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Determinism: A belief that everything is determined by forces beyond a person’s will (similar to stoicism).

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Created on www.wordle.net See what words have been mentioned in The Word Explained in our 'wordle' as at 9th September, 2009 (9.9.09). Click HERE for a larger version. FOR PREVIOUS: Wordle created on 27th January, 2009. Click HERE...

PREVIOUS DEFINITIONS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

Abrahamic covenant: God’s contractual promise to bless Abraham and all people through Him; a blessing fulfilled in and through Jesus.

Absolved/absolution: To be released from the guilt, blame and ultimate consequences of sin through Jesus' atoning sacrifice on the cross.

Adoption: Speaks of the rights and privileges of sonship given to those who receive Jesus as their Lord through God's grace.

Advent: The celebratory lead up to Christmas incorporating the four Sundays prior to 25th December.

Agnosticism:  A belief that if God exists, He is unknowable.

Allegory: A story infused with a spiritual meaning.

Ambassador: As ambassadors for Christ we have been appointed to interpret the mind of our master to those who live contrary to His good judgement.

Anoint: God gives authority to a person to operate in a particular gift, ministry or area of service.

Anointing: When the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit touch a person, or group of people; to heal, strip away, encourage, enthuse, restore etc. God's presence is electric on these occasions.

Antinomianism: A belief that Christian faith supersedes moral law and therefore you can do as you please.

Apocrypha: A collection of 15 books found in some Old Testaments. They are generally omitted because they were not in the Hebrew canon, are not quoted in the New Testament and make no claims to be divinely inspired.

Apocalyptic: Relating to the end of sin’s reign in this world and the coming of Christ’s messianic kingdom.

Apologetics: A branch of theology where people engage the public arena to present a reasoned objective defence of the Christian faith and it's doctrines.

Apostle: Someone commissioned and sent out with the message of Jesus.

Apostasy: Desertion from the faith.

Apostolic decrees: Collective decisions made by the apostles regarding the interpretation of Scripture and church governance.

Apostolic teaching: A teaching based on the necessity of experiencing Christ risen from the dead and a way of living defined by Jesus' example and the Holy Spirit’s instruction.

Assurance: A confidence that comes from knowing Jesus and what He has done for humanity.

Atonement: An act that brings enemies together as friends, the most notable of which is Jesus offering up His life for ours. This was God's way of offering the hand of friendship and destroying the enmity (sin) that separated us. For a fuller explanation of atonement, visit The Word.

Awe: A mixed emotion of wonder, respect and fear often stemming from a revelation or epiphany.

Backslide: To lapse into the life lived before salvation.

Balm: a) An aromatic resin used medicinally.
            b) A figurative reference for healing of the soul and spirit.

Banner: Jesus is the 'banner' under which God the Father has called the people's of all nations to rally.

Baptism: A public declaration that my old life has been washed away and I have begun to live focusing on Jesus and His ability to make all things new, not just for me but for anyone who gives their life to Him.

Begotten: Jesus was born in Bethlehem but the more accurate word for understanding His birth is 'begotten'. Jesus was, is and always will be one with God the Father, 'begotten' of Him, that is separate and distinct from Him, yet still uniquely and intimately one with Him. (John 3:16-18)

Believer: Someone fully committed to Jesus' purpose for their life (not just a mental exercise acknowledging certain facts about Him).

Beseech: To plead strongly and urgently. Often used in connection with praying.

Bestowed: Given to one as a gift. For example, God has bestowed on us the gift of life, the ministries of the Holy Spirit and eternity with Him.

Bible: The set of books recognised as God 'breathed'.

Blessed/blessing: a) To have a deep-rooted joy which comes from joining with Christ to live the life God planned for us.
                                       b) To receive a God-given gift at a particular time, such as protection.

Book of Life: God's list of believers who will abide with Him.

Booths: Rough shelters made of woven boughs that were constructed on roof tops or in fields as part of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Born again: This is synonymous with being a Christian. It's about receiving the life Jesus offers.

Calling: a) God asks everyone to honor and serve Him; become more Christlike; add to the health and well-being of His church; and, to witness to this world what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have done and are doing.
                    b) A particular area of service God has asked a person to be committed to and for which He has prepared them.

