Tag Archives: Incarnation

Philippians 2:7 and the Incarnation

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

            QUESTION:   In our Bible study we are examining Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  In chapter 2, verse 7, the text we are using (the NASB) translates it as saying that Jesus “emptied Himself.”  Our preacher says that this means that when God the Son became a human being, “he laid down his divinity” or “gave up his divine nature.”  Is this really what that verse is saying?           ANSWER:  I’m sorry that I have to disagree with your preacher, but this is an impossible understanding of this passage.  Here Paul is talking about the second person of the Trinity, … Continue reading →

HOW CAN JESUS BE AMAZED?

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HOW CAN JESUS BE AMAZED? JACK COTTRELL, APRIL 2019         QUESTION:  My King James Version says in Mark 14:33 that when Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His death, He “began to be sore amazed.”  My 1901 American Standard Version likewise says He “began to be greatly amazed, and sore troubled.”  How could Jesus, who is God the Logos as well as a human being, be AMAZED?  Does not God foreknow everything?  How could anything “amaze” Jesus?        ANSWER:  This is indeed an interesting question.  Mark is the only Gospel writer who puts it this way, but … Continue reading →

GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT?

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GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: WHY ARE THEY SO DIFFERENT? QUESTION. It seems that in the Old Testament God tends to be more legalistic and harsh, while the New Testament is more about the coming of Christ and the gospel of God’s love and grace. How do we explain this difference between the two? I know that the same God is acting in both testaments, but why this difference? ANSWER. I will make three main points. ONE. One of the most important truths about God (one that is often missed) is that there are … 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 →

IN WHAT SENSE IS JESUS ETERNAL?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

QUESTION. What does the Bible teach about the eternality of Jesus, and especially his eternal sonship? ANSWER. In answering this question it is necessary to remember that Jesus had (has) TWO natures; he is fully human and fully divine. His divine nature is the Logos, the second person of the Trinity (as we think of him). His human nature is the man Jesus of Nazareth. These two natures are combined into one person with one center of consciousness and one will. Here I will make three points, taking material mostly from chapter 13 (“The Person of Christ”) in my book, … Continue reading →

DID JESUS KNOW HE WAS THE DIVINE MESSIAH?

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DID JESUS KNOW HE WAS THE DIVINE MESSIAH? JACK COTTRELL – FEBRUARY 2015 Question: What did Jesus know about his own identity? Did he know he was the divine Messiah? Answer: This question is about an issue sometimes known as Jesus’ “Messianic consciousness.” Once in a while we come across people who deny that Jesus personally thought of himself as the incarnation of God and as the Messianic Savior of the world. Usually these are liberal theologians who do not accept the truth of the gospel records. Others accept the authenticity of the records, but still wonder if Jesus always … Continue reading →

MORE ABOUT JESUS’ OMNISCIENCE

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MORE ABOUT JESUS’ OMNISCIENCE JACK COTTRELL – FEBRUARY 2015 Question: Did Jesus know himself to be the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ)? Answer: The question of Jesus’ “Messianic consciousness” has been raised and addressed for centuries: Did Jesus know he was the Messiah? Did he claim to be the Messiah? If so, when did he begin to have this understanding? I will address these questions in two separate essays. Here we will set forth the general idea that Jesus was omniscient, and explain how that worked in his incarnate state. In the next essay we will look at … Continue reading →

JESUS AND YAHWEH: HOW ARE THEY RELATED?

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Question: Recently I saw an article that declared that Yahweh (Jehovah) in the Old Testament is God the Father only, and that he does not include the other persons of the Trinity. The article specifically said that Yahweh and Christ Jesus are two distinct individuals. Is this Biblical? What do you think? Answer: I saw the same article, and I disagree with the view presented there. I believe that Yahweh as the name for God revealed in the Old Testament includes all three persons of the Trinity. Depending on the context, this name may refer to all three persons or … Continue reading →

WAS JESUS OMNISCIENT?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

QUESTION: Did Jesus’ divine nature include omniscience? Was Jesus all-knowing? If so, how do we explain Matthew 24:36? ANSWER: Many crucial Christian beliefs are involved in the answer to such questions, e.g., the immutability (unchangeableness) of God, the nature of the incarnation, and especially the divine nature of Jesus, which is the presupposition for the substitutionary atonement. Unless Jesus was fully divine and thus infinite in nature, He could not have been the propitiation for our sins, suffering the equivalent of eternity in hell for the entire human race in the finite event of the cross. (See my book, What … Continue reading →

Does Col. 1:15 Say That Jesus Is a Created Being?

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Does Colossians 1:15 Say That Jesus Is a Created Being? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 3:10pm QUESTION: Do NT references to Jesus as “firstborn” (e.g., Colossians 1:15) and “begotten” (e.g., Heb. 5:5) imply that he is a created being? ANSWER: It is true that the human aspect of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus the human being, Jesus of Nazareth, had his beginning (came into existence for the first time) in the womb of Mary when the angel’s promise in Luke 1:35 was fulfilled. In that same moment the divine aspect of Jesus, namely, the second … Continue reading →