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Thanksgiving Offering
[Christian Life]A thanksgiving offering is an offering given in gratitude for grace received from God. In Korean churches, it is commonly given separately from regular offerings, with the giver writing the reason for thanksgiving on an offering envelope.
Conversion
[Christian Life]Conversion is the change by which a person turns from sin to God and comes to believe in Jesus Christ. The term is often used alongside "being born again" and "regeneration," although some denominations distinguish conversion from regeneration.
Tithe
[Christian Life]The tithe is an offering of one-tenth of one's income given to God. In Korean Protestantism it is the most prominent regular offering.
Justification
[Doctrine & Theology]Justification is the act by which a sinner is accounted righteous before God. Protestants hold that it comes not through works but through faith in Christ, a teaching known as justification by faith.
Bible
[Doctrine & Theology]The Bible is the collection of books that Christianity accepts as Scripture recording God's revelation. It is also called the Holy Scriptures. The Protestant Bible consists of sixty-six books: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament.
Gospel
[Doctrine & Theology]The gospel means "good news." In Christianity it refers to the message that God saves people through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Temple in Jerusalem
[Bible]The Temple in Jerusalem was the central building for the worship of God built by ancient Israel in Jerusalem. First built by Solomon, it was rebuilt after its destruction by the Babylonians and was finally destroyed by the Roman army in AD 70.
Tabernacle
[Bible]The Tabernacle was the portable tent of worship that the people of Israel built in the wilderness after the Exodus, following God's instructions. It was regarded as the place where God dwelt among His people, and it served as the center of Israel's worship until the Temple in Jerusalem was built.
Vow
[Christian Life]A vow is a voluntary promise by which a believer pledges to God to do something or to offer something. In Korean Protestant churches, vows commonly take forms such as vow prayers, vow offerings, and vows by parents to dedicate their children to the pastoral ministry.
Season of Creation
[Feasts & Seasons]The Season of Creation is a season of the church year in which Christians remember God's work of creation and renew their sense of responsibility to care for nature and the environment. It is usually observed from September 1 to October 4, though its length and manner of observance vary by denomination.
Philippians 2:5-8
[Bible Verses]A passage stating that Christ, though equal with God, "made himself of no reputation" (literally, "emptied himself"), took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death on the cross. It is the New Testament's most concentrated presentation of Christ's humiliation and became the starting point of the kenosis debate.
Psalm 139:13–14
[Bible Verses]A hymn of praise attributed to David, declaring that God formed him in his mother's womb. Cherished as a passage on the dignity of human life, it is frequently cited in debates over abortion and bioethics as support for the personhood of the unborn.
Proverbs 16:9
[Bible Verses]Proverbs 16:9 is a proverb teaching that although a person plans his way in his heart, it is the LORD who directs his steps. It is frequently cited in discussions of how human planning relates to divine providence, and how human freedom relates to God's sovereignty.
Joshua 1:8-9
[Bible Verses]After the death of Moses, God told Joshua to meditate on the book of the law day and night and to observe it, encouraging him to "be strong and of a good courage." It is among the passages most often cited at times of new beginnings and challenges.
Melchizedek
[People]Melchizedek is the king of Salem and "priest of the most high God" who appears in Genesis 14. He blessed Abraham and received a tithe from him, and the New Testament book of Hebrews presents him as a figure who illuminates the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 59:20–21
[Bible Verses]These verses conclude Isaiah 59, a chapter that indicts Israel for its sins. They promise that a Redeemer will come to those who turn from transgression, and they announce a covenant in which God's Spirit and words will not depart from them through the generations. The passage is frequently discussed because Paul quotes it in Romans 11 when he speaks of the salvation of "all Israel."
Ephesians 2:20
[Bible Verses]A verse in which Paul tells Gentile believers that they are the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone. It is frequently cited in discussions of the foundation of the church and in debates over whether the offices of apostle and prophet continue today.
Titus 3:5
[Bible Verses]A verse stating that salvation comes not from human works of righteousness but from God's mercy, and that it was accomplished "by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." It is frequently cited in discussions of salvation by grace and of the relationship between baptism and regeneration.
1 Peter 5:7
[Bible Verses]1 Peter 5:7 urges suffering believers to cast all their cares on God because God cares for them. It is widely quoted as a word of comfort and an encouragement to prayer, and commentators note that it should be read together with the call to humility in the preceding verse.
Romans 9:18–23
[Bible Verses]In this passage Paul uses the analogy of the potter and the vessels to explain God's sovereignty in both showing mercy and hardening. It is one of the texts most frequently cited in the debate over predestination and free will.