Year: 2014

Bible Term: Universal Church

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

The phrase universal church is not found in the Bible, although the concept is. The universal church (or simply Church, as a proper noun) refers to all who follow Jesus (Matthew 16:18). As such, there is only one Church.

In some circles, the universal church is also called the catholic church, which is not to imply the Roman Catholic Church. However, it should be noted that the Roman Catholic Church is, by definition, part of the universal church.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Tags church

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Unfaithful

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

To be unfaithful is to lack dedication or devotion to a cause, ideal, or person.

The Bible warns us against being unfaithful to God.

See faithful.

Key verse about unfaithful: “When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. (Leviticus 5:15, NIV).

Tags faithful

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Truth

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

The word truth takes on various meanings in the Bible:

Truth is the opposite of lies or what is false (Ephesians 4:14).
Truth is fidelity to God‘s standard (Jeremiah 7:28).
The teaching of Jesus is called the truth (Galatians 2:5).
Jesus called himself the truth (John 14:6).

Key verse about truth: They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ( Matthew 22:16, NIV)

Tags truth

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Trust

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

Trust, as it is used in the Bible, means to have confidence in, place reliance upon, reasonably expect, believe, and entrust.

We are to trust in God and his love to provide what we need—both in this reality and the next. The Bible warns us not to place trust in our money, job, possessions, ourselves, or others.

Key verse about Trust: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.(Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV)

Tags trust

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Trinity

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

Trinity can be thought of as “three in one.” It is used to reflect the nature of God. There is one God, with three distinct parts: the Father (creator), the Son, Jesus (savior), and the Holy Spirit (counselor and guide).

The word trinity is not found in the Bible but is a readily accepted concept among most Christians.

This three-fold nature of God can be better understood by comparing it to water, which also exists in three forms or states: solid (ice), liquid (also called water), and gas (steam or vapor). Each is still water, but each is manifested in a different form. The same holds true for God.

An alternate analogy is to consider an egg: there is the shell, the white, and the yolk. Each part is different, yet each is still an aspect of an egg. So it is with the three parts of God.

Key verse about Trinity: “In a loud voice they cried out, saying, “Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance]” (Revelation 7:10, AMP).

Tags Trinity

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Tribe

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

The descendants of Jacob, which later became the nation of Israel, were divided into tribes.

Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (later called Israel) had twelve sons. As the result of deception and competition, they were born to four different women (Jacob’s two wives and their respective maidservants).

The descendants of these twelve men would later become known as the twelve tribes of Israel or the nation of Israel.

The sons of Jacob’s first wife, Leah, were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Jacob’s second wife, Rachel, were Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Rachel’s maidservant, Bilhah, were Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Leah’s maidservant, Zilpah, were Gad and Asher.

Later, when the nation of Israel was divided, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin split off, perpetuating the royal line of King David; they were known as the nation of Judah.

This is covered in Second Chronicles as well as First and Second Kings.

Key verse about Tribe: His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them. (Genesis 25:17-19, NIV).

Tags tribe

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Transgression

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

Transgress is a verb that means to violate a law, to exceed a limit, to commit a crime, or to sin. Typical uses of transgressing in the Bible are to sin against God or to break his laws and commandments.

Transgression is the noun form of transgressing, which means a crime, a sin, or a breach or violation of the Law. In the Bible, the Israelites were often chastised by the prophets for their transgressions, that is for breaking the Law of God.

Key verse about Transgression: Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:3-5, NIV).

Tags transgression

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Tithe

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

A tithe is an Old Testament command where one-tenth or ten percent is given to God; this was a matter of law and therefore a requirement.

God, however, doesn’t appreciate tithes given out of obligation. He desires tithes and offerings to be given freely, as a result of love and gratitude towards him.

Today, some people maintain the rule of a tithe as presented in the Old Testament, whereas others feel this changed with Jesus, viewing a tithe more as a concept, than a command.

It’s often said a tithe should go to the local church, but a more correct understanding is that a tithe goes to God, be it through a local church or some other means.

Key verse about Tithe: Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’ (Numbers 18:27-29,NIV)

Tags tithe

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Theology

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

At its simplest, theology is the study of God.

Specifically, Christian theology is a look at the elements of the Christian faith as revealed by Jesus and portrayed in the Bible.

Key verse about theology: “Then the Jews were perplexed. They said, ‘How did this man become learned [so versed in the Scriptures and theology] without formal training?'” (John 7:15, AMP).

Tags theology

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Testament

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 4, 2014

The word testament has three usages or applications in the Bible:

Testament is another name for a covenant, specifically an agreement between God and mankind.
Testament can refer to someone’s will, as in their last will and testament.
Lastly, the Bible is divided into two sections or testaments, so named because each encompasses a major covenant from God.

The first is the Old Testament, which refers to being made right with God by following a strict code of conduct and rules.

The second is the New Testament, which refers to being made right with God by following Jesus.

Although virtually all Bibles include the sections of Old Testament and New Testament, this usage is not actually found in the Bible’s text.

Key verse about testament (second definition): “For where there is a will and testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established,for a will and testament takes effect [only] at death, since it is never in force as long as the one who made it is alive (Hebrews 9:16-17, AMP).

Tags New Testament, Old Testament