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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
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An unconditional covenant revealed in the book of Deuteronomy, it anticipates the possession of the land by Israel. "The nature of the Palestinian Covenant is as follows: 1) the nation will be plucked off the land for its unfaithfulness (Deut. 28:63-68); 2) there will be a future repentance of Israel (Deut. 30:3-6); 3) their Messiah will return (Deut. 30:3-6); 4) Israel will be restored to the land (Deut. 30:5); 5) Israel will be converted as a nation (Deut. 30:4-8; cf. Rom. 11:26-27); 6) Israel's enemies will be judged (Deut. 30:7); 7) the nation will then receive her full blessing (Deut. 30:9)." (Enns, p.58) The Palestinian Covenant is important because it reaffirmed Israel's title deed to the land. The Palestinian covenant is not abrogated because of the conditional Mosaic Covenant. The Palestinian Covenant is termed an eternal covenant (Ezek. 16:60) because it is a part of the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant and an amplification of it. also see Abrahamic Covenant An illustration of experiential theology. Most pagan beliefs and practices find their roots in mystery religions spawned at Babel. By the time of Christ, people throughout the Greek and Roman world participated in mystery religions featuring multiple gods, sex orgies, idolatry, mutilation, and perhaps human sacrifice. Historians point out that people who took part in such pagan practices had experiences of peace, joy, happiness, and ecstasy. (MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p.49) In a second sense, a pagan is a person who has heard the true gospel and rejected the offer of salvation in favor of following some false religion or philosophical system. (Harrison, p.390) From the Greek words pan, meaning "all," and Theos, meaning "God." Pantheism is the religious or philosophical belief that identifies the universe with God. This is an improper understanding of monism, or the unity of things. While theism holds that God created everything, the pantheist takes this one step further in saying that part of God also is in everything. Pantheists believe that everything is God and God is everything. (Ibid., p.391) A paradox is an assertion or statement that appears self-contradictory. In Scripture paradoxes are often used by the Lord to challenge human thinking, to startle, or to shed light. (Ibid., p.393) "He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it. - Matt. 10:39 A literary style used in biblical poetry. There are several types of parallelism. 1) In comparison parallelism the thoughts and ideas of one sentence are repeated in the second sentence using synonymous words; 2) In contrast parallelism the second line contrasts with the first; 3) In poetic parallelism, or completion parallelism, the second line completes the idea of the first or vice verse; 4) In figurative parallelism the second line illumines the first by a figure of speech or vice versa; 5) In stairstep parallelism the second line repeats a part of the first line and then adds something to make the sentence complete. (Zuck, p.138) Whereas Universalism sees God offering salvation to all men, but each man having to accept it, Particularism sees God only offering salvation to particular men. In offering salvation only to particular men, the particularist views the redemptive work wrought by Christ as the saving act and not merely a potentially saving act that requires any work on the part of the elect. (Warfield, p.23) From the Latin word passio, meaning "a suffering, enduring." The Latin term is used to refer to bodily affliction and is especially used to refer to the sufferings of Christ. (Harrison, p.395) From the Hebrew word pesah, meaning "to pass over" or "to spare." The Jewish festival of Passover celebrates the historical Passover recorded in Exodus 12, when God spared the first-born of all who had followed His command to apply the blood of a lamb to the lintel and doorpost, thus identifying their house so that He would "pass over" them. (Ibid., p.395) And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. - Exodus 12:13 An attribute of God, His patience differs only slightly from His mercy in dealing with His creation. Where God's mercy is exerted over man, His patience is an act of His will over Himself in dealing with man. "The patience of God is that excellency which causes Him to sustain great injuries without immediately avenging himself." (Pink, p.62) The Lord is full of compassion, slow to anger. Psalm 145:8 From the Greek word patriarches, the term is used to refer to the father or chief of a tribe. Biblically, the term Patriarch refers to the ancestors of the Jewish nation before the time of Moses. (Harrison, p.396) Patripassianism is a Christological heresy that first appeared in the second century. The term comes from the Latin patri, meaning "father," and passio, meaning "suffering." Patripassianism is the modalistic view that God is a one-personed God who variously plays the three roles of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in His role as Son, it was really the Father that suffered on the cross. (Sarles, Christology, p.5-3) also see Monarchianism A Christian sect that broke away from the Eastern church around 750. The Paulicians are referred to as "early Protestants" because of their opposition to the Roman teaching concerning Mariolotry, infant baptism, and the use of relics and idols. The Paulicians were adamantly opposed to the system of Roman church hierarchy. (Harrison, p.398) The Christological