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Laity
The members of the church who are not in the clergy.
Law
The Law is God's instructions concerning the moral, social, and
spiritual behavior of His people found in the first five books of the
Bible. The Law is the very reflection of the nature of God because God
speaks out of the abundance of what is in Him. Therefore, since God is
pure, the Law is pure. Since God is holy, the Law is holy. The Law
consists of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20),
rules for social life (Exodus 21 -
23), and
rules for the worship of God (Exodus 25 -
31). It was
a covenant of works between God and man and was (and is) unable to
deliver us into eternal fellowship with the Lord because of Man's
inability to keep it. The Law is a difficult taskmaster because it
requires that we maintain a perfect standard of moral behavior. And
then when we fail, the Law condemns us to death. We deserve death even
if we fail to keep just one point of the law: "For whoever keeps
the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of
all" (James
2:10).
The law made nothing perfect (Heb. 7:19).
That is why the Law has shown us our need for Jesus and the free gift
we receive through Him (Gal. 3:24).
Law of non-contradiction
The Law of non-contradiction is the law that something cannot be
both true and not true at the same time when dealing with the same
context. For example, the chair in my living room, right now, cannot
be made of wood and not made of wood at the same time. In the law of
non-contradiction, where we have a set of statements about a subject,
we cannot have any of the statements in that set negate the truth of
any other statement in that same set. For example, we have a set of
two statements about Judas. 1) Judas hung himself. 2) Judas fell down
and his bowels spilled out. Neither statement about Judas contradicts
the other. That is, neither statement makes the other impossible
because neither excludes the possibility of the other. The statements
can be harmonized by stating: Judas hung himself and then his body
fell down and his bowels spilled out.
In order to make the set of statements contradictory, we would
have something like: 1) Judas hung himself. 2) Judas did not hang
himself. Since either statement excludes the possibility of the other,
we would then have a contradiction.
Laying on of hands
Physical contact by touching of the hands. In the OT and NT it
was sometimes used in reference to doing physical harm (Gen. 22:12;
Luke 20:19).
In the NT it is also used to signify an attempt at healing (Acts 9:12)
and commissioning of Holy Work (1 Tim. 4:14).
Usually, during the ordination of an elder, hands are layed on him as
symbolic of a transfer of authority and power.
Liberalism
In Christianity, the movement away
from traditional orthodoxy often in an attempt to harmonize biblical
teachings with science, humanism, or other secular fields. The result
is often a denial of essential biblical doctrines such as the Trinity,
the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His resurrection, and salvation
by grace.
Limited atonement
The teaching held in Reformed
(Calvinist) circles of Christianity that Jesus bore only the sins of
the elect, and not that of the entire world. It maintains that the
sacrifice was sufficient for all, but intended for the elect.
Logic
From the Greek “logos” meaning “word.” Logic is study of the
principles of reasoning. A set of premises that are examined and
arranged so as to bring a conclusion. If A = B and B = C, then A = C.
Deductive logic is the method of validating a claim by means of
supportive information where both the claim and the information are
necessarily true. For example, People exist. All people breath.
Therefore, all people breath.
Inductive logic is the method of drawing a conclusion from a set
of supportive information, yet the conclusion has not yet been
verified. For example, each night I get tired at 10 PM. Therefore, I
conclude that tonight, I will be tired at 10 PM.
Logos
The Greek word for "word." Mentioned only
in the writings of John.
John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word [logos] and the Word
[logos] was with God and the Word [logos] was God." The Logos is
sometimes used to refer to the second person of the Trinity as the Son
in preincarnate form. Jesus is the word [logos] made flesh (John 1:1,14).
Lord's
Supper
See
Communion
Man -
Man is the creation of God. It is man alone who reflects God. The
first man, Adam, was made in God's image (Gen. 1:2627), and
placed in the Garden of Eden for the purpose of enjoying the
fellowship of the Lord and fulfilling the purpose of God's creation.
He was told to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and
subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). When
Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity fell with them (Rom. 5:12-21).
Adam represented all humanity: "In Adam all die..." (1 Cor. 15:22).
As a result of Adam's disobedience, condemnation resulted to all men (Rom. 5:18).