Canon: The 66 books which are the authoritative Word Of God, the Bible.

Carnal: To seek to fulfil all physical desires or to be content with pursuing only what this world can offer.

Cerinthianism: Heretical view that the Christ spirit came upon Jesus at His baptism and left just before His death on the cross. Tries to maintain there is a Christ spirit separate from Jesus.

Charismatic: Of or relating to spiritual gifts given to the church by the Holy Spirit.

Charity: Love

Christ: A title given to Jesus which emphasises He is the anointed of God; the one with the power and the authority to restore the relationship between fallen man and God.

Christian: Followers of Jesus. People who recognise they are under a higher command.

Christology: The study of Christ and theories or doctrines related to Him.

Church: a) The collective body of all Christians or a local group of that body.
                 b) The building Christians worship in.

Circumcision: Instituted in the Abrahamic covenant, the cutting off of every male’s foreskin signified a commitment to God through the generations and a firm belief that He is the one who blesses us with life.

Clairvoyant: A person who claims insight into hidden or future occurrences.

Comforter: A name given to the Holy Spirit that denotes the strength, encouragement and presence of God that is imparted in troubled times.

Commitment: To entrust your life to God as you actively serve Him.

Communion: a) Remembering Jesus' sacrifice for us by eating bread and drinking wine.
                              b) To be ‘in communion’ with God is to have an intimacy with Him that is based on shared hearts.

Condemnation: God's verdict on sin. Bearing the guilt of our sin is not where God finished the story though.

Confess: a) To admit openly to a sin.
                      b) To declare your agreement with God's Word.

Consecrate: The act of giving to God so He can use what is offered (for example, the writing of a book or the commitment of your life) for His kingdom purposes.

Convert: A person who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, turning their back on all other ways of living.

Covenant: God has drawn up an agreement, a contract, which binds Him to making it possible for us to build a healthy relationship with Him and each other.

Credo: A set of strongly held beliefs that guide action.

Damnation: To face the judgement of God having rejected Christ as The Way to come to Him.

Decalogue: The Ten Commandments.

Deify: To exalt a man or idol to the position of God.

Deliverance: God frees us from the bondage of our misdirected lives and enables us to live full lives for Him.

Destroyer: A name given to Satan because his purpose is to wreck what God has built.

Devil: A deceiver and tempter who uses these tactics against God, Christians and anything good or pure (see Satan).

Diaspora: The scattering of the Jews from Palestine, beginning with the Babylonian conquest in 731 B.C.

Discernment: An ability to see into a problem, to understand why things differ. Christians are required to exercise discernment in respect to spirits, expressions of faith, separating good and evil; and so on.

Disciple: A student of Jesus who daily looks to Him on how best to live.

Doctrine: A foundational teaching. For example, only through Jesus can we come to God.

Docetism: Heretical view that Jesus wasn’t really human but more like a spirit who appeared for awhile and then disappeared.

Doxology: A statement of praise to God. It is often the final statement in a church service, an epistle or even a line of thought within a book in the Bible, and it underscores everything prior to it.

Ecclesiological: Related to the study of the doctrine of the church.

Ecclesiology: The study of the doctrine of the church.

Edify: To build up or to strengthen someone's spiritual growth.

Elect: (Noun) God chose to be for mankind long before anyone gave their life to Him. Hence He elected us. We simply have to choose to be a disciple of Jesus to be in God's elect.

Epicureanism:  A belief that there is no God or if there is a God, He does not care about this world. Random chance dictates everything. Death is the end so we should live for pleasure. (Similar to hedonism)

Epiphany: a) The showing of the baby Jesus to the magi which is celebrated on 6th January.
                    b) Any revelation or manifestation of Jesus where a person’s response is "once I was blind but now I see Jesus for who He truly is".

Epistle: Any of the New Testament letters written by an apostle.

Eschatology: A branch of theology which addresses the end of this age and world as we know it.

Eternal: Without beginning or end - such as God's power, Jesus' redemption, the life given to a believer in Christ.

Evangelism: Introducing Jesus to people through whatever medium or method the Holy Spirit anoints.

