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Biblical Terms

Brief Explanations of Some Biblical Terms

Associated with the Gospel of the Water and the Spirit

  • 1. Ransom

    The release of property or a person in return for payment of a demanded price. The price or payment of money demanded or paid for such release. Used most often as the positive representation of redemption (ex: Exodus 21:30, ‘sum of money’; Numbers 35:31-32, Isaiah 43:3, ‘ransom’). In the New Testament, Matthew 20:28 and Mark 10:45 describe ransom as the “payment of money.” 

  • 2. Atone, Atonement

    The ritual of passing all the sins of humanity onto Jesus. In the Old Testament, atonement was the passing on of sin to a sacrifice by the laying on of hands on its head. In the New Testament, it means the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. In Hebrew and Greek, this word means the passing of sin onto Jesus Christ so that sinners may enter the right relationship with God. The New Testament illustrates the offering for atonement well: the baptism of Jesus and His death on the Cross. 
    In the Old Testament: The word ‘atonement’ is used almost 100 times in the Old Testament and it is always expressed as (ex. Leviticus 23:27, 25:9, Numbers 5:8) ‘kaphar’ in Hebrew (usually written as ‘make an atonement’). Atonement is a translation of a Hebrew word signifying the passing on of sins by the laying on of hands on the head of a live goat and confessing over it all the iniquities of the Israelites (Leviticus 16:20-21). 
    In the New Testament: Atonement is related to the Aramaic ‘kpr’ which means to cover. This means the baptism of redemption of Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus came to this world and was baptized at the age of 30 to fulfill the salvation of all humanity. 

  • 3. The Biblical atonement

    A. In the Old Testament, atonement was usually given through the sacrifice of an animal (ex. Exodus 30:10, Leviticus 1:3-5, 4:20-21, 16:6-22). 
    B. In the New Testament, the concept of the sacrifice of atonement of the Old Testament was basically maintained, but the redemption of all humankind could be fulfilled only by offering the body of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Apostle Paul said Jesus Christ died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). 
    The word atonement was not only used to refer to the death of Christ to expiate original sin, but to take away all the sins of all human beings. After the baptism through which the sins of the world were passed onto Jesus (Matthew 3:15), He saved humankind by bleeding on the Cross (Leviticus 1:1-5, John 19:30). 
    The Apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 5:14 that ‘One died for all,’ then, in the following verse 21, he stated it was ‘for us,’ and again in Galatians 3:13, ‘having become a curse for us.’ Only a few verses in the New Testament refer to Jesus as the Sacrifice (ex. Ephesians 5:2): John 1:29, 36 (‘Lamb’—John the Baptist) and 1 Corinthians 5:7 (‘our Passover’—the Apostle Paul). 
    However, Paul specified that the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan was the atonement for all the sins of the world. He explains in Romans 6 that all the sins of the world were passed onto Jesus through His baptism by John the Baptist. 
    He goes on to explain that the crucifixion of Jesus was the judgment and compensation for sin, and that the sacrifice of atonement was offered for the souls of all people. 
    The death of Jesus was the realization of God’s plan, implied in the sacrifice of atonement in the Old Testament. The laying on of hands in the Old Testament and the baptism of Jesus in the New Testament are in accordance with the Law of God (Isaiah 53:10, Matthew 3:13-17, Hebrews 7:1-10, 18, 1 Peter 3:21). 
    The New Testament does not end with the baptism and the death of Jesus, but goes on to tell us that the fulfillment of salvation is our being baptized into Christ, which enables our old selves to die with Him (Romans 6:3-7, Galatians 2:19-20). 
    It tells us that John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ to take away all the sins of the world and that as a result, He was crucified. Jesus Christ, through His baptism and blood, not only washed away the sins of the world, but also saved us from the power of Satan and returned us to the power of God by accepting punishment and enduring the pain in the place of mankind. 
    Therefore, the redemption of Jesus solved the problem of sin that was blocking people from being close to God. This momentous event restored peace and harmony between people and God, bringing salvation, joy (Romans 5:11), life (Romans 5:17-18), and redemption (Matthew 3:15, John 1:29, Hebrews 10:1-20, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14) at the same time. 

