Tag Archive: Definitions

Idolatry and the Meaning of “Sin” Outline

This is an index of posts defining, discussing or illustrating the concept of sin, its relationship to idolatry and idolizing oneself, and the distinction between sin (singular) and sins (plural).

Postscript: “Sin” Words: Lexical Definitions

The New Testament uses a number of different words to describe sin, its causes and its effects, in the context of confession, repentance and forgiveness. These words are not synonyms, and distinguishing them is important to understanding many of the contexts in which they are used.

Angels and Spirits–Basic Word Meanings

An extended glossary of terms that will be used in discussing spirit and spirits, angels and demons, in the coming series on angels and on what it means that some of them “sinned” and “abandoned their proper abode.” The conclusion of this series is briefly summarized in this way: angels are messengers, not the message, and some of them sinned when they left the status of a messenger to become the focus of their message.

The Meanings and Occurrences of the Underlying Words for “Heresy”

The words “heretic” and “heresy” in English New Testament translations are actually transliterations of Greek words that primarily denote division or divisiveness. They are used with those primary meanings in Acts. They did not come to secondarily connote teaching,teachers or doctrines disapproved by a church organization until the late second century. Tha authors of the New Testament did not know of this later technical meaning.