30 “Church Words” You Wish You Understood

Simplifying basic concepts for Christian living

As a missionary, I started learning Korean. Learning the Korean language is like studying a foreign language or something. It’s like they have a different word for everything! I wish I understood every word so I could communicate with people right away, but it’s taking a long time to absorb a few emergency phrases.

When you became a Christian, the “church words” you heard were also like learning a new language. There generally aren’t any combined language words that can help you better understand a new concept. Big church words like sanctification, justification, exegesis, hermeneutics, and so on are lost on your understanding because you need milk, not meat, yet. As a mature Christian, I can tell you that I didn’t comprehend several of these regularly used church words until later in life. I recall learning most of the words over the decades!

Here are 30 church words, in alphabetical order, explained in very simple ways to help you completely understand the pastor next Sunday morning.

Atonement

Atonement: A covering for our sins. Jesus’ blood was the atonement for our sin, so we can join him in heaven upon our death.

“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” Hebrews 2:17

Canon

Canon: The old and new testaments.

Covenant

Covenant: A binding promise from God to man.

“‘I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’” Genesis 9:11

Edification

Edification/Edify: to praise, build up, or lift up and strengthen, usually with words or song.

“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

I Thessalonians 5:11

Epistle

Epistle: Holy Spirit-inspired letters.

“For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while.”

2 Corinthians 7:8

Eucharist

Eucharist: Another name for the Lord’s Supper and Communion. Communion is the blood and body of Christ, which you partake as a remembrance of what Christ did for you on the cross.

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”

Luke 22:19-20

Fornication

Fornication: Engaging in sex when you’re not married.

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,

uncleanness, lewdness…” Galatians 5:19

Intercession

Intercession: To intervene on behalf of another person or situation through prayer.

“Who is he who condemns?

It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,

who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” Romans 8:34

Justification

Justification/Justified/Justify: Through our faith in Christ, we are made right with God, just-as-if-I-never-sinned.

“…and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39

Laity

Laity: Non-clergy members of the church.

Liturgy

Liturgy: A prescribed method or form of public worship.

Manifestation

Manifestation: Something that becomes readily apparent by the eye or understood in the mind or heart.

“But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light,

for whatever makes manifest is light.” Ephesians 5:13

Omnipotent

Omnipotent: All-powerful God.

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

Omnipresent

Omnipresent: All-present God – everywhere, all the time.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7

Omniscient 

Omniscient: All-knowing God.

“…in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.”

I John 3:20

Ordained

Ordained: Chosen, authorized, or endorsed with God's approval for a specific calling.

"...He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" Acts 17:31

Pentateuch

Pentateuch: The First 5 books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Reconciled

Reconciled/Reconciliation: To restore, or to make right, a relationship or situation.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,

and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…” 2 Corinthians 5:18

Redeemed

Redeemed: To be bought or purchased to be reconciled and receive freedom.

‘And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;

For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood 

out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…’” Revelation 5:9

Regenerated

Regeneration: Spiritually speaking, regeneration refers to the experience of new life.

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’” Matthew 19:28

Repent

Repent: To recognize your sin, confess, turn your life around, and go in the opposite direction toward God.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,

that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…” Acts 3:19

Sanctification

Sanctification/Sanctified/Sanctify: To be set aside, or separated, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for use in God’s service.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 5:3

Secular

Secular: This term refers to things that are worldly and not spiritual or religious.

Supplication

Supplication: To seek and ask humbly in prayer.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Philippians 4:6

Tithe

Tithe: Modern definitions state that the tithe is 10% of one's income given back to God through offerings to one's church or other religious organizations.

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi. 3:10

Transgression

Transgression: A term used to describe the breaking of God’s law.

“So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, for all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”

Leviticus 16:16

Trespass

Trespass/Sin: Acting in a way that goes against the teachings in the Bible. Simply put, breaking God’s rules.

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” I John 3:4

Tribulation

Tribulation: This term simply means “trouble.”

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Trinity

Trinity: The trinity is three persons in one: God, Holy Spirit, and Jesus. They are called “The Trinity.” There is no biblical reference to the actual word 'Trinity,' but throughout Scripture, you can find references to them together. In Genesis, God used the spoken word, who is Jesus Christ, to create life.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said,

Genesis 1:1-3a

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made;

without him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:1-3

Unregenerate

Unregenerate: The natural state of man before salvation and sanctification.

Conclusion

This is not an exhaustive list of all the church words you wish you understood, but I pray that it will give a simple understanding of some of the words you’ll hear floating around the halls of your church. If you are a mature Christian, I also pray you’ll be wise to explain in better detail words that new Christians see as a foreign language.

If, in my learning of the Korean language, my teacher had started at the back of the book, I would never have made it to my second lesson. May that be a reminder that mature Christians need to be sensitive to those around them who are just beginning to learn and understand their new language.