Word List

Prior to the sixth century B.C., the Jews were called Israelites. The word “Jew” is derived from Judah, the name of the southern kingdom of Israel at the time the Israelites went into exile in Babylon. Thereafter, the exiles became known as “Jews.”

Judgment There are three kinds of judgment referred to in the Bible. The first is the judgment of men against each other. Jesus said that we must not judge each other (Matthew 7:1–2). Man’s judgment is never completely true, because no man can ever know the full truth about another man. Only God knows everything about each person. Therefore, only God can truly and fairly judge.

The second kind of judgment mentioned in the Bible is the punishment that God gives to evildoers. This punishment comes upon both believers and unbelievers (1 Corinthians 11:29–34). The purpose of this kind of judgment is to turn sinners to God and to correct and purify men’s lives.

The third kind of judgment mentioned in the Bible is God’s final judgment, which will occur at the end of the world. God has given the final authority to judge mankind to Jesus Christ (John 5:22). Everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Christ’s judgment will be without partiality. His judgment on that day will not be like the judgments of men in this world; it will be completely true and just. Those who have believed in Christ in this world will be saved and go to heaven. Those who have not believed in Christ in this world will be condemned and go to hell (John 3:18,36). After the last judgment, there is no possibility of appeal. Therefore, a person must believe in Jesus in this life in order to receive salvation; there is no other way (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

Law When the word “law” is used in the Bible, it usually refers to the Jewish law. The central part of the Jewish law is the Ten Commandments, which God wrote on two tablets of stone and then gave to Moses to give to the Jews (Exodus 20:1–17; 31:18). In addition to the Ten Commandments, God gave Moses many other laws for the Jewish people, which are written in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. All these together are known as the Law. Sometimes the first five books of the Old Testament are called the Law, or the Law of Moses.

The Jews believed that if they carried out these laws and commands completely, they would thereby obtain salvation. However, the New Testament teaches and human experience confirms that no one can obey the law completely all the time (Galatians 3:10–11; James 2:10). Thus no one can be justified or saved by the law (Galatians 2:15–16). The law doesn t save men; it condemns them. Indeed, Christ came to free men and women from bondage to the law and to show them the true way to salvation—that is, Christ Himself (Romans 8:1–4).

Christ came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:7). He Himself obeyed the law perfectly. Christ fulfilled the law not only by obeying it, but He also fulfilled it in another way. The law demands the death penalty for sin; the law condemns all men to death, because all men are sinners (Romans 3:10–12). So Christ came to die in our place for our sins. In this way He fulfilled the demand of the law for the death penalty. Because Christ died, the law can now no longer condemn those who have put their faith in Him. We are saved from the punishment of the law (eternal death) through our faith in Christ.

Despite what is said above, however, it is important to affirm that the law itself was not bad or defective. Indeed, it was perfect; it was a gift of God’s grace to His Old Testament people. It was meant to show them how to live their lives in a manner pleasing to Him, thereby making it possible for them to receive His blessings (Leviticus 26:3–13). And a minority of Old Testament Jews did seek to follow God’s laws. Sadly, however, most did not; they rebelled against God and refused to obey Him. Thus His judgment upon them was just.

Christians today do not need to follow the ceremonial or sacrificial laws of the Old Testament, but they do need to follow God’s moral laws, above all, the two great laws of love (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30–31). But even obeying these laws does not guarantee our eternal salvation; only faith in Christ does that.

For further discussion of the Old Testament law, see Exodus 20:1–2; Leviticus 11:44–45 and comments; General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law.

Lord In the Old Testament there are two main Hebrew words for God: one is “Elohim,” which is translated as “God”; and the other is “Yahweh,” which is translated as “LORD” with small capital letters. These are simply two names for the same God. Often the names are combined, as in “LORD God” (Genesis 2:4).

“Elohim” is a general name for God. The name “Yahweh,” however, has special significance for the Jews. In Hebrew, Yahweh means “He is.” (When God speaks of Himself, He calls Himself “I am”; when the Jews speak of God, they call Him “He is.”) For the Jews, Yahweh is God’s personal name. It signifies that He is their covenant God and they are His covenant people (see Word List: Covenant). According to the covenant, God is their Protector and Redeemer (see Word List: Redemption). All these meanings are included in the name Yahweh, or LORD.

The word “Lord” (without small capitals) is not commonly used in the Old Testament. When it is, it has the ordinary meaning of ruler, master, or judge; occasionally it can also signify God, the heavenly Ruler and Judge.

In the New Testament, which was written in Greek, the Hebrew name Yahweh does not appear. There the term “Lord” is used for both God and Christ.