heresy that says that when Christ was tempted by Satan, He had the capability to sin. The reason this view is held is because Christ had two natures, one human and one divine. Those who subscribe to Christ's peccability say that despite His Godly nature being perfect, His human nature had the ability to sin, therefore giving Christ the ability to sin. The problem with this doctrine is that it was not possible to separate Christ's human nature apart from His Godly nature. Both were part of Him, inseparably. (Enns, p.236) see Impeccability The science (principles) and art (task) by which the meaning and relevance of the biblical text are communicated in a teaching situation. (Zuck, p.20) Also known as Naturalism, Pelagianism is a heretical doctrine of salvation that affirms that all the power exerted in saving man is native to man himself. (Warfield, p.16) In short, Pelagianism says that man has the ability to save himself, apart from God. This heresy also states that a person can lose his salvation, thereby removing God's grace from the doctrine. also see Autosoterism. From the Greek word pentekostos, meaning "fiftieth," which was applied to the fiftieth day following Passover. Pentecost was the culmination of the "feast of weeks." (Ex. 34:22) In the Christian church, Pentecost is the day, recorded in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descended and permanently indwelt the church. (Harrison, p.400) Also known as the Charismatic movement. Pentecostalism is characterized by a belief in a special baptism of the Holy Spirit that enables believers to perform supernatural works such as speaking in tongues, prophesying and perform miracles and miraculous healings. (MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p.157) see Charismatic Generally, persecution is the hatred and affliction of a person or a group of people by others. Christian persecution follows the witness and holy life of God's people in a hostile world. Persecution is seen throughout Scripture. The Jews were persecuted by the nations, God's prophets were persecuted by the nation of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ was persecuted by those who rejected Him, and the Lord promised that Christians will be persecuted for their faith. And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. - 2 Tim 3:12 Those whom God has saved can neither totally nor finally fall away from grace but shall persevere to the end and be eternally saved. (Enns, p.478) What must be remembered about perseverance is that we, as redeemed saints, do not persevere for God. It is God who perseveres for the saints. By ourselves we, as fallen men in this earthly state, have no strength or ability to persevere. It is only by God's grace that men are saved and remain so. A Hebrew religious position similar to the Scribe, or religious legalist. The Pharisees were strict interpreters of the Mosaic Law, to the point that they invalidated the law by their addition of legalistic rules. Jesus Christ was often at odds with the Pharisees over their legalistic interpretation of the Law. The Pharisees were different from the Sadducees and Herodians in their theology, believing in the resurrection of the dead, angels, future rewards and punishments, and their messianic hope. Unfortunately, the Pharisees took their legalism to the extreme that their tradition invalidated the Law (Mark 7:12) and became hypocrites in their own adherence to the Law (Matt. 23:13). (Harrison, p.406) The doctrine that the different religions of world provide a way of salvation, apart from Jesus Christ. Pluralism is fallen man's attempt to force God to save all men. Those who believe in the pluralistic view say that other religions that don't accept the salvation that comes through Christ's atoning sacrifice will still be saved by God by the practice of their own religion. (Okholm, More Than One Way? p.15) "This God-inspired man (Jesus Christ) seems to have understood his own role as that of the final prophet, proclaiming the imminent coming of the kingdom on earth. And the early church lived in the fervent expectation of his return as God's agent to inaugurate the kingdom. As this expectation gradually faded, Jesus was exalted in communal memory from the eschatological prophet to a divine status." (Ibid., p.35) Pluralism relies on man's ability to be good and moral as the source and reason for God giving them salvation. From the Greek word pneuma, meaning "spirit," pneumatology is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of God. Though identified as a spirit by the Greek word pneuma which has a neuter gender, the Holy Spirit is a person, as evidenced by His identification throughout the Bible with the personal pronoun "He." (Enns, p.245) From the Greek polemikos, meaning "warlike, hostile, controversial. A polemic is an attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another." (Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary) In the field of theology, where apologetics are a defense of the Christian faith, a polemic is a more offensive attack on the theology or beliefs of another. From the Greek word poly, meaning "many," and theos, meaning "God." Hence it is a belief in many gods, or in a plurality of gods. The Egyptians worshipped a multiplicity of gods, including the sun, the Nile, frogs, and even gnats. (Enns, p.186) A theory of evolution espoused by Comte that natural man has evolved from a primitive creature that was once unable to determine truth from error, to one capable of thinking in abstract philosophies and able to determine what is true and what is false. (Sarles, Anthropology, p.1-1) Postmillennialists