Therefore we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). We do
not seek God (Rom. 3:11)
nor can we understand the spiritual things of God (1 Cor. 2:14).
Since this is the condition of man in his natural state, salvation is
then impossible for us to achieve (Matt. 19:26).
That is why we need the free gift of salvation (Rom. 6:23)
given by God to Christians through faith in Jesus' sacrifice on the
cross.
Manuscript
A document or a copy of an original writing. There are thousands
of existing manuscripts of the biblical documents ranging from vellum
(animal skins) to papyri (plant material) upon which the original and
copies of the original writings were made.
Martyr
Someone who dies for a belief or cause. A Christian martyr would
be a person who dies because of his or her faith in Christian
principles.
Mass
In Catholicism, a reenactment of the sacrifice of Christ cross in
a ceremony performed by a priest. This ceremony is symbolically
carried out by the priest and involves Consecration where the bread
and wine are changed into the body and blood of Jesus.
Materialism
The position that only material things exist and that all other
things can be explained in terms of matter and the physical properties
of matter.
Means of Grace
This is associated with sacramental theology. A means of
grace is a manner in which the Lord imparts grace to a believer as he
partakes in the sacrament. A sacrament is a visible manifestation of
the word. The bread and wine in the Lord's Supper are considered
sacraments in that they are visible manifestations of the covenant
promise of our Lord: "In the same way, after the supper he took
the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is
poured out for you.'" (Luke 22:20).
Generally, the means of grace are considered to be the Gospel,
baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. The Catholic church has seven total:
baptism, confirmation, communion, penance, extreme unction, holy
orders, and matrimony.
Mediation,
Mediator
A mediator is someone who intervenes, someone who conveys and
conciliates. The word "mediator" is not found in the O.T., but its
principle is. God gave the Law to the people through a mediator, Moses
(Gal. 3:19), who
was a type of the true mediator, Jesus. The word occurs only a few
times in the N.T.: 1 Tim. 2:5;
Heb. 8:6;
9:15;
12:24.
It is in the N.T. that the true nature of mediation is understood in
the person of Jesus Christ. He is the mediator of a better covenant (Heb. 8:6). He
was able to become our mediator by becoming man (John 1:1,14)
and dying as our substitute (1 Pet. 1:18,19;
2:24). He
reconciled us to God (Eph. 2:16).
Mercy
Mercy is the act of not administering justice when that justice
is punitive. Because of our sinfulness we deserve death and eternal
separation from God (Rom. 6:23;
Isaiah
59:2), but God provided an atonement for sin and through it shows
us mercy. That is, He does not deliver to the Christian the natural
consequence of his sin which is damnation. That is why Jesus became
sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21)
and bore the punishment due to us (Isaiah
5345). It was to deliver us from damnation. (Compare with justice
and grace.)
God saved us according to His mercy (Titus 3:5) and
we can practice mercy as a gift (Rom. 12:8). "Let us therefore draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and may find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Messiah
Messiah is a Hebrew word. It means "anointed one." It is the
equivalent of the N.T. word "Christ" which also means "anointed."
Jesus, as the messiah, was anointed by God (Matt. 3:16) to
carry out His three-fold ministry of Prophet, Priest, and King. As the
messiah He has delivered the Christian from the bonds of sin and given
to him eternal life. In that sense, messiah means deliverer, for He
has delivered us. The Messiah was promised in the O.T. in the seed of
the woman (Gen.
3:15).
Metaphysics
the branch of philosophy involved with examining and discussing
the ultimate nature of reality. The term comes from "meta" which means
"after" and "phusika" which means "physics." Around A.D. 70
Andronicus applied to the section of Aristotelian writings that came
after the physics section; hence, metaphysics.
Middle Knowledge
That knowledge of God dealing with what individuals will do in a
given set of circumstances. God has an infinite set of potential
circumstances that could exist and knows all actual choices that would
be made by individuals in each set. (See also
Free Knowledge and
Natural knowledge.)
Millennium
Literally, this word means 1000 years. In the study of end times
doctrines (eschatology) the millennium is the duration of Christ's
rule over the earth. The debate has been over when the millennium will
take place and what it actually is. The terms that have arisen out of
this debate are premillennialism, amillennialism, and
postmillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that the millennium is yet
future and that upon Christ's return He will set up His earthly
kingdom. Amillennialism teaches that the millennium is a figurative
period and that Christ's rule began when He first became man.
