A STUDY OF THE BIBLICAL TEXTS ON BAPTISMThe water of baptism which God meant to unite us has become the waterthat divides us. But the topic of baptism does not have to divide us-it canbe one of the Bible doctrines that submerges us in a common relationshipwith our Lord Jesus.Scripture is far from silent on the subject of baptism, yet history is strewnwith such a variety of perspectives that it becomes difficult to gain a clearview of what the Bible itself actually has to say.In thirteen chapters, Dr. Cottrell discusses twelve major texts on baptismin the New Testament by examining the meaning of the original words, thehistorical background, and the comparative references.The texts covered: - Matthew 28:18-20- Mark 16:15-16- John 3:3-5- Acts 2:38-39- Acts 22:16- Romans 6:3-4- 1 Corinthians 12:13- Galatians 3:26-27- Ephesians 5:25-27- Colossians 2:11-13- Titus 3:5- 1 Peter 3:21A thorough and landmark study, this book should be in the library ofevery serious Bible student.
La Biblia no evita el tema del bautismo. Muchas declara- ciones obvias y claras aparecen tanto en sus secciones narrativas como en las didácticas. Están difundidas a través de todo el Nuevo Testamento, desde los Evangelios y Hechos hasta las Epístolas paulinas y generales. El problema principal que se oculta tras la confusión moderna sobre el bautismo, entonces, no es la escasez de material bíblico, sino más bien un compromiso a priori con ciertos presupuestos teológicos. Es extremadamente difícil - algunos dirían que es imposible - ser objetivos cuando intentamos interpretar la Biblia. Tendemos a leerla, en especial sus referencias al bautismo, con ideas preconcebidas de lo que "en verdad debe estar diciendo" o lo que "por cierto no puede significar".
La Bible est loin du silence sur le sujet du bapt me. Beaucoup de d clarations claires et simples apparaissent dans des sections didactiqueset narratives. Elles sont tendues sur tout le champ du Nouveau Testament, depuis les vangiles aux Actes, aux pitres de Paulet les pitres g n rales. Le probl me principal qui sous-entend la confusion moderne sur le bapt me n'est pas le manque de mat riel biblique, mais plut t un engagement priori de certaines pr suppositions th ologiques. C'est extr mement difficile - certains diront impossible m me - d' tre objectif quand on interpr te la Bible. On lit, particuli rement les r f rences au bapt me, avec des id es pr con ues de ce que cela veut vraiment dire ou encore ce qu'il ne veut pas dire s rement .Avec toute connaissance de la difficult impliqu e, notre but dans cette tude est d'examiner les passages principaux du Nouveau Testament sur la signification du bapt me comme si nous le voyons et l'entendons pour la premi re fois. Comment les auditeurs originaux ont-ils compris certaines d clarations cl s ? Comment Nicod me aurait-il compris Jean 3.5 ? Comment la foule de Pierre aurait -elle interpr t Actes 2.38 ? Comment Paul a-t-il compris l'imp ratif d'Ananias dans Actes 22.16 ? galement, comment les lecteurs originaux d'Actes, de Romains et de Colossiens ont-ils interpr t l'enseignement qui y est contenu sur le bapt me ? Comment auraient-ils fait pour tablir un lien entre cet enseignement et leur propre exp rience personnelle ? Pour quelqu'un qui lit le Nouveau Testament aujourd'hui, quel serait la signification naturelle et litt rale des passages sur le bapt me ? Comment pourrait-il comprendre la r f rence sur le bapt me s'il n'a pas de connaissance pr alable ni d'engagement th ologique sur un point de vue particulier, par exemple, R form , Catholique, Luth rien, ou Campbellite ?
A primeira refer ncia no Novo Testamento ao batismo crist o est na Grande Comiss o, conforme registrado em Mateus 28:19-20. Isto sugere, claro, que o batismo crist o distinto de todos os batismos que o precederam na B blia, incluindo a ocasi o em que Jesus foi batizado por Jo o, o batismo de Jo o em geral e o batismo que era realizado pelos disc pulos de Jesus. Esta distin o ficar mais clara abaixo. De qualquer maneira, as instru es finais de Cristo para os seus seguidores est o bem expressadas nesta tradu o de Frederico Louren o e inclu am estas palavras: "Indo (ir), pois, tornai (tornar) disc pulos todos os povos, batizando-os (batizar) em nome do Pai, do Filho e do Esp rito Santo, ensinando-os (ensinar) a cumprir todas as coisas que vos mandei" (Mateus 28:19-20a). O termo principal nesta comiss o "tornar", ou seja, "fazer disc pulos", no vers culo. 19 (traduzido como "ensinar" na Almeida Revista e Corrigida). Em grego, este o nico verbo no imperativo nesses dois vers culos; os outros tr s elementos da Grande Comiss o s o partic pios. Assim, "ir" o pr -requisito para fazer disc pulos - e "batizar" e "ensinar" s o os meios de torn -los disc pulos.
