Tag Archives: Creator

IS BAPTISM THE FIRST STEP OF OBEDIENCE?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

IS BAPTISM THE FIRST STEP OF OBEDIENCE? (This is the second edition of an article by Jack Cottrell, first published in Christian Standard in April 10, 2005.) A church leader was recently asked to explain his convictions and practice concerning baptism. He replied, “I have always believed that when a person sincerely comes to trust Jesus Christ as leader, forgiver, and Savior, and repents, the first step of obedience is to be baptized into Christ. That is what I have always taught, believed, and practiced” (Christian Standard, 6/27/04, p. 6). What does it mean to think of baptism as “the … 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 →

Is the Human Soul Inherently Eternal?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

QUESTION. I heard an elder of a local church make the comment that he believed that our spirits are eternal, that they were in heaven before we were born and were given to us at conception. Does the Bible have anything to say about this? ANSWER. The first text that comes to mind is 1 Tim. 6:16, which says that God alone “has immortality.” To be eternal is to be inherently immortal, and only God possesses this quality. Thus to be eternal is to be God, or equal with God. This elder’s view is absolutely false. That the human spirit … Continue reading →