Messiah In Hebrew, the word “Messiah” means “Anointed One.” In Old Testament times, being anointed meant being set apart for God’s service; in Israel, for example, priests and kings were anointed for service.

The Old Testament prophets prophesied about an Anointed One who was to come (Daniel 9:25). After the Exile in Babylon, Israel was never again an independent monarchy as it had been in the days of King David. Therefore, the Jews began to look for this “Anointed One,” the Messiah, who they hoped would reestablish the kingdom of Israel. This Messiah (Christ) did come, but the Jews did not recognize Him or accept Him.

In the Greek language, Christ means “Anointed One,” or “Messiah.” The English word “Messiah” does not occur in the Old Testament, and it occurs only twice in the New Testament (John 1:41; 4:25). Nevertheless, it is one of the most important words in the Bible, because it represents the ultimate hope for both Jews and Gentiles: the Christ, the Savior of all mankind.

Moses Moses was the greatest leader of the Jews (Israelites). He was born about 1500 B.C. He led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt. He received the Ten Commandments from God and delivered them to the Israelites, so that they might walk in God’s way. Moses led them for forty years in the Sinai Desert. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. The description of Moses life can be found in the books of Exodus and Numbers.

Passover The Passover festival was celebrated each year to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews (Israelites) from bondage in Egypt. The festival lasted for a week, during which time the Israelites were to eat only unleavened bread. The Passover festival, therefore, was also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On the first day of the festival, the Passover lamb was sacrificed and the Passover feast was eaten (Exodus 12:14–17; Leviticus 23:4–8).

The word “passover” means “a passing over.” On the last night the Israelites were in Egypt, God determined to kill all the firstborn living creatures of Egypt, because the Egyptian ruler Pharaoh had refused to let the Israelites go free. But first God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and put some of its blood on the doorposts of their houses. Then, when the destroying angel came and saw the blood, he would know not to destroy the firstborn in those houses (Exodus 12:1–14,21–30; Hebrews 11:28).

In the same way, Christ is like a Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Through Christ’s blood (His death on the cross) we are set free from bondage to sin and death. Therefore, it was completely fitting that Christ Himself should die right at the time of the Passover festival (Mark 14:1,12).

Christians do not celebrate the Jewish Passover festival itself—that is, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Instead, Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. The celebration of His death is called Good Friday, and the celebration of His resurrection is called Easter.

Peace In the Bible the word “peace” has a number of meanings. In the Old Testament, “peace” is often used as a greeting. Peace can also mean the absence of war. It can also mean inner peace of mind.

In the New Testament, the word “peace” usually means complete well-being in body, mind and spirit. But more important, it means peace with God. When we were unrepentant sinners, we were enemies of God. Now, through faith in Christ, we can make peace with God. We are no longer His enemies; we are His children (John 1:12; Romans 5:1; 8:16).

Prophecy A prophecy, according to ordinary biblical usage, is a message or word that comes directly from God but is spoken by men. Those who speak God’s words in this way are called prophets (see Word List: Prophet).

Prophecies can take many forms. They can be predictions of future events. They can be warnings from God. They can be important teachings that God wants to impart.

In every case, however, the prophecy is not something that originates with man; rather, a true prophecy always originates with God (2 Peter 1:20–21).

There are false prophecies, of course, which do not come from God. The men who utter them are called false prophets. We are told to beware of them (Matthew 7:15; 1 John 4:1).

The Old Testament prophets were sent by God to the Jews to rebuke them for their disobedience and to remind them of God’s will. The Old Testament prophets also gave many prophecies concerning the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ.

In the New Testament, there are also prophets. The gift of prophecy was very important in the New Testament church (1 Corinthians 12:28; 14:1; Ephesians 4:11). The entire New Testament book of Revelation can be considered a prophecy about the end of the world.

For further discussion on the subject of prophecy and prophets, see Isaiah: Introduction; General Article: Prophecy and Predictive Words.

Prophet One who speaks prophecies is called a prophet (see Word List: Prophecy). The true prophets of the Bible received words from God and then spoke them to the people. They were God’s spokesmen. They were not simply tellers of the future.

The largest number of prophets referred to in the Bible are the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament. These Old Testament prophets carried out two special functions. First, they admonished the Jews concerning their repeated disobedience to God’s law. And second, they announced the coming of the Savior Jesus Christ.

For further discussion on the subject of prophets and prophecy, see Isaiah: Introduction.

