Tag Archives: Restoration Movement

THE DOCTRINAL FOUNDATIONS OF CBS

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THE DOCTRINAL FOUNDATIONS OF CBS (CBC&S; CCU) — JACK COTTRELL, 1993 [While cleaning out my office and files after being recently “retired” from my professorship at CCU, I came across the following. It is a presentation I gave at a gathering of the faculty and students at “the school on the hill” 23 years ago, in August of 1993. (I don’t remember the nature of the gathering.) I thought it might be of some interest now in September 2016, in view of what has taken place “on the hill” within the past year.] My missionary friend Greg Waddell reports that … 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 →

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 →

WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED?

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WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 2:02pm QUESTION: I know that we Christians go to Paradise to be with Jesus when die. But what about OT saints? What happened to them when they died? Did they go to Paradise? How could they, since Christ had not yet died for their sins? What does the Bible say? ANSWER: I answered a similar question a couple of years ago, but I will do it here again and include a couple of extra thoughts. A common idea has existed in … Continue reading →

WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED?

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WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 1:55pm QUESTION: I know that we Christians go to Paradise to be with Jesus when die. But what about OT saints? What happened to them when they died? Did they go to Paradise? How could they, since Christ had not yet died for their sins? What does the Bible say? ANSWER: I answered a similar question a couple of years ago, but I will do it here again and include a couple of extra thoughts. A common idea has existed in … Continue reading →

WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED?

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WHAT HAPPENED TO OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS WHEN THEY DIED? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 1:52pm QUESTION: I know that we Christians go to Paradise to be with Jesus when die. But what about OT saints? What happened to them when they died? Did they go to Paradise? How could they, since Christ had not yet died for their sins? What does the Bible say? ANSWER: I answered a similar question a couple of years ago, but I will do it here again and include a couple of extra thoughts. A common idea has existed in … 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 →

SUICIDE AND FORGIVENESS

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SUICIDE AND FORGIVENESS by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 4:29pm QUESTION: If a Christian commits suicide, does he or she automatically go to hell? Doesn’t the Bible say we must confess our sins in order for them to be forgiven? Surely suicide is a sin, but by its very nature it can be confessed only prior to the act. Is that sufficient in order to receive forgiveness for it? ANSWER: We can certainly agree on some crucial points here: suicide (self-murder) is certainly a very serious sin, being a violation of the sixth commandment; committing any … Continue reading →

Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part Two)

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Is Sound Doctrine a Moral Obligation? (Part Two) by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 2:22pm I wrote an earlier note called “Does It Matter What Church We Attend?” What I said in that note stirred up quite an active discussion, with some responders consigning me to some version of theological (if not literal) Tartarus. That’s OK; I don’t expect everyone to agree with my (always) completely rational and Biblical answers! I do like to avoid being misunderstood or misinterpreted, however. Thus I have chosen to follow up on that note with a two-part essay that addresses … Continue reading →

Does It Matter What Church We Attend?

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Does It Matter What Church We Attend? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 12:43pm QUESTION: Is it a sin to attend a church that is not a Restoration Movement church? E.g., Baptist, Presbyterian, inter-denominational? ANSWER: A couple of years ago (September 2009) I wrote a note explaining the difference between the visible church and the invisible church (just published in the August 2011 Restoration Herald). The invisible church is the universal body of Christ, the total number of those who have obeyed the gospel and are thus in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. All who … Continue reading →