What's With All the Big Words in the Bible?

  • by Jody Sledge
  • Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
  • Series: Your Word is Truth

One of big challenges of understanding the Bible comes because we are so far removed from its culture. To put it another way, things are weird in the Bible. And a big part of this unfamiliarity, or weirdness, comes from some of the words the Bible uses. The fact is that the Bible uses words that we never use in our everyday lives. When is the last time you said the word ‘propitiation’ in conversation? Probably never.

The goal of this article is to provide a list of some of the big words that the Bible uses and give helpful definitions of those words. Try to learn these words. Don’t just skip over them because they are difficult. Learn them. Doing so with help you understand the Bible better and the gospel better.

Transgression
This is a term that refers to the breaking of God’s law. Other similar words in the Bible are sin, iniquity, lawlessness, and trespass. All of them convey the same idea - disobeying the commands of God.

Righteousness
This is the characteristic of doing what is right. God always does what is right. Righteousness is one of His primary characteristics. Jesus is called the Righteous One. Since man does not do what is right, he is unrighteous. Yet, through his death, Jesus gives sinners a way to be made right with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Condemnation
The verdict of guilt that rest upon anyone who has broken God’s law. Someone who is under this condemnation faces the consequence and punishment of the wrong doing. The Bible says all of humanity is under God’s condemnation, expect for those who are in Christ where the condemnation has been removed (Romans 5:18, 8:1).

Justification
This is the declaration of God that we are righteous. It means that when we put our faith in Christ, God looks at us and sees Jesus’ righteous. It means that we are not guilty. We have been made right with God. Of course we had nothing to do with our justification. It is by faith alone (Rom 5:1).

Sanctification
This term has two aspects in the Bible. The first deals with our position before the Lord. The word simply means to be made holy. In Christ, just as we stand before God righteous (justification), we stand before Him holy as well. The second aspect deals with our practice before the Lord. We are called to live holy (sanctified) lives for the sake of Christ. This second aspect is seen in the Bible as a progression - meaning we become more and more holy as we live out the Christian life.

Glorification
This act of God in which he transforms us to be completely like Christ. This will come at Christ’s return when he will bring the resurrection from the dead. Our bodies will be remade in glory just as his resurrection body was. We will be free from sin, from suffering, and from sorrow. It is what we are hoping and longing for.

Regeneration
This is the Biblical idea of new life in Christ. Other ways to express this idea are being born again, being a new creation, and being made alive in Christ. It is a work of God that takes our dead and hardened hearts and makes them spiritually alive.

Propitiation
This term refers to an atoning sacrifice - that is a sacrifice in which God’s punishment against sin is removed and the sinner is now made ‘at one’ with God. God’s wrath is removed from the sinner, the punishment is placed on the sacrifice, and the debt is paid.

Mediator
A mediator is someone who stands or goes between two people. Usually the people have become estranged from one another. The Bible says Jesus is the only on capable of being a mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). By his blood, he stands between a holy God and sinful man and brings us together.

Covenant
This is a special agreement between two parties. Often the covenant carries responsibilities for both parties and creates a deep and intimate connection between them. The majority of the covenants in the Bible are made between God and his people.

Redemption
This term literally means to purchase something. Often is carries the idea of something that has been lost that has to be bought back. Jesus’ death is the ultimate act of redemption. We were lost to sin. God purchased us out of it. We have been bought with his blood.