Vocab Terms Flashcards
(40 cards)
anthropology, theological
The doctrine of humanity that views humans in terms of their relationships to God. It includes critical reflection on issues such as the origin, purpose, and destiny of humankind in light of Christian theological understandings.
antinomianism
The view that there is no need for the law of God in the Christian life (Romans 3:8; 6:15). It has appeared periodically throughout Christian history.
apologetics
The endeavor to provide a reasoned account of the grounds for living in the Christian faith.
apostolicity
Having the authority and sanction of the apostles. It is often used as a mark of the church (Ephesians 2:19ff) to indicate the essential continuity of the church with apostolic teaching.
atonement
The death of Jesus Christ on the cross, which effects salvation as the reestablishment of the relationship between God and sinners.
Christology
The study of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The church’s understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done grew and developed through the centuries. Early church councils produced christological statements.
dogma
A teaching or doctrine that has received official church status as truth. In the Roman Catholic Church it is a definitive or infallible church teaching.
election
God’s choosing of a people to enjoy the benefits of salvation and to carry out God’s purposes in the world (1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Peter 1:10). This doctrine has been of particular importance in Reformed theology.
eschatology
Study of the “last things” or the end of the world. Theological dimensions include the second coming of Jesus Christ and the last judgment.
fundamentalism
A mentality advocating strict adherence to certain principles or doctrines regarded as basic, essential, and “fundamental” to a viewpoint. The term is used for a form of Protestantism in the 20th century America that sought to preserve conservative views and values against liberal theology and the higher criticism of scripture. A strong focus was on the inerrancy and literal interpretation of scripture.
heresy
A view chosen instead of the official teachings of a church. Such a view is thus regarded as wrong and potentially dangerous for faith.
historical Jesus
The Jesus of Nazareth who lived in history and whose life can be studied by the methods and tools of historical research. The term is contrasted to “the Christ of faith,” with some scholars emphasizing differences between the two.
homoiousios
“Of like substance” was a term used in early christological debates by Arians and others who perceived Jesus Christ as “like” God the Creator, but not as being of the “same” substance as God the Creator (homoousios).
homoousios
“Of the same substance.” Used in early church christological debates and adopted by church councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) to indicate that Jesus Christ was of the same essence as God the Creator. It contrasts with heteroousios and homoiousios.
immanence of God
The view that God is present in and with the created order. In Christian belief, God is not identified with the created order. It contrasts with transcendence.
impassibility
The traditional theological view that God does not change and thus is not affected by actions that take place in the world, particularly in terms of experiencing suffering or pain. It emphasizes that God is active, rather than passive or acted upon by other agents.
imputation, doctrine of
To attribute or ascribe in the sense of reckoning. The concept relates to sin, guilt, or righteousness, as when Paul indicates that through Adam’s sin, death and guilt are imputed to all (Romans 5:12-14), while through Christ’s work, righteousness is “reckoned” (“imputed”, KJV) to those who believe (Romans 4:22-24; 5:15-21).
incarnation
The doctrine that the eternal second person of the Trinity became a human being and “assumed flesh” in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus Christ was the “Word made flesh” (John 1:14). The doctrine holds that Jesus was one divine person with both a divine and a human nature.
justification
God’s declaring a sinful person to be “just” on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24-26; 4:25; 5:16-21). The result is God’s peace (Romans 5:1), God’s Spirit (8:4), and thus “salvation.”
koinonia
The relationships experienced by Christians with God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and among themselves in the early church (Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 2 Corinthians 13:14 [13:13 NRSV]; 1 John 1:3,6).
logos
In Greek and Stoic philosophy, the universal power or mind that gave coherence to the universe. In Christian theology it refers to the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ (John 1:1), who as the creative power of God embodied truth and was God incarnate.
natural revelation
The disclosure of God through nature or the natural order. Some have argued that this disclosure is accessible to all through reason; others that it is known only from the perspective of faith.
omnipotence of God
God’s ability to do all things that do not conflict with the divine will or knowledge. God’s power is limited only by God’s own nature and not by any external force (Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37).
omnipresence of God
God as an infinite spirit being everywhere present in the cosmos (Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:23-24).
