Tag Archives: obedience to the gospel

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER FOUR — CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 4 CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 In First John 2:1-2 the Apostle John says that Jesus is our Advocate – our defense lawyer who helps us escape the punishment for our sins. He says Jesus is our Righteousness – the One who has satisfied the law’s requirement for punishment in our place. And he says Jesus is our Propitiation – the One who turned the Father’s wrath away from us by taking it on Himself. Here I want to call attention to something else John … 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 →

Saved by Grace #8 — SAVED BY GRACE, SAVED IN BAPTISM

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We are now ready to explain how baptism and grace are related. First, I will state several basic principles to keep in mind when studying baptism. (A) Every doctrine, including baptism, is based on Scripture first, not on experience. (B) We cannot draw our conclusions about the meaning of baptism from non-Biblical sources, such as the Latin word sacramentum (which often meant “oath, pledge, covenant”). (C) Christian baptism began on the Day of Pentecost. Thus we must not try to base our understanding of it on pre-Pentecostal practices, such as OT circumcision or John’s baptism. (D) There is only ONE … 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 →