52 Words Every Christian Should Know

by Kendell H. Easley

Kendell Easley provides a Bible verse in which each word or concept is used, a succinct definition, and helpful articles further explaining the significance of each entry.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Ebooks, Nonfiction, Reference, Christianity, Christian Living

135 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good little read. It is not much over 100 pages so if you are a fast reader, it won't take you long to work your way through. It is a very good book for all Christians whether you have been a Christian for many years or are a new believer. For the older believers (like myself) it is a good refresher course and you might also learn some history about certain aspects of our faith. For new believers, it is a solid introduction to many biblical concepts. I did like the way the author was able to present various controversial subjects such as Lord's Supper, Baptism, speaking in tongues, and end times and show and explain various viewpoints and historical basis for the viewpoints without showing his own personal bias.

Each "word" (a few are phrases) starts with a scripture reference, followed by a definition of the word, followed by a page or so of explanation/explication, closed with a sort of "food for thought" and a short prayer. Each word is only 2-3 pages and could be read in just a couple of minutes. So even if you only read one word a day, you could finish the book in less than two months.

[James Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a small group Bible study. We met every other week and read two chapters for each class session. The chapters are VERY short, only a page or two, which made it very easy to read and use for our group. There were times when I felt like we got the "abridged version," as references were made to information that was not included.

Newer Christians will benefit from reading this to get a general sense of what these words mean. More seasoned Christians will benefit from reviewing and rethinking what they believe. There is a reflection and a prayer at the end of each chapter. Chapters are grouped into "sections" that link similar words and concepts to each other. The negative in handling things this way as that several chapters in a row dealt with sometimes repetitive ideas. A couple of them seemed like words could be used interchangeably for a number of chapters.

All in all, this was a decent book for our study and was very useful in focusing our discussions. I think that use of the book in this manner was almost ideal. I am not sure whether I would have enjoyed the book as much, if I had simply read it from cover to cover. If used as a devotional or a weekly study prompt, I think the book works well.

James

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very brief overview of the essential teachings of Christianity. Each chapter is brief, about 600 words. It is designed for one chapter to be read per week. Each chapter has discussion questions, as well as a prayer on the theme of the chapter.

Kendell Easley writes from a broadly evangelical background, but avoids weighing in on a number of issues like: dispensational eschatology, Calvinism, Pentecostal issues, and the sacraments or ordinances. In chapters on these topics, he maps out the different positions without evaluation.

I would put this book in the same category as RC Sproul's, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, or Peter Jeffrey's, Bitesize Theology, but broader in theological setting (Sproul and Jeffrey are very explicitly Calvinistic).

This is a good introduction to important biblical words. As a pastor, I find it helpful because it is a 'guiding light' for me to figure out how to teach theologically yet at a frequency level that a popular, lay audience could understand and find beneficial.

Useful.

[Jeannine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of a mini-systematic theology but lacking...

[BARBARA A MITTLESTEAD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational

[Andrex · Rating 5 out of 5]

FANTASTIC book that every new Christian should read.

52 terms, each presented in a 2 page study, organized into 8 biblical categories. Each "term" has a scripture reference from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (Apologetics Bible), concise definition, brief discussion explaining and supporting the definition in more detail, questions and a prayer. There are lots of supporting scriptures in each section.

VERY balanced book presenting all popular views allowing you, the reader to study and make up your own mind. So what are the 52 terms and the eight categories in this book?

I. God
1)Glory - God's display of His greatness, goodness and beauty. 2) Holiness - the quality of being set apart. 3) Sovereignty - power to do all that He wills. 4) Omniscience - to know all things 5) Presence - His 'being there' - a manifested presence 6) Love - freely given, intense affection 7) Trinity - one Being, yet existing as three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Good diagram included to illustrate.

II. Scripture
8) Inspiration - Biblical inspiration is the work of the Holy Spirit. 9)Infallibility - perfectly true 10) The Law - the righteous demands of God 11) Prophecy - message inspired by His Spirit. 12) Interpretation - explain a message 13) Great commandments - Jesus' summary of the religious and moral messages of the scriptures. Love of God - commandments 1-4, love for people - commandments 5-10

III. Creation (and Mankind)
14) Image of God - humans resemble Gos in that they have personality, morality and spirituality. 15) Angels - supernatural spirit beings created by God 16) Miracles - powerful intervention 17) Marriage - a God given institution 18) Covenants - binding agreement between two parties 19) Circumcision: Physical - cutting off the foreskin, spiritual - inner change of a person to fully trust, love and obey God. 20) Sabbath - rest, in particular on the 7th day of the week.

IV. Sin
21)Original Sin - when Adam and Eve disobeyed God 22)Depravity - tendency towards evil 23) The Devil - a supernatural, spirit creature hostile to God. 24) Demons - any of the wicked spirit creatures 25) Against Christ. Here the author parallels some scriptures in Daniel to those in Revelation. 26) Hell - Final place and condition of unregenerate humans and evil spirits.

V. Jesus
27) Son of God - Jesus is fully God. 28) Virgin birth - sexually chaste 29) Messiah - anointed one 30) Kingdom of God - His rule through Jesus 31) Son of Man - an alternate name to Messiah 32) Atonement - making amends 33) Resurrection - rising from the dead.

VI. Salvation
34) Gospel - good news 35) Predestination - God has marked out ahead of time certain things that shall come to pass. 36) Regeneration - being born again 37) Justification - a sinner who believes in Christ is counted righteous instead of guilty. 38) Adoption - family status to all who are justified. 39) Faith - Gospel faith means trust, reliance, confidence or commitment.

VII. Church (and discipleship)
40) Baptism - initiation ceremony into Christianity 41) Lord's supper - fellowship ritual of Christian eating bread and drinking wine, showing participation in Christ's life and death. 42) Evangelism and missions - Great Commission 43) Sanctification - process of being made holy. 44) Gifts of the Spirit - one or more special abilities the Holy Spirit gives to the believer at salvation. Very sensitive handling of speaking in tongues with the author presenting both sides/views allowing you to make your own decision. 45) Fruit of the Spirit - character traits

VII. Last Things
46) Glorification: i. transforming believers at death ii. gift of the resurrection body 47) Rapture - caught up alive to meet the Lord in the air 48) Tribulation and wrath - affliction against God's people 49) Second coming - personal, visible, bodily, victorious return of Jesus to earth 50) Millennium - 1000 year reign of God's people 51) Final judgement - final verdict on all humans 52) Heaven - supernatural location of God's presence

IX. Postscript
5 Pillars of Reformation - Scripture Alone, Christ Alone, Grace Alone, Faith Along, Glory to God Alone!

If this quick synopsis has whetted your appetite then I highly recommend you getting this book to read in more detail on each topic. This truly is a great book and one ALL new Christians should read. For those of us who have been Christians a long while, it doesn't hurt us to get reminded of the basics once in a while either! Well-written Apologetics book.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the premise behind Kendell Easley's 52 Words Every Christian Should Know. In the introduction, he writes that this book is a book, "for everyday believers that says, 'Christian terms have standard meanings, and here are the historic, orthodox meanings of essential terms.'" I agree with Easley that it is essential for believers to have more than a fuzzy notion of what these terms mean: clarity is what is needed. He chose 52 words so that even the busiest person could have no excuse: one word per week for an entire year. (I think this would be a great book to use in Sunday School classes or group bible studies.)

Each term is "presented in a two-page study, organized into 8 major biblical categories."

The eight categories:

God
Scripture
Creation and Mankind
Sin
Jesus
Salvation
Church and Discipleship
Last Things

A sampling of the terms:

