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Vocabulary
74 Words
Expiation
Expiation is what Jesus accomplished for our sins when He died on the cross. Jesus Himself took the just death penalty we deserved for sin instead of that penalty being given to us. Jesus removed the sin that had caused us to be separated from God and that had kept us from having a relationship with God. (See “Atonement” and “Reconciliation”)
Evangelism
Evangelism basically means sharing the good news about Jesus Christ. This can be done one-on-one (person to person). It can also be done in large “evangelistic” meetings. Doing the work of evangelism means telling others about what Jesus has done for them, providing them an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Evangelical
Christians who believe the Bible is God’s Word and who believe that the Gospel (“Good News”) of Jesus Christ should be shared with others are often called “evangelicals.” Christians from many different denominations are called evangelicals.
Eternal Security
The belief that once a person is truly saved, he is kept by God forever. True salvation cannot be lost. Of course, this does not mean that we can “go forward at invitation,” get “baptized,” or become a “church member,” then live a life of disobedience to God and have confidence of salvation anyway! One who is truly saved will be kept forever by God, but he will also live a life of obedience to God. (See: “Perseverance of the Saints” and “Security of the Believer”)
Elect
The Bible doctrine (see “doctrine”) that teaches that God chose who His children would be before the creation of the world.
Denomination
A denomination is a Christian group that believes things and practices things slightly differently from other Christian groups. Individual churches are often part of a larger denomination. (For example, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Monroe County, Tennessee, is part of a denomination called the “Southern Baptist Convention.”) However, all Christian denominations agree that the Lord Jesus Christ is God who became man in order to die for our sins, and that faith in Him is the only way to receive eternal life.
Cult
A cult is a group of people who claim to believe the Bible and even claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But their actual teachings are so far away from the Bible that they are not true Christians. Some examples would be those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is really God, or those who believe that salvation can be attained in some way besides faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conviction
The word conviction is commonly used in two ways. When we have done things that are wrong, and the Holy Spirit reminds us that we have sinned (see: "Promptings of the Holy Spirit") we say that we are "under conviction." People who have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior sometimes fight conviction for a long time before they finally repent. Christians learn to repent quickly when the Holy Spirit brings conviction. The word "conviction" is also used to refer to our strong beliefs upon which we base our lives. As Christians we have many strong convictions that we are absolutely convinced to be true. For example, we have an absolute conviction that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Converted
Someone who has received the Lord Jesus Christ into his or her life is said to be “converted.” It refers to the total and complete change that He makes in our lives.
Born Again
The Bible teaches that when we receive Jesus Christ into our lives as Lord and Savior, our lives are changed so much and we are so different that we can be called “new creatures.” To emphasize this total change in our lives, Jesus called the experience being “born again.”
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23)
Atheism
Atheism is the belief that God does not exist. Atheists believe that there is no God.
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the belief that we cannot know for sure whether there is a God, or not. Maybe there is a God. Maybe there is not.
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