Final Term (Soteriology, Ecclesiology, and Eschatology)

Dr. McKinion

adoption

an act of God whereby he makes us members of his family

Arminianism

the theological tradition that seeks to preserve the free choices of human beings and denies God's providential control over the details of all events

assurance

confidence based on certain evidences in our lives that we are truly born again and will persevere as Christians until the end of our lives

atonement

the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation

born again

Scripture term (John 3:3-8) referring to God's work of regeneration by which he imparts new spiritual life to us

Calvinism

the theological tradition that emphasizes the sovereignty of God in all things and man's inability to do spiritual good before God

conversion

the response to the gospel call in which a person repents of sin and places his or her trust in Christ for salvation

deposit of faith

The sum total of the teaching of the prophets and apostles about the way of salvation through Jesus Christ, which has been written down in Scripture and is to be faithfully interpreted by the church and its teachers through the help of the Holy Spirit." (Grenz, Guretzki, Nordling)

depravity, total depravity

Depravity is another term for "inherited corruption." Total depravity or total inability (Grudem) refers to humanity's complete lack of spiritual good and inability to do good before God.

effectual/effective calling

the act of God whereby he summons people to himself through human proclamation of the Gospel that results in a response of saving faith.

election

an act of God before creation in which he chose some people to be saved, not on account of any foreseen merit in them, but only because of his sovereign good pleasure

faith

trust or dependence on God based on the fact that we take him at his word and believe what he has said

glorification

the final step in the application of redemption wherein believers are given perfect resurrection bodies like that of Christ

grace

God's goodness toward those who deserve only punishment

imputation

in relationship to our salvaiton, the act wherein God thinks of Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and on that basis he declares that it belongs to us, and therefore it does

irresistible grace

the action of God whereby he effectively calls people and also gives them regeneration, both of which guarantee that we will respond in saving faith

justification

an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight

original sin

the guilt and the tendency to sin that all people inherit because of Adam's sin (Grudem uses the term "inherited sin"); this includes both inherited guilt and inherited corruption

penal-substitution theory

the view of the atonement that holds that Christ in his death bore the just penalty of God for our sins, and did so as a substitute for us

perseverance of the saints

the doctrine that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God's power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again

predestination

although often used synonymously with election, this term includes not only election (for believers) but also reprobation (for nonbelievers)

propitiation

a sacrifice that bears God's wrath to the end and in so doing changes God's wrath toward us into favor

ransom theory of the atonement

he erroneous view that in the atonement Christ paid a ransom to Satan to redeem us out of his kingdom

reconciliation

the removal of enmity and the restoration of fellowship between two parties; in soteriology, it refers to restoration between humans and God

redemption

the act of buying back sinners out of their bondage to sin and to Satan through the payment of a ransom

regeneration

a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us; sometimes called "being born again"

repentance

a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ

sanctification

a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives

sola fide

"by faith alone"

sola gratia

"by grace alone"

soli deo gloria

"to the glory of God alone"

solus Christus

"in Christ alone"

vicarious atonement

the work Christ did in his life and death to earn our salvation by standing in our place as our "vicar," or representative

Anabaptist

refers to various groups arising out of what is sometimes called the Radical Reformation; generally these groups believed that churches of the Reformation did not fully separate themselves from the corrupt teaching of the Roman Catholic Church; a significant teaching was the rejection of pedobaptism and the embrace of believer's baptism

Anglican, Anglicanism

the state church of England that arose in the 17th century as part of the English Reformation; the church's worship is guided by the Book of Common Prayer

apostle, apostolicity

from the Greek meaning "sent one"; a recognized office of the early church whose teaching helped establish the church

Augsburg Confession

18 articles summarizing the faith claims of Lutherans regarding Christ and his word; written by Philipp Melanchthon (a follower of Martin Luther) in 1530

baptism

The practice of sprinkling with, pouring on or immersing in water as an act of Christian initiation and obedience to Christ's own command." (Grenz, Guretzki, & Nordling, 18)

baptismal regeneration

the teaching that baptism in water brings about the saving work of the Holy Spirit in washing away original sin

believer's baptism

the view that baptism is appropriately administered only to those who have a believable profession of faith in Jesus Christ

believers' church

the belief that arose out of the Radical Reformation that the church is comprised of those who have faith in Christ and voluntarily gather for worship; this is in contrast to any teaching that the church may be a mixed body of believers and unbelievers