believe the present age will develop morally and spiritually until it ushers in the millennial age, with Christ returning to earth at the conclusion of the Millennium. The Postmillennial view was popular in the nineteenth century and was the view held by the major theologians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It adopts an optimistic view with respect to this present age, envisioning a golden age of progress in the church age that affects every dimension of life, eventually leading to the spread of the gospel throughout the entire world with Christian principles being the rule rather than the exception in society. Under these circumstances Christ will return to a truly Christianized world. (Enns, p.384) A follow-on theology to Liberalism or Modernism. Where modernism says there is no God, post-modernism says that you can create your own god or even become a god. This theology is at the heart of the New Age movement. Post Tribulationism - see
Rapture An attribute of God also known as the Omnipotence of God. God's power is the ability to execute His will. God is all-powerful. There is none who can thwart Him or overcome His power. God's power is like Himself; self-existent, self-sustained, infinite, and eternal. Power is so much a part of God that it is even used as a name of God. (Pink, p.46) the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power - Mark 14:62 An offshoot of Naturalism and Humanism, Pragmatism is the short-sighted and incorrect humanistic philosophy that disregards what the Bible teaches in favor of whatever appears to work. (MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p.171) This "if it works, it must be right" attitude is typical of natural man's desire to seek solutions to his questions apart from God and His Word. see Pelagianism and Humanism. In the Old Testament prayer stemmed from a real, intimate relationship with God. At that time God would communicate directly with men such as Abraham, Moses, Samuel and Jeremiah. Though these men of faith would receive direct revelation from God, individuals within the nation of Israel also offered up personal prayers of adoration, praise and thanksgiving. In the New Testament the Lord Jesus reveals to us the doctrine of prayer. The Lord teaches us that as children of God, our prayers are welcomed directly into the presence of God, that God desires for His children to come to Him in prayer. The Lord also teaches that all three members of the Godhead participate in our prayers. Our prayers should be directed to the Father, in the name of the Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The four main elements of prayer can be remembered by the acronym ACTS; Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication. The true aim in prayer is not the imposition of our will upon God, but the hallowing of His holy name and a desire to do that which is in accordance with His will. It should also be remembered that prayer is not formal or mechanical. Prayer should be spontaneous and spiritual and come from an unclouded faith and desire to express our love for God. (Harrison, p.413) Also known as the permissive will of God. Even though God has determined all things, He may actively bring them about Himself, or He may bring them about through secondary causes. Sinful acts, for example, do not frustrate the plan of God, but neither is God the author of them. They are within the scope of God's decree and are part of His eternal plan and purpose, but man is nonetheless responsible for sinful acts. All acts, including sinful acts, conform to the eternal plan of God, but He is not directly the author of all acts. (Enns, p.205) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. - James 1:13-16 From the Greek word proorizo, which means "to mark out beforehand." The doctrine of predestination declares that God, by His sovereign choice, selected in eternity past those who would become believers in Christ. (Ibid., p.328) The doctrines of Election and Predestination go together. Election is the "what" and Predestination is the "when" concerning the salvation of fallen man. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will - Ephesians 1:4-5 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will - Ephesians 1:11 also see Election, Reprobation, Redemption, Double Predestination and Salvation From the Greek word proteuon, meaning "to be first, have first place." Pre-eminence is the doctrine taught by the apostle Paul in the first chapter of Colossians. It was necessary for Paul to teach this doctrine in response to efforts by the Gnostics to exalt angels as sub-divine creatures who serve as mediators between Jesus Christ and man. The Greek word proteuon is used in Colossians 1:18 when Paul declares Christ's pre-eminence or lordship. (Harrison, p.417) He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. - Col 1:18 The word preincarnate means "before incarnation." While the incarnation discusses Christ's "holy humanity," there is much Old Testament evidence of Christ's physical presence on earth before His birth in the stable in Bethlehem. The preincarnate Christ is usually identified in the Old Testament as "the Lord" (e.g. Gen. 18:1ff), "the angel of God" (e.g. Gen. 21:17ff), or "the angel of the Lord" (e.g. Gen. 16:7ff). The doctrine of Christ returning to the earth before the Millennium to establish His earthly reign for 1000 years, as told in Revelation 20:4. There are two views on premillennialism, dispensational and historic. Dispensational premillennialism maintains there is an identified distinction between the plan God has for Israel and the plan He has for