Bible 101: Christianese
A little introduction to the absolutely insane Christian language
Congratulations on making it this far in the Bible reading process. The fact that you have bought (or considered buying) a Bible and have begun (or considering beginning) a specific book from my handy-dandy summary of Bible books…it’s huge. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Here’s the thing though:
You aren’t going to get very far if you don’t understand what you’re reading.
That is one of the perks of buying a Study Bible because it helps you along the way (kind of). It is important, especially when you start reading the New Testament to understand major themes and concepts that the writer is bringing to the philosophical table.
Pop quiz: in one sentence, without looking it up on the internet or in your Bible, what is the definition of righteousness?
*radio silence*
Listen…I’ve done a bit of an experiment the last year or so where I have asked people, on the spot, what the definition is of specific words, hereby dubbed “Christianese”, and no one could. In fact, not only could NOBODY define the word, but they quickly became agitated when they realized that they were unable to answer something that they believed to have known.
From my own statistical analysis (and take this with a grain of salt because I got a D in AP Stats in high school), over 80% don’t know the basics, and what is worse….they don’t know that they don’t know.
Why does this kind of feel similar to betrayal?
It feels that way because it kind of is.
This is the problem with both Christianese and Christian culture: we think everyone already knows stuff. We assume that they have done the hard work of reading the Bible or heard someone preach about salvation when they were 5, when in all reality, THEY DON’T KNOW.
They don’t know. Most people don’t know. Our own churches, pastors, families, friends…they all think we know what “righteousness” means, and in a humorous turn of events, they don’t know either. We are all walking blindly unwilling to admit the betrayal.
I’m here to tell you it’s okay. Whether you are new to the Christian circle or have been here long enough to have had a crush on Michael W. Smith…it’s okay.
The first step is admitting you *maybe* don’t know.
Now, let’s skip a few steps and get to the “embracing” part.
Quick Tip from the Rev. Dr.: A dear friend of mine decided to print out the summary I wrote of each book to keep in her Bible for when she needs some inspiration. I would HIGHLY recommend doing that for this as well.
Below are my quick summaries for major Christianese words, including how to understand them in a no BS way and the original words (some do not have the original words, as it is more of a “concept” than a literal “word”).
(Are you noticing a theme here? Summaries save lives, folks.)
None of these are in order. Something that may help you, other than printing it out, would be finding the first place these pop up and writing a little note to yourself. Trust me on this one. HERE WE GO:
Righteousness - to be morally right about something, BUT more importantly, it is being in a constant state of knowing what is “right” and “true”.
Practical Application: God tells Abraham in Genesis 15 that he is going to have generations and generations of offspring, Abraham believes God, and thus God counts Abraham as righteous. Consider it as extreme faith and trust in the One who is right and true.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, sedaqa, means rightness and truth
Greek word, dikaiosyne, means the “state of him who is as he is suppose to be and in the condition that is acceptable to God”, i.e. one that has integrity and virtue
Justification - an act of God to declare us free from sin, guilt, and all things not of God.
Practical Application: when someone is just, they are behaving in a way that is morally right. Not killing someone is just, BUT actually killing someone requires justice to be brought in honor of the one who died. Jesus died and was subsequently raised from dead for us to be able to become just, or justified, and our ability to become just is the justice that was brought in honor of Him dying (read that again).
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, sadiq, means lawful and righteous (notice how it is incredibly close to the Hebrew word for righteousness?)
the root of the Greek word, dikaioo, means to render righteous and to show or exhibit how someone wishes to be considered
Mercy - a kindness towards someone who may not be deserving of kindness.
Practical Application: God shows constant mercy, or kindness, to us even in times when we honestly do not deserve it. God showed David mercy, even through all the CRAP he did (i.e. stealing someone’s woman and then killing her husband so David wouldn’t have to confront the dude).
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, hesed, means loving kindness, goodness and faithfulness, and at the root of it, hesed means to be good or to be kind (there are A BUNCH, so look them all up)
Greek word, eleos, means the good will that is extended to the miserable, whether it is toward each other or from God to us.
Fear of God - consider this as a sobering reverence of God.
Practical Application: He’s God, so obviously, if you know Him well enough, He has the ability to be scary and light you on fire at any given moment, but we have reverence and honor Him for NOT lighting us on fire.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, yir’a, means terror of an awesome thing, or respect
Greek word, phobos, means dread or terror
Atonement - the reconciliation of God and humans through Jesus, and Jesus only.
Practical Application: Jesus died so that we could be reconciled to God (Jesus and God are the same, FYI). Think of it as God came down in a way we could physically understand so we could emotionally understand His character in return. Atonement covers the entirety of our relationship with God. We won’t lose God.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, kapar, means to cover or make reconciliation
Greek word, katallage, means an exchange or an adjustment to have restoration
Sin - to go the wrong way, to become unclean, to “miss the mark”
Practical Application: all sins are weighed equally to God. He shows no partiality. A sin is a sin. However, just because you go the wrong way doesn’t mean you can’t turn around. Just because you “miss the mark” doesn’t mean you can’t try throwing darts at the board one more time to HIT the mark.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, hata, means to incur guilt or to bring condemnation (a few different words for this one too)
Greek word, skandalizo, means to put a stumbling block and cause you to fall (UM, WOW.)
