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A Layman's Reference Guide to Selected |
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Theological "-ism"s, "-ology"s, "-tion"s
and Other Terms |
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by Randy Smith |
A B C D E F G H I-J K-L M N O P-Q R S T U-Z
Title Page Acknowledgments Bibliography Scripture Index
The naturalist sees man as nothing more than a complex bio-chemical machine, existing alone in the universe, apart from any deity or creator. Behaviorists and psychologists fall into this category. Ethics and morals are derived solely by man's experience and are situational and autonomous. No theology is required. Death is the extinction of the biological organism and personality. The naturalist says there is no life after death. see Pelagianism A Nazarene is a person who is a resident of the city of Nazareth. During the time of Christ Nazareth was a minor community in the area of Galilee. In Matthew 2:23 we see that Jesus Christ is identified as a Nazarene. And being warned by God in a dream, he departed for the regions of Galilee, and came and resided in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazarene." - Matt. 2:22-23 From the Hebrew word nazir, meaning "separate." A Nazarite is a Jewish man or woman who has taken a vow of personal devotion to a priestly life. One of the distinguishing features of a Nazarite is that of untrimmed hair, symbolizing unimpaired strength. In Judges 16:17 Samson declares that his strength is in his hair. (Harrison, p.374) So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, "A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I shall become weak and be like any other man." - Judges 16:17 A product of religious liberalism and existentialism, proponents of neo-orthodox theology look at the man Jesus as a historical figure who was a great prophet, great example, a lover of what is good and true and beautiful. But while they see all this in Jesus, they deny what He really is--God incarnate. Neo-orthodoxy denies the fall of man. They believe that man is not inherently sinful. As a result, it naturally follows that neo-orthodoxy denies the atonement, since there is no need for it. They see Jesus simply as a victim of circumstances and as a noble martyr. (Ibid. p.375) Because of his opposition to the description of Mary as "mother of God" and the resulting worship of her, the fifth century AD theologian Nestorius sought to deny the real union between the divine and human natures in Christ. Nestorius denied that Christ was truly human. He taught that while Christ suffered in His humanity, His deity was uninvolved. In his zeal to defend Christ's deity against Arianism and to resist the worship of Mary, Nestorius ultimately denied the unity of Christ. Nestorius was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in AD 431. (Enns, p.422) Neutralism - see Pantheism This was the covenant that God made with the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah. After announcing to the people that they would be taken into captivity in Babylon, God revealed to Jeremiah that the fortunes of Israel would be restored and the people would be returned to the land (Jer. 30:3). Jeremiah also prophecies the rebuilding of Jerusalem and a kingdom of blessings based upon the New Covenant that God would make with Israel (Jer. 30:18-24; 31:31-34). The New Covenant was only partially fulfilled with the return of the people to the land after the Babylonian exile, but the prophecy was not completely fulfilled. The blood of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the New Covenant. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation indicate a time of tribulation for Israel when the promise of the New Covenant is fulfilled completely. It is only after Israel is reconciled to her Messiah, Jesus Christ, that she will be blessed and the prophecies of Jeremiah will be fulfilled. (Ibid., p.67) The assignment of a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet, then attempting to glean mystical meaning from the "value" of certain words in Scripture, leading to the bizarre interpretation of Scriptural passages. (MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p.110)
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