Evangelist: Someone who regularly introduces Jesus to others.

Evil: Any act that is morally bankrupt and whose source is the flesh or Satan - can apply to thoughts and words.

Evil One: A spirit, a force that seeks to seduce us away from God.

Exceedingly abundantly: Surpassing far beyond and above what we think is possible.

Exegesis: A close study of words and passages in the Bible.

Exodus: A departure, especially a mass departure, the most notable being Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan.

Expiate: To fully make amends for wrongdoing and hence restore a wronged relationship.

Faith: A conviction, a confidence to act on the beliefs Christ has stored up in your heart.

Fallen: Men and angels who lost the level of intimacy God designed for them to have with Him.

Fasting: Abstinence from food for the purpose of purifying motives and being attuned to God's will.

Fear of God: Being in awe before God, the One to whom you owe everything to and are responsible to. Embedded in this wonder is a heightened sense of God's just judgement directed by His pure love.

Feast of Passover: The first of three great feasts to be observed by all Israelite men each year. The Passover meal celebrated being freed from Egyptian slavery by God. It was followed by a week of eating only unleavened bread.

Feast of Tabernacles: The third of three great feasts to be observed by all Israelite men each year was held at the end of harvesting. People lived in temporary shelters (booths) to remember their wilderness wanderings under Moses and so celebrate God as their provider in the bountiful land they now possessed

Feast of Weeks: The second of three great feasts to be observed by all Israelite men each year occurred 50 days after Passover. Offerings of grains and flour were made to celebrate God’s daily provision.

Fellowship: To enjoy the company of others who have the same foundation of faith in Jesus.

Fire (of God): Refers to the holiness of God which has a cleansing and unquenchable aspect to it.

Firstfruit: a) Giving to God, in faith, the first portion of your livelihood.
                   b) The gift of the Holy Spirit to Christians, a first portion of God's presence.
                   c) Jesus, whose death and resurrection is the beginning of a harvest of souls into heaven.

                   For a fuller explanation, visit The Word.

Flesh: The desires of self that are at odds with God's best for us.

Forbearance: a) Putting up with the faults of others.
                               b) A fruit/outworking of the Holy Spirit in people's lives.

Foreigner: A term applied to Christians because they are citizens of heaven to which they owe their first allegiance. Hence, the foreigner prays Jesus' prayer "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

Forgiveness: Saying you bear no grudge for any wrong committed against you. You won't even talk about it anymore because you want a clean sheet to build a healthy relationship on.

Fornication: Sex outside the covenant of marriage.

Futurist: A belief that Revelation chapters one to three refer to the time of writing, or that the seven churches are seven eras from the apostles to Jesus' return, and the remainder of Revelation refers to the Great Tribulation.

Gird: To be ready for action in Christ's service. (From the idea of hitching up your long garments so you can move faster and more freely.)

Glorification: The point at which a believer is brought, morally perfect and in a Christ-like ascended body, into God's presence. It will then be impossible to sin again.

Glory: a) Beauty, honour and adoration all rolled into one. Empires or individuals can "shine" in this way.
                 b) God is glorious. Everything He creates emanates glory. Think splendour, perfection and goodness all rolled into one; that is the glory of God. For a fuller explanation of Glory, visit The Word

Gospel: Good news! Jesus has ascended to the Father so that we can follow in His footsteps!

Grace: With pleasure, God offers humanity His free and undeserved favour. It is up to us whether we will waste or embrace His grace.

Hallel: Songs of praise; principally Psalms 146 to 150.

Hallelujah!: An exclamation of delight meaning literally "praise be to the God of our salvation".

Heart: The real self; the inner man with all his affections, motivations and spirit.

Heathen: An archaic term for someone who isn’t a Christian.

Heaven: God's home, filled with his servants (angels) and invited guests (Christians who have stepped beyond the grave). It's a house of unbelievable joy and celebration.

Hedonism: A belief that pleasure is the primary goal and value of life (similar to epicureanism).

Hell: Satan's home, filled with his misguided lackeys (fallen angels) and house bound guests (people who chose not to love God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It's a house of pain, "worms" and "unquenchable fire". (The opposite of heaven.)

Heresy: Opinions or beliefs contrary to the established doctrines of the Bible.

