Romans

atonement

an action that makes amends for sins, such that guilty persons may be restored to fellowship with God.

collection for Jerusalem

a fundraising effort conducted by the apostle Paul among gentile believers on behalf of Jewish believers in Jerusalem (see Acts 11:29-30; 24:17; Rom. 15:25-27; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9; Gal. 2:10).

effective righteousness

the notion that, because of Christ, God imparts righteousness to sinners, transforming them so that they are able to please God in ways that would not be possible otherwise.

homosexual acts

a term that when used precisely refers to sexual acts engaged in by homosexuals, but when used imprecisely may refer to sexual acts engaged in by persons of the same sex regardless of whether they are homosexuals.

imputed righteousness

the notion that, because of Christ, God reckons people as righteous: people are counted as righteous even though they continue to struggle and fail to live as God wishes.

justification by faith

a term used interchangeably with "justification by grace" (depending on whether one wishes to emphasize the grace of the giver or the faith through which the gift is received).

justification by grace

the idea or doctrine that God has acted graciously through Jesus Christ in a manner that allows people to be put right with God through faith (i.e., by trusting in God's gracious, unmerited favor).

new perspective on Paul

an academic position that maintains that the point of Paul's emphasis on "justification by grace apart from works of the laws" was to claim that people are put right with God through divine grace rather than by observing the legal codes that marked Israel as God's chosen people.

obedience of faith

a concept in Paul's theology (Rom. 1:5) indicating that people not only are accepted by God as righteous because of their faith but also are transformed through faith so that they are able to please God in ways that would not be possible otherwise.

original sin

the concept or doctrine that all humanity is lost in sin because of an inherent sinful nature bequeathed to all on account of Adam's trespass.

participation

an understanding of justification according to which people of faith are united with Christ through baptism, participating in his death and ultimately in his resurrection.

Protestant Reformation

the religious movement of the sixteenth century that sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church and that led to the establishment of the Protestant churches.

reconciliation

an understanding of God's saving activity according to which, through Christ, people are placed in a right relationship with God and one another (Rom. 5:10-11; 2 Cor. 5:18-19).

redemption

a theological term derived from commerce (where it means "purchase" or "buying back"); associated with the concept that human salvation was costly to God, requiring the death of Jesus.

rhetorical criticism

an academic approach that focuses on strategies employed by biblical authors to achieve particular purposes.

righteousness of God

in Paul's writings, the essential quality of God comprising justice, faithfulness, love, and generosity, which God graciously imparts to others through faith, while also regarding them as already righteous in Christ.

same-sex acts

an ambiguous term that may refer to sexual acts engaged in by homosexuals, or to sexual acts engaged in by persons of the same sex regardless of whether they are homosexuals.

sanctification

the act or process of being made holy or sinless.

substitution

an understanding of atonement or justification according to which Jesus died on the cross to take the penalty for sin that humans rightly deserved.