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Preexistence of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The preexistence of Christ is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ existed with the Father before his human birth and before creation.
Mediation of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The mediation of Christ is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ stands between God and humanity, reconciles the two, and continues to intercede for believers. Protestants confess Christ as the sole mediator.
Kingship of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The kingship of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ, as King, rules over the church and the whole world. Protestant theology describes it as one of the three offices of Christ, alongside the prophetic and priestly offices.
Psalm 42
[Bible]Psalm 42, a psalm of the sons of Korah that opens Book II of the Psalter, is a lament in which the psalmist, separated from temple worship, longs for God as a deer pants for streams of water and urges his own downcast soul to hope in God.
New Homiletic
[Doctrine & Theology]The New Homiletic is a movement in preaching theory that arose in North America in the late 1960s. Rather than following traditional preaching that logically unfolds propositions, it emphasizes inductive development and narrative structure so that listeners may experience the Word.
Great Sea
[Bible]The Great Sea is a biblical place name for the present-day Mediterranean Sea, which lies west of the land of Canaan. The name appears mainly in passages that describe the western boundary of the Promised Land.
Plain of Shinar
[Bible]The plain of Shinar is the land in the Old Testament where Babel and the Tower of Babel were built. It is generally identified with southern Mesopotamia, the region later known as Babylonia.
Beast (Book of Revelation)
[Bible]In the Book of Revelation, the beast is a figure that receives authority from the dragon (Satan) and symbolizes the powers that oppose God and His saints. The best-known forms are the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth, and interpreters remain divided over their identity.
Word of Wisdom
[Bible]The word of wisdom is the first of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12:8. It refers to the gift of communicating in speech the wisdom the Holy Spirit gives. Its precise content is understood differently across traditions and denominations.
Seven Seals
[Bible]The seven seals are the seals that close the scroll held in the hand of God in Revelation 5–8. As the slain Lamb opens them one by one, war, famine, death, martyrdom, and cosmic upheaval follow in succession.
Fool
[Bible]The fool is a biblical figure who does not fear God and refuses to heed teaching and instruction. The term appears frequently in the wisdom literature, especially Proverbs, and carries over into the New Testament.
Four Horsemen
[Bible]The Four Horsemen are four figures riding horses of different colors who appear in turn in Revelation 6 as the Lamb opens the first four of the seven seals. They are commonly called the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
Seven Trumpets
[Bible]The seven trumpets are the trumpets blown in succession by seven angels in Revelation 8–11, together with the plagues and events that follow each one. They form the second set of seven judgments, placed between the seven seals and the seven bowls.
1 Chronicles 29:11–12
[Bible Verses]The opening of the prayer of praise that David offered after gifts were presented for building the temple, in which he confesses that greatness and power, riches and honor, and the kingdom all belong to God. The passage is frequently cited in discussions of God's sovereignty and Christian stewardship, and during the offering in worship.
Mary
[People]Mary is the woman presented in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus Christ. Protestants and Catholics both confess the virgin birth, but they differ in their understanding of Mary's status and of the veneration due to her.
Romans 13:1
[Bible Verses]Romans 13:1 exhorts every person to "be subject unto the higher powers" and declares that all authority comes from God. It is a key text on the relationship between church and state, and how it should be applied under unjust regimes has long been debated.
1 Corinthians 1:18
[Bible Verses]"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." This verse declares that the cross stands at the center of the gospel and is frequently cited as a text that sets the direction for preaching and theology.
1 Corinthians 11:27–29
[Bible Verses]This passage teaches that whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord "unworthily" is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and it calls believers to examine themselves and to discern "the Lord's body." It is the scriptural basis for self-examination before Communion, and eucharistic theologies diverge over what "the body" refers to.
Philippians 4:6–7
[Bible Verses]An exhortation not to be anxious about anything but to pray with thanksgiving, with the promise that the peace of God will guard the heart and mind. The passage is widely cherished as a source of comfort and is frequently cited in discussions of how faith relates to anxiety and mental health.
James 5:14–15
[Bible Verses]This passage instructs the sick to call for the elders of the church, who are to pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The Catholic sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, the divine healing ministry of Pentecostal churches, and Protestant pastoral visitation of the sick all appeal to this passage, though each understands its meaning differently.