NORMAL CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE EXPLAINED (Part 8)

Maybe you are a Christian, maybe not. There is so much information at the press of a button these days that it is important to know what is truth and what is not truth. In these series of blogs, we will present super basic beliefs that Chrisitans hold.

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The language in Church can be hard to figure out if you don’t go a lot or are new… or even if you skip around churches. Here are some common terms and what they mean. What don’t you understand? How is the term difficult?

Salvation: State of being saved, eternal promise of Heaven forever with God. Important because the natural state of a human being is sinful, lost, and doomed to destruction away from God (Genesis 3:22, Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:10-18, 5:12, 1 John 1:8-10).  Everyone sins and is in need of salvation of their soul.  The eternal promise comes by way of Jesus Christ.

Sanctification: The life-long process of becoming less sinful and more Christ-like. Important because becoming a believer in Jesus is not a one-time decision or event.  Walking with Jesus daily and discipleship (other words for sanctification) are a constant process of becoming more righteous as patterns of Christ’s teachings are adopted.  It is not automatic.  See 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Galatians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:2)

Saved: Accepting that all sins are forgiven and paid for by Jesus’ death on the cross. Important because the natural state of a human being is sinful, lost, and doomed to destruction away from God (Genesis 3:22, Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:10-18, 5:12, 1 John 1:8-10).  Everyone sins and is in need of salvation of their soul.  The eternal promise comes by way of Jesus Christ.

Savior: Jesus Christ… is the Savior by taking all humans’ place on the cross. Important because believing that Jesus of Nazareth is Who He said He is and did what He said He would do is the basis of saving faith.  He Himself did the penalty paying for sin and offers the full payment to people who accept Him in faith.  See Titus 3:3-8.

Sin: All wrongdoing either against God or against others. Important because Adam and Eve (the first people) used free will to do what they wanted against what God had said was right. They did wrong. They erred. Sin separated human beings from God.  We ruined everything. Sinful people could no longer interact with the Holy God. Sickness happened. Thorns and storms and disasters happened.  See Genesis 1-3, Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:13-26, and James 1:4.

Soul: The eternal part of a person that will live on after death. Important because human beings are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and part of that image is the soul.  People are created, but have the opportunity to spend eternity with God or away from God. 

Testimony: The story of how a person came to believe in Jesus. Important because the real life experience of a person of how they came to know Jesus Christ is the manner in which faith is passed from one person to another.  Sharing faith is essential so that others know about Jesus.  Related to the words ‘witness,’ ‘witnessing,’ and ‘evangelism.’  Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8.

Washed in the Blood: a symbolic phrase meaning that a person has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior and His blood pays for their sins. Important because only the blood of Jesus covers over sin.  This is a metaphor for the forgiveness of sins used often in the Bible.  See Romans 3:25, Ephesians 2:13, Hebrews 9:14.

What gives you pause? What words challenge you? What have you heard differently?

TMB