This is a glossary of major terms, ideas, or places that frequently pop up in the Bible and on this site. If you run into something you do not quite understand, you may find enlightenment here. Please question on the forums if you still have questions. Click here to add an entry.
| A ~ B ~ C ~ D ~ E ~ F ~ G ~ H ~ I ~ J ~ K ~ L ~ M ~ N ~ O ~ P ~ Q ~ R ~ S ~ T ~U ~ V ~ W ~ X ~ Y ~ Z |
A
Antichrist — The Antichrist will be a hero that rises in the future who will rule the entire world through false images and worship.
B
Bible — The Bible is the holy text of Christianity. It is inspired by God, therefore infallible, and it is the base of all Christian doctrine.
C
Christ — See Jesus
Christian — A Christian is a believer in Christ. Such a person believes that they can only be saved through the forgiveness of Jesus. To deny Jesus is to deny God himself. Christians recognise that Jesus fulfilled prophecy that was written in the Old Testament. Due to the vast number of prophecies in the OT, the fact that Jesus fulfilled every single one of them is seen to be irrefutable proof that he was - and is - the Messiah.
Christmas — The holiday of Christmas, usually celebrated on December 25, is a day designated to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Pagan influences have altered the typical traditions of Christmas as well as its original foundation.
Creationism — Creationism is a stem off of Intelligent Design that explains the existence of everything through a Christian standpoint, especially based off the Bible.
Cross — The Cross is the generic symbol of Christianity. The significance of the cross is that Jesus was crucified on one in order to purify us of unrighteousness.
D
E
Evolution — Evolution is the theory, published by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species, that attempts to explain the origin and development of life. This theory states that species gradually adapted to their environments over time, out of necessity for survival.
F
Flood — The Flood was a Biblical event that took place about 4000 years ago. God caused the entire earth to flood killing all but Noah, his family, and two of every kind of animal. This flood changed the conditions and physicality of the earth.
G
God — God is known as the creator of Earth and the Universe, and the heavenly Father of Christ. God in Christianity is loving and just.
Gospel — A gospel is a work created by an early historian, disciple or follower of Jesus. The "four gospels" of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the most famous, and are the first four books of the New Testament.
H
Heaven — Heaven is where Christians who have accepted Jesus's sacrifice will go and live eternally. In Heaven, there will be no sadness or pain or suffering. See Heaven and Hell
Hell — Hell is a place of eternal separation from God. Those who do not accept the sacrifice of Jesus will be thrown into Hell and suffer eternally. See Heaven and Hell
I
Intelligent Design — Intelligent Design is the scientific field that attempts to explain the origin and existence of life and the universe through a Designer. It is very much related to Creationism, though it allows some room for natural processes and does not identify the designer as a particular God.
Israel — Israel, nowadays, is a country established for the Jewish population back in 1948. In the Bible, Israel were God's chosen people, and it will be the country God saves in the End.
J
Jehovah's Witness — TODO: Add this glossary entry Edit the entry by clicking here
Jerusalem — Most commonly known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Jerusalem was also the birthplace of Jesus' human father - Joseph. Joseph and a pregnant Mary were travelling to Jerusalem for a census just prior to Jesus' birth.
Jesus — Jesus is the begotten Son of God who came to earth some time ago and died so that every person may be forgiven of sin. Jesus is known by many names throughout the Bible, such as Messiah, Son of Man, Immanuel, and Prince of Peace. Jesus is alive today and capable of doing great works as He did in the past.
Jew — A Jew believes that Jesus was a mere man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah. They believe that the messiah is yet to come to Earth. Jews use the Torah (the Old Testament of the Bible) as their scripture and believe in salvation by works, not faith.
K
L
M
Mary — Mary was the mother of Jesus and gave birth to Him as a virgin.
N
O
P
Paul — Paul was the most influential person in the early spread of Christianity. He wrote 13 of the books in the Bible mainly as letters about God to churches or people.
Pharisee — A Pharisee was a Bible scholar that believed in the Bible literally.
Pray — Prayer is speaking to God. See Prayer and Worship for more detail.
Prophecy — A prophecy is the foreshadowing of a future event that will come true. When a prophecy comes from God, then it is bound to come true. The Bible is full of prophecy, especially Revelation which tells of our future.
Q
R
Rapture — The Rapture is an event that will occur in the future where all the Christians that have lived and are living will be brought up to heaven by God.
S
Salvation — Salvation is the act of becoming a Christian by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. To become saved, all one has to do is ask for redemption. Read more on Getting Saved.
Satan — Satan is a fallen angel who now represents the main force against God. Because of his sin of betraying God, he along with those who do not accept Jesus will be thrown into Hell.
Sin — Sin is a disobedience to God and His standard. Sin ultimately causes death or loss of spiritual life. Sin must be paid in this way, and , who lived a completely sinless life, paid the price though He wasn't deserving of it. See Getting Saved
T
Torah — The Torah can refer to either to the Law of the Jews, which is the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) or the Old Testament in its entirety.
Trinity — The word trinity is not mentioned in the bible, it is a term created by the church to describe three statements that the bible does make: The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. God is a single entity, not three separate entities. Therefore God exists as three persons, yet as one being. See The Trinity.
U
V
Version — Version refers to how a specific Bible or group of Bibles is phrased. Some Bibles are paraphrased and others literally translated as possible, and the different style a Bible has is known as its version. Examples: New International Version (NIV), New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
