Allegory – A story or image in which people, places, or events represent deeper spiritual truths.
Anthropic Principle – The observation that the universe appears finely tuned for the existence of life and human observers.
Anthropology (Doctrine of Man) – The study of what Scripture teaches about human nature, origin, purpose, and destiny.
Apocrypha – A collection of Jewish writings from the intertestamental period not accepted as canonical by most Protestant churches.
Apostles’ Creed – An early summary of essential Christian beliefs widely used in the church.
Armor of God – The spiritual resources listed in Ephesians 6 that believers are commanded to put on.
Atonement – The work of Christ by which He dealt with sin and reconciled sinners to God.
Attributes of God – The characteristics and perfections of God revealed in Scripture (holiness, love, sovereignty, etc.).
Baptism – The ordinance or sacrament signifying identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Beatitudes – The series of blessings Jesus pronounced at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.
Biblical Theology – The study of the progressive unfolding of God’s revelation across the storyline of Scripture.
Big Bang – The scientific model describing the origin and expansion of the universe from an initial singularity.
Calvinists – Believers who emphasize God’s sovereignty in salvation, usually summarized by the doctrines of grace.
Canon of Scripture – The list of books recognized as the inspired and authoritative Word of God.
Christology – The doctrine of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Church (Doctrine of) – What Scripture teaches about the nature, purpose, and life of the church.
Church Age – The present period in redemptive history between Pentecost and the return of Christ.
Covenant Theology – A framework that organizes Scripture around the major covenants of works, grace, and redemption.
Covenants – The solemn agreements God makes with His people that structure the history of redemption.
Creation – The biblical teaching that God brought the universe and all life into existence by His word.
Dispensationalism – A framework that divides biblical history into distinct periods in which God administers His purposes in particular ways.
Dispensations – Specific periods or stewardships in which God relates to humanity under different arrangements.
DNA as Information – The recognition that the genetic code functions as a highly complex information system.
Doctrine – A specific teaching or set of teachings drawn from Scripture.
Ecclesiology – The doctrinal study of the church.
Election – God’s sovereign choice of individuals or groups for a particular purpose or for salvation.
Entropy – The principle that ordered systems tend toward disorder; often discussed in relation to the Second Law of Thermodynamics and a finite universe.
Exegesis – The careful process of drawing out the intended meaning of a biblical text.
Faith – Trust in God and His promises; the means by which we receive salvation and live the Christian life.
Fall of Man – The event in Genesis 3 in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into the world.
Fine-Tuning of the Universe – The observation that many physical constants and conditions are precisely set to allow life.
Fruits of the Spirit – The nine character qualities listed in Galatians 5 that the Holy Spirit produces in believers.
Genealogies – The family lines recorded in Scripture that trace historical and theological connections.
Glory of God – The display of God’s greatness, beauty, and worth.
Gospel – The good news of what God has done through Jesus Christ to save sinners.
Grace – God’s unmerited favor and enabling power toward the undeserving.
Hall of Faith – The list of Old Testament men and women in Hebrews 11 who lived by faith.
Hermeneutics – The principles and methods used to interpret Scripture correctly.
Holiness – The moral purity and absolute otherness of God, and the calling of His people to be set apart.
Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) – The doctrine of the person and work of the third Person of the Trinity.
Hypostatic Union – The teaching that Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures, fully God and fully man.
Illumination – The work of the Holy Spirit enabling believers to understand and apply Scripture.
Imago Dei (Image of God) – The truth that human beings are created in God’s image and likeness.
Inerrancy – The belief that Scripture, in its original manuscripts, is without error in all it affirms.
Information Theory – The scientific study of information, coding, and communication, often applied to the design seen in living systems.
Inspiration – The work of the Holy Spirit by which the human authors of Scripture wrote the exact message God intended.
Justification – The act of God declaring a sinner righteous through faith in Christ.
Kingdom Age – The future period of Christ’s reign on earth, often identified with the Millennium.
Kingdom of God – The rule and reign of God, both present in the hearts of believers and future in its full manifestation.
Law & Gospel – The distinction between God’s commands (Law) and His saving promises (Gospel).
Lordship of Christ – The truth that Jesus is both Savior and rightful Master of every believer’s life.
Means of Grace – The instruments God ordinarily uses to strengthen faith (Word, prayer, ordinances, fellowship, etc.).
Miracles of Jesus – The supernatural works performed by Jesus that displayed His authority and identity.
Monotheism – The belief that there is only one true God.
Names of God – The various titles and names by which God reveals His character in Scripture.
New Covenant Theology – A framework that emphasizes the New Covenant in Christ as the fulfillment and replacement of the Old Covenant.
Original Sin – The doctrine that all humanity inherits a sinful nature and guilt from Adam’s fall.
Orthodoxy – Right belief; teaching that is faithful to the core truths of the Christian faith.
Parables of Jesus – The short stories Jesus used to illustrate spiritual truths about the kingdom of God.
Patriarchal Age – The period of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph) before the giving of the Law.
Pneumatology – The doctrinal study of the Holy Spirit.
Progressive Dispensationalism – A modified form of dispensationalism that sees greater continuity between the dispensations.
Progressive Revelation – The gradual unfolding of God’s truth across the pages of Scripture.
Prophets & Prophecy – The study of the prophetic office and the messages God gave through His prophets.
Providence – God’s continuous involvement in upholding, directing, and governing all things.
Quantum Mechanics – The branch of physics dealing with the behavior of matter and energy at the smallest scales; sometimes discussed in relation to the nature of reality and observation.
Redemption – The act of God purchasing sinners out of bondage through the payment of a price (the blood of Christ).
Regeneration – The work of the Holy Spirit giving new spiritual life to a spiritually dead person.
Relativity / Time – The scientific understanding of time and space as interrelated; sometimes used to illustrate God’s relationship to time.
Repentance – A Spirit-enabled turning from sin to God that involves a change of mind, heart, and direction.
Resurrection Appearances – The recorded instances in which the risen Jesus appeared to His followers.
Revelation (Doctrine of) – The study of how God has made Himself known (general and special revelation).
Soteriology – The doctrine of salvation.
Sovereignty of God – The truth that God rules over all things with absolute authority and power.
Systematic Theology – The organized study of Christian doctrine arranged by topic.
Theophany – A visible or audible manifestation of God in the Old Testament.
Theology Proper – The doctrine of God Himself — His existence, nature, and attributes.
Total Depravity – The teaching that sin has affected every part of human nature, leaving us unable to save ourselves.
Trinity – The doctrine that the one true God exists eternally as three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Types & Shadows – People, events, or institutions in the Old Testament that prefigure and point forward to Christ.
Union with Christ – The spiritual reality that believers are joined to Jesus in His death, resurrection, and life.
Word of God – The living and authoritative self-revelation of God, both in the incarnate Christ and in the written Scriptures.