9 Misleading Definitions of Important Christian words

Certain words are very important to the Christian faith. We need to know their meaning if we are to understand the verses that use them, since language shapes our understanding of theology. But over the years misleading definitions of important Christian words have been popularized by preachers or developed from theologies and church teachings. Redefining words to promote a viewpoint or political agenda has become popular in western culture. But you may be surprised that it also occurs in the Christian church.

“Biblical definition”

We sometimes hear sincere Bible students ask the question: “What is the biblical definition of this word?” But that question assumes that a true biblical definition exists and is different from the “secular” definition. The biblical authors didn’t define all the terms they used in writing Scripture. When the New Testament was written, there were no systematic theologies, Bible dictionaries, Christian theological seminaries, or church denominations. The authors assumed commonly held usages of words and didn’t see a need to provide “theological” definitions. But that left a vacuum into which preachers and theologians could later define words according to their personal biases.

Scripture has been translated into various languages, each language having a lexicon of words and terms defined by common usage, which translators assume. Words have specific meanings in their context, and we are not at liberty to define them according to our strongly held beliefs or church dogma. But unfortunately, this is what some theologians have done: building their theological system first and redefining key words to fit, while ignoring context. The result may be a biased belief system with misleading definitions that hinder a full understanding of the Christian faith.

A theological definition of a word assumes a theology, and most theologies have weaknesses. Sometimes theological definitions have even worked their way into common usage and into the English language.

Also, people sometimes unconsciously define a word not in terms of the word itself but its implied or observable results, and this has occurred with many important Christian words. In this article we are looking at the meaning of the word itself, not its results. Let’s examine nine misleading definitions of important words used in Scripture. As we do, let’s remember Paul’s exhortation to not quarrel over words but to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:14-15) for understanding, not arguing.

Faith, popular but misleading definitions

Some say that faith is a “virtue,” in other words, a positive quality or habit. But it’s obvious we can put our faith in unreliable things or misguided or even evil people. So, faith only becomes a virtue when our faith is in someone virtuous.

To others, faith is an ability or power to accomplish great or heroic things. But this refers to faith’s results, not faith itself. Others think faith is just a strongly held belief, that if they believe something hard enough, it will happen.

But the simple definition of faith is trust. It’s simply trusting something or someone else. Faith in God doesn’t involve human ability, work, or effort. It’s the opposite of work. When we have faith in God, we are trusting his power and ability, not ours. In the gospels, people sought Jesus because they had faith he could heal them, forgive them, help them, or save them. They trusted Jesus to do something they themselves couldn’t do:

“Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” (Matthew (9:22)

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you…” (Matt 9:29)

In each example it wasn’t the person who did the healing, but Jesus whom they trusted—their faith in Jesus’ power.

We talk about people of great faith, the heroes of the faith. And when we read Hebrews chapter 11, we think that they must’ve been great men and women who were gifted to be able to accomplish great things. But they could only do these things by relying on God’s power, not their own.

Regarding salvation, faith is trusting in Christ’s work and not our own, accepting God’s offer of eternal life through Christ. We believe God’s promise of forgiveness to be true and accept it as a gift. Trusting God in this way for our salvation is not contributing to it in any way—it’s relying on God’s provision in Christ.

Death, a theological definition

One of the more popular theological definitions today is for death. Many evangelical Bible teachers define death as “separation.” In this view, physical death is separation of the soul from the body and spiritual death is separation of a person from God. Many connect this definition to the belief that the human soul is eternal.

But the simple and commonly assumed meaning of death is the absence of life (as a state) or end of life (as an event). In the Bible, death can be physical (John 11:21), spiritual (Ephesians 2:1), or metaphorical (Revelation 3:1). Revelation 20:14 mentions the “second death” which is the final and irreversible ending of a person’s life, both body and soul (Matthew 10:28). In each case, it’s the absence of life.

Again, “separation” describes death in terms of its results, not the word itself. When the body dies, since there is no physical life, the soul can no longer live in it. So, the separation of soul from body is the result of the death. With spiritual death, when a person is “dead in sins” they have no spiritual life because their sin separates them from a holy God who is the source of life. God is spiritual in nature (John 4:24) and cannot commune with a person who is spiritually dead. So, separation from God is closely related to spiritual death but is not the death itself.

