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REL 352- Christian Beliefs and History

Terms in this set (129)

Dichotomy
the view that man is made up of two parts- body and soul/ spirit
Image of God
the nature of man such that he is like GOd and represents God.
Likeness
refers to something that is similar but not identical to the things it represents
Monism
the view that man is made of only one element, the physical body, and that his body is the person
Soul
the immaterial part of man; used interchangeably with spirit
Spirit
the immaterial part of man; used interchangeably with soul
Trichotomy
the view that man is made up of three parts: body, soul, and spirit
What is the Image of God?
His people
Complementarian
the view that men and women are equal in value before God but have different roles in marriage and the church; specifically, that there is unique leadership role for the husband in marriage and that some governing and teaching roles in the church are reserved for men.
Difference in role
the idea that men and women have been given by God different primary functions in the family and the church
Distortion of Role
the idea that in the punishments God gave to Adam and Eve after their sin, he did not introduce new roles or functions, but simply introduced pain and distortion into the functions they previously had
Egalitarian
the view that all functions and roles in the family and in the church are open to men and women alike. Specifically, egalitarianism holds that there is no unique leadership role the husband in marriage and that no governing or teaching roles in the church are reserved for men.
Equal in personhood
the idea that men and women are both created in God's image and therefore are equally important and valuable to God.
Primogeniture
the Old Testament practice in which the firstborn in any generation in a human family has leadership in the family for that generation
Dualism
the idea that both God and the material universe (or some evil force) have eternally existed side by side as two ultimate forces in the universe
Impute
to think of as belonging to someone and therefore to cause it to belong to that person. God "thinks of" Adam's sin as belonging to us, and it therefore belongs to us. In justification, God "thinks of" Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and on that basis he declares that it belongs to us, and therefore it does.
Inherited (original) Corruption
the sinful nature, or the tendency to sin, which all people inherit because of Adam's sin (often referred to as "original pollution"). This idea entails that (1) in our nature we totally lack spiritual good before God, and (2) in our actions we are totally unable to do spiritual good before GOd.
Inherited (original) guilt
the idea that God counts all people guilty because of Adam's sin
Inherited (original) Sin
the guilt and the tendency to sin that all people inherit because of Adam's sin. Inherited sin includes both inherited guilt and inherited corruption.
Pelagius
the fifth-century monk who taught that every person has the ability to obey God's commands and take the first and most important steps toward salvation on his/her own.
Propitiation
a sacrifice that bears God's wrath to the end and in so doing changes God's wrath toward us into favor
sin
any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature
the unpardonable sin
the unusually malicious, willful rejection and slander against the Holy Spirit's work attesting to Christ, and attributing that work to Satan
Total depravity
the traditional term for the doctrine total inability
Total inability
Mans' total lack of spiritual good and inability to do good before God.
Apollinarianism
the fourth-century heresy that held that Christ had a human body but not a human mind or spirit, and that the mind and spirit of Christ were from the divine nature of the Son of God
Arianism
the erroneous doctrine that denies the full deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirt
Chalcedonian definition
the statement produced by the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451, which has been regarded by most branches of Christianity as the orthodox definition of the biblical teaching on the person of Christ.
Docetism
the heretical teaching that Jesus was not really a man, but only seemed to be one.
Eutychianism
another term for monophysitism, named after the fifth-century monk Eutyches.
God
in the New Testament, a translation of the Greek work theos, which is usually, but not always, used to refer to God the Father
Impeccability
the doctrine that Christ was not able to sin
Incarnation
The act of God the Son whereby he took to himself a human nature
Kenosis Theory
The erroneous theory that Christ gave up some of his divine attributes while he was on earth as a man
Lord
in the New Testament, a translation of the Greek word kyrios which is usually, but not always, used to refer to Christ. In the Greek translation of the OT, this word is used to translate the Hebrew yhwh, the personal name of the omnipotent God.
