Tag Archives: sin

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER FOUR — CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 4 CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 In First John 2:1-2 the Apostle John says that Jesus is our Advocate – our defense lawyer who helps us escape the punishment for our sins. He says Jesus is our Righteousness – the One who has satisfied the law’s requirement for punishment in our place. And he says Jesus is our Propitiation – the One who turned the Father’s wrath away from us by taking it on Himself. Here I want to call attention to something else John … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER THREE — CHRIST OUR PROPITIATION

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 3 CHRIST OUR PROPITIATION Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 Notice how Jesus is described in these first two verses from the second chapter of First John — “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” In previous meditations I have explained how Jesus is our ADVOCATE, … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 — NUMBER ONE: “I NEED A LAWYER!”

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 1 “I NEED A LAWYER!” Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 Crime stories are a popular genre for books and TV shows. From them we learn that when a suspect is arrested and is being questioned about a particular crime, one of the first things he or she says is “I need a lawyer!” The “right to counsel” is guaranteed in the U.S. by our Constitution. When charged with a crime, you have the constitutional right to have a lawyer to assist in your defense. The Sixth Amendment says (among other things), … Continue reading →

“THE BODY OF SIN” (ROMANS 6:6) — PART THREE

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[Continued from Part Two] [QUESTION. What does Paul mean by the phrase “body of sin” in Romans 6:6? Is he referring to the physical body? And if so, in what sense is it a body “of sin”?] ANSWER. In Romans six the Apostle Paul presents us with some very good news about what happened to us when we were baptized into Christ. In that moment, he says, our sin-corrupted souls died with Christ and were raised up to walk in new spiritual life. One great benefit of this is that our physical bodies, which in this life are under the … Continue reading →

“THE BODY OF SIN” (ROMANS 6:6) — PART TWO

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[Continued from Part One] [QUESTION. What does Paul mean by the phrase “body of sin” in Romans 6:6? Is he referring to the physical body? And if so, in what sense is it a body “of sin”?] ANSWER. As we saw in the previous part of this essay, because of the effects of sin upon the two parts of our human nature, and because of the singular focus of regeneration at the time of conversion, the Christian is a combination of a redeemed soul and an as-yet-unredeemed body. As a result, the Christian life is an on-going conflict between the … Continue reading →

“THE BODY OF SIN” (ROMANS 6:6) — PART ONE

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QUESTION. What does Paul mean by the phrase “body of sin” in Romans 6:6? Is he referring to the physical body? And if so, in what sense is it a body “of sin”? ANSWER. You have raised a question of crucial importance for our understanding of human nature as such, and especially for our understanding of the nature of salvation. In my answer I will draw from the entire section of Romans that includes chapters six through eight. When I wrote my commentary on Romans for College Press (2 volumes, 1996 & 1998; one volume condensed, 2005), I was surprised … Continue reading →

SIN-EATER — OR SIN-BEARER? A COMMUNION MEDITATION

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SIN-EATER – OR SIN-BEARER? A Communion Meditation – Jack Cottrell QUESTION: Do you think it is acceptable for someone giving the communion meditation to just read or otherwise relate what someone else has written? ANSWER: Of course it is! That is why someone like me goes to the trouble of writing and publishing such meditations! In fact, here is one I just prepared and shared with my congregation recently: From time to time in modern fiction we see a character called the “sin-eater.” One story that many remember is a 1972 episode from “The Night Gallery” called “The Sins of … Continue reading →

CHRISTIAN TRUTH FOR A WORLD IN DECAY

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CHRISTIAN TRUTH FOR A WORLD IN DECAY Jack Cottrell – August 2016 Sometimes we greet one another with this question: “How are things with you?” “Things?” What kind of “things”? Usually we mean, “How’s your health? How’s your family? How’s your job? What’s new in your life?” But what if we broadened the scope of the question, e.g., “In general, do you think things in the nation are headed in the right direction, or have they gotten off on the wrong track?” Here we would be asking you to give an opinion about “what’s happening” regarding such things as the … Continue reading →

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL: WRIGHT IS WRONG

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THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL: WRIGHT IS WRONG JACK COTTRELL — 2ND EDITION – JUNE 2016 I begin with this caveat: I am not an expert on this subject. I am pursuing it because it is one of the most significant CHALLENGES to traditional theology, and because it is being taught by one of the most respected and influential Biblical scholars of our day: Nicholas Thomas (N.T., Tom) Wright, who is sometimes credited with coining the expression,“New Perspective on Paul” [NPP] (Justification, 28). [Most quotes here are from Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision (IVP 2009). Some are from … Continue reading →

THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8

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THE MESSAGE OF ROMANS 1-8 A DEVOTIONAL GIVEN BY JACK COTTRELL AT THE MAY 2016 MEETING OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE CHRISTIAN RESTORATION ASSOCIATION I. INTRODUCTION. How can we discern what Paul is teaching in Romans 1-8, or what any other Biblical text means, for that matter? The issue is not just hermeneutics. Rather, to a great extent it depends on how we answer this question: who is the primary AUTHOR of the Bible? This is a watershed issue—in Christendom, in Evangelicalism, in the Restoration Movement, and in many colleges and seminaries. Christian orthodoxy usually agrees that Scripture … Continue reading →