  • 4. The Day of Atonement

    In Hebrew, this concept means the day of ‘covering,’ or ‘reconciliation.’ The most important day for the Jews was the Day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 23:27, 25:9). We can see in Leviticus 16 that even the High Priest could not enter the Most Holy Place except for the specified rituals on that day. 
    The Most Holy Place itself needed atonement as well as the people of Israel; thus, the High Priest had to offer the sacrifice in order to pass on sins by laying his hands on the head of the sacrifice. The Israelites thought about the holiness of God and their sins on the Day of Atonement. 
    At that time, as many as 15 offerings (including the scapegoat, 12 burnt offerings and 3 offerings of atonement) were sacrificed to God (Leviticus 16:5-29, Numbers 29:7-11). If we count ‘the other lamb’ mentioned in Numbers 28:8, there are 13 burnt offerings and 4 offerings of atonement. 
    The day when the Israelites used to atone for the year’s sins was the tenth day of the seventh month. By the same token, the Day of Atonement for the whole world was the day Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. It was actually the Day of Atonement for all mankind. It was the day God washed away all the sins of the world (Matthew 3:13-17). It was the Day of Atonement on which God “for thus... fulfilled all righteousness.”

  • 5. The sacrifice of atonement

    In the Old Testament: Just like the other sacrifices, the sacrifice of sanctification for all Israelites was offered in the tabernacle. The High Priest cleaned himself and put on the holy linen garments instead of the usual formal dress for rituals, selected a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering for himself and his house (Leviticus 16:3-4). The High Priest laid his hands on the head of the offerings to pass on the yearly sins of his people. 
    The laying on of hands was an essential part of the Day of Atonement. If it had not been performed, offering the sacrifice couldn’t have been carried out because the atonement for sin could not be accomplished without the laying on of hands, thus passing the yearly sins of the Israelites onto the sin offering. 
    In Leviticus 16:21, “And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.” 
    He took two goats as sin offerings and a ram as a burnt offering from the people (Leviticus 16:5). Then, he presented two goats before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle and cast lots to select the one for ‘the Lord’ and the other to be the ‘scapegoat.’ 
    The one for the Lord was offered as a sin offering, and the scapegoat was offered alive before the Lord to atone for the yearly sins of the people of Israel and then put out into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:7-10). 
    The sins of the Israelites had to be passed onto the scapegoat by the laying on of the hands of the High Priest. Then, the scapegoat, which took on itself all the sins of the Israelites, was put out into the wilderness for reconciliation between the people and God. Thus the yearly sins of the Israelites were washed away.

    In the New Testament: In the same way, Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist (the laying on of hands in the Old Testament) and took away all the sins of the world as the sacrificial Lamb to fulfill the salvation of God (Leviticus 20:22, Matthew 3:15, John 1:29, 36). 
    In the Old Testament, before the casting of lots, Aaron killed the young bull as a sin offering for himself and his house (Leviticus 16:11). Then, he took a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord with his hands full of sweet incense, beaten fine, and took it beyond the veil. He then put the incense on the fire before the Lord so that the cloud of incense might hover over the mercy seat. He also took some of the blood of the bull and sprinkled it with his finger on and before the mercy seat seven times (Leviticus 16:12-19). 
    On the Day of Atonement, the laying of Aaron’s hands on the head of the offering could not be omitted. Aaron laid hands on the head of the goat and passed all the sins and all the iniquities of the Israelites on to its head. Then, a suitable man took the goat into the wilderness and sent it forth. The scapegoat wandered in the wilderness with the sins of the Israelites and died for them in the end. This was the typical sacrifice of atonement in the Old Testament. 
    It is the same in the New Testament except the scapegoat was substituted by Jesus Christ, who took away all the sins of the world upon Himself through His baptism, bled and died on the Cross for us all. 
    Therefore now, the salvation from all sins cannot be brought without the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the heavenly High Priest. This is the fulfillment of salvation of being born again of water and the Spirit.

  • 6. The laying on of hands, the ordination

    This was a God given method for the passing of sin onto the sin offering in the Old Testament (Leviticus 4:29, 16:21). In the days of the Old Testament, God allowed people to atone for their sins by laying hands on the heads of the sin offerings inside the tabernacle. It was to reveal the baptism of Jesus to come in the New Testament. 

