Tag Archives: Justification

“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS”

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“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28). This is Matthew’s inspired record of some things Jesus said as He was establishing the church practice called communion, … Continue reading →

“THE BODY OF SIN” (ROMANS 6:6) — PART THREE

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[Continued from Part Two] [QUESTION. What does Paul mean by the phrase “body of sin” in Romans 6:6? Is he referring to the physical body? And if so, in what sense is it a body “of sin”?] ANSWER. In Romans six the Apostle Paul presents us with some very good news about what happened to us when we were baptized into Christ. In that moment, he says, our sin-corrupted souls died with Christ and were raised up to walk in new spiritual life. One great benefit of this is that our physical bodies, which in this life are under the … Continue reading →

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL: WRIGHT IS WRONG

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THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL: WRIGHT IS WRONG JACK COTTRELL — 2ND EDITION – JUNE 2016 I begin with this caveat: I am not an expert on this subject. I am pursuing it because it is one of the most significant CHALLENGES to traditional theology, and because it is being taught by one of the most respected and influential Biblical scholars of our day: Nicholas Thomas (N.T., Tom) Wright, who is sometimes credited with coining the expression,“New Perspective on Paul” [NPP] (Justification, 28). [Most quotes here are from Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision (IVP 2009). Some are from … Continue reading →

THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8

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THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8 A DEVOTIONAL GIVEN BY JACK COTTRELL AT THE MAY 2016 MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CHRISTIAN RESTORATION ASSOCIATION I. INTRODUCTION. How can we discern what Paul is teaching in Romans 1-8, or what any other Biblical text means, for that matter? The issue is not just hermeneutics. Rather, to a great extent it depends on how we answer this question: who is the primary AUTHOR of the Bible? This is a watershed issue—in Christendom, in Evangelicalism, in the Restoration Movement, and in many colleges and seminaries. Christian orthodoxy usually agrees that Scripture … Continue reading →

Saved by Grace #3 — DOUBLE CURSE, DOUBLE CURE

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The English word “grace” can be used in three ways. First, it can refer to the cause of salvation: it represents the aspect of God’s nature that causes him to love sinners and seek their salvation even though they do not deserve it. Second, “grace” can refer to the way of salvation: we are saved by the grace system (via the grace gate), as contrasted with the impotent law system (via the law gate). The third way we use the word “grace” is this: it refers to the content of salvation, which we receive as a gift in the moment … Continue reading →

Saved by Grace #5 — JUSTIFIED BY FAITH: THE KEY TO ASSURANCE

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The immediate practical benefit of understanding that we are saved by grace is that we have assurance of salvation. Assurance is not the same as “once saved, always saved.” It is a confidence in our present security in Jesus Christ. Ask yourself the question, “If I were to die right now, or Jesus were to return right now, would I be saved?” Assurance is being able to say “YES!” to this question, and every Christian should be able to do this, because of grace. The problem is that many Christians do not have this assurance, because they do not understand … Continue reading →

Justification: A Paradigm Shift?

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PAUL’S CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION A Book Review, by Jack Cottrell Richard K. Moore has written a book entitled Paul’s Concept of Justification: God’s Gift of a Right Relationship (Wipf & Stock, 2015; pb, 221pp.). Moore is associated with Vose Seminary (formerly Baptist Theological College of Western Australia). In 1978 he wrote a doctoral dissertation which he reworked and expanded into three volumes published as Rectification (‘Justification’) in Paul, in Historical Perspective, and in the English Bible (Edwin Mellen, 2002-2003; 1,372pp.). The present volume is a less technical and updated summary of that work. Moore’s basic purpose is to examine how … Continue reading →

YOUR WORST ENEMY: DEATH

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YOUR WORST ENEMY: DEATH! (A sermon by Jack Cottrell — October 2014) INTRODUCTION. We all know about villains: Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, Godzilla, the Joker, the Penguin—to name a few fictitious ones. In real life we could name Stalin, Hitler, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, and Sadam Hussein. The worst villain of all, though, is DEATH! The event of death may be defined simply and briefly as the loss of life. As a state, death is simply the absence of life (where life is the normal state). It is a state of separation from the source of life. We … Continue reading →

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL: ROMANS 3:21-26

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Romans is my favorite book of the Bible, and Romans 3:21-26 is my favorite passage in this epistle. I have a series of 28 lessons on the first eight chapters of Romans, including the one that follows here. (This is also found in my book, Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace, 190-193.) The first main section of Romans (1:18-3:20) is all about LAW. It makes three points: (1) Everyone knows some law. (2) Everyone has broken this law at some point. (3) Thus no one can be right with God by law-keeping. What, then, is our hope for … Continue reading →

The Righteousness of God in the Gospel

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QUESTION: In Romans 1:16-17 Paul says that the righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel. The word “gospel” means “good news.” In what sense can the righteousness of God be good news for sinners? ANSWER: That God is righteous means that he must always be true to himself; he must always be true to every aspect of his nature. This is his consistency of character. It means that he must be true BOTH to his holy nature (his perfect moral purity) AND to his loving nature. In reference to the former, “righteousness” includes seeing that the requirements of his … Continue reading →