Tag Archives: Faith Once for All

ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN?

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ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, May 6, 2011 at 10:01am QUESTION: A friend of mine argues that babies are born in sin. She uses some specific Bible verses for this: Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23, and Romans 5:12-19. She especially emphasizes Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned . . . .” Since it says “all,” she says it must include babies. Do these texts really teach that babies are born sinful? ANSWER: I have written quite a bit on this. For Romans 5:12-19, see my commentary on Romans, published by College Press. See also … Continue reading →

OUR AUTHORITY: SCRIPTURE OR EXPERIENCE?

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OUR AUTHORITY: SCRIPTURE OR EXPERIENCE? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 1:38pm QUESTION: How do we know God is in control? We say, during tough times, that “He is on the Throne.” But the question always haunts us: “If God is really in control, why is the world in such a mess? Why are all these bad things happening in my life?” How can we be sure He is really reigning over all things? ANSWER: How we answer this is the ultimate test of whether we really believe the Bible is our final authority or not, … Continue reading →

Books By Jack Cottrell

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BOOKS BY JACK COTTRELL by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 1:35pm Someone asked me recently to make a list of my available books. I thought some of you may be interested in the list, so I am publishing it here, mostly as written for another purpose. I, Jack Cottrell (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary), have taught theology at Cincinnati Christian University for 43 years. During this time I have written 20 books, 16 of which are still in print. The following is a list of these available books. The first seven are available from College Press Publishing … Continue reading →

ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART TWO

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ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART TWO by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:02pm In part one of this essay, I said that the Biblical language of election is used in several different senses or applied in several different ways. In that part, I explained the first four such ways: (1) the election of Jesus as the incarnate God the Redeemer; (2) the election of individuals to service, e.g., the patriarchs and the apostles; (3) the election of groups (especially Israel) to service; and (4) the election of groups as categories of individuals to whom God … Continue reading →

Can a Christian Who Falls Away Ever Become Saved Again?

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Can a Christian Who Falls Away Ever Become Saved Again? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 3:49pm QUESTION: I understand that a true, saved believer can “fall from grace” and become lost; but can such a person ever return and become saved again? Does not Hebrews 6:4-6 suggest that a person who falls away can never again be saved? ANSWER: The idea that a fallen-away sinner can never again be saved has brought much anguish to many sincere people. It is also a false doctrine, one that is based mainly on a seriously-false translation of the … Continue reading →

APOSTOLIC PRECEDENT AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

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APOSTOLIC PRECEDENT AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 12:06pm QUESTION: Regarding NT teaching on church worship, I have a question about how apostolic precedent relates to singing praises as an act of public worship. Regarding apostolic precedent, you have said, “Since the apostles were the primary authoritative teachers in the early church, we accept the practice of these acts of worship [‘musical praise, prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and giving’], as perpetually binding upon the church by the authority of apostolic precedent” (Cottrell, The Faith Once for All, pp. 449-450). Now, most church music … Continue reading →

Can a God of Love Be a Jealous God?

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Can a God of Love Be a Jealous God? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 3:23pm QUESTION: If God is love, why does He say He is a jealous God? ANSWER: One of the biggest mistakes made in reference to God’s nature is to assume that LOVE is His primary attribute, the one over-arching, all-inclusive attribute that must somehow include all other attributes. This false presupposition seems to underlie this question, i.e., isn’t jealousy somehow inconsistent with love? How can love express itself in jealousy? One of my main theses with reference to God is that … Continue reading →

The Preterist View of Christ’s Second Coming

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The Preterist View of Christ’s Second Coming by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 8:48am QUESTION: Can you give a brief evaluation of the view of the end times known as preterism? ANSWER: Preterism is a particular approach to prophecy concerning the end times. Some preterist views are more moderate than the more popular one, which I will discuss here. The following material is mostly from my book, “The Faith Once for All,” pp. 541-543. The prefix “preter-” means “beyond,” and in a grammatical context it refers to the past, as in “past tense.” In eschatology “preterism” … Continue reading →

Can the Guilty Party Remarry after a Divorce?

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Can the Guilty Party Remarry after a Divorce? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 11:02am QUESTION: In a Christian marriage which dissolves due to marital unfaithfulness, is the guilty party not allowed to remarry? And would this be the case even if the guilty party under the leadership of the elders tried everything possible to save the marriage? In view of 1 Cor. 7:9, would remarriage in such a case—even if it is a sin—be the “lesser of two evils”? ANSWER: First, let’s get this straight: 1 Cor. 7:9 does not apply to this issue in … Continue reading →

Divorce and Church Leadership

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Divorce and Church Leadership by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 8, 2010 at 8:58am QUESTION: What is the meaning of the expression, “one-woman man” (“mias gunaikos andra”), as it applies to elders and deacons, in 1 Timothy 3:2, 12 and Titus 1:6? This phrase is often translated, “the husband of one wife.” Does it mean that a divorced man can never hold one of these church offices? ANSWER: There are several different views of this phrase. Some have said that it simply requires than an elder be married. (I will speak only of elders, understanding that the phrase is … Continue reading →