High place: a) Elevated places where altars were often built, in Old Testament times, and which were sources of apostasy for Israel.
                      b) Used figuratively of the place God calls humanity to step up into, a place of worship, glory and intimacy.

Historicist: A belief that the whole of Revelation addresses church history from Pentecost to Jesus’ return.

Holiness: Christians are called to be holy because God is holy. Our character should reflect something of His unblemished virtue.

Holy: Someone set apart from his or her former life (or something set apart from its common use) to serve God. For a fuller explanation of Glory, visit The Word

Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost): The second person in the Trinity who was sent by God, the Father and Son, on Pentecost, to dwell with those who believe in Jesus.

Hope: A substantial conviction that what has not yet fully transpired in our relationship with Jesus will occur. Not just a wish.

Hosanna: A worshipful exclamation to God meaning 'We ask you to save now, Lord'.

Husband: a) An illustration highlighting some of the attributes of God's love for His people.
                  b) An image of Jesus as He waits for His bride, the church, who is preparing herself for their                               wedding at the end of this age. For a fuller explanation of Husband, visit The Word

Idealist: A belief that Revelation is a symbolic picture of the ongoing struggle between Christianity and paganism, good and evil.

Immanuel (also Emmanuel): Literally means ‘with us is God’ and has become a title of God the Son.

Immutable: Unchanging and unchangeable - said of God and His plans and purposes.

Imperishable: Something that cannot be ruined or changed for the worse.

Impute: To credit one person with something that belongs to another. (When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us His righteousness.)

Incarnation: The divine Christ revealed as the human Jesus.

Ineffable: a) In a spiritual context, this is an experience of God so overpowering that you fail to find the                                 words to express it.
                  b) It also refers to things that should not be said. For example, the Israelites' unwillingness to                              speak the name of God in Old Testament times.

Iniquity: Anything, word or deed, that does not meet God's standard of holiness, hence the fallen condition of humanity.

Inner man: The spirit or innermost self of a person that lives on after the body is dead.

Inspiration: God's act of imparting something to one's mind or heart. It's where you know this thought, image, feeling or whatever construct it takes is a spirit-to-spirit communication from God.

Intercession: A prayer where you stand before God on behalf of someone else and plead their case. For a fuller explanation of atonement, visit The Word.

Jesus: The Saviour who came to rescue sinners (humanity) from our misguided ways and restore us to an open relationship with God.

Joint: Found in Hebrews 4:12, "joints and marrow". A figurative expression for the totality of a person's spiritual and moral being.

Joint-heirs: Christians are to receive the same estate from God as did Jesus.

Joy: Delight, gladness. A Christian's joy is to be a sustaining strength even in the face of trials.

Judaiser: Someone who seeks to win others to Judaism. The term was used negatively by the beginning church to describe those who adhere to a strict legalism which erects a barrier between people and God.

Judaism: The monotheistic, ethical, tribal/national religion of the Jewish people centred on God’s self revelation.

Judge: a) To decide on the basis of the knowledge we have.
              b) A powerful title for our omniscient God.

              c) The Hebrew word ‘shophet’ for a judge in the Old Testament meant to bring into a right relationship. This is the purpose and nature of the work of a judge and as such Christians are to be ‘shophet’ judges and not judgemental. For a fuller explanation, visit The Word.

Judgemental: The tendency to point a critical finger at others while not doing anything to change things for the better. For a fuller explanation, visit The Word.

Judgement Day: The final judgement made by God at this world’s end.

Justification: Despite the pain we have caused God, the wrongs we have committed against Him, our case has been thrown out of heaven’s court because there is no accuser for those who seek to live for Jesus.

Laity: The mass of people in the Christian faith, excluding clergy.

Lament: To mourn the loss of someone through finding the words and expression that can give voice to that pain.

Lamentations: An Old Testament book which mourns the loss of all God gave Israel when they were carted into exile as Babylonian slaves.

Law: The demand and expectation of God; a demand and expectation that necessitated Jesus' substitutional death for us.

Legalism: The tendency to reduce relating to God to a set of impersonal rules.