  • 7. Baptism

    Baptism means ① to be washed ② to be buried (to be immersed) and in spiritual meaning, ③ to pass on sin by the laying on of hands, as ministered in the Old Testament days. 
    In the New Testament, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist was to wash away all the sins of the world. ‘The baptism of Jesus’ has the meaning of taking away the sins of all mankind, to wash away the sins of the world. 
    Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the representative of all human beings and the High Priest of the lineage of Aaron, and took all the sins of the world upon Himself. This was the purpose of His baptism. 
    The spiritual meaning of the word ‘baptism’ is ‘to pass on, to be buried.’ So, “the baptism of Jesus” means that all sins were passed onto Jesus and that He was judged instead of us. In order to save mankind, Jesus had to take away our sins with His baptism and die for them. 
    Thus, His death is also the death of you and me, all the sinners of the world, and His resurrection is the resurrection of all people. His sacrifice is the salvation of sinners, and His baptism is the very witness to washing away all the sins of humankind. 
    The Bible tells us, “There is also an antitype which now saves us, namely baptism” (1 Peter 3:21). The baptism of Jesus is the righteous way of saving all humanity by washing away our sins.
    Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the representative of all human beings and the High Priest of the lineage of Aaron, and took all the sins of the world upon Himself. This was the purpose of His baptism.

  • 8. Sin

    Everything that is opposed to God is sin. This refers to all sins, including the original sin and trespasses that we commit throughout our whole lives. 
    Sin is ‘αμαρτία (hamartia)’ in Greek. And its verbal form is ‘hamartano,’ which means ‘to miss the mark.’ Hence, one of the most serious sins is to incorrectly believe in Jesus, and thus lack the ability to be saved. To neither know nor believe in the truth is to commit the sin of disobedience and to blaspheme against God. 
    If we truly do not want to commit such a sin before God, we have to understand His Word correctly and realize the truth that Jesus has become our Savior. 
    We should believe in the baptism of Jesus and His Cross through the Word of God. It is a sin not to accept the Word of God, to deviate from the Truth, and to believe in false theories. 
    The Bible tells us that the most serious sin, ‘the sin leading to death’ (1 John 5:16), is not to believe that God washed away all the sins of the world. We have to believe in the birth of Jesus, in His washing away of sin through His baptism, and in giving us life with His blood on the Cross. It is a sin if one does not believe in the written words that Jesus was baptized, died on the Cross and was resurrected to free us from all our sins.

  • 9. Repentance

    When one who has drifted away from God realizes their sins, and thanks Jesus for washing them away, and comes back to God, this is called repentance.
    All of us are lumps of sin. True repentance is to admit the following truth: that we are sinners before God, and that we cannot but sin all our lives and go to hell when we die; that we have to accept Jesus as our Savior by believing that He came to this world to save sinners like us, and that He took away all sins (through His baptism), died and was resurrected to save us. True repentance is to give up our own thoughts and return to God (Acts 2:38). 
    Repentance is to admit our sins and turn back to the Word of God, to accept the salvation of the water and the blood with all our hearts (1 John 5:6).
    True repentance is to admit ourselves as complete sinners and to believe in Jesus, the Son of God, as our Savior who saved us from all our sins. In order to be saved and be washed of all sins, we must stop trying to be sanctified through our own works, and admit that we are complete sinners before God and His Laws. We then have to accept the Truth of His salvation, the gospel of the water and the Spirit, which Jesus gave us with His baptism and blood. 
    A sinner has to give up all their own thoughts and will and return to Jesus completely. We will be saved when we come to believe that the baptism of Jesus was to take all our sins onto Himself. 
    In other words, the baptism of Jesus, His crucifixion, and His resurrection have fulfilled God’s righteousness, His salvation of all sinners. Jesus came in the flesh, was baptized and crucified to wash away all our sins. Having complete faith in all these and believing that Jesus was resurrected to become the Savior of all those who believe in Him is true repentance and genuine faith.

  • 10. Salvation

    Salvation in Christianity means ‘deliverance from the power or penalty of sin.’ We receive salvation when we admit that we cannot but go to hell for our sins and believe that Jesus saved us from all our sins through His birth, baptism and the blood on the Cross. 
    Those who become sinless by believing in the salvation of Jesus, the baptism and blood of Jesus, are called ‘the saved, the born-again, and the righteous.’ 
    We can apply the word ‘salvation’ to those who have been saved from all their sins, including the original sin and their daily sins, by believing in Jesus. Just as a drowning man is saved, one who is drowning in the sin of the world can be saved by believing in Jesus as their Savior, by believing in His baptism and blood, the words of the spiritual truth. 

