Tag Archives: Romans 5:12-19

Saved by Grace #13 — ORIGINAL SIN–OR ORIGINAL GRACE?

Jack Cottrell Posted on by

What about babies—when they are conceived, while in the womb, at birth? Are they under law, or under grace? This question is actually raised and answered in Romans 5:12-19, where Adam’s sin is contrasted with Christ’s cross. The issue being settled here is simply this: which of these is stronger? Which prevails over the other? At least since the time of Augustine (d. A.D. 430), the Christian world has tended to focus on what this text says about Adam more than what it says about Christ. Most see it as teaching the doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN. What does this phrase … 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 →

ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN?

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ARE BABIES BORN IN ORIGINAL SIN? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, May 6, 2011 at 10:01am QUESTION: A friend of mine argues that babies are born in sin. She uses some specific Bible verses for this: Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23, and Romans 5:12-19. She especially emphasizes Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned . . . .” Since it says “all,” she says it must include babies. Do these texts really teach that babies are born sinful? ANSWER: I have written quite a bit on this. For Romans 5:12-19, see my commentary on Romans, published by College Press. See also … Continue reading →

“Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?” Questioning the Question.

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“Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?” Questioning the Question. by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 3:50pm “Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?” QUESTION: A brother has written expressing his dismay upon discovering that his church’s preacher and many of its elders do not see baptism as related to salvation, appealing, e.g., to the thief on the cross and to the hypothetical new believer lost in the desert. One elder is quoted as saying, “You will never get me to believe you have to be baptized to get to heaven.” Another elder cited a quote from Hicks and Taylor’s … Continue reading →

The Age of Accountability and Baptism

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The Age of Accountability and Baptism by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 2:24pm QUESTION: Have you written anything that particularly addresses the age of accountability and the baptizing of children? I have heard many discussions lately concerning: “Is the child not accountable one moment and then accountable the next? Must the child reach the state in which he is lost, for whatever length of time, before he can be baptized? Must he go out of the kingdom in order to come back into it again?” What do you think? REPLY: On the age of accountability as … Continue reading →

Depravity: Total, Partial, or None at All?

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Depravity: Total, Partial, or None at All? by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, October 2, 2009 at 1:26pm A QUESTIONER ASKS, what Scriptures disqualify (I take this to mean disprove) Total Depravity in human beings? And if Total Depravity is ruled out, does that mean we are PARTIALLY depraved? MY REPLY: Depravity as such has to do with the sinfulness of our human nature, i.e., having a nature that has been infected with sin like the body can be infected with disease. It means having a sinful, evil, spiritually diseased or dead nature. The first issue is WHETHER a sinner’s … Continue reading →