Liberator: As applied to Jesus, it speaks of the freedom He gives his followers; a freedom from sin, Satan and the illusions of our current world.

Libertine: a) A person who lacks moral restraint, especially in sexual relations.
                  b) A person with unorthodox or unconventional religious views.

Libertinism: Deviation from moral restraints; a promiscuous and unscrupulous approach to life.

Life: a) existence; being; the time between birth and death.
              b) God is life and in Him is life. This life incorporates power, love and righteousness, all of which are imparted to those who believe in Jesus.

Liturgy: A prescribed form of church service.

Lord: A title that applies equally to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, signifying their status as the highest and final authority.

Lord Jesus Christ: This phrase identifies the three dimensions of His character as man (Jesus); as God (Christ); and as sovereign (Lord).

Love of God: a) The essence of who God is, as revealed in Jesus the fulfilment of His salvation plan.
                              b) To be so enraptured with God you can’t imagine living without Him.

Magi: A Median and Persian hereditary priestly class from which came the Wise Men who honoured the infant Jesus.

(The) Magnificat: Mary’s jubilant song announcing God’s hand in her pregnancy and what her Son will achieve.

Magnify: To extol or glorify as great. For a fuller explanation of magnify, visit The Word.

Manifest: To show openly or to display (eg. Jesus made manifest the will, love and deeds of the Father).

Manna: A food source divinely supplied for the Israelites during their 40 year sojourn. It is often used in the sense of God’s provision in difficult times.

Maranatha!: Our Lord (Jesus) has come and will come again.

Mediator: Jesus is mankind’s mediator. We walked away from God but He came to bring us back. Through His life, crucifixion and ascension He mediated our return.

Meek: People who are in awe of God and know they are totally dependent on Him.

Messiah: God's appointed One whose purpose is to deliver His people.

Millennium: The 1000 year reign of Jesus, at His second coming, marked by peace, prosperity and holiness.

Minister: Someone who serves God, who is committed to His cause and purposes.

Ministry: God’s commissioning work for each person to do.

Missiologist: A person who has experience and understanding in missions.

Mission: The Christian mission is to spread the good news of the Biblical Jesus.

Missionary: A person who is sent to spread the good news of the Biblical Jesus.

Monotheism: A belief that God is one and there are no other gods.

Mysticism: A belief that insight, intuition and other subjective experiences are a key method for knowing God and spiritual truth.

Nazarite vow: A vow taken as a consecration to God. The original Nazarite vow involved not touching a dead body, growing your hair and abstinence from alcohol. These acts were living memorials of a life to be lived faithfully unto God.

New Testament: Twenty-six books which record the outworking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the fulfilment of God’s first covenant.

Old Covenant: An agreement struck by God with man that reveals His holiness through the Law. As mankind could not keep the Law, a sacrificial system involving the blood of animals for blotting out failure was instituted.

Old Testament: Thirty-nine books comprising the canon of God’s first covenant with mankind and its history.

Omnipotence: God's unlimited power and authority.

Omniscience: The limitless knowledge, awareness and wisdom of God.

(God is) One: A description and title of God recognising His pre-eminence, wholeness, and His being first in all things. For a fuller explanation of atonement, visit The Word.

Ordain: A public declaration and acknowledgement of the authority God has given to someone to minister in His name.

Orthodox: The traditional, established, Bible-based doctrine of faith.

Outreach: Any structured approach by a group of Christians to spread the good news of Jesus to people.

Pastor: A minister who feeds his people with God's Word and tends to their needs, like a shepherd would his flock.

Pastoral epistles: Paul’s two letters to Timothy and letter to Titus to help them pastor effectively.

Patriarch: The father and overseer of a race. (Applied especially to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.)

Patristic: Relating to the leaders and teachers of the church, especially in its early days.

Penance: An act of self-abasement or devotion which demonstrates remorse and repentance for sin.

Pentecost: The day the church was born; the day God began to gather a harvest of people who would love Him and carry His Gospel to the world. We are still living in the "day" of Pentecost. For a fuller explanation of Pentecost, visit The Word.

Pentateuch: The first five books of the Bible which is also referred to as “The Law” in the Hebrew canon.

Perdition: Hell; a place of eternal misery and loss.