Monophysitism
the fifth-century heresy that held that Christ had only one nature, which was a mixture of divine and human natures
Nestorianism
the fifth-century heresy that taught that there were two separate persons in Christ, a human person and a divine person
Son of God
A title often used of Jesus to designate him as the heavenly, eternal Son who is equal in nature to God himself
Son of Man
the term by which Jesus referred to himself most often, which had an OT background, especially in the heavenly figure who was given eternal rule over the world in the vision in Daniel 7:13
Virgin Birth
the biblical teaching that Jesus was conceived in the womb by his mother Mary by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father
Active Obedience
Christ's perfect obedience to God during his entire earthly life, which earned the righteousness that God credits to those who place their faith in Christ.
Atonement
the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation
Consequent absolute necessity
the view that the atonement was not absolutely necessary, but as a "consequence" of God's decision to save some human beings, the atonement was absolutely necessary, because there was no other way God could save any sinners except through the death and resurrection of his Son.
Example Theory
the view that in the atonement Christ did not bear the penalty of GOd for our sins but that he simply provided us with an example of how we should trust and obey God perfectly, even if this leads to death
Governmental Theory
the theory that Christ's death was not a payment for our sins but God's demonstration of the fact that, since he is the moral governor of the universe, some kind of penalty must be paid whenever his laws are broken
Moral influence theory
the theory that Christ's death was not a payment for our sins but simply a demonstration of how much God loved human beings, because it showed how God identified with their sufferings, even to the point of death. The atonement becomes, then, an example designed to draw from us a grateful response.
Passive obedience
refers to Christ's sufferings for us in which he took the penalty due for our sins and as a result died for our sins.
Penal Substitution
the view of the atonement that hold that Christ in his death bore the just penalty for our sins, and did so as a substitute for us.
Ransom to Satan Theory
the erroneous view that in the atonement Christ paid a ransom to Satan to redeem us out of his kingdom.
reconciliation
the removal of enmity and the restoration of fellowship between two parties; in the atonement, we were reconciled to God.
Redemption
the act of buying back sinners out of their bondage to sin and to Satan through the payment of a ransom
Sacrifice
Christ's death on the cross viewed from the standpoint that he paid the penalty that we deserved
Vicarious Atonement
the work of Christ did in his life to earn our salvation by standing in our place as or "vicar" or representative
Ascension
the rising of Jesus from the earth into heaven forty days after his resurrection.
First Fruits
the first portion of a ripening harvest. In describing Christ in his resurrection the "first fruits," the bible indicates that our resurrection bodies will be like his when God raises us from the dead
Incorruptible
The nature of our future resurrection bodies, which will be like Christ's resurrection body and therefore will not wear out, grow old, or be subject to any kind of sickness or disease
Raised in Glory
a phrase describing our future resurrection bodies, which will exhibit a beauty and radiance appropriate to the position of exaltaiton and rule over creation that God will give us, bearing some similarity to Christ's glorified bod
Raised in Power
a phrase describing our future resurrection bodies, which will exhibit the fullness of strength and power that God intended human beings to have in their bodies when he created them
Resurrection
a rising from the dead into a new kind of life not subject to sickness, aging, deterioration, or death.
Session
the "sitting down" of Christ at God's right hand after his ascension, indicating that his work of redemption was complete and that he had received authority over the universe
Spiritual Body
the type of body we will receive at our future resurrection, which will not be "immaterial" but rather suited to and responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Common Grace
the common grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation
Saving Grace
the grace of God that brings people to salvation; also known as special grace
Determinism
the idea that acts, events, and decisions are the inevitable result of some condition of decision prior to them that is independent of the human will
Election
an act of God before creation in which he chose some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure.
Fatalism
a system in which human choices and human decisions make no real difference because things will turn out as they have been previously ordained. This is in contrast to the biblical doctrines of providence and election, in which people make real choices that have real consequences and for which they are held accountable.
