Though this word is not found in most English translations of the New Testament, the thought is there in the Greek text. It is an anglicized form of the original term antitupos. The term is rendere...

Apocalyptic language is a highly symbolic form of expression. Vivid figures of speech convey the ideas. When the figures are interpreted, the meaning of the message is uncovered. The word derives f...

This word originally meant "hidden things," suggesting a special body of information reserved for a select group. Eventually, it came to signify a collection of fourteen or fifteen books, some of w...

This word is an anglicized form of the Greek apologeia, literally meaning "a verbal defense." It is found eight times in the New Testament, and a verb form occurs some ten times. For example, Luke...

Apostasy is an English term based on the Greek apotasia. Originally, it meant to desert one's post; it was used for political revolt. In the Old Testament, the word implies a turning away from Go...

This word is related to a Greek verb, apostello, meaning "to send away, to send forth." It is used in several senses in the New Testament.  • Christ was God's "apostle," sent from heaven to reveal ...

The name "Armageddon" derives from a passage in the book of Revelation, where certain opposing forces were gathered at a place called Har-Magedon for a great battle (Rev. 16:16). It is believed t...

Astrology is a pagan superstition that believes the heavenly bodies influence human activity. Additionally, the theory often includes the belief that human events can be predicted by "reading" the ...

The term atheism derives from two Greek roots, a (meaning "no") and theos ("God"). It is a word that depicts the irrational ideology of the person who dogmatically says: "There is no God" (cf. Psa....

Autonomy derives from two roots: auto ("self") and nomos ("law"). It can have a negative or positive connotation. It's crucial to remember that man is not autonomous. He is not empowered to rule ...

This is an expression used frequently in the Old Testament to describe those who forsook their loyalty to God and began to serve Satan again.  No fewer than thirteen times, the prophet Jeremiah re...

The practice of baptism "for the dead" is mentioned once in the New Testament. "If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?" (1 Cor. 15:29). Though the passage is somewh...

A word that denotes the commencement of anything with a point of origin.  The "heavens and the earth" had a beginning (Gen. 1:1); hence, they are not eternal. Material origins must be explained su...

Literally, this term has to do with the implantation of seed by which a child is conceived. The word is used in Scripture figuratively to illustrate the spiritual agency, namely the word of God, by...

"Belief" is the noun form of the verb "believe." True belief embraces several important elements.  Despite God's invisibility and inaudibility, our belief in him is not rooted in superstition. Beli...

The English word "bible" means "scroll" or "book" and refers to the sixty-six documents that comprise the book of Scripture -- thirty-nine Old Testament documents and twenty-seven New Testament boo...

This is one of the titles of a church official who oversees a local congregation of Christ's church in the company of fellow bishops (always a plurality of men). "Bishop" translates the Greek ter...

Blood is a prominent theme in the Bible. Because blood is the life stream of a person (Lev. 17:11), it becomes the biblical representation of life. Because of sin, man has forfeited the right to ...

The idea of being born in sin or inheriting ancestral sin at birth is not a biblical concept. The most commonly misapplied passage relating to the notion that children are "born in sin" is Psalm 51...

On the night before his death, during the Passover celebration, Jesus instituted the communion supper for his disciples (Mt. 26:26ff; Mk. 14:22ff; Lk. 22:19ff; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23ff). The Lord's Suppe...