Tag Archives: Law

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER TWO — CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 2 CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 An old familiar hymn goes like this: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” Another stanza in this hymn says: “This is all my hope and peace: nothing but the blood of Jesus! This is all my RIGHTEOUSNESS: nothing but the blood of Jesus!” Another hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Another stanza puts it this way: … Continue reading →

IS BAPTISM THE FIRST STEP OF OBEDIENCE?

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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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Grace, Law, and the New Covenant

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Grace, Law, and the New Covenant by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 9:39pm QUESTION: What is the connection between the New Covenant and the “grace system,” to which you refer in your book, “Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace” (pp. 50-51)? I have been taught by Restoration Movement teachers that grace is a New Covenant reality, i.e., that the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant with its legal requirements, and that we are now saved under the New Covenant by grace. In other words, to be under the New Covenant is synonymous with … Continue reading →

LABOR DAY MUSINGS: AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE

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LABOR DAY MUSINGS: AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 3:13pm THOUGHTS ON AUTHORITY IN THE WORKPLACE RE: UPCOMING LABOR DAY Jack Cottrell – August 2009 PART ONE: AUTHORITY IN GENERAL. I. What IS authority? A. It is the right to declare what is right and wrong, and to enforce right conduct by punishing wrongdoers. I.e., it is the right to make the rules, the right to tell others what to do. B. It is the right of a person to impose norms for belief and conduct that are binding on others in … Continue reading →