In addition to my 49 years of teaching theology at the graduate level at The Cincinnati Bible Seminary (now Cincinnati Christian University), I have spent even more years than that as a preacher and teacher in local churches. I have taught hundreds and hundreds of Bible lessons, mostly for adult Bible classes. Some of my lesson series have been topical; some have been based on Bible books. Here, for the first time, I have decided to present one of the latter series in written form for public consumption. This book of lessons is not intended to be a scholarly commentary on the text of First Peter. I have not tried to present any details of an introductory or critical nature. I am approaching the text with the assumption that it was written by the Apostle Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I have written these lessons with the conviction that everything the Apostle Peter says is true and authoritative, and that it is applicable to the church throughout the ages. These lessons have been written primarily for the edification of Christians in the local church. I have never presented this material (in this form) in a college or seminary classroom, but I have used it several times in adult Bible classes in churches. I believe the lessons can also be used for personal Bible study and devotions. I have attempted to teach sound doctrine all along the way, but also to apply the teaching to everyday life situations. Some may be surprised that anyone could distinguish thirty-five distinct lessons from so short a New Testament Bible book (five chapters, 105 verses). It does not surprise me, though. I believe the inspired writings of Scripture are packed solid with truth and wisdom, especially when we examine its individual units (verses, paragraphs) in the constant light of its overall teaching. I have observed that a common method of preaching or teaching through a particular Bible book is to present one sermon or lesson per chapter. To me, that is like walking quickly over a field and picking up a rock here and a flower there. I would rather get down on my hands and knees and look at everything through a magnifying glass-flowers, roots, dirt, insects, anthills, arrowheads, animal traces, and all. Most of the time my quotations from the Bible are taken from the New American Standard Bible. That will always be the case when no specific translation is identified. I make frequent references to the Greek text, which is always the final authority for my interpretations and conclusions. I am by no means a language expert, but I cannot overemphasize how important-and useful-it is for Bible teachers to have a working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek. I want to dedicate this volume of lessons to the students of my church Bible classes that have worked through them with me over the years, especially to the members of the Chosen Ones class at the Miamitown (OH) Church of Christ and the Philothean class at the Bright (IN).
Part One of this book is a series of ten lessons I call "Grace Distinctions." This description comes from my 60 years of studying and teaching theology, during which I have come to think of theology as "the art of making distinctions." I have especially found that a proper understanding of grace requires making some very important distinctions. When I was teaching grace in the seminary, I came to the point where my beginning lectures for the course were an exposition of these distinctions. The ten lessons in the first section of this book are intended to set forth this material. Sometimes the same ideas will come up again in Part Two.The main section of this book is Part Two ("Grace Accomplished and Applied"), which is a series of 14 lessons on what it means to be "saved by grace." These lessons are presented in a simple and orderly manner that I hope can be understood by anyone: prospective Christians, new Christians, seasoned Christians. These lessons can be used for evangelistic purposes, for small group studies, for personal devotions, or for sermon ideas. (I do recommend that teachers, preachers, and group leaders using this for such purposes also use and study the larger volume "Set Free What the Bible Says About Grace", (https: //www.amazon.com/Free-What-Bible-About-Grace/dp/0899009808) using the table of contents and the indexes to find more extensive developments of the subjects given in more abbreviated form in this small book.)My goal and prayer is this: May God use this little book (through you, the reader) to reach multitudes with the message of His grace, and to lead them to a richer and deeper understanding of the "blessed assurance" of salvation.JACK COTTRELL - SEPTEMBER 2017
Academic questions? Not according to Jack Cottrell. He believes our answers to questions like these decide whether we'll win against Satan's battle for our mind and soul. How should you answer these questions? What do you know about the essentials of Christian faith? In a world that says truth doesn't matter, discover what God says about these basics. In a culture that emphasizes feelings over facts, consider what God says you must believe - and why. Seven readable chapters explain foundational principles in language everyone can understand. The book is perfect for groups as well as for your own individual study.
