Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “Jesus”
James 2:15-17
[Bible Verses]A passage in which James uses the example of a fellow believer who is poorly clothed and hungry, and who receives only kind words without having his needs met, to declare that "faith, if it hath not works, is dead." It is frequently cited to encourage almsgiving, and its relationship to Paul's teaching on justification by faith has long been debated.
Diaspora
[Bible]Diaspora is a Greek word meaning "scattering." It refers to the Jews who lived in various regions outside Palestine and to their communities. In the New Testament the term was also applied to Christians living scattered throughout the world.
Joseph Barsabbas
[People]Joseph Barsabbas was a disciple in the early church who was put forward, together with Matthias, as a candidate to fill the apostolic office left vacant by Judas Iscariot. He was surnamed Justus, and when lots were cast, Matthias was chosen.
Quadrans
[Bible]The quadrans (Greek kodrantes) was a small Roman coin of the New Testament period, its name derived from the Latin quadrans. In the Gospel of Mark it explains the value of the "two mites" that the poor widow put into the treasury.
Satisfaction Theory
[Doctrine & Theology]The satisfaction theory is a theory of the atonement that explains the death of Christ as rendering the "satisfaction" (reparation) rightly owed for the glory (honor) of God that has been injured by sin. It was systematized by Anselm of Canterbury in the late eleventh century.
Matthew 18
[Bible]Matthew 18 is the fourth of the five discourses in the Gospel of Matthew. It teaches humility within the community of disciples, care for the little ones, the procedure for admonishing a brother who sins, and limitless forgiveness. It contains the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.
Hebrews 5
[Bible]Hebrews 5 sets out the qualifications of a high priest and states that Christ, called by God, became a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. It then rebukes the readers for their spiritual immaturity.
Trinity
[Doctrine & Theology]The Trinity is the central Christian doctrine that God is one in essence and exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is confessed in common by Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches.
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.
Ecumenical Movement
[History]The ecumenical movement, also called the church unity movement, is an effort by Christian churches divided into many denominations to cooperate and seek unity while acknowledging their differences. Its leading international body is the World Council of Churches (WCC); in South Korea, its leading body is the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK).
Joint Easter Service
[Worship & Rites]A joint Easter service is a worship service held on Easter at which multiple denominations and churches gather together, often at dawn. In Korea, the first such service is reported to have been held in 1947 on Namsan in Seoul.
Council of Nicaea
[History]The First Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council, convened at Nicaea in 325 by the Roman emperor Constantine I. It adopted a creed confessing that the Son is consubstantial with the Father and condemned the teaching of Arius.
Nestorianism
[Heresies & Cults]Nestorianism is a Christology regarded as originating with Nestorius, the fifth-century Patriarch of Constantinople. It was criticized for separating the divinity and humanity of Christ too sharply and was condemned at the Council of Ephesus in 431.
1 John 1:9
[Bible Verses]"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This verse is a leading text on the repentance and forgiveness of believers. It figures in discussions of the sacrament of penance, the Protestant practice of direct confession to God, and the question of whether saved believers must repent repeatedly.
1 John 4:7–8
[Bible Verses]A passage of Scripture that begins "Beloved, let us love one another" and concludes "for God is love." Widely cherished as a rare expression that describes the nature of God in a single word, it has also prompted theological discussion about the relationship among God's love, justice, and judgment.
Matthew 6:33
[Bible Verses]Matthew 6:33 is the promise that those who do not worry about what they will eat, drink, or wear, but "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," will have "all these things" added to them. It is one of the verses most frequently cited in discussions of priorities in the life of faith.
Matthew 7:7
[Bible Verses]Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," is a promise concerning prayer. The verse is cherished as an encouragement to persistent prayer, though reading it as a promise that one will receive whatever one asks for has been debated.
Apollos
[People]Apollos was a first-century Christian teacher who appears in the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles of the New Testament. A Jew from Alexandria, he was eloquent and well versed in the Scriptures, and he ministered in Ephesus and Corinth.
Gamaliel
[People]Gamaliel was a first-century Pharisaic teacher of the law in Jerusalem. In the Book of Acts he dissuades the council from punishing the apostles, and he is named as the teacher of Paul.
James 1:2-4
[Bible Verses]James 1:2-4 is a passage that urges believers to count it all joy when they fall into various temptations, or trials. Because it traces a progression in which trials produce patience and patience leads to perfection, it is frequently cited in sermons and words of comfort concerning suffering and growth in faith.