Year: 2014

Bible Term: Repent

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

The Bible uses the word repent to refer to an attitude of sorrow or remorse that causes a person to turn away from a life that displeases God towards a new, God-honoring life.

The Amplified Bible explains the word repent to mean when people “change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins” or “feel sorry for having sinned.”

Repentance is the act of repenting.

Key verse about Repent: “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 NIV).

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 repent

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Rejoice

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

To rejoice is to be joyful or to be delighted.

The term is often used in the Bible. It generally focuses on God and his character or goodness towards us.

Key verse about Rejoice: All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace (2 Kings 11:20, NIV)

Tags rejoice

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Redeem

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

To redeem is simply to buy back or recover ownership. To better understand this, if your car is impounded for unpaid tickets, you can get it back, or redeem it, by paying the fine. In this sense, Jesus redeems us from our imperfect state for God.

As such, Jesus acts as our redeemer, that is, one who redeems.

Redemption is the act of redeeming someone (see reconciliation).

Key verse about Redeem: “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment (Exodus 6:6, NIV).

Tags redeem

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Reconciliation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

Reconciliation is simply the act of restoring a strained relationship, such as being reconciled to God the Father through Jesus.

If you and a friend aren’t talking to each other, your relationship is strained. To repair your friendship, a reconciliation is needed. This may occur through a third-party or at the initiation of you or your friend.

In the spiritual realm, we have a strained relationship with God; we have been separated from him as a result of our bad behavior. He desires to have our relationship repaired. This has been done by Jesus and if we accept his efforts, we are reconciled to God, the Father.

This is what the Bible means when it talks about reconciliation.

Key verse about Reconciliation: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18, NIV).

Tags reconcile

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Recompense

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

As a verb, recompense means to award compensation, make a return, or to reimburse.

As a noun, recompense is a payment or reward for a service or behavior.

Key verse about Recompense: See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him (Isaiah 40:10, NIV)

Tags recompense

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Ransom

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

The price paid to free someone from slavery, bondage, or kidnappers. Jesus ransomed us from a life of slavery to selfishness and godlessness.

Ransom can also be used as a verb, which means the act of obtaining someone’s release.

See redeem.

Key verse about Ransom: “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them (Exodus 30:12, NIV).

Tags ransom

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Rabbi

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

In the Bible, a Rabbi is a teacher or leader of Jewish law, customs, and practices.

The word only appears in the New Testament and then only in three of the biographies about Jesus: Matthew, Mark, and John. In all cases Rabbi is used as a title of respect for Jesus.

Key verse about Rabbi: “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers (Matthew 23:8, NIV).

Tags Rabbi

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Propitiation

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

In the general sense, propitiation is the act of appeasing an offended power; to reconcile, to attain friendship or goodwill, attempt to make compatible.

In a spiritual sense, God is the power whom we have offended by our wrong actions and behaviors. In and of ourselves, we cannot appease him or gain good standing with him, but Jesus has acted on our behalf to accomplish that as our propitiation.

A related word, that is more commonly used in the Bible, is atonement.

Key verse about propitiation: “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world (Romans 3:25, NTL).

Tags propitiation

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Prophet

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

A prophet can mean the same thing as a preacher. It can also refer to someone who has insight into the future or predicts future events, which are called prophecies.

Many books in the Old Testament were written by or about prophets and contain their messages for repentance or of predictions for future events. Many of these prophetic predictions anticipated Jesus, though some had a more current focus, while a few looked at the end times.

See the list of prophetic books in the Bible.

Key verse about Prophet: If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed (Deuteronomy 18:22, NIV)

Tags major prophet, minor prophet, prophecy

Bible Terms

Bible Term: Prophecy

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date February 3, 2014

A prophecy is a God-inspired prediction about a future event.

In Old Testament times, prophecies were often warnings about what could happen (God’s wrath) if certain conditions were not met. Sometimes prophecies included promises or blessings that would be given for obedience or repentance.

One who gives a prophecy is a prophet.

Key verse about Prophecy: the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened (Numbers 24:4, NIV)

Tags prophecy