Justify, a popular definition

A popular theological definition of justify used by many preachers today is to “declare righteous.” This is taken from Romans 4 where Paul discusses how God justified Abraham by crediting (some say “imputing”) righteousness to him because of his faith. But righteousness doesn’t occur in the root meaning of the word justify.

Justify in its simplest form means to vindicate or be put in good standing with. Biblically, it’s best understood in a legal context, where it means to acquit. A person who comes before a judge seeks to be absolved of guilt. The judge declares him either innocent or guilty based on the verdict. When a person is justified before the court, they are acquitted of the crime to which they were accused.

The declaration by the judge is a not a statement that the acquitted has now become a good or righteous person. Instead, the judge declares them innocent. They come into a right relationship with the law, they’re now in good standing with the court, and punishment is averted.

Regarding a person’s relationship with God, to be justified is to be made right with or put in good standing with him and his law (Luke 18:14). Believers’ sins against God are forgiven because of the sacrificial death of Christ, and they are “legally” acquitted of guilt. As a result, God’s anger is set aside, and he cancels their eternal punishment at the final judgment. God’s gift of Christ’s righteousness to believers confirms this standing. But it’s a result of justification, not justification itself.

Sovereign, a popular but misleading definition

A popular Christian definition for the term sovereign is “control” as expressed by the adage “God is in control.” This definition parallels the modern experience of having complete control over a vehicle while driving. A person driving a car is to be in full and immediate control of it at all times. In many people’s minds, God must have this type of control over all events, or the world would be “out of control” or chaotic. In some theologies God controls even the decisions and actions of all people.

But the ancients wouldn’t have thought of sovereignty in this way. They didn’t have cars and very few had chariots. The true definition of sovereignty is rule and authority. In ancient times, a king was said to be sovereign because he ruled over a kingdom. The realm of his kingdom defined the area within which he had authority. Their pagan “gods” each ruled over limited realms such as the air, the sun, or the sea.

But as true Creator, God rules and has authority over all created things. His realm consists of nature and the entire cosmos, the lives and affairs of humans, life, suffering and death, the kingdoms of the world, and the powers of evil. In the physical universe, God rules by his physical or natural laws. But that God is sovereign over us does not mean he directly controls all people. It means he possesses supreme and ultimate authority over all people. He still gives humans ability to make independent decisions but holds them responsible for their actions, judging all people on the final day of judgment.

Grace, a common definition

A common definition for God’s grace in evangelical circles is “unmerited favor.” This is an acceptable definition if understood correctly, but very misleading if not. The unmerited part is obviously correct: grace wouldn’t be grace it were earned. And to some, “favor” simply means blessing, so “unmerited blessing” might be a good description. But to others, favor means God gives preferential treatment to some over others. However, Scripture forcefully asserts that God is impartial and doesn’t favor certain people over others.

Some Bible teachers also talk of grace as a methodology and power that God uses to accomplish his plans. Under Reformed theology, “doctrines of grace” are the framework and force that generate, implement, and dispense salvation to those God chooses to save.

But in its simplest form, grace means kindness and generosity. A word search reveals that the words kindness, generous, give, and gift frequently occur with grace in the Bible.

God’s grace

God’s grace is his kindness shown to all people, as he generously gives gifts and blessings to all. This is who he is—a kind and generous God. Regarding salvation, God’s grace is his generous gift of eternal life offered to all through Christ without partiality or favoritism.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.  (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Through his incarnation and atoning sacrifice, Christ willingly became poor for us. All have sinned, but because God is generous and gracious, he offers the same blessings to all.  The words “might become rich” indicate that his spiritual blessings are not automatic, but conditional upon faith.

Salvation, an incomplete definition

“Save” and “salvation” are important words in the Bible. A popular but incomplete definition of salvation was developed in the 20^th century that essentially meant “going to heaven.” The question: “Are you saved?” was another way of asking “Are you going to heaven?” This was considered most important—if someone was heaven-bound then little else mattered.

But save in its simplest form means to deliver or protect from harm. The apostles used the word salvation to mean deliverance from sin and its consequences, which most Christian churches hold to.

