Christianity Beliefs and Teachings Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining key Christian concepts, attributes of God, interpretations of creation, and doctrines from the lecture notes.

Immanent

Present in earth and involved with humanity.

Transcendent

Outside life and beyond understanding.

Omnipotent

All-powerful.

Omnibenevolent

All-loving and all-good.

Merciful

Compassionate and forgiving.

Just

Fair and judges humans actions.

The Trinity

The concept that there are three 'persons' (non-physical elements) who are not the same, but each is fully God, making up one God.

The Father

The first person of the Trinity, believed to be the creator of earth and all living things who acts as a good father and is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient.

The Son

The second person of the Trinity, who became incarnate on earth through Jesus and was both fully human and fully God.

The Holy Spirit

The third person of the Trinity, sent when Jesus left the earth, acting as the unseen power of God to influence, guide, and sustain the earth and all life on it.

Literal Interpretation of Creation

The belief that the creation story is literally true as the word of God, created in seven days exactly as described, and that evidence of science and fossils is false and should be ignored.

Progressive Interpretation of Creation

The belief that the creation account contains truth but is not literally true or dictated by God, and that God created the world but may not have done so in seven days.

Inspired by the World and a Sense of God Interpretation

The belief that the creation story should not be taken as truth, but serves to show that we were created by a loving God who created a world for us to live in.

The Word

Refers to God the Son who entered history through Jesus, demonstrating that all three persons of the Trinity were present in creation from the beginning.

Incarnation

Becoming flesh or taking a human form, referring to when God became human in the form of Jesus.

Christ

Translated into a Hebrew word meaning Messiah, referring to Jesus who was sent to save God's people.

Crucifixion

A form of execution where criminals are nailed to a cross and lifted.