Redemption Redemption means regaining possession of something by paying a price. It could mean the repurchasing of some article that was sold. Or, in the case of a slave, it could mean the purchasing of his liberty that was lost. But in the New Testament, redemption means the “purchasing” of our deliverance from the penalty of sin by paying a ransom or offering a sacrifice. Christ gave Himself as a ransom, or sacrifice, for us (Mark 10:45). The payment for our deliverance was Christ’s own blood. Paul writes: In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood (Ephesians 1:7).

Redemption, then, is one aspect of our salvation (see Word List: Salvation). In some New Testament verses, the words “redemption” and “salvation” can almost be used interchangeably.

In the Old Testament, redemption has the same basic meaning: the regaining of something by paying a price. However, the word “redemption” is also used more generally to mean simply “deliverance.” In the Old Testament, redemption is most commonly expressed as a verb, to “redeem.” To redeem, then, can mean either to “deliver,” to “rescue,” or it can mean to “regain something by paying a price”; the context makes it clear which meaning should be applied.

Repentance To repent means not only to feel sorry for one’s sin but also to turn from that sin. Confessing our sin is not enough; we must also stop sinning. When a person truly repents, his actions, thoughts and desires will be changed. If a person says, “I have repented,” but there is no improvement in his life, then his “repentance” is false.

To repent is an essential step in receiving salvation. Without repenting, it is impossible to be saved (Matthew 5:3–4; Mark 1:4,15; Acts 2:37–38; 2 Peter 3:9).

Righteous To be counted righteous—that is, to be justified—is one of the main aspects of our salvation (see Word List: Salvation). No unrighteous person can come into God’s presence. . . . without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

Since this is so, how then does a person become “righteous” in God’s sight? One cannot become righteous through his own efforts, by good works. He can only become righteous by repenting of his sin and turning to Christ in faith. When we believe in Christ, Christ takes away our guilt, our punishment. Our guilt is placed on the innocent Christ, and thus we become “righteous” because of Christ. Through faith we receive Christ’s righteousness. Christ brings us before God and, in effect, says to God, “I have died for this person’s sins. Therefore, he no longer needs to be punished. He can now be considered innocent.” And God will then declare us righteous in His sight and accept us into His family (Mark 10:45; Romans 3:24–26; Galatians 2:15–16).

Therefore, when God justifies us (declares us righteous), He frees us from the punishment of sin. He forgives our sin completely. Then we have peace with God (Romans 5:1); we are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1).

Note that if someone could have obeyed the Law of Moses perfectly, that person would have been declared righteous. The problem is that, because of man’s sinful nature, no one (except Christ) has ever been able to follow the law in every respect. And thus if a person fails to keep just one point of the law he becomes a lawbreaker and is no longer righteous (Romans 8:3–4; James 2:10). . . . by observing the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:16). This is why God, in His mercy, sent Jesus into the world so that we might be justified through faith in Him and thereby receive eternal life (John 3:16).

Righteousness Righteousness in the Bible means God’s righteousness. We can tell what the righteousness of God is by studying God’s law, especially the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) and the two great commands to love God and love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18; Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30–31). The law and its commandments are God’s standard of behavior for all people (see General Article: The Purpose of the Mosaic Law).

No one has righteousness in himself (Psalm 14:2–3; Romans 3:10). In God’s eyes, all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only Christ was completely righteous. When we believe in Him we receive His righteousness, and therefore become acceptable in God’s sight.

There are two steps to receiving righteousness. First, we receive Christ’s righteousness through faith and are declared righteous by God (see Word List: Righteous). Second, through the work of the Holy Spirit (see Word List: Holy Spirit), Christ’s righteousness becomes more and more manifest in our attitudes and actions. We become more and more holy and righteous in our daily lives. This process is called sanctification (1 Thessalonians 5:23); it is something in which we must actively take part (Philippians 2:12–13).

Righteousness and salvation are closely linked (see Isaiah 45:8 and comment). Righteousness is a requirement for salvation; salvation is the reward of righteousness. According to the Old Testament, a limited righteousness was obtainable through the law and resulted in temporal salvation or deliverance. In the New Testament, righteousness is obtained through faith in Christ and results in eternal salvation (see Word List: Salvation).

Salvation In the Old Testament, salvation refers primarily to deliverance from earthly trouble. It is therefore closely linked to the concept of redemption (see Word List: Redemption).

In the New Testament, however, salvation has a much broader meaning. In short, it means to be delivered from God’s judgment and to receive eternal life (see Word List: Eternal Life).

All spiritual blessings are included in salvation. First, salvation is deliverance from sin, from both the power of sin and the punishment for sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23). When a person is saved, he receives forgiveness for his sins and is cleansed from sin. Thus he becomes righteous, or justified, in God’s sight (see Word List: Righteous). He becomes a member of God’s family. He becomes sanctified and glorified (Romans 8:30). But the greatest of all the blessings of salvation is eternal life with God and Christ in heaven. We receive all of these blessings in Christ when we are saved (Ephesians 1:3).

