Tag Archives: Repentance

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 #6 — GRACE VS. GALATIANISM

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In lesson five I said that many Christians lack assurance of salvation because they do not understand how “justification by faith” relates to STAYING saved, once one has become a Christian. It is important to distinguish between these two questions: (1) How does a sinner BECOME saved? and (2) How does a Christian STAY saved? Many Christians, especially in the Restoration Movement, know how to answer the first question; but many are seriously confused about the second one. A common but faulty approach to this issue is often called Galatianism. It is called this because it is the false view … 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 →

What’s Supposed To Change in the Lord’s Supper? A Communion Meditation

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I was baptized when I was ten years old, and began taking the Lord’s Supper the very next Sunday. Shortly thereafter, one Sunday I noticed that the juice in my communion cup tasted – very different! It was not good and not sweet, like normal grape juice. Rather, it was much more bitter, and quite sharp to the taste. Being an inquisitive child, I began to wonder: what does this mean? Why does this taste different? I was just a kid, but I knew that the Lord’s Supper involved some very sacred realities. I thought to myself, maybe we are … 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 →

CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART ONE)

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CAN ONE BE “SPIRITUALLY ALIVE” WITHOUT BAPTISM? (PART ONE) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 8:47am QUESTION: When I was a young adult I learned that baptism was important for my salvation, so I was immersed. My problem is that this did not seem to result in the death to sin and rebirth to new spiritual life described in Romans 6:1-4 and Colossians 2:12 as happening in baptism. At another time, however, quite separate from my baptism, I went through a particularly strong life event when I did die to self and begin to live for … 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 →

IS FAITH A GIFT? CALVINISM VS. THE BIBLE

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IS FAITH A GIFT? CALVINISM VS. THE BIBLE by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, July 5, 2012 at 3:57pm QUESTION: In defense of his belief in total depravity and irresistible grace, my Calvinist friend quotes Biblical passages that seem to say that faith and repentance are sovereign gifts of God, e.g., 2 Tim. 2:25, which says that “God may perhaps grant them repentance.” How may we understand such passages? ANSWER: Calvinism teaches that all human beings (except Christ) are born totally depraved as a result of Adam’s sin. This means that no one has the free will to decide to … Continue reading →

THE IMPERATIVES OF ACTS 2:38

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THE IMPERATIVES OF ACTS 2:38 by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, September 16, 2011 at 1:21pm QUESTION: Some interpreters of Acts 2:38 make a big deal of the difference between second person imperative for the verb “repent,” and third person imperative for the verb “be baptized.” My systematic theology professor says that “be baptized,” as third person imperative, is not a command as such but is rather “a strong plea.” His basis is the same usage in Galatians 1:8, where Paul says “let them be accursed,” which is not really a mandatory command to God but a strong plea. What … Continue reading →

IS REBAPTISM EVER NECESSARY?

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IS REBAPTISM EVER NECESSARY? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at 3:17pm QUESTION: Is it ever a good idea, or even necessary, for a person to be rebaptized, i.e., baptized a second time? ANSWER: My approach to this question assumes that sometimes what is considered to be a baptism is indeed a valid baptism, but sometimes it is not. If a person has been baptized once with a valid baptism, there will never be a need for rebaptism. This is true even if a baptized person has fallen from grace and has now decided to return to … Continue reading →