BIBLE TERMS THAT MAY CONFUSE NON - CHRISTIANS
By Luis Palau

JESUS - When Jesus was on earth, He was fully God and fully human. He created the universe, and He loves His human creations much more than we deserve to be loved. When we have faith in Jesus, trust Him as our Savior and turn away from sin, our earthly life stays on track, and we are assured of an eternal home in heaven.

SIN - To sin is to defy God’s ways and act to please ourselves. But sin is not just behavior. It is also thoughts or attitudes that fall short of God’s standards. Sin can be dramatic or subtle, but it always separates us from God.

CROSS - The cross was a humiliating torture device that the Romans used to execute criminals. Christians do not delight in the cruelty that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross, but rather they rejoice in the amazing love that motivated Him to die such a death on behalf of wretched humanity. On the cross Jesus Christ died to pay sinners’ way out of hell, which is eternal death. The cross reminds us that God Himself experienced physical death, without which we could never obtain spiritual life.

REPENTANCE - To repent is to stop doing wrong, turn away from sin and move in the direction that the Bible tells us is correct. Repentance is turning away from the sin that separates us from God, and reaching out instead to receive God’s forgiveness and the new life that He offers. It is changing from self-rule to God-rule.

FORGIVENESS - If we admit to God that we have sinned, believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and ask Him to forgive us and take charge of our lives, then God will forgive our sins. That means that our sins are wiped out, gone forever. It is true that in this life we still will sin, but God will forgive us if we are truly sorry (repentant) for our sin an desire to change.

BORN AGAIN - Born again describes an individual whose spirit has been brought to new life by belief in Jesus Christ. We are born again spiritually. Our spirits live on for eternity even when our physical lives have ended.

FAITH - Faith is placing your trust in what you can’t see or prove. Faith is essential to eternal life. When we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we are exercising faith that He is the Way to heaven, the One who makes us God’s children. Because we cannot see God now, we live our lives by faith. If your faith is in Him, your faith is enough.

REDEMPTION - Jesus Christ’s death redeemed us - His death paid the price for our sins. We can take comfort in knowing that Christ’s work is sufficient for our salvation.

SALVATION - After sin entered the world, each human being became enslaved by corruption and death. God’s Son came to rescue humanity by paying the penalty for sin. The work necessary to obtain salvation has been completed. Jesus Christ now freely offers salvation - rescue from death to eternal life - to all who place their faith in Him.

BLAMELESS - No one is completely without fault - no one is "blameless.". Everyone has done something wrong. Yet, one perfect and blameless Man exists: Jesus Christ. On the cross He took the blame we deserve so that when we repent and believe in Him, God sees us as blameless in His sight.