A
Abraham - The father of the Jewish people; also, the father of all true believers in Yeshua (Galatians 3:7-9).
Adonai - Heb. "Lord"; only with reference to God; serves generally as the reading for the Tetragrammaton.
B
Baptist - A Christian denomination that arose towards the end of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century; typically concerned with faithfulness to the Scriptures and individual accountibility to God.
Bible - A special revelation of God to His creation; the infallible, inerrant word of God. Inspiration: It came to be written as the Holy Spirit moved and directed holy men of old (the prophets) (2 Peter 1:21). Contents: It includes the books of the Tanach (Old Testament) and New Testament, 66 books in total.
C
Covenant - A highly serious contract or agreement governing the relationship between God and humans, often concerning God's plan of salvation for humans; "a bond in blood sovereignly administered."1
D
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E
Elohim - Heb. "God"; plural form hints at the tri-unity of the Godhead - Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
Elul - The last month of the Jewish year; traditionally, a time of reflection, repentance, and spiritual accountability.
Evangelical - Adhering to the absolute trustworthiness and indispensability of the gospel of Messiah Yeshua as contained in the New Testament Scriptures.
F
Faith - Not merely an intellectual belief in God, but a whole-hearted dependence upon His promised Messiah, Yeshua. God only saves those who trust in His Name. Abraham "believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6).
G
God - "Elohim"; the supreme, eternal Being who created all things, yet who was Himself uncreated; existing as One God in Three Persons.
H
Heaven - The abode of God; a place of peace, righteousness, holiness, and glory; an invisible realm in which believers in Yeshua are able to partake (John 3:16-18).
Hell - A place of eternal suffering under the wrath and displeasure of God; "the final abode of those consigned to eternal punishment at the Last Judgement."2 Cf. Daniel 12:1-3. Only by repenting of one's sins and personally trusting in the Messiah of God can a person be saved from hell (John 3:16-18).
I
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J
Jesus - The English rendering of the Greek "Iesous" and the Hebrew "Yeshua."
Jew - Generally speaking, a Jew is a person who has been born of a Jewish mother and who observes certain customs or traditions within Judaism, circumcision being absolutely critical. By faith in Yeshua, a person becomes a "spiritual" or "inward" Jew, having his sins forgiven by the circumcision of his heart, also being adopted into God's heavenly family. Cf. Romans 2:28,29.
Judaism - Judaism (non-Messianic) is variously defined as a religion, ethnicity, and/or culture. Its beliefs and practices are derived from rabbinical traditions and interpretations, some of which are rooted in the Tanach (Old Testament). Messiah Yeshua is rejected, as well as the Scriptures of the New Testament. The three main branches of Judaism are Orthodox (strictly traditional), Conservative (moderately traditional), and Reform (non-traditional).
K
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L
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M
Messiah - The Anointed One promised by God to be the Deliverer and Saviour of His chosen people; "Christ"; "Moshiach."
Messianic Judaism - A Christian movement mainly comprised of Jewish believers who seek to practise their faith within a Jewish context. They maintain many Jewish traditions in worship; they emphasize the Jewish roots of Christianity and the importance of Israel; and they focus much of their evangelism on the surrounding Jewish community.
N
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O
Ordinance - A decree given by God; a practice or rite which God has commanded His people to observe regularly.
P,Q
Passover - The yearly festival that commemorates God's deliverance of the children of Israel from many years of harsh slavery in Egypt (c. 1445 BC). God destroyed the firstborn of the Egyptians; but when He saw the blood of a sacrificed lamb, He "passed over" the firstborn of the Israelites. Yeshua is our eternal, spiritual Passover Lamb (John 1:29). Passover is observed in March/April (14-21 Nisan).
Purim - The yearly festival that celebrates the dramatic events of the Book of Esther, when the Jewish people were saved from annihilation in 473 BC. Purim is held in February/March (on 14/15 Adar).
R
Reformed - Within Christianity, holding to the evangelical doctrines re-asserted and re-established during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. In particular, holding to Calvinistic theology.
Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish new year, occuring in September/October (1 Tishrei); traditionally viewed as a day of judgement.
S
Scripture - The written word of God as found only in the 66 books of the Holy Bible.
T
Tanach - An abbreviation for "Torah, Nebi'im, Ketubim" (Law, Prophets, Writings); the Old Testament in its three-fold division.
Tetragrammaton - The divine Name; represented by the Hebrew characters YHVH; related in meaning to "I AM"; claimed by Jesus as His own Name (John 8:58; 17:6).
Trinity - "Tri-unity"; refering to the being and personality of the One God in Three Persons: Father, Son (Yeshua), and Holy Spirit. This is "perhaps the most difficult thought that the human mind has ever been asked to handle. It is not easy; but it is true."3 God is One, but there is a three-fold bond in His perfect oneness. This is implicit in the Tanach (Isaiah 44:6; 61:1) and explicit in the New Testament (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
U,V
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W
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X,Y,Z
Yeshua - Heb. "Jesus"; meaning "saviour," "salvation," or "Jehovah saves."
References
1 O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1980), 4.
2 J. I. Packer, Concise Theology (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1993), 261.
3 Packer, 40.
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