There is only one way to receive eternal salvation, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ; there is no other way (Acts 4:12).

Satan Satan is the chief of all evil spirits. He is the chief enemy of God and men. Satan is a fallen angel; his main sin was pride. He tried to make himself like God, but God banished him from heaven (Isaiah 14:12–15; 1 Timothy 3:6).

Satan’s main work is to lead men into sin—that is, into disobedience to God. He does this mainly by deceiving men, by stirring up their evil desires, and by weakening their faith.

Satan has many names in the Bible. He first appears as a serpent (Genesis 3:1). He is called the devil (Revelation 12:9) and the accuser of our brothers (Revelation 12:10); he is called an enemy and a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). He is called Beelzebub (Mark 3:22), the tempter (Matthew 4:3), the father of lies (John 8:44), and the prince of this world (John 12:31).

Although Satan is very powerful, he is still under God’s control. He can only do as much as God permits him to do (Job 1:12; 2:6; Luke 22:31).

Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome Satan. If we resist him, he will flee (James 4:7). He has already been defeated by Jesus on the cross (Hebrews 2:14–15), but he still has much power in the world. However, when Christ comes again at the end of the world, Satan will be completely defeated and cast forever into a lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10).

Sin Sin is “missing the mark”; it is falling short of God’s standard of behavior as outlined in the Old Testament law and in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Ultimately, sin is rebellion against God.

Sin is the fundamental problem of mankind. The sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, caused them to be driven from the Garden of Eden and to become subject to pain, decay, and death (see Genesis 3:1–24 and comment). And their sin has affected the human race ever since (see General Article: The Fall into Sin).

Sin not only keeps us from salvation in the next life but it also keeps us from enjoying God’s blessings in this life, the greatest of which is fellowship with Him. Sin robs us of a clear conscience; it robs us of our freedom and joy. It is a sickness of the soul, worse than any cancer.

There is a cure for sin. In the Old Testament, God showed men and women how to avoid sin by giving them His law (see Word List: Law). In the New Testament, He gave them much more: He gave them the power to avoid sin, the power to obey the law.

But God did something even better than that: He provided the means whereby people’s past and present sins could be forgiven, erased; and that means was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment for mankind’s sins upon Himself.

The cure for sin, then, is to go to God and confess each sin, to renounce it and turn from it; God will then forgive us . . . and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We receive that forgiveness through faith in Christ.

All people, even the most saintly, sin from time to time. But there are some people who persist in sin and refuse to repent. Such people’s hearts become hardened; they no longer turn to God; they no longer care about their sin. These people become incapable of repentance and thus remove themselves from God’s grace and any hope of salvation. This is why it’s so important for us to confess our sins immediately, lest our hearts too become hardened and we forfeit God’s forgiveness (Hebrews 10:26–30).

Soul The word “soul” in the Bible usually means “life”—that is, one’s personal life, one’s own life. When the psalmist says, . . . he restores my soul (Psalm 23:3), he means “He restores my life—me.” This is the most general meaning of “soul.”

However, there are some verses in the Bible where the meaning seems more specific. Moses said: Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength—that is, with your whole self (Deuteronomy 6:5). Paul wrote: May your whole spirit, soul and body (your whole self) be kept blameless (1 Thessalonians 5:23). These verses indicate that there are distinct aspects to human life: the spiritual and moral aspect—the spirit; the mental and emotional aspect—the soul or personality; and finally, the physical aspect—the body. During life, these aspects cannot easily be divided; but at death they will be. The physical body will die, but the soul and spirit will continue to exist.

In the Bible, two other words are often used in place of soul: “heart” and “mind.” All these words—heart, mind, soul—signify the inner life, the essential character of a person. God is more interested in our inner self—our motives, desires, intentions—than in our outward behavior. If our inner self is right, our outer self (our behavior) will be right also.

Zion Zion stands for Jerusalem and, in particular, the Lord’s sanctuary in Jerusalem. The sanctuary (or temple) was located on a raised area of Jerusalem, which was known as the Temple Mount. This is often referred to as “Mount Zion.”

Zion (Jerusalem) is important in the Old Testament because that is the place the Lord chose to have His Name dwell (Deuteronomy 12:5); the temple in Jerusalem symbolized His earthly dwelling place, the center of His rule on earth.

However, we must keep in mind that Jerusalem and the temple only symbolized God’s dwelling place; His real dwelling place is in heaven.