Glossary of Christian Terms

  • Abiding in Christ: agreement with the teachings and commandments of Christ
  • Alter: a raised surface in which a sacrifice, or gift, is presented to God
  • Ambassador for Christ: one who believes and practices the teachings of the Holy Bible
  • Amen: Hebrew word for “so be it” or “let it become true”
  • Angels: powerful spirit creatures created before mankind; also referred to as holy myriads and sons of God
  • Anoint to pour oil on a person for praying or healing purposes, or can be used as a sign of God’s blessing
  • Apostle: the word refers to the 12 men Jesus chose to be nearest to Him – in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts
  • Baptize: term used when a person accepts and belongs to Jesus, water is sprinkled upon them or their body is covered in water – event is called a Baptism
  • Bethesda: a Jerusalem pool where miracles are said to occur, spoken about in the Gospel of John
  • Book of the Law: the first 5 books of the Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
  • Branch of the Lord: expression that can be found in Isaiah 4:2 and Isaiah 11:1, used in speaking about Jesus as the root out of dry ground – one of the many names given to Jesus Christ
  • Canaan: homeland given to the Jews by God
  • Christians: believers of Jesus who has forgiven their sins and who will someday live with Him in Heaven
  • Commandment: an order that God has given
  • Communion: Christian sacrament in which bread and wine are consumed to represent Christ’s death for a spiritual union between Christ and the individual receiving the communion services
  • Covenant: formal agreement or contract with God
  • Disciple: someone who follows a teacher and does what they tell them to do
  • Faith: belief in God and knowing that he is real
  • Giving Glory to God: understanding that life is a gift and isn’t all about you; you should be a mirror-reflection of the Glory of God
  • Gospel: comes from the word “godspell” which means “good news,” can be used to describe any written or oral proclamation that Jesus is King
  • Heaven: this is where God lives and where Christians will go when they die
  • Holy Spirit: this is God’s spirit who helps people to believe in Jesus, to love him, and to help people to do God’s work
  • Israel: name given to Jacob from God; also the name for the ten-tribe northern kingdom that broke away from the southern kingdom
  • Judgement Day: name given to a specific day or period of time when a group or nations are called to account by God
  • Living to Hear Six: “Well done good and faithful servant”
  • Manna: “breads from Heaven”, can also be used in a figurative sense
  • Myrrh: aromatic gum resin used as one of the ingredients in holy anointing oils
  • New Testament: the term for the Christian scriptures.
  • Old Testament: the Christian term for the Jewish scriptures.
  • Passover: yearly festival used to commemorate the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt; 14th day of Abib (Nisan)
  • Prophecy: an inspired message, can be inspired by moral teachings
  • Resurrection: rising up from death, attributed to God’s power
  • Righteousness: what is right according to God’s standards of both right and wrong
  • Sabbath: Hebrew term meaning “to rest,” 7th day of the week
  • Sacrifice: an offering presented to God
  • Sanctuary: a place set apart for worship
  • Scriptures: sacred writings of God
  • Soul: the life of an animal or person