Glossary of Christian Lingo

Over the years, Christians have developed a knack for using catchphrases in church and when talking about their faith. Most of this lingo originates from a term or phrase in the Bible that people have picked up on and now use in conversation. The problem is that Christians can easily fall into the trap of talking about Christianity and their faith using this jargon – which can be terribly confusing if you aren’t sure what it all means. Therefore, use this glossary as your guide through the world of Christian buzzwords. You don’t find heaven or hell defined here, but finally you figure out what God bumps are!

amen: The common and traditional ending to a prayer. Literally means “so be it.” When you use amen to close a prayer, you’re affirming everything you just said with “Let it be so.”

apostle: In general, the term means “a messenger.” However, people use it most often to refer to the select group of people that Jesus entrusted to lead the early Church and spread the gospel. This group included the original disciples (except for Judas) and Paul.

atonement: Repayment for sin. The Atonement of Christ refers to the sacrificial death that he made for the sins of the world.

backsliding: When a Christian becomes absorbed with sin and neglects his or her faith.

“bear my cross”: See take up my cross.

believer: Another term for Christian.

blasphemy: Showing disrespect toward or contempt for God.

“blood bought”: Expresses the idea that Christians are bought and paid for (saved from punishment) because of the Blood of Christ. See also Blood of Christ.

Blood of Christ: When Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, his blood became, in effect, the active ingredient that cleanses sin from Christians. Paul refers to the “saving” effect of the Blood of Christ in Romans 5:9: “Since we have been justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.”

Blood of the Lamb: Another name for Blood of Christ. In the Old Testament, a lamb was sacrificed as payment for sins. Jesus Christ is considered The Lamb, making it clear that the Old Testament sacrifices were only prototypes of the real and final sacrifice that Jesus made.

Body of Christ: Another name for the Christian Church.

Book of Life: See Book of the Lamb.

Book of the Lamb: According to Revelation 13, each Christian’s name will be written in the Book of the Lamb as a guarantee of his or her fellowship in heaven. People whose names aren’t in the Book of the Lamb will go to eternal punishment (commonly referred to as hell).

born again: To be spiritually reborn by committing your life to Jesus and entering into a personal relationship with him. Jesus said in John 3:3 that unless a person is born again, he or she won’t see the Kingdom of God.

Bride of Christ: Nickname for the Christian Church, using the analogy of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and the Church as the bride.

brothers and sisters in Christ: Term that describes fellow Christians. Paul calls Christians the “children of God” and “brothers and sisters of Christ.”

Calvary: The name of the hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. The term comes from the Latin word Calvaria, which is translated from the Hebrew word Golgotha (meaning “the place of the skull”).

Catholic and catholic: Catholic with a capital C refers to the Roman Catholic Church, while lowercase catholic is a term that means “universal.”

charismatics: Refers to people who experience speaking in tongues. The term originates from charisma, the Greek word for “gift.” Charismatics believe that speaking in tongues is one gift that Christians receive from the Holy Spirit. Other gifts include the ability to prophesy (or highlight biblical truths for a specific context), see visions, and heal both physical and emotional sicknesses.

Christian walk: The practice of living out one’s faith by serving, obeying, and worshiping God and getting to know him better through Bible reading and prayer.

Christlike: Christians are called to live their lives like Christ did. Paul wrote that Christians should be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1) and have the same attitude as that of Jesus (Philippians 2:5).