Search the encyclopedia
1000 articles found for “the Holy Spirit”
1 Corinthians 12:31
[Bible Verses]1 Corinthians 12:31 is the verse in which Paul urges the church at Corinth to "covet earnestly the best gifts" and promises to show them "a more excellent way." Because it bridges chapter 12, which treats spiritual gifts, and chapter 13, which treats love, it is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between gifts and love.
Romans 8:19–23
[Bible Verses]A passage in Romans 8 in which the apostle Paul says that the whole created order groans and waits together for the revealing of the children of God and the redemption of the body. It is frequently cited in discussions of the restoration of creation, eschatology, and ecological theology.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
[Bible Verses]A passage in which Paul compares tongues with prophecy and urges believers to desire prophecy all the more, since it edifies the church. It is frequently cited in discussions about the meaning of praying in tongues and about whether the spiritual gifts continue today.
Asia Minor
[Bible]Asia Minor is the geographical name for the Anatolian peninsula, bounded by the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, which corresponds to the Asian portion of modern Türkiye. It was the setting of Paul's missionary journeys and of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation.
Nicolas
[People]Nicolas was one of the seven men chosen by the church in Jerusalem in Acts 6 to oversee the distribution of relief. He was a native of Antioch who had been a proselyte to Judaism.
Papal Infallibility
[Doctrine & Theology]Papal infallibility is the Roman Catholic doctrine that the pope is free from error when, under certain conditions, he formally defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals; Protestants do not accept it.
Ephesians 1:4–5
[Bible Verses]A passage stating that God "hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" and in love predestinated us "unto the adoption of children." It is a key text on predestination and election, which Calvinism, Arminianism, and Karl Barth's doctrine of election each read differently.
Acts 2:23
[Bible Verses]A verse from Peter's Pentecost sermon stating that the death of Jesus took place according to the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, while those who put him to death remained responsible. It is frequently cited in discussions of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
Macedonia
[Bible]Macedonia was a region in the northern part of the Greek peninsula and, in New Testament times, a Roman province. Paul crossed over to it after being called in a vision and founded churches there in cities such as Philippi and Thessalonica.
Alcohol and Tobacco
[Controversies]The question of whether Christians may drink alcohol or smoke tobacco. Views differ on whether the Bible actually forbids them. In Korean Protestantism, abstinence from alcohol and tobacco has been treated as a mark of the Christian life since the early days of missionary work.
Azusa Street Revival
[History]The Azusa Street Revival was a series of revival meetings led by the Black preacher William J. Seymour at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California, beginning in 1906. It is widely regarded as the landmark event marking the beginning of the modern Pentecostal movement.
Libya
[Bible]Libya is the name of the region of North Africa west of Egypt. In the Bible, it appears in Acts 2:10 as one of the places from which people had come to Jerusalem at Pentecost.
Toronto Blessing
[History]The Toronto Blessing was a charismatic revival phenomenon that began in January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church in Toronto, Canada. Physical manifestations at its meetings, such as laughter, trembling, and falling down, drew both worldwide attention and controversy.
Crete
[Bible]Crete is a large island in the eastern Mediterranean, south of the Aegean Sea, and is the island of Crete in modern Greece. In the New Testament it appears as a place Paul sailed past while being taken to Rome and as the place where Titus ministered by appointing elders.
Cappadocia
[Bible]Cappadocia was a region in the east-central interior of Asia Minor, in what is now central Türkiye. In the New Testament it appears in the account of Pentecost and as one of the regions addressed in 1 Peter.
Luke 1:37
[Bible Verses]Spoken by the angel Gabriel to Mary in the Annunciation scene, this verse declares that nothing is impossible with God. It is often cited as a key verse on God's omnipotence and the fulfillment of His word. Its wording differs slightly among manuscripts.
Biblical Inerrancy
[Doctrine & Theology]Biblical inerrancy is the doctrine that, because the Bible was written under the inspiration of God, its teaching is without error. It is often discussed together with verbal inspiration, the view that inspiration extends to every individual word.
Online Communion
[Controversies]Online Communion is the question of whether church members taking part in an online worship service may prepare the bread and cup in their own homes and partake of the Lord's Supper. The question came to be widely debated in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions limited in-person worship.
Rome
[Bible]Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire in the New Testament era and appears in Acts, Romans, and other books. Paul wrote a letter to the believers there and later went to the city as a prisoner, where he preached the gospel.
Hellenistic Jews
[Bible]The Hellenistic Jews were a group mentioned in the book of Acts: Jews whose primary language was Greek, generally those who had lived outside Palestine before coming to Jerusalem. They were found both within and outside the early church.