Quick Tidbit from the Rev. Dr.: “Sin” wasn’t just an idea in Hebrew and Christian culture. It is ALL over Ancient Near East literature. Egypt had an extensive list of 45 different sins that would cause Ma’at, the goddess of fate and destiny, to condemn them eternally if they sinned.
Salvation - the literal act of becoming saved from trouble
Practical Application: you are saved and delivered from the troubles and disparities of life when you give your heart to God. It’s putting your heart and your soul in a giant gun safe that only God has the key for. “‘It is safe, my liege.’ saith the Lord God.” Book of Nikki, Chapter 10.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word comes from yasa, which means to be liberated and victorious
Greek word, soterios, means someone who embodies this victory or someone who is about to achieve it through God, can also mean the hope of a future salvation
Sanctification - the process of becoming pure both in your heart and your life, which happens after salvation
Practical Application: you save a sad piece of dried out clay by shaping it into a little vase, and you PURIFY it by shoving it in a kiln. Throw some paint on it and you’ve got a pure little flower vase who thought it would never be good enough to hold flowers. Jesus is the sculptor and you’re the little flower vase. You get what I’m hinting at?
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, taher, means to be pronounced as clean (lots of words for this one too, but “sanctification” wasn’t a term used in Old Testament times)
Greek word, hagiasmos, means consecration (which means to DECLARE something as SACRED)
Apostle - surprise!! It doesn’t mean teacher or student!! It means messenger!!
Practical Application: all of Jesus’ friends who went out to preach the Good News were shortly called apostles because they were sent to deliver that Good News. Literal messengers of God’s words and actions.
Bridegroom - to put it simply, it is used in the New Testament as a metaphor for how the church should work.
Practical Application: Jesus would be the husband and the church is the bridegroom, and they are in a constant partnership and work together. Not a separate thing. They work together. This is as simply as I can possibly explain it. Remember that Jesus was normally talking to a bunch of dummies, so He had to simplify some things for them to explain.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, hatan, means son-in-law or daughter’s husband
Greek word, nymphios, means a betrothed woman
Cornerstone - this is a stone that is literally in the corner at the base of the building. Without it, two walls cannot connect.
Practical Application: Jesus is the “cornerstone”, meaning that he is the base of our faith and without Him, we won’t get very far. Without the “cornerstone”, the building crumbles.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, eben, means a sacred object through which to build
Greek word, akrogoniaios, means something placed at an extreme corner and is FOUNDATIONAL
Covenant - a promise more intense and more intentional than a pinky promise
Practical Application: God has made many promises, or covenants, through the Bible. One of them was to Noah to never flood the earth again.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, berit, means an alliance or pledge
Greek word, diatheke, means a testament of a covenant made with God
Grace - another word for favor or acceptance
Practical Application: we receive grace through what Jesus did (died and then woke up)
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, hen, means favor or to be gracious
Greek word, charis, means that which gives joy, delight and sweetness to life, the favor of God
Works - anything done to accomplish something by your own will, also known as following the laws in the Old Testament
Practical Application: You work to get money to then spend it on groceries. Those works made you accomplish something with your own will. In the Biblical sense, “works” means you are focusing on following all the laws in Leviticus to get favor and acceptance from God, when Jesus makes it clear that works are not required: only your love and reverence is.
Fun Fact with the Rev. Dr.: Christianity is the only religion to believe this. Every other religion believes the opposite in some capacity. We get grace (acceptance) without works, no matter what.
Trinity - Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Practical Application: as mentioned before, the easiest way to explain this is that God is one God, but He shows Himself through three different ways. One through the Father-figure and the Almighty/All-Knowing, one through Jesus who is the human form, and one through Holy Spirit who is the emotional/mental form. Think of it as God, but three different ways we can perceive Him. If you think of it any other way, you will get confused and want to punch a wall. Christianity is monotheistic. Not polytheistic. One God who is big enough and smart enough to be able to appeal to us in different ways. This word is not used in the Bible and was a term coined later (obviously the Bible alludes to it many a time).
Glory - honor, reverence, could also be thought of as a way of “fearing” God
Practical Application: we talk about the glory of God and tend to think of it as a physical “glory”, like a studio light constantly on Him or something. The glory of God is equivalent to honoring Him and understanding the abundance He provides for us (a.k.a. we honor Him for all He has done for us), which is why people say “Glory Be to God” after something good happens.
Ancient Languages:
Hebrew word, kabod, means abundance, reverence and splendor
Greek word, doxa, means majesty belonging to God or a most exalted state (of God)
Holiness - completely equivalent to how sacred something is
Practical Application: God is holy because God is sacred. We can strive to be holy to God. Technically, we already are holy to God because we are sacred to God. Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be better anyways.
Ancient Languages
Hebrew word, qodes, means apartness or sacredness
Greek word, hosiotes, means undefiled by sin, free from wickedness and observing moral obligations
Jeeeeeeez. Y’all alive out there?? I just learned that hippopotamuses yawn. Celebs - they’re just like us!
Listen - that was a lot of info. This is a good place to stop before your brain implodes.
Friendly remember to not speak Christianese to your friends or your family. Speak English. Spanish. Whatever language you know best.
Speaking Christianese only alienates those who don’t understand, which oddly includes Christians as well.
Thanks for reading Back to Basics and make sure to click all the links for fun surprises.