Book of Common Prayer

the service and prayer book used by the Church of England and Anglican/Episcopal churches worldwide; originally written in 1549 by Thomas Cranmer but has undergone numerous revisions

catechesis, catechism

the process of teaching basic Christian truths to a child raised in the church or to a new convert; typically follows a question-and-answer format

catholic

universal or worldwide; used in the phrase "one holy catholic and apostolic church"

charismatic

"Term referring to any groups or people that trace their historical origin to the charismatic renewal movement of the 1960s and 1970s, seek to practice all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament, and allow differing viewpoints on whether baptism in the Holy Spirit is subsequent to conversion and whether tongues is a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit." (Grudem, 481)

clergy

those in the church who have been selected and set apart to proclaim the Word of God and to administer the ordinances/sacraments

communion

term commonly used to refer to the Lord's Supper

congregationalism

a system of church government that assumes that Christ's authority comes directly to those who make up the local body of believers

consubstantiation

the theory of the Lord's Supper that is most closely related to the Lutheran tradition; the body and blood of Christ is said to be "in, with, and under" the actual bread and wine

deacon, deaconess

derived from Greek meaning "to serve"; those who hold this office are appointed to serve the body in various capacities; probably begun in Acts 6

ecclesiology

the study of the church

ecumenism

the attempt to seek a worldwide unity among all churches that confess Jesus Christ as Lord

elements

refers to the physical symbols used in the ordinance/sacrament of the Lord's Supper

episcopacy, episcopal

a system of church government in which oversight is given to bishops, while local congregations are led by presbyters, deacons, or priests

Eucharist

another term for the Lord's Supper (from Greek eucharistia "the giving of thanks")

koinonia

Greek word meaning "fellowship, communion, sharing together"; refers to the mutual relationship in which Christians participate because of their union with Christ

memorialism

a view of the Lord's Supper that understands the elements to be symbolic of Christ's work on the cross

ordinance

literally a decree or law; used by churches to refer to baptism and the Lord's Supper as ordained by Christ and parcipated in by the church voluntarily; used in contrast to sacrament

pedobaptism or paedobaptism

the practice of baptizing infants

priesthood of believers

Reformation teaching that Christians stand before God in personal communion through Christ and not because of another human intermediary

sacrament, sacramentalism

term used to refer to the sacred practices of the church; emphasize their use by God to confirm in the life of the believer the truth they are intended to represent

transubstantiation

the Roman Catholic teaching that the bread and wine of the Eucharist become the body and blood of Christ

amillennialism

the view that here will be no literal thousand-year bodily reign of Christ on earth prior to the final judgment and the eternal state; thus, Revelation 20 would refer to the present church age

annihilationism

the teaching that after death unbelievers suffer the penalty of God's watch for a time and then are destroyed, so that they no longer exist

antichrist

the "man of lawlessness" who will appear prior to the second coming of Christ and will cause great suffering and persecution, only to be destroyed by Christ

blessed hope

a phrase from Titus 2:13 that refers to the second coming of Christ as the fulfillment of the believer's longings

dispensationalism

the theological system that teaches a distinction between Israel and the church, a pretribulational rapture of the church, a future fulfillment of OT prochecies concerning Israel, and the dividing of history into periods (or "dispensations") of God's ways of relating to his people

eschatology

the study of the "last things" or future events

imminence/imminent

refers to the fact that Christ could return and might return at any time

intermediate state

the state of a person between death and the time that Christ returns to give believers new resurrection bodies; during this time, believers exist as spirits without physical bodies

millennium

the period of 1,000 years (see Rev. 20:4-5) when Christ will be physically present and reign in perfect peace and justice over the earth

postmillennialism

the belief that Christ will return to the earth after the millennium

premillennialism

the belief that Christ will return to the earth before the millennium

purgatory

the Roman Catholic doctrine of the place where the souls of believers go to be further purified from sin until they are ready to be admitted into heaven

rapture

the taking up or snatching up (from Latin rapio "to seize, snatch, carry away") of believers to be with Christ