Perfection: When we become clay in God, the potter's hands, and are fashioned into a completed vessel. (A life-long work completed when we are with Jesus in eternity.)

Perish: To be cut off from God.

Perseverance: Apart from the standard dictionary meanings, perseverance also refers to the Holy Spirit's ongoing work in a believer's life in taking a person from salvation to completion in Christ.

Perverse: To wilfully twist something out of moral shape.

Pharisees: A prominent Jewish sect at the time of Christ who believed in the Old Testament, oral law, angels, spirits, resurrection and immortality.

Pilgrim: a) A Christian who takes a trip, the sole purpose of which is to draw near to God.
                     b) Christians who wander this earth far from their country (heaven) and people (Christians from all ages who live with God).

Pious: To be God-like in that you show love and kindness to all.

Polytheism: A belief in and worship of more than one god.

Postdiluvian: Events occurring after the flood in Noah’s time.

Prayer: Communicating your heart to God and listening to His.

Praise: Voiced admiration; extolling that which is at the centre of our lives.

Pre-eminence: To be first in order, or to have no other equal. (An essential understanding of Jesus.)

Presbyter: An overseer or leader in a local congregation in the early church.

Preterist: A belief that Revelation’s symbolism relates only to the times it was written in.

Principalities: Those who are in power and exercise rule, especially a spiritual dominion.

Prophet: A person who is regularly inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak on behalf of God.

Prophetic: Announcing to people things that could only have been learnt by a direct communication from God.

Propitiation: The act of satisfying the terms for both parties so that enemies can be reunited. Jesus' life and ministry achieved this for God and man.

Providence: God's guidance, care and protection for His people.

Psalm: A prayer put to song to extol God.

Purify: To have our disobedience, and its shame, washed away by Jesus' love and to then choose (again) attitudes which honour him.

Quicken: Where once there was sin and death, Jesus comes into our lives to quicken us. It's the process of being born again and renewed daily in our inner man.

Rainbow: The sign of God’s promise, given after Noah’s flood, to never destroy the earth with water again.

Ransom: The price Jesus paid (crucifixion) to satisfy God's holy requirements for dealing with sin.

Reconcile: Our wilful defiance of God put us at odds with Him but Jesus came as the mediator to bring us together as friends.

Reconciliation: To re-establish harmony between individuals or parties which have been fractured and in disarray. To bring order, symmetry and health to a relationship. In a poetic sense, reconciliation is bringing beauty from ashes and this involves apologies, forgiveness and a treasured, newly rediscovered relationship.

Redemption: Jesus' death was God’s ransom price to buy our freedom from the grip of sin in our lives.

Regenerate: To have our lives made new again by God's Word and the Holy Spirit.

Repent: To seek forgiveness for a sin and commit yourself to doing an about face in how you think and act.

Resurrection: Life beyond death. Jesus rose from his tomb opening the way for all His disciples to follow Him to his Father's house. For a fuller explanation of resurrection, visit The Word.

Remission: Removal of the 'cancer' of sin through forgiveness. It also carries the idea of forgiveness being able to cancel the 'debt' of sin.

Reproof: A conviction for sin or an exposing of that sin or error. Part of God's process for correcting us.

Revelation: Having an insight into God's heart and mind.

(The) Revelation: The climatic book of the Bible revealing God’s salvation plan completed in a new humanity, new earth and new heaven. (There are four schools of thought on reading Revelation: Futurist, Historicist, Idealist and Preterist.)

Reverence: A deep respect for God that flows from a strong willingness to be subject to Him.

Revival: When God awakens people to connect (non-Christians) and reconnect (Christians) with Him.

Righteousness: The quality of being right or just or truthful or faithful according to God's standard of holiness. To be in right standing with God.

Risen: The elevated status given to Jesus and his followers before the eternal throne of God.

Saint: Someone who believes in Jesus; not just someone of exceptional character or works.

Salvation: To be saved from the greatest danger in this life – a godless life.

Sanctification: God working with us to sort through the business of our lives so that we can fulfill His purposes.

Sadducees: A prominent Jewish sect at the time of Christ who believed in the Torah and a literal interpretation of written law. They denied angels, spirits, a resurrection and immortality.

