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TTH 560 01 -- DOCTRINE OF GRACE Instructor: Jack Cottrell
Course Assignments – Fall 2012 Three credit hours
A. RATIONALE.
This course is designed to sharpen the student's understanding of the nature of salvation. Specifically it asks the question, "What does it mean to be saved by grace?"
This is not a study of theologians' views of grace or of the history of the doctrine. The goal of the course
rather is to explore the Biblical teaching about grace and how it relates to subjects such as law, works, the cross, faith, baptism, justification, and assurance.
The course as a whole will emphasize the theme that the heart of grace is justification by the blood of Christ through faith, a proper understanding of which is the key to assurance of salvation. Since this is in effect the fundamental element of the Christian gospel, a proper grasp of these concepts is necessary for a satisfying personal faith and for an adequate presentation of the gospel in evangelistic or witnessing situations. Thus this course is foundational in terms of our mission to train Christian workers for all aspects of service in the church.
B. OBJECTIVES. Upon completion of this course the student should --
1. Understand and be able to explain to others the Bible's teaching about law and grace.
2. Have a clear understanding of and a stronger appreciation of what it means to be personally saved by grace.
3. Have a genuine personal assurance of salvation.
4. Be able to show how the Biblical doctrine of grace integrates with other Biblical doctrines, e.g., the nature of God, the nature of man, and the person and work of Christ.
5. Be able to teach the doctrines of grace to others especially in relation to Romans 1-8.
C. GENERAL INFORMATION.
1. Class Sessions. This course meets on Mondays, 12:30 to 3:10 p.m. Each day the student should bring to class: (1) a Bible (NASB or ESV preferred but not required); and (2) the course outline, "TTH 560 Doctrine of Grace: Course Outline" (latest edition ONLY), which is available online only. Please do not eat meals during the class session. Stay-awake snacks are OK.
2. Absence Policy. The student is expected to attend every class session. If an absence is necessary, the student should make arrangements to tape the class and listen to the tape. Three absences: extra work may be required. Four absences: may result in exclusion from the course.
3. Grade Determination. R & R of Seamands --- 15%
Second R & R --- 15%
Cottrell reading --- 15%
Examination --- 25%
Final assignment --- 30%
4. Deadlines. Each assignment is required to be submitted on or before the date due. Except for the exam and the final assignment, a one-week extension may be granted at the instructor's discretion.
5. The professor reserves the right to change or amend any part of this course plan as deemed necessary.
6. Contacting the instructor: Jack Cottrell, 2700 Glenway Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45204. Phone: 513-
244-8166 (office); 812-637-9628 (home). E-Mail: (CCU office).
D. Reading Assignments.
1. All students will read David Seamands, Healing Grace: Finding Freedom from the Performance Trap
(Light and Life Communications, 1999; any edition is OK). Write a “read and report.”
2. All students will read ONE of the following books, and write a “read and report” on it:
a. Duty, Guy. If You Continue. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1966.
b. MacArthur, John F. Jr. The Gospel According to Jesus: What Does Jesus Mean When He Says,
“Follow Me”? Revised ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
c. Morgan, Christopher W.; and Robert A. Peterson. Faith Comes by Hearing: A Response to
Inclusivism. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
d. Moser, K. C. The Way of Salvation. Delight, AR: Gospel Light, 1932.
e. Pile, William. What the Bible Says About Grace. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1990.
f. Swindoll, Charles. The Grace Awakening. Word, 1990.
g. Schreiner, Thomas. 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law. Kregel, 2010.
h. Wright, N. T. Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. IVP, 2009.
3. All students will read the following material from Jack Cottrell, and report THAT it has been read:
a. The College Press NIV Commentary, Romans, one-vol. edition. (College Press, 2005), pp. 17-298.
b. Set Free!: What the Bible Says About Grace (College Press, 2009).
c. What the Bible Says About God the Redeemer (College Press, 1987; now Wipf and Stock), ch. 2, ch.
5, ch. 6, and pp. 401-441 of ch. 7.
E. “READ AND REPORT.” Read the assigned work and submit a report (paper copy) that includes a good solid
paragraph about each of the following items:
1. Three or four things from the book that were a new or different way of thinking for me. (Explain.)
2. Three or four things from or about the book that were somewhat disappointing to me, and why.
3. Three or four things from the book that I still have questions about, and why.
4. Three or four things from the book that will be quite useful to me in my ministry, and why.
F. SCHEDULED ASSIGNMENTS.
Aug. 20 -- First class session.
Sept. 3 -- Labor Day; no class.
Sept. 17 -- Submit a “read & report” about Seamands, Healing Grace.
