Tag Archives: Martin Luther

“This is My body . . . This is My blood”

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“THIS IS MY BODY . . . THIS IS MY BLOOD” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell In the upper room, when establishing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus passed the bread to His apostles with these words: “Take, eat, this is My body” (Matthew 26:26). Then He passed the cup to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood” (Matthew 26:27-28). Here is a quote from recent history: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” What does this make you think of? Bill Clinton, of course. At his impeachment hearing, Clinton’s lawyer … Continue reading →

HAVE WE LEARNED TO THINK IN GRACE?

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HAVE WE LEARNED TO THINK IN GRACE? AN AID FOR SELF-EXAMINATION Jack Cottrell – June 2016 In Romans 6:14-15, Paul says we Christians are “not under law, but under grace.” I.e., we are not under the law system as a way of salvation; we are under the grace system. We know that we are still obligated to obey God’s law commands, but we realize that we are not saved by achieving a certain level of obedience to those commands. Rather, we are saved by the grace of God, through our sincere trust in the redemptive works of Christ. As believers … Continue reading →

Saved by Grace #9 — IS BAPTISM A WORK?

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Many in the Christian world will vehemently reject just about everything I said in the previous lesson (part 8, “Saved by Grace, Saved in Baptism”). This is because they view baptism as a work, and believe that this automatically prevents baptism from having anything to do with salvation, since salvation is by grace. In this lesson I will show why this is false thinking. Historically, for its first 1,500 years Christendom was nearly unanimous in its belief that water baptism is the moment of time when God initially bestows saving grace upon the sinner. This includes Martin Luther, who forcefully … Continue reading →

THE TYRANNY OF THE PARADIGM Part 3

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THE TYRANNY OF THE PARADIGM Part 3 Jack W. Cottrell      Previously I noted that Michael Denton speaks of how modern science regards Darwinian evolution as the determinative paradigm or controlling interpretive principle to which all scientific data must be made to conform—even when the data are in conflict with the paradigm.  He calls this faulty methodology the “priority of the paradigm” (a la Thomas Kuhn). In that earlier essay I applied this concept to certain faulty theological systems, which likewise are distorted by the tyranny of their respective paradigms.  (I have changed the word “priority” to “tyranny,” a word that … Continue reading →

ARE WE BORN SINNERS?

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ARE WE BORN SINNERS? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 7:08pm QUESTION: Are we human beings born sinners? What effect, if any, did the sin of Adam and Eve have on all their offspring? Did it affect our ability to choose whether or not to sin? ANSWER: This question is about the doctrine of original sin, which in one form or another is held by a large portion of Christendom. This doctrine says that Adam’s sin did indeed affect all of his descendants in serious ways. As early as the third century Christian writers began to … Continue reading →

Hebrews 12:15 and the Question of Eternal Security

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Hebrews 12:15 and the Question of Eternal Security by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, August 15, 2011 at 11:44am QUESTION: A typical translation of Hebrews 12:15a is this, from the NASB: “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God.” The word translated “of” is the Greek apo, which, when followed by the genitive, means “from, away from.” This raises a question concerning the people being addressed: are they not yet within God’s grace, and are thus being warned not to fall short of attaining it or missing out on it? Or are they now within … Continue reading →

Is Faith a Work?

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Is Faith a Work? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 7:54am In response to a post by a facebook friend entitled “Faith Is Not A Work,” I attached the following comment: If “works” are defined generically as “things we do,” there are two kinds: obedience to law (the commands of our law code) and obedience to the gospel. Paul uses the term “works” for the former, and separates them from justification; he uses “obey the gospel” (Rom. 10:16; 2 Thess. 1:8) for what is necessary to receive salvation, including faith and confession (see context of Rom. … Continue reading →

Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine?

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Is Substitutionary Atonement a Calvinist Doctrine? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, August 1, 2011 at 11:50am QUESTION: There are some who say that Jesus was in no way a substitute for our sins because this is Calvinism. I have your book, God the Redeemer, and have read your chapter dealing with the atonement. I believe that Jesus in some way “took our place” as in Gal. 3:13 (substitution does not have to be used), but I am not a Calvinist and would fight Calvinism rigorously. Can you offer any more help especially in locating materials that would support Jesus … Continue reading →

INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE, PART FOUR: AN APPEAL

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INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE, PART FOUR: AN APPEAL by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 4:05pm THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE: DOES IT STILL MATTER? JACK COTTRELL – CINCINNATI CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY – APRIL 2011 PART IV. AN APPEAL. I have always been a part of the fellowship called “the Restoration Movement,” and I am still committed to its basic principles. For 43 years I have taught theology at Cincinnati Christian University (which began as The Cincinnati Bible Seminary). Today it is my earnest desire that every one of our students, and this school as such, and the Movement of … Continue reading →

Questions About the Essentiality of Baptism

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Questions About the Essentiality of Baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 7:22pm QUESTION: An individual asked me some questions about baptism, and I would love to hear your response. Here are the questions: (1) If we are justified through faith (Rom 3:27—4:8) how are we justified in baptism? And (2) what about the man in the desert who is incapable of being baptized? Will he be lost, even if he has a genuine faith? I responded to the latter question by saying this is a rare case and that these types of situations are in … Continue reading →