Satan: A fallen angelic being who strives against God and man.

Saviour: Jesus, the only person who can rescue us from our fallen state or sin, and its consequences. For a fuller explanation of atonement, visit The Word.

Schismatic: To set up a rival to the true worship of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Scripture: The writings of God recorded in the Bible.

Septuagint: A translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek between 280BC – 180BC. It was the Bible of the beginning church used by Jesus and the apostles.

Seraphim: Six-winged angels whose primary task is to cleanse.

Simony: To buy or sell a position in the church for money.

Sin: Choosing to live for yourself rather than for God.

Sojourners: Those living temporarily in a place. Applied to this life in contrast to eternity with or without Jesus.

Soteriology: The study of what God has done through Jesus to save mankind.

Soul: The "real you" within your fallen humanity, including desires, feelings and perceptions (see Spirit).

Spirit: The 'real you', which can only be free from sin when God awakens your spirit with His love and hence changes your desires, feelings and perceptions. (see Soul).

Spiritual gifts: Gifts from the Holy Spirit, freely given to and exercised through Christians, to serve God's gracious purposes.

Stoicism: A belief that everything is controlled by fate and therefore we should live calmly and with resolve. (similar to determinism)

Straight: Direct, right, narrow. The straight path is repentance and walking with Jesus.

Substitution: Christ's vicarious death on behalf of sinful humanity.

Suffer: a) To allow or permit: as in suffer the little children to come to Jesus.
              b) Pain and injustice, generally, but more specifically, from an identification with Jesus and His crucifixion.

Supplication: Asking earnestly and passionately. Often applied to a form of prayer.

Synagogue: Judaic places of worship which focused on opening up the Scriptures; a focus the church adopted.

Synoptic: Used in reference to Matthew’s, Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels as they have many incidents in common.

Talmud: An annotated collection of Jewish traditions.

Temperate: A Holy Spirit strengthened and directed self control. For a fuller explanation of temperate, visit The Word.

Tenet: A belief or doctrine that is seen to be true.

Testament: A covenant which binds two parties. (The Old and New Testaments are binding agreements between God and mankind.)

Theophany: God appearing to a person and manifesting His powers.

Torah: The Pentateuch and the whole body of Jewish law, including oral traditions.

Transcendent: To surpass the normal limits. God surpasses every limitation we can think of.

Transubstantiation: A largely Catholic belief that the wine and bread literally become the blood and flesh of Jesus as you receive communion.

(The) Transfiguration: Jesus’ exalted glorifying change in appearance when God the Father spoke with Him on the mountaintop.

Trial: A problem, a hard situation you go through, that God is working out His purposes in.

Tribulation: a) A trial (see below) involving extreme hardship. God hasn't stopped loving us in these situations.
                           b) A coming time when Satan is given the opportunity to make a last ditch effort to drag as many people down into hell as possible. Yet, God will still have His way at this time.

Trinity: The three ways God has revealed his personage to humanity; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. (Three-in-one and one-in-three.)

Typology: Symbols, images and events in the Old Testament which are types prefiguring New Testament times.

Unbelievers: Those who do not acknowledge Jesus as mankind's Saviour.

Verily: Honestly, truly, surely, indeed. It tends to precede a solemn and important statement.

Way (The): Christ's way for life now and beyond the grave.

Wind (of the Spirit): a) A symbolic representation of God breathing life into a person.
                                      b) God’s expanding surging presence in a person, place or activity.

Witness: One who tells what he has seen or experienced. God's simple calling for everyone who has experienced Jesus in their life.

Word (The): a) The Bible - God's voice for all who will listen.
                            b) Jesus is the Word because He is the living testimony of who God is.

World: The world system or the values and ethos of a society that shunts God aside so it can pursue its own goals, ambitions and ego.

Worship: Any thought, word or deed whose focus is to honour God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For a fuller explanation of worship, visit The Word

Wrath of God: God bringing justice to an intolerable situation. Compare with wrath - a strong anger stirred by indignation.

Yahweh: Hebrew for the English name Jehovah. The name means "God is". God is "I am" - the eternal, self-existent, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent One.

- Definitions by LLOYD HARKNESS