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Worship
[Worship & Rites]Worship is the gathering in which believers come together to adore God and hear His Word. In Protestantism, the Sunday service held on the Lord's Day is central to church life.
Faith
[Doctrine & Theology]Faith is trust in God and Jesus Christ and the acceptance of his word as true. Protestants understand it as the means by which salvation is received, though denominations differ somewhat in emphasis.
Pelagianism
[Heresies & Cults]Pelagianism refers to the teachings of the early fifth-century monk Pelagius and his followers. It denied original sin (the doctrine that Adam's sin is passed on to all people), emphasized human free will and moral responsibility, and was condemned as heresy by several councils of the ancient church.
Image of God
[Doctrine & Theology]The image of God is the biblical teaching that God created human beings in his own image. It is a central concept in Christian anthropology that explains human dignity and humanity's relationship with God.
John 17:21
[Bible Verses]John 17:21 is a verse from the prayer Jesus offered to the Father before his arrest, in which he asks that those who believe "all may be one" so that the world may believe. It serves as a motto of the ecumenical movement, and debate has centered on whether this unity should be understood as spiritual or as visible and institutional.
Jeremiah 31:31–33
[Bible Verses]God's promise to make a new covenant with Israel and Judah and to write his law on their hearts. It is the principal Old Testament passage in which the phrase "new covenant" appears. The New Testament presents this promise as fulfilled in Christ, and the passage stands at the center of debates among theological systems over the relationship between the church and Israel.
Joel 2:28-29
[Bible Verses]Joel 2:28-29 is God's promise that afterward he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, so that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions, and that he will pour out his Spirit even upon servants and handmaids. Peter quoted the passage in his Pentecost sermon, and it is a central text in interdenominational debates over the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and women's ministry.
Joshua 24:15
[Bible Verses]Joshua 24:15 records the declaration Joshua made near the end of his life, when he called on Israel to choose that day whom they would serve and announced, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." It is among the verses most widely used as a motto for household faith, and it is also cited in discussions of human choice and divine sovereignty.
Psalm 23:1–6
[Bible Verses]A psalm of David that begins, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want." Portraying God as a shepherd and as the host of a banquet, it confesses His lifelong care and is among the most widely known and beloved psalms in the Bible.
Mary Magdalene
[People]Mary Magdalene was a woman disciple who followed Jesus from the time of his Galilean ministry. All four Gospels record that she witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and the empty tomb, and the Gospel of John presents her as the first person to meet the risen Jesus.
Romans 11:2
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Paul declares that, despite the unbelief of most of Israel, God has not cast away "his people which he foreknew," and then appeals to the example of Elijah. It is frequently cited in discussions of the meaning of God's foreknowledge and of the future of Israel.
1 Corinthians 12:3
[Bible Verses]1 Corinthians 12:3 is the criterion Paul establishes at the outset of his teaching on spiritual gifts to the church at Corinth. He declares that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and that no one can say that Jesus is the Lord except by the Holy Spirit. The verse is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between the confession of faith and the Holy Spirit and of the criteria for discerning spirits.
John 10:27–29
[Bible Verses]A passage in which Jesus says that he gives eternal life to his sheep and that no one can pluck them out of his hand or his Father's hand. It is frequently cited in discussions among denominations concerning the perseverance of the saints and the assurance of salvation.
1 John 5:6
[Bible Verses]A verse declaring that Jesus Christ came "by water and blood," testifying that both his baptism and his death on the cross were real. Interpreters differ on what "water and blood" refers to.
1 John 4:9–12
[Bible Verses]A passage in First John stating that God's love was revealed when He sent His Son into the world as the propitiation for our sins, and that those who have received this love ought to love one another. It is frequently cited in discussions of the definition of love, the understanding of the atonement, and "perfected love."
2 Timothy 4:7–8
[Bible Verses]Second Timothy 4:7–8 is a passage in which Paul, facing death, looks back on his life as an athlete who has finished a race and looks ahead to the "crown of righteousness" he will receive on the day Christ returns. A text about persevering in faith to the end and about Christian hope, it is frequently cited at retirement services and funerals.
2 Corinthians 5:8
[Bible Verses]2 Corinthians 5:8 is the verse in which the apostle Paul confesses his desire to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. It is frequently cited in discussions of the state of the dead before the resurrection. In Korean Protestant churches, it is also read as a word of comfort at funerals.
John 1:12–13
[Bible Verses]John 1:12–13 states that those who receive Jesus and believe on his name are given the power to become children of God, and that this birth comes not from human beings but from God. The passage is frequently quoted in evangelism and in prayers for receiving Christ, and it also figures in theological discussion of the order of faith and regeneration.
2 Corinthians 3:17
[Bible Verses]In this verse, set within his contrast between the old covenant and the new, Paul says that "the Lord is that Spirit" and that "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The verse is frequently cited and discussed in treatments of the relationship between Christ and the Holy Spirit and of the meaning of Christian liberty.
1 John 5:14–15
[Bible Verses]A passage expressing confidence that God hears those who ask according to his will. It is frequently cited as a basis for answered prayer, and its interpretation centers on how to understand the condition "according to his will."