Postmillennialism teaches that through the preaching of the Word of
God, the world will be converted and will then usher in Christ and the
kingdom of God. There are good arguments for each position.
Minuscule
The Greek characters of lower case: abgde, etc. Different copies
of Greek manuscripts appear in minuscule form. By contrast, uncials
are the Greek characters in upper case.
Miracle
A miracle is an out-of-the-ordinary direct and divine
intervention in the world. Examples would be the parting of the Red
Sea, Jesus walking on water, the resurrection of Lazarus, etc. Some
hold that it is a violation of the natural order of physical laws.
Others maintain that there is no such violation upon God's part but
only a natural manifestation of His work.
They are also known as powers and signs (Mark 9:39;
Acts 2:22,
19:11) and
mighty works (John 10:25-28).
They are a manifestation of the power of God over nature (Joshua
10:121-14), animals (Num. 22:28),
people (Gen. 19:26),
and illness (2 Kings
5:1014). They are produced by God's power (Acts 15:12),
Christ's power (Matt. 10:1),
and the Holy Spirit's power (Matt. 12:28).
Modalism
The error that there is only one person in the Godhead who
manifests himself in three forms or manners: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
Monarchianism
Monarchianism (mono - "one"; arche - "rule") was an error
concerning the nature of God that developed in the second century A.D.
It arose as an attempt to maintain Monotheism and refute
tritheism.
Unfortunately, it also contradicts the orthodox doctrine of the
Trinity. Monarchianism teaches that there is one God as one person:
the Father. Please see
Heresies for more information.
Monergism
The teaching that God alone is the one who saves. It is opposed
to synergism which teaches that God and man work together in
salvation. Cults are synergistic. Christianity is monergistic.
Monism
The view that there is only one basic and fundamental reality,
that all existence is this one reality even though we perceive
different aspects of this reality.
Monophycitism
This is an error regarding the two natures of Jesus (See
Hypostatic
Union). It states that Jesus' two natures are combined into one
new one; the problem here is that neither God nor man was represented
in Christ but a new third thing. (Other errors regarding the two
natures of Christ are
Nestorianism and
Eutychianism.)
Monolatry
The belief that there is more than one God, but only one is
served and worshiped. Mormonism is an excellent example of monolatry.
Mormonism teaches the existence of many Gods of many worlds, yet
worships only the one of this planet. Therefore, monolatry is a
division of polytheism, the belief in many gods. It is a false
teaching contrary to Scripture. See Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8; 45:5-6.
Monotheism
The belief that there is only one God in all places at all times.
There were none before God and there will be none after Him.
Monotheism is the teaching of the Bible (Isaiah
43:10;
44:6,8;
45:5,14,18,21,22;
46:9;
47:8;
John 17:3;
1 Cor. 8:5-6;
Gal. 4:89).
Moral government theology
A theological error that maintains that God is not immutable but
changes His mind, that He does not exercise sovereign control over
earthly matters, that He does not know all future events -
particularly the free-will choices of individuals, etc.. It denies
that the atonement pays for our sins, denies Jesus’ substitutionary
death, and denies the imputed righteousness of Christ to the
believer. It asserts that people are capable of keeping the whole Law
of God, that there is no depravity of human nature, and that salvation
is up to a person’s free will choice.
Mortal Sin
In Catholicism, a serious and willful transgression of
God's Law. It involves full knowledge and intent of the will to commit
the sin. If left unrepentant, according to Catholicism, can damn
someone to eternal hell. Mortal sin is not as serious as
venial
Sin.
Natural knowledge
A term used in describing a type of knowledge possessed by God.
Often it is raised in discussions dealing with individuals’ free will
and God’s infinite knowledge. God’s natural knowledge would be His
knowledge of all things of potential existence influenced by
individuals though not necessarily in actual existence. God knows this
set of knowledge from all eternity, before the creation of the
universe. It is called natural because it is a natural attribute of
God’s existence. See also
See also (See
Hypostatic
Union Nestorianism and
Eutychianism.)
