION: Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus is God? ANSWER: Let’s be clear about what we mean by saying “Jesus is God.” This does not mean that Jesus of Nazareth and God are the exact same being. The eternal, infinite divine being who is the one true and living God has existed forever as the three persons of the Trinity. We know them as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (see Matt. 28:19). The eternal God the Son, also known as the Logos (John 1:1), at a specific time in history entered … Continue reading →

DID GOD RIG THE ELECTION? By Jack Cottrell

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

Someone on Facebook recently asked me the question, “What do you say to those who read Daniel 2:21 and say we did not have a choice in the [presidential] election?” Daniel 2:21 says that God “changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings.” So, asked the inquirer, does this means that “God will raise up whomever he wants,” and that “now God has spoken and has decided to choose Donald Trump”? This sounds “almost as if God has rigged the election.” In answering this, let’s begin by asking a more general question: Why does anything happen the … Continue reading →

Saved by Grace #10 — SAVED BY GRACE, FOR GOOD WORKS

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

I like to summarize salvation, using Eph. 2:8-10 and Col. 2:12, thus: we are saved BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH, IN BAPTISM, FOR GOOD WORKS. Here we are examining the last phrase, “for good works” (Eph. 2:10). Good works are simply our everyday obedience to God’s law, i.e., being holy as God is holy, obeying our law code, living the Christian life, being good. How do works (being good) fit into the salvation picture? Outside Christianity, and even for many within it, the general view is that we are saved BY works. (Paul wrote Romans 1-5 to combat this view.) On … Continue reading →

Homosexuality and the Biblical World View

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW © Jack Cottrell – July 17, 2015 [NOTE: I preached this as a sermon at First Church of Christ, Greendale IN, on July 19, 2015. There I gave it the title, “The Sermon I Don’t Want To Preach.” That title was literally true, since I would actually have preferred to preach on something else. But recent events in our country’s history have led me to conclude that we as a church need to know what the Bible says about gay marriage, and about homosexuality as such. That is the rationale for this message.] It … Continue reading →

What Is Central in Our Lives?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

WHAT IS CENTRAL IN OUR LIVES? JACK COTTRELL – AUGUST 2014 For decades I have tried to expose and refute a theological error I call “the Christological fallacy.” It is indeed a serious error in Christology, or the true understanding of the person and work of Jesus. It is also a serious error in theological method, and as such it is the source of many other errors in the interpretation and application of Scripture. What is this “Christological fallacy”? It is the attempt to make Christ an epistemological principle, rather than the Redeemer he came to be. It sees Jesus … Continue reading →

CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART TWO)

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART TWO) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:49am In part one we began discussing this question: If baptism results in death to sin and rebirth to new spiritual life, then (1) why do some unimmersed people seem to exhibit this new life and new lifestyle; and (2) why do some immersed believers not do a very good job of living a committed life? The “new lifestyle” that follows conversion is what we usually call “sanctification,” or the lifelong process of becoming more and more holy as God is … Continue reading →

CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART ONE)

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART ONE) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:47am QUESTION: When I was a young adult I learned that baptism was important for my salvation, so I was immersed. My problem is that this did not seem to result in the death to sin and rebirth to new spiritual life described in Romans 6:1-4 and Colossians 2:12 as happening in baptism. At another time, however, quite separate from my baptism, I went through a particularly strong life event when I did die to self and begin to live for … Continue reading →

DOES THE BIBLE TELL US HOW TO VOTE?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

DOES THE BIBLE TELL US HOW TO VOTE? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 28, 2012 at 4:31pm QUESTION: Does the Bible tell us how to vote? ANSWER: The following is a sermon I plan to preach at my local church on October 7, 2012: The answer to this question is: yes and no. No, the Bible obviously does not give us the names of any candidates, nor any political parties. Yes, the Bible does tell us what God wants presidents, senators, judges, commissioners, and other governmental leaders to do. In other words, the Bible does not tell us … Continue reading →