Jesus’ sacrificial death paid the price for the sins of the world. Those who accept this provision are delivered from God’s judgment against sin. The “saved” are justified and forgiven by God and will not be punished along with the unrepentant at the final judgment.

Over the years, theologians have correctly expanded the word salvation to apply to the full spiritual inheritance of the believer in Christ. This includes justification (deliverance from sin’s guilt), sanctification (deliverance from sin’s power by the Holy Spirit), and glorification (future deliverance from sin’s presence).

Predestine, a misleading theological definition

The term predestination has for many years been understood by many Christians to mean “God choosing whom he will save.” This is based on the theological definition developed by Reformed theologians in the 16th and 17th centuries. This definition has dominated Christian usage ever since and has even worked its way into modern dictionaries.

But the word predestination is not found in the Bible, only predestined.

And predestined doesn’t differ significantly in meaning from the word destined. Both words have the meaning of something that has a guaranteed future state or outcome. If something is predestined, it is also destined and has a destination or endpoint.

The biblical meaning of predestined doesn’t refer to God predestining who will believe in Christ but to the destiny of those who have already believed. They have been justified, and their destiny is glorification, to be transformed into the likeness of Christ:

Those whom he foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29)

God in his omniscience saw his people complete in Christ, that their destiny and spiritual inheritance would be tethered to Christ.

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ….  (Ephesians 1:1-5)

So, those whom God predestines are those who believe in Christ—they are destined to glory, to attain full adoption with full rights and privileges as children of God.

Idolatry, an overly expansive definition

The word idol originally meant a prohibited physical image or object of worship, but its meaning has since expanded dramatically. It can now mean someone we adore or greatly admire such as a musician or movie star, a meaning now engrained into our culture.

In the evangelical church, idol has metaphorically come to mean “anything that takes the place of God.” This has a place in Christian theology—Paul stated that greed, an obsessive desire for wealth, is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

But the word has now expanded to include almost anything. Bible teachers have accused others who disagree with their theology as holding to “idolatrous” man-centered beliefs. Preachers now talk of cars, homes, or even spouses and children that can become our idols. We can now make idols of our favorite football team, our political beliefs, or chocolate. What these preachers really mean is that we give these things undue love or spend too much time on them. However, they are not true idols in the sense that we actually “worship” them.

This modern use of the word idolatry doesn’t reflect the gravity of the biblical command against it. In the Bible, idol more accurately means something we worship other than the Creator God:

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them… (Exodus 20:3-5)

In the ancient world, idols were human-made objects of worship. This still exists in the world today and is a serious violation of God’s command. We shouldn’t trivialize the command by equating idolatry with just something we eat too much of or spend too much time with.

To address our misplaced loves, Jesus directed us to the greatest commandment to which all other loves should be subservient: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And according to Paul, the solutions to an obsession with chocolate are self-control (Galatians 5:23) and putting the fleshly desire to death by the Spirit’s power (Colossians 3:5).

Love, many popular and misleading definitions

The word love has collected many popular uses and definitions, many of which are misguided and harmful. Love can now mean anything a person wants it to mean. Many define love only in terms of what they want from others, like empathy or compassion. One definition popular among “progressive” Christians is acceptance, that true love accepts not only a person but also their lifestyle choices regardless of how they square with God’s Word. And disagreement and resulting discomfort are seen as “unloving” and harmful.

Love is a word for which there is a biblical definition, because God’s love is on a much higher moral and spiritual level than worldly love. Love in the Christian sense is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional, as demonstrated by Christ’s incarnation and death:

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  (1 John 4:10)

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And God’s Word puts boundaries on the meaning of love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

Truth is the essential component of God’s love which provides boundaries, within which people can be kept safe and live a truly blessed life. Within the confines of God’s truth, anything that promotes evil or contradicts God’s commands is not love. This includes immoral lifestyles, law breaking that endangers others, sexual deviancy, denigrating women, and misguiding or sexualizing children. True love is concerned about the well-being and safety of all people, not just individuals or select groups of people and their social or political goals.

Final thoughts

Let’s not accept definitions of important Christian words that are based solely on church teachings or theological doctrines. Let’s diligently study God’s Word and avoid misleading definitions that lead to errors. When we do, we will come to a deeper understanding of our faith and the truths of the Bible.

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