  • 11. Born again

    It means ‘to be born the second time.’ A sinner is born again and becomes righteous when they are saved spiritually by believing in the baptism of Jesus and His Cross. 
    We can spiritually be born again by believing in the baptism and the blood of Jesus. The born-again are those who have been washed of all their sins and “who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

  • 12. The remission of sins

    This important concept is also known as the forgiveness of sins. Sins are forgiven when we become cleansed of all sins once and for all through the gospel of the water and the Spirit. The faith in the gospel of the water and the Spirit is to believe in a series of truths: Jesus Christ’s divinity, the incarnation of the Son of God, His baptism and crucifixion for the salvation of us all, and His resurrection. 
    The redemption Jesus gave us can be ours through the faith in His baptism and blood. As prophesied in the Old Testament, Jesus Himself saved all people from sin. The redemption in the Bible points to the washing away of sins through faith in the baptism of Jesus and His blood. All sins were passed onto Jesus, so there is no longer any sin in the hearts of humankind. 
    We can call ourselves the redeemed and the righteous only after passing all our sins onto Jesus through faith in His baptism. 

  • 13. Jesus Christ

    JESUS: ‘The Savior who saved all people from their sins and the punishment for those sins.’ Jesus refers to the Savior, the One who has saved all people from their sins. 
    CHRIST: ‘The Anointed.’ There were three kinds of persons in vocational posts who had to be anointed before God: ① kings, ② prophets and ③ priests. Jesus fulfilled all of them. 
    Jesus Christ was all of these. He did the work of all of these. We have to believe in Jesus as the King, the Prophet, and the Priest who brought us redemption and salvation. Thus, we come to call Him ‘Jesus Christ.’ He was the heavenly High Priest who saved us from all the sins of the world with His baptism and blood. 
    Therefore, He is the King of all who believe in Him. He makes us realize our sins when we come before Him. He taught us that we are sinners from the time of our ancestors; that as the descendants of sinners, we were born sinners, and as a result, we are under the judgment of God. 
    He also taught us that we are washed of our sins through His baptism and blood. He did all these works for us sinners. 

  • 14. God’s Law: the Ten Commandments

    There are 613 articles of laws in God’s Law concerning everyday life. But the gist of it is the Ten Commandments, which we have to keep before God. There are orders and prohibitions such as “Do this” and “Don’t do that.” These are the guidelines to live by, and the Commandments of God were given to us so that we might realize our sins. Through the written commandments of God, we can recognize how much we disobey Him (Romans 3:19-20). 
    The reason God gave us His commandments was to make us realize our sins. We can never keep all His commandments, so we must humbly accept the fact that we are sinners before we believe in Jesus. We are all sinners and God knows that we can never live according to His Law. So, He came down to this world as a man, was baptized and judged on the Cross. Trying to live by His commandments is the sin of arrogance. We shouldn’t do that. 
    The Law shows us how perfect and holy God is, as well as how weak we human beings truly are. In other words, the holiness and perfection of God is revealed in the Law of God.

  • 15. The Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized

    The Jordan River rapidly flows into the Dead Sea. The surface of the Dead Sea is about 400 meters lower than sea level. Therefore, the water in the Dead Sea cannot flow anywhere; it is locked in the Dead Sea. 
    The salinity of the Dead Sea is 10 times higher than the other ordinary seas, and no living thing exists there. Thus, it is called the Dead Sea. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river of death (the Jordan River). This represents that all human beings, except those without sin in their hearts, face eternal damnation for their sins in the end. 
    Therefore, the Jordan River is the river of washing away sins, the river where sinners die. In short, it is the river of redemption where all the sins of the world were washed away through His baptism, the passing of sins on to Jesus.
    Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river of death (the Jordan River).

  • 16. The Righteous

    Those who, by believing in the gospel of the water and the Spirit, have received the remission of all sins and become sinless before God are called as the righteous. Romans 4:7-8 say, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin." The blessed here refer to none other than the righteous who have received the remission of sin. Because God is holy and just, He does not approve those who have sin in their hearts as the righteous. To be forgiven of our lawless deeds and to have our sins covered is to become sinless and holy by actually believing in Jesus Christ-that is, by believing that we passed our sins to Jesus through His baptism, and that with His death on the Cross Jesus vicariously paid the wages of our sins on the Cross for us.
    Because God cannot lie, He never approves those who have sin as the righteous. On the contrary, He condemns them and casts them into the fire of hell. To become sinless before God, we must believe in our hearts that all our sins of the past, present, and future were passed onto Jesus once for all when He was baptized by John the Baptist, and we must thereby cut off our sins from our hearts. As such, the righteous before God refer to those who have become sinless in their hearts by believing in the baptism of Jesus and the Cross. If some people still have sin in their hearts even as they believe in Jesus and they still give their prayers of repentance, then such people are sinners, not the children of God.
    God does not justify the wicked (Exodus 23:7), for He cannot lie. Therefore, those who leave out the baptism of Jesus and believe only in the blood of the Cross can never become righteous.