Foreknowledge
relative to the doctrine of election, the personal, relational knowledge by which God thought of certain people in a saving relationship to himself before creation. This is to be distinguished from the mere knowledge of facts about a person
Order of Salvation
a list of events in which God applies salvation to us, arranged in the specific order in which they occur in our lives
Predestination
sometimes used as another term for "election." However, in reformed theology generally, predestination is a broader term that includes not only election (for believers) but also reprobation (for nonbelievers).
Reprobation
the sovereign decision of God before creation to pass over some persons, in sorrow deciding not to save them, and to punish them for their sins, and thereby to manifest his justice
Effective (internal) Calling
an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving grace.
External (general) Calling
the general gospel invitation offered to all people that comes through human proclamation of the gospel; this can be rejected by people
The Gospel (general/external) Call
the general gospel invitation to all people that comes through human proclamation
Born Again
scriptural term referring to God's work of regeneration by which he imparts new spiritual life to us
Born of the Spirit
another term for regeneration that indicates the special role played by the Holy Spirit in imparting new spiritual life to us
Born of Water
a phrase used by Jesus in John 3:5 that refers to the spiritual cleansing from sin that accompanies God's work of regeneration
Irresistible Grace
the action of God whereby he effectively calls people and also gives them regeneration, both of which guarantee that we will respond in saving faith. This term is subject to misunderstanding since it seems to imply that people do not make a voluntary, willing choice in responding to the gospel
Regeneration
a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us; sometimes called "being born again."
Belief
in contemporary culture, this term usually refers to the acceptance of the truth of something, such as facts about Christ, with no necessary element of trust in Christ as a person. In the NT, this term often includes sense of a personal trust in or reliance on Christ
Conversion
our willing response to the gospel call, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation
Faith
trust or dependence on God based on the fact that we take him at his word and believe what he has said.
Repentance
a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience of Christ.
Saving faith
trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God.
Trust
an aspect of biblical faith or belief in which we not only know and agree with facts about Jesus, but we also place personal trust in him as a living person.
Adoption
an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family
Forensic
having to do with legal proceedings used to describe justification as being a legal declaration of God that in itself does not change our internal nature or character.
Infused Rightwoulsness
righteousness that God actually puts into us and that changes us internally. The RCC understands justification to be based on such an infusion, which differs from Protestantism's view that justification is a legal declaration by God based on imputed righteousness.
Justification
an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight.
Perfectionism
the view that sinless perfection, or freedom from conscious isn, is possible in this life for the Christian
Sanctification
a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives
Sinless perfection
the state of being totally free from sin. Some erroneously hold that such a state is possible in this life.
Assurance of Salvation
the confidence we may have based on certain evidences in our lives that we are truly born again and will persevere as Christians until the end of our lives
Eternal Security
another term for the perseverance of the saints. However, this term can be misunderstood to mean that all who have once made a profession of faith are "eternally secure" in their salvation when they may not have been genuinely converted at all.
Perseverance of the Saints
the doctrine that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God's power and will persevere as Christians until the end have been truly born again
Temporary blessings
influences of the Holy Spirit and the church that make unbelievers look or sound like genuine believers when in fact they are not.
Death
the termination of our bodily life brought about by the entrance of sin in to the world
Glorification
the final step in the application of redemption. It will happen when Christ returns and raises from the dead the bodies of all believers for all time who have died, and reunites them with their souls, and changes the bodies of all believers who remain alive, thereby giving all believers at the same time perfect resurrection bodies like his own
Purgatory
in RC doctrine, the place where the souls of believers go to be further purified from sin until they are ready to be admitted into heaven
Soul Sleep
the erroneous doctrine that believers go into a state of unconscious existence when they die and that they return to consciousness when Christ returns and raises them to eternal life.
Body of Christ
scriptural metaphor for the church. This image is used for two different metaphors in the NT, one to stress the interdependence of the members of the body and one to stress Christ's headship of the church.