the church. The dispensationalist maintains the consistently literal interpretation of the Scriptures and that the church is raptured to heaven prior to the tribulation and returns with Christ at His second coming to reign with Him on earth for a literal 1000 years. see Dispensationalism and Premillennial Dispensationalism Historic premillennialism also maintains that Christ will return to earth to set up His earthly reign for 1000 years. But the historic premillennialist see the line between the nation of Israel and the church being blurred, not requiring a consistently literal interpretation. The historic premillennialist sees some of the promises God made to Israel being fulfilled through the believing church and being forfeit by unbelieving Israel. This belief is similar to amillennialism. see Amillennialism Presbyterianism - see Church Government Preterism (Eschatological) - see Eschatology Pretribulationism - see Rapture Pre-Wrath - see Rapture A radical, heretical theology based upon a scientific and mathematical evaluation of God. Process theology denies the attributes of God that make Him God. Instead process theologians see God as a mutable "force." (Enns, p.583) Also known as the new dispensationalism, progressive dispensationalism is an effort to modify some of the basic tenets of dispensationalism. Progressive dispensationalism has taken the clear distinction that exists between Israel and the church in dispensationalism and blurred it with an indistinct view approaching that of Covenant Theology. Progressive dispensationalism does not see the timing of the rapture of the church as crucial. This view sees Christ's ascension as inaugurating the kingdom, with the church currently serving as an outpost of the kingdom. As a result, this view is one that more closely approaches that of preterism (see Eschatology). Progressive dispensationalism has also shifted away from the literal biblical interpretation of dispensationalism. Instead, this view see biblical passages having multiple meanings, with room for later interpretive additions. In doing so, progressive dispensationalism violates orthodox hermeneutics to interpret Scripture in such a way as to support its views. From the Greek word prophetes, (pro - "before" and phemi - "to speak") means literally "to speak before" or "foretell." (Harrison, p.423) A prophet is an office placed upon a man by God. Throughout the Old and New Testament prophets were used by God to reveal things that were to come. Prophet was an official office of the Old Testament and is one of the three offices held by Jesus Christ (Prophet, Priest and King). The message that is revealed of future events. These events are revealed by a prophet. Throughout history there are numerous accounts of men attempting to prophesy, or predict future events. The evidence that a prophecy is truly from God is if it is fulfilled in its entirety. Many biblical prophecies made thousands of years ago will not be fulfilled until the end times. These prophecies are part of the study of eschatology. From the Greek hilasmos and hilasterion, it means "to expiate, to appease, or atone for." It indicates that Christ fully met and satisfied the demands of a righteous and holy God. Through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God's holiness and wrath has been satisfied. Propitiation is how a sinful man is reconciled to a Holy God. Propitiation is Godward; God is propitiated. His holiness is vindicated and satisfied by the death of Christ. (Enns, p.110) also see Death of Christ From the Greek word proselytos, meaning "a stranger" or "resident alien." A proselyte is a Gentile who has converted to Judaism. As such, a proselyte is granted full legal and religious standing as a Jew. (Harrison, p.425) The term used to identify that section of Christianity that has withdrawn from obedience to Roman Catholic doctrine. The name began in 1529 at the Second Diet of Spires in Germany when the supporters of Martin Luther entered their "protestation" against the repeal of the previous and more tolerant edict of 1526. Protestantism is closely associated with the Reformation and reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin. (Ibid., p.426) Transliterated from the Greek, this word means "false writings," and refers to the extra-biblical books that various persons or groups have attempted to add to the canon of Scripture throughout the centuries. This is differentiated from the Apocrypha, which, though also extra-biblical, appears to be more credible than the pseudepigraphal books. The temporary place of the dead taught by the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic church teaches that if a person dies having committed a mortal sin, he goes to hell. But if a person has confessed his sins and received absolution from a human priest, that person goes into purgatory until such time as he has paid the penalty for his sins or relatives who are alive have prayed a sufficient number of masses or paid enough to the church in indulgences to free him to then go to heaven. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that nobody goes directly to heaven. Everyone who is destined for heaven must first go to purgatory. From the Greek word zoogonein, meaning "to make alive" or "give life." New Testament examples of the use of "quicken" include God giving Abraham the ability to sire Isaac after he had grown old, to describe Jesus Christ's resurrection, and the regeneration of the spiritually dead unto eternal life. (Ibid., p.431) But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), - Eph 2:4-5
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