Tag Archives: Redemption

In the Atonement, Did God the Father Suffer Along with the Son?

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In the Atonement, Did God the Father Suffer Along with the Son? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, March 9, 2012 at 2:40pm QUESTION: We talk a lot about how Jesus suffered to accomplish atonement for our sins, but did not God the Father also share in this suffering? If Christ’s suffering was separation from the Father (Matthew 27:46 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”), did the Father not also experience the grief of this separation, this broken relationship? Thus it seems that not only did Christ pay for our sins, but so did the Father … Continue reading →

IS GOD MORE THAN THREE PERSONS?

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IS GOD MORE THAN THREE PERSONS? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:11pm QUESTION: We speak about the “three persons in the Godhead,” i.e., the Trinity. We also say that God has revealed Himself in these three persons as performing different roles for salvation purposes. Is it not possible that the omnipotent God could reveal Himself in MORE than three persons with other roles? Perhaps he has revealed Himself in just three persons because these are enough and sufficient to save mankind. ANSWER: This speculation is quite faulty, and it is based on a false assumption … Continue reading →

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11:11am QUESTION: Can you explain the doctrine of the Trinity? ANSWER: God is ONE, but he is also THREE. He is one and three at the same time. This is the doctrine of the Trinity. (See my book, God the Redeemer, ch. 3.) There is no biblical term that actually means “trinity”; e.g., this is not the connotation of the KJV word “Godhead” nor of the Greek terms which it represents. We do find the concept of the Trinity in Scripture, however. Exactly what is … Continue reading →

THE PARADOX OF PRAYER

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THE PARADOX OF PRAYER by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Monday, June 13, 2011 at 1:17pm THE PARADOX OF PRAYER:  JAMES 5:13-18  (A SERMON PREACHED 5/29/11)   THE PARADOX:  If God can do whatever He chooses, and if He really loves us, why doesn’t He answer all of our prayers?  Here I will comment on James 5:13-18, and will use this text to help resolve the paradox of prayer.   PART ONE:  COMMENTS ON THE TEXT.   Verse13 – “Suffering” means any time things are going bad for you in any way. “Cheerful” means any time things are looking good for … Continue reading →

Books By Jack Cottrell

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BOOKS BY JACK COTTRELL by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 1:35pm Someone asked me recently to make a list of my available books. I thought some of you may be interested in the list, so I am publishing it here, mostly as written for another purpose. I, Jack Cottrell (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary), have taught theology at Cincinnati Christian University for 43 years. During this time I have written 20 books, 16 of which are still in print. The following is a list of these available books. The first seven are available from College Press Publishing … Continue reading →

ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART ONE

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ELECTION, CALVINISM, AND THE BIBLE, PART ONE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 3:58pm QUESTION: The New Testament speaks of God as “choosing” or “electing” us, and Christians are called “the chosen ones” or “the elect.” This sounds like determinism, or Calvinism. How can such language be reconciled with free will? ANSWER: The main verb for “choose” is eklegomai; the adjective (as in “chosen ones”) is eklektos; the noun (‘the chosen”) is eklogē. The words “elect,” “chosen,” and “predestined” carry similar connotations. A main point is that this language is used in different contexts with different … Continue reading →

Is Everything “the Will of God”?

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Is Everything “the Will of God”? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 7:05pm QUESTION: Our pastor says that everything is God’s will. Is this true? How can we understand “God’s will”? ANSWER: To know what your “pastor” means when he says that “everything is God’s will,” I would have to know if he is a Calvinist or not. Let me explain. The NT words for “will,” as used in the context of “God’s will,” can mean one of three things: desire, purpose, or permission. In view of this variety of connotations, it is indeed correct to … Continue reading →

Describing God

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Describing God by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 2:09pm QUESTION: How would you describe God? ANSWER: I appreciate the questioner’s wanting me to “describe God,” but I must confess that a thorough answer to this question requires an answer that would be much too large for a brief piece like this. In the early 1980s I set out to answer this question by writing a book on “What the Bible Says About God.” Before I finished, I had three large volumes totaling 1,500 pages. Originally published by College Press, they are still available from Wipf and … Continue reading →

Why Was Jesus Filled with the Holy Spirit?

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Why Was Jesus Filled with the Holy Spirit? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 2:55pm QUESTION: Why was Jesus filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; 4:18; John 3:34)? Is it possible that Jesus received the Holy Spirit at His baptism in much the same way WE receive the Holy Spirit at our baptism (Acts 2:38), for the same reason? ANSWER: The relation between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is an interesting but somewhat elusive subject. I have discussed it in quite some detail in my book, “Power from on High: What the Bible Says About … Continue reading →

Did Jesus Go to Hell To Pay for Our Sins?

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Did Jesus Go to Hell To Pay for Our Sins? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at 3:37pm QUESTION: Recently I heard a man say, “Jesus went to hell so you wouldn’t have to.” Where does this idea come from? Didn’t Jesus imply that he was going to Paradise when he died (Luke 23:43)? Does it not border on blasphemy to say that Jesus went to hell to pay for our sins? His atoning blood is what paid for our sins, not His suffering three days in hell “so we wouldn’t have to.” Have you heard of … Continue reading →