Oct. 15 -- Submit a “read & report” about ONE of the eight books in section D.2. above.
Nov. 5 -- A take-home examination will be distributed.
Nov. 12 -- Bring completed mid-term exam to class for grading.
Nov. 19 -- Thanksgiving recess; no class.
Dec. 3 -- In lieu of a final exam, submit the completed final assignment: an essay entitled "Grace, Life and
Ministry: What I Learned in This Course, and How I Plan to Apply It.” Length: about 2000 words;
put the word count on the title page. You do not have to follow strict formal style for this essay. It
will not be accepted after the beginning of the class period on this date. It will be graded and returned
on Dec. 10. Do NOT bind your essay in a clear plastic cover.
Dec. 10 -- Last class session. Submit a report (either on a slip of paper or by e-mail) saying that you have
completed the reading of the Cottrell materials.
G. THEME SONG.
"I am not under law; I'm under grace!
It was grace that rescued me; it was grace that set me free!
I have sought--I have found--a hiding place;
I am not under law; I am under grace!"
DOCTRINE OF GRACE BIBLIOGRAPHY
CINCINNATI BIBLE SEMINARY
Fall 2012
[BOLD TYPE = recommended for Christian workers' libraries.]
I. THE CONCEPT OF GRACE
A. General
Bassler, Jouette M. Navigating Paul: An Introduction to Key Theological Concepts. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2006. New perspective, not necessarily evangelical. Grace PLUS judgment according to deeds.
Best, W. E. Free Grace Versus Free Will. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977. Strongly Calvinistic.
Boice, James Montgomery. The Glory of God's Grace, and How It Can Change Your Life. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1999. (Reprint of Amazing Grace, Tyndale, 1993.) Calvinistic.
Bonar, Horatius. The Everlasting Righteousness. Hobbs, NM: Trinity Foundation, 1994 reprint (1874).
Booth, Abraham. The Reign of Grace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949 reprint of 1768 work. Calvinistic.
Bridges, Jerry. Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1991. Explores the transition from legalism to grace.
Brown, Stephen. When Being Good Isn't Good Enough. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996 reprint (Nelson, 1990). Shows how grace delivers one from bondage to performance.
Bunyan, John. The Doctrine of Law and Grace Unfolded. Swengel, PA: Reiner, 1968 reprint of 1853 work. Free‑will Baptist.
Carter, John Ross, ed. Of Human Bondage and Divine Grace: A Global Testimony. Peru, IL: Open Court, 1992. 20 essays claim grace is at the heart of all world religions.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1995 reprint of 1922 work. Calvinistic; dispensational. Early champion of the anti‑Lordship salvation viewpoint.
Chantry, Walter J. God's Righteous Kingdom: Focusing on the Law's Connection with the Gospel. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1980. Calvinistic.
Cheeseman, John, et al. The Grace of God in the Gospel. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1972. Calvinistic.
Clark, Gordon R. The Word Hesed in the Hebrew Bible. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993.
Cote, Richard G. Universal Grace: Myth or Reality? Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1977. Liberation theology; universalism.
Cottrell, Jack.Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace. Joplin, MO: College Press, 2009.
DeHaan, Martin R. Law or Grace. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965. Calvinistic.
Ditmanson, Harold. Grace in Experience and Theology. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1977; reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2001. Survey of modern theologians' views of grace.
Eastman, Brad, The Significance of Grace in the Letters of Paul. New York: Peter Lang, 1999.
Elert, Werner. Law and Gospel, tr. Edward H. Schroeder. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1967. Lutheran.
Flavel, John. The Method of Grace. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977 reprint. Calvinistic.
Forde, Gerhard. The Law Gospel Debate. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1968. By a Lutheran author.
Garlington, D. B. "The Obedience of Faith": A Pauline Phrase in Historical Context. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1990.
Glueck, Nelson. Hesed in the Bible, tr. Alfred Gottschalk. Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1967. Influential Old Testament study.
Gray, H. D. The Christian Doctrine of Grace. London: Independent Press, 1949.
Hanko, Herman. God’s Everlasting Covenant of Grace. Grandville, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1988. Calvinistic sovereign grace.
Hals, Ronald. Grace and Faith in the Old Testament. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1980.
Hardman, Oscar. The Christian Doctrine of Grace. New York: Macmillan, 1947.
Hoekema, Anthony. Saved by Grace. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989. Calvinistic study of the scope of salvation.
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Horton, Michael Scott. Putting Amazing Back into Grace: Who Does What in Salvation? 2 ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994. Calvinistic.
Hughes, Philip E. But for the Grace of God. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1964. Calvinistic.
