Tag Archives: Righteousness

THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

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THE ROBE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, GREENDALE, INDIANA Jack Cottrell – August 11, 2019         Isaiah 61:10 – “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” INTRODUCTION.  Are you ready for the Judgment Day?         A.    “Being ready” often means, “Are you appropriately dressed?”         B.    Being ready for the Judgment Day requires us to be wearing … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER TWO — CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 2 CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 An old familiar hymn goes like this: “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” Another stanza in this hymn says: “This is all my hope and peace: nothing but the blood of Jesus! This is all my RIGHTEOUSNESS: nothing but the blood of Jesus!” Another hymn says, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Another stanza puts it this way: … Continue reading →

THE CHRISTIAN’S SUMMUM BONUM

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THE CHRISTIAN’S SUMMUM BONUM [While sorting through old files I ran across this short piece I wrote for The Lookout on April 10, 1988.] Years ago a Cincinnati Enquirer reporter made a random survey, asking people about their concept of “the good life.” Here are some of their answers: “I don’t know. I’m new in town. A lot of money, I guess. To be left alone. Maybe she’ll know; ask my wife.” “First of all, the good life means being happy in what I’m doing. Having health for both myself and my family. And not necessarily having any economic woes.” … Continue reading →

Justification: A Paradigm Shift?

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PAUL’S CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION A Book Review, by Jack Cottrell Richard K. Moore has written a book entitled Paul’s Concept of Justification: God’s Gift of a Right Relationship (Wipf & Stock, 2015; pb, 221pp.). Moore is associated with Vose Seminary (formerly Baptist Theological College of Western Australia). In 1978 he wrote a doctoral dissertation which he reworked and expanded into three volumes published as Rectification (‘Justification’) in Paul, in Historical Perspective, and in the English Bible (Edwin Mellen, 2002-2003; 1,372pp.). The present volume is a less technical and updated summary of that work. Moore’s basic purpose is to examine how … Continue reading →

What Are You Wearing? A Communion Meditation

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“Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be’; this was to fulfill the Scripture: ‘They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things” (John 19:23-25a, NASB). This makes me wonder what happened to the tunic (the inner layer of clothing). One … Continue reading →

THE HEART OF THE GOSPEL: ROMANS 3:21-26

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Romans is my favorite book of the Bible, and Romans 3:21-26 is my favorite passage in this epistle. I have a series of 28 lessons on the first eight chapters of Romans, including the one that follows here. (This is also found in my book, Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace, 190-193.) The first main section of Romans (1:18-3:20) is all about LAW. It makes three points: (1) Everyone knows some law. (2) Everyone has broken this law at some point. (3) Thus no one can be right with God by law-keeping. What, then, is our hope for … Continue reading →

Are we justified by Christ’s LIFE or by his DEATH–or both?

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Are we justified by Christ’s LIFE or by his DEATH–or both? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 10:27am HERE IS ANOTHER QUESTION I received recently: “I have been following a discussion on a Calvinist blog re: the ‘active obedience’ view of the atonement. I read your section in ‘The Faith Once for All’ [p. 323], wherein you call this a ‘serious error.’ I’d be interested to know why this is such a serious error, i.e. what it in fact might lead to. Thanks for any help.” HERE IS MY REPLY: I usually speak of Christ’s “active … Continue reading →