Weird Words Christians Use and What They Mean

Does this situation sound familiar? You’re having a conversation with a Christian about Jesus, and asking them questions to figure out what they think Jesus is like. Maybe the conversation was getting interesting, and you were hearing what they were saying…. and then they throw in a really weird word or phrase. You’re left thinking, “wow! That sounds really strange! What the heck is that supposed to mean?”.

It’s true, sometimes Christians unwittingly throw in words that they forget other people don’t normally hear on the street, leaving people confused.

It’s kinda like they’ve joined a club that you’re not in, and it can be super awkward sometimes to ask for clarity. We get it. After all, it’s hard to follow a conversation when you don’t understand the words people are using.

Good news, we’re here to help! No question is too weird, so don’t be afraid to ask, but here’s a little head start for you....

Here are a few weird words Christians use, and what they mean:

Salvation: To be rescued from the ultimate consequence of wrong choices that have cut you off from God, and brought into a life of forgiveness in a caring and safe relationship with God. Sounds good, right? This also means you get to trade with Jesus a life of the consequences of wrong choices, for a life of love, hope, and joy.

Righteousness: To be made “right” with God. In other words, to be “righteous” is to be right standing with Jesus, because you let Him take away your wrong choices and you follow His ways. This means God sees you as holy, not as someone who has done wrong.

Sin: This is anything that rebels against or rejects God. Because God is loving, good, gentle, patient, and kind, anything we choose to do the opposite of this (such as hate, impatience, or violence) is a wrong choice and called sin. Even though justice means that our wrong choices should be punished, because God is loving, He sent Jesus to take the punishment for us instead.

Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost: The person of God, who is with us right now on earth. We can’t see Him, but He is present with us everywhere all the time. Being a part of the trinity, a.k.a  God, He is loving, kind, good, and perfect. For those who want to know God, He is the one who speaks to us, guides us, and gives us the help we need to live a life of love, instead of a life of wrong choices.

Gospel: The Greek word for good news. “Good news about what?” That Jesus came to earth on a mission to fix our relationship with God, and give us a new life, and a new hope. The books of the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called the “Gospels” because it tells us what Jesus did when He was on earth.

Old Testament: The part of the Bible before Jesus came. This is made of the first 39 “books” of the Bible.

New Testament: The part of the Bible where Jesus came (Gospels), and afterward. The last 27 “books” of the Bible.

Trinity: This is an easy way to talk about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit at the same time. They all make up the one God and are all connected, but still different from each other.

Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah, Saviour, Word of God, Lamb of God, Yeshua, Lord, Emmanuel, Christ, King of Kings, Prince of Peace: Amazingly, all of these are talking about the same guy – Jesus. There are a bunch of different ways that people (and the Bible) refer to Jesus, particularly if they are highlighting a certain characteristic of what He’s like.

Holy: To be perfect and without blame for wrong choices. For example, Jesus is holy

Sanctification: To be made holy (or, to be made squeaky-clean from the wrong choices you have made). Lucky for us, Jesus gives us a hand, He’s the only one that can make this possible.

Born Again: The first guy who heard this word was pretty confused too (John 3:3)! This means that someone has decided to follow Jesus. Because they have received salvation, they get to have a new start and a chance for a better life following Jesus. The old “life” of our wrong choices is gone, and the new “life” of loving God and loving others has begun.

The Blood of the Lamb: If you haven’t heard this one before, it can sound pretty freaky! If you hear a Christian say this, don’t stress, you don’t have to call the RSPCA. This is talking about Jesus, and the price He paid to give us salvation. Before Jesus, people sacrificed sheep as a temporary way to pay for their wrong choices (like a debt). When Jesus came, He sacrificed Himself to pay for the debt of everyone’s wrong choices, for good. No more sacrificing sheep required!

That’s only a short list of weird things Christians can say. Yep, there are loads more. Don’t freak out. We are here to help, and remember in the midst of the weird words there is an important message. Here’s a story of a life change that we hope you’ll understand....

Addicted to drugs, ice, porn, sex, money. There is hope…

Maybe you have another question like; how do I pray, how do I read the Bible, don’t be afraid to ask. We have a number of other blogs you can read here or chat with us