Jauncey, Ernest. The Doctrine of Grace: Up to the End of the Pelagian Controversy. London: SPCK, 1925.
Julian, Ron. Righteous Sinners: The Believer's Struggle with Faith, Grace, and Works. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998.
Kevan, Ernest F. The Grace of Law: A Study of Puritan Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976 reprint of 1964 work.
Kuyper, Abraham. Particular Grace: A Defense of the Sovereignty of God in Salvation, trans. Marvin Kamps. Grandville, MI: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2002. Calvinistic sovereign grace.
Lindsey, Hal. Amazing Grace. Palos Verdes, CA: Western Front, 1995.
McClain, Alva J. Law and Grace. Chicago: Moody, 1954.
McMinn, Mark. Sin and Grace in Christian Counseling: An Integrative Paradigm. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008.
Mikolaski, Samuel J. The Grace of God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966. A very good study.
Moffatt, James. Grace in the New Testament. New York: Ray Long & Richard R. Smith, 1932.
Phan, Peter C. Grace and the Human Condition. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1988. "Message of the Fathers of the Church" series.
Pinnock, Clark H., ed. The Grace of God, the Will of Man: A Case for Arminianism. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1995 (reprint of Zondervan, 1989). Sees salvation as conditional, as opposed to Calvinism.
Pinnock, Clark H., ed. Grace Unlimited. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1975; reprint, Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1999. Again, salvation is conditional, contra Calvinism.
Piper, John. Future Grace. Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1995.
Plumer, William S. The Grace of Christ, or Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1853. Strong Calvinism.
Ramsay, Richard B. Am I Good Enough? Learning To Live by God's Grace. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1992. A brief Calvinistic treatment of some grace and salvation themes.
Ridenour, Fritz. How To Be a Christian Without Being Religious. Glendale, CA: Regal, 1967. Light, perceptive, and useful study of the book of Romans from the standpoint of grace.
Schulz, Thomas N. The Meaning of Charis in the New Testament. Genova, Italy: Editrice Lanterna, 1971.
Shepherd, Norman. The Call of Grace: How the Covenant Illuminates Salvation and Evangelism. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2001. Unusually strong emphasis on the necessity of works.
Smith, Charles Ryder. The Bible Doctrine of Grace and Related Doctrines. London: Epworth, 1956.
Smith, Chuck. Why Grace Changes Everything. Waco: Word, 1995.
Stanley, Andy. How Good is Good Enough? Portland, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2003.
Strombeck, J. F. Grace and Truth: The True Relationship Between Law and Grace. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1991. Focuses on the gospel of John.
Stuhlmacher, P. Reconciliation, Law and Righteousness. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1986.
Swindoll, Charles R. The Grace Awakening. Dallas: Word, 1990.
Torrance, Thomas F. The Doctrine of Grace in the Apostolic Fathers. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1960.
Unno, Taitetsu. River of Fire, River of Water: An Introduction to the Pure Land Tradition of Shin Buddhism. New York: Doubleday, 1998.
Van Til, Cornelius. Common Grace and the Gospel. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1972. A Calvinist's explanation of how "non‑saving grace" is given to the entire human race.
Walther, C. F. The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, tr. W. H. T. Dau. St. Louis: Concordia, 1929. Classical Lutheranism.
Watson, Philip S. The Concept of Grace. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1959.
Whitley, William T., ed. The Doctrine of Grace. London: SCM, 1932.
Williams, Norman P. The Grace of God. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1966.
Yancey, Philip. What's So Amazing About Grace? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.
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B. Restoration Movement Writings
Cottrell, Jack. Baptism: A Biblical Study. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989. Several chapters emphasize the connection of baptism with grace.
Cottrell, Jack. His Truth. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1989 reprint of 1980 work. Brief doctrinal studies of sin‑and‑salvation themes.
Cottrell, Jack. Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace. Joplin, MO: College Press, 2009.
Cottrell, Jack. Thirteen Lessons on Grace. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1988 reprint of Being Good Enough Isn't Good Enough (Standard, 1976).
Cottrell, Jack. What the Bible Says About God the Redeemer. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1987. Aspects of the divine nature that are relevant for understanding grace.
Croom, Adlai S. Man's Salvation by God's Grace. Searcy, AR: author, 1973. Churches of Christ (non‑instrument).
Fudge, Edward. The Grace of God. Athens, AL: C.E.I., 1971. An excellent booklet by a churches of Christ (non‑instrument) writer.
Fudge, Edward. Questions and Answers. DeFuniak Springs, FL: Diversity Press, 1998. Includes material on grace.
Jones, Milton. Grace, the Heart of the Fire. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1992. Popular‑level work.