Church
the community of all true believers for all time
Ekklesia
Greek term translated to "church" in the NT/ The word literally means "assembly" and in the bible indicates the assembly or congregation of the people of God.
Invisible Church
the church as God sees it
Marks of the church
the distinguishing characteristics of a true church. in protestant tradition, these have usually been recognized as the right preaching of the Word of God and the right administration of the sacraments.
Purity of the church
the church's degree of freedom from wrong doctrine and conduct, and its degree of conformity to God's revealed will for the church.
Unity of the church
the church's degree of freedom from divisions among true Christians
Visible Church
the church a Christians on earth see it. Because only God sees our hearts, the visible church will always include some unbelievers.
Believable profession of Faith
a central component of the "Baptistic" view of baptism, which holds that only those who have given reasonable evidence of believing in Christ should be baptized.
Believers' baptism
the view that baptism is appropriately administered only to those who give a believable profession of faith in Jesus Christ
Covenant Community
the community of God's people. Protestant proponents of infant baptism view baptism as a sign of entrance into the "covenant community" of God's people
Ex Opera operato
a latin phrase meaning "by the work performed." IN RC teaching the phrases is used to indicate that the sacraments are effective because of the actual activity done, and the effectiveness does not depend on subjective attitude of faith in the participants
Immersion
the mode of baptism in the NT in which the person was put completely underwater then brought back up again
Paedobaptism
the practice of baptizing infants
Communion
term commonly used to refer to the Lord's supper
Eucharist
another term for the Lord's Supper
"in, with, and under"
phrase descriptive of the Lutheran view of the Lord's Supper, which holds, not that the bread actually becomes the physical body of Christ, but that the physical body of Christ is present "in, with, and under" the bread of the Lord's supper
Lord's Supper
one of two ordinances that Jesus commanded the church to observe. this is an ordinance to be observed repeatedly throughout our Christian lives, as a sign of continuing in fellowship with Christ.
Not discerning the body
phrase used in 1 Corinthians 11:29 of the Corinthian's' abuse of the Lord's supper. In their selfish, inconsiderate conduct toward each other during the Lord's supper, they were not understanding the unity and interdependence of people in the church, which is the body of Christ
Spiritual presence
phrase descriptive of teh reformed perspective of the Lord's supper, which views Christ as spiritually present in a special way as we partake of the bread and wine.
Symbolic presence
the common Protestant view that the bread and wine of the Lord's supper symbolize the body and blood of Christ, rather than change into or somehow somehow contain the body and the blood of Christ
Transubstantiation
the RC teaching that the bread and wine of the Lord's supper actually become the body and blood of Christ
Amillenialism
the view that there will be no literal thousand-year reign of Christ on earth prior to the final judgement and the eternal state. In this view, scriptural references to the millennium in Revelation 20 are understood to describe the present church age
Dispensational Premillenialism
another term for "pretribulational premillennialism" the term dispensational is used not becasue most proponents of this view wish to maintain a clear distinction between the church and Israel, with whom God deals under different arrangements, or "dispensations."
Great tribulation
expression from Matthew 24:21 referring to a period of great hardship and suffering prior to the return of Christ
Historic Premillenialism
the view that Christ will return to the earth after a period of great tribulation and establish a millennial kingdom. At this time, believers who have died will be raised fro, the dead and believers who are alive will receive glorified resurrection bodies, and both will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years.
Millennium
the period of one thousand years when Christ will be physically present and reign in perfect peace and justice over the earth.
Postmillennialism
the view that Christ will return to earth after the millennium. In this view, the millennium is an age of peace and righteousness on the earth that is brought about by the progress of the gospel and the growth of the church but not by Christ's physical presence on earth.
premillennialism
includes a variety of views that have in common the belief that Christ will return to earth before the millennium
Rapture
the taking up or snatching up of believers to be with Christ when he returns to the earth
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