S Return
to the Dictionary of Theology Index
Page Sacerdotalism The
teaching that ordination imparts special abilities/powers necessary for the operation
of the ministry. Also, the teaching that grace is administered through the
one so ordained. Sacrament A
sacrament is a Christian rite that mediates divine grace—a holy mystery. It is
an outward, visible sign that conveys and inward, spiritual grace. Among many
Protestants, the word mediates or conveys would mean only that it is a visible
symbol, reminder or manifestation of invisible divine grace. Roman Catholics,
Eastern Orthodox Christians and Lutherans, among others, hold that sacraments
are not mere symbols, but rather, "signs or symbols which effect what they
signify", that is, the sacraments in and of themselves, rightly administered,
are used by God as a means to communicate grace to faithful recipients. More
on the sacraments.
Sadducee A group of religious leaders in
the Jewish religion from the second century B.C. to the first century C.E. In
Hebrew their names mean "the righteous ones." They were smaller in size and the
group of the Pharisees. The Sadducees were generally on the upper class, often
in a priestly line, and the Pharisees in the middle class, usually merchants and
tradesmen. The Sadducees accepted only the Torah, the first five books of the
old Testament, as authoritative. They held rigidly to the old Testament law and
a denying the life after death, reward and punishment after death, the resurrection,
and the existence of angels and demons. They controlled the temple and its services
and were unpopular with the majority of the Jewish population. Salvation Salvation refers to deliverance
from an undesirable state or condition. In theology, the study of salvation is
called soteriology and is a vitally important concept in several religions. Christianity
regards salvation as deliverance from the bondage of sin
and from condemnation, resulting in eternal life with God. Through faith the individual
is restored to a right relationship with God and
made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). All
of this is the work of God, not humanity. Salvation is a free gift (Rom. 6:23). For
more on sin. Sanctify,
Sanctification To sanctify means to be set
apart for a holy use. According to Christian theology, sanctification is one of
the chief ends of life and it includes a capacity to do the works of justice and
love. (Eph. 2:10).
God sanctified Israel as a special nation (Ezek. 27:28).
People can be sanctified (Exodus 19:10,14)
and so can a mountain (Exodus 19:23),
as can the Sabbath day (Gen. 2:3), and
every created thing is sanctified through the word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:4).1 Sanctification
follows justification. In justification, sins are forgiven in
Christ. Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit empowers a person
to become more like Christ. Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin was a council of
71 individuals, around the time of Christ, that was comprised of Pharisees and
Sadducees who governed the Jewish nation while under the rule of Rome. It often
served as a court to settle legal and religious matters. Scholasticism The method of study in the Middle
Ages which was used to support the doctrines of the church through reason and
logic. Scriptures The scriptures are, quite
simply, the Bible which consists of 39 books in the Hebrew Bible and 27 in the
New Testament. For more on the Bible. Second
Coming, The The
prophecies of a Second Coming are various and span across many religions and cultures.
Most notable is the Christian belief in the return of Jesus. The
belief is closely tied to a belief in God, and a belief in prophets, sometimes
called Messengers, who have some level of divinity or closeness to God. Almost
every religious tradition has some form of prophecy of a return of one of these
figures, or the coming of a new figure. The
vast majority of those self-identified as Christians look forward to the second
coming of Jesus Christ. Across the many Christian denominations, the details of
Christ's second coming differ. Few dare to claim complete and authoritative interpretation
of the typically symbolic and prophetic biblical sources. What is commonly accepted
is that: 1.
Jesus Christ died on the cross. 2. He was resurrected to and ascended into
heaven. 3. He is to return to this earth to judge the world and to establish
the Kingdom of God, 4. No one knows the day or hour of Christ's return. Septuagint,
The The Septuagint
is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. The HB was written in Hebrew. It
was during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.) that the Pentateuch,
the first five books of the Bible, were translated into Greek. Shortly afterwards
the rest of the HB was also translated. This translation was done by approximately
70 translators. Hence, the Septuagint is known by the letters LXX,
the Roman numerals for seventy. Sin Sin is separation from God
and the consequences of that as manifest in human behavior. For
more on sin. Skepticism Skepticism
is the philosophical approach that denies that the world can be objectively known
in any absolute sense. It further denies the knowability of God. Sola Fide The teaching that faith alone
saves a person when he or she places faith and trust in God. Sola Gratia The teaching that God pardons
believers without any merit of their own based solely on the life, death and resurrection
of Christ. Sola Scriptura The teaching that the Scriptures
contain all that is necessary for salvation and proper living before God. Son
of God This is
a title often used of Jesus. It was
the title also applied to kings of Israel at the time of their annointment. For
more on Jesus and his standing as Son of God. Soteriology The study of the doctrine
of salvation. It is derived from the Greek word soterious which means
salvation. Soul
Sleep The teaching
that when a person dies, the soul ceases to exist. On the final judgment day he
or she is brought back to life and judged. The Bible is not specific on the condition
of the person between death and resurrection. However, there are scriptures
that strongly suggest a peron's continued self-awareness and existence after death
(Luke 16:19-31;
2 Cor. 5:1-10;
Phil. 1:21-23).
Sovereignty A principal theme of Calvinism,
asserting that God's reign is all encompassing. Emphasis
upon the soverignty of God had the result of making it evident that the whole
of a person's life and, indeed, the whole of Creation belongs to God Spiritual
Gifts Spiritual gifts are capacities
given by Jesus to the community of believers. Spiritual gifts are discussed in
1 Cor. 12 - 14 and Rom. 12.
They vary in degree and nature. There are some that are obviously miraculous:
speaking in tongues, discerning of spirits, healing, etc. There are others that
are not so more mundane: the capacity for administration, help, admonition, etc. There
is debate over the continuance, relevance and importance of the gifts. Some argue
that the gifts were used for the building of the body of Christ during the beginning
of the Christian church. Others maintain that the gifts are all for today. In
some Christian communities a great deal of emphasis is placed upon speaking in
tongues or healing, for example; in others, the gifts are seldom mentioned or
discussed. For more on speaking
in tongues. Subjectivism The teaching that the individual
is the source and judge of all religious knowledge based upon his own knowledge
and experience. Supralapsarianism An issue within Reformed theology
dealing with what may have happened in God's mind regarding the logical order
of His considering whom to elect into salvation before the foundation of the world.
The word means "before the fall." This position holds that God first decided
that he would save some people and then second that he would allow sin into the
world. By contrast, the infralapsarian ("after the fall") position is the
reverse in that it holds that God first decided he would allow sin into the world
and second that he would then save people from it. Synagogue A Jewish house of worship.
Traditionally the first synagogues were established during the Babylonian exile.
The early synagogues had a place in the center of the room where the sacred scrolls
were kept and from where they were read. It is from the worship order established
in synagogues that our modern church patterns of reading and expounding upon scripture
from the pulpit are derived. Synergism The teaching that we cooperate
with God in our efforts of salvation. This is opposed to monergism which is the
teaching that God is the sole agent involved in salvation. Synoptic Gospels The
first three gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They are referred to as the synoptics
because of their great similarity.
1. Adapted from Baker's Dictionary of Theology, p. 470.
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