Naturalism
The belief that all of human experience can be described through
natural law. It asserts that biological evolution is true and that
there are no supernatural realities.
Neo-orthodoxy
A focus on existential and psychological aspects of religious
experience and denounces the literalism of the Bible. Experience with
the divine is what makes scripture real, not biblical revelation, not
reason. Neo orthodoxy is subjective and selective in its "orthodox"
positions.
Nestorianism
States that the two natures of Christ were so separated from each
other that they were "not in contact"; the problem here is that
worship of the human Jesus would then not be allowed.
(See Hypostatic
Union Nestorianism and
Eutychianism.)
Nun
Especially in the Roman Catholic Church,
those women who consecrate their lives to spiritual service and
various religious orders. They do not marry and are normally virgins.
Objectivism
A branch of philosophy that
asserts that reality exists apart from the human mind and that the
knowability of this reality based upon observation.
Occam's Razor
The philosophical rule that the simplest explanation is preferred
over the more complicated one and that explanations should be first
proposed in relation to concepts that are already known. Another way
of seeing it is to say that the fewer assumptions that need to be made
to support an explanation of something, the better. The principle is
attributed to William Occam of the fourteenth century.
Occult
Occult means "hidden". It covers practices that are not approved
of by God e.g., astrology (Isaiah
47:13), casting spells (Deut. 18:11),
consulting with spirits (Deut. 18:11),
magic (Gen.
41:8), sorcery (Exodus. 22:8),
witchcraft (Deut. 18:10),
and spiritism (Deut. 18:11).
Occult practices such as Ouija boards, tarot cards, astrology
charts, contacting the dead, séances, etc. are to be avoided by the
Christian and Jews alike.
Omnipotence
An attribute of God alone. It is the quality of having all power
(Psalm
115:3). He can do all things that do not conflict with His holy
nature. God has the power to do anything He wants to.
Omnipresence
An attribute of God alone. It is the quality of being present in
all places at all times (Jer. 23:23.4).
He is not bound by time and space. This does not mean that nature is a
part of God and is, therefore, to be worshiped. Creation is separate
from God, but not independent of Him.
Omniscience
An attribute of God alone. It is the quality of having all
knowledge (Isaiah
40:14). Omnipotence, Omnipresence, and Omniscience represent the
nature of God concerning His relation to the creation.
Ontological Argument
An attempt to prove God’s
existence first postulated by Anselm. In brief, it states that God is
a being of which no greater thing exists or can be thought of.
Therefore, since we can conceive of God as the greatest of all things
that exist, then God must exist.
Ontology
The study of the nature of being, reality, and substance.
Oracles
Oracles are the divine revelations given to God's people. God's
method of communicating these oracles varied from dreams and visions (Num. 12:6-8), to
wisdom (Prov.
30:1), and even the Urim and Thummim (Num. 27:21;
1 Sam.
14:337).
Ordination
In Christianity it is the ceremony of consecration to ministry.
It is usually administered by a commissioning and a laying on of
hands.
Ordo salutis
Latin for “order of salvation.” Theologically it is the order of
decrees by God in bringing about the salvation of individuals. In the
Reformed camp, the ordo solutis is 1)
election,
2) predestination, 3) calling, 4)
regeneration,
5) faith,
6) repentance, 7)
justification, 8)
sanctification, and 9) glorification. In the Arminian camp, the
ordo soluits is 1) calling, 2) faith, 3) repentance, 4) regeneration,
5) justification, 6) perseverance, 7) glorification.
Original Sin
This is a term used to describe the effect of Adam's sin on his
descendants (Rom. 5:12-23).
Specifically, it is our inheritance of a sinful nature from Adam. The
sinful nature originated with Adam and is passed down from parent to
child. We are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).
Orthodoxy
Belief in the standards of accepted and true doctrines taught in
the Bible. (see
Heterodoxy.)
______________
1.
The Urim and Thummim were placed in the
breastplate of the high priest (Exodus
28:30) and were used as a means of communication with God. They
mean "light" and "perfection". Unfortunately, they are not described
anywhere in the Bible. Some theories maintain that they were twelve
stones that made up part of the High Priest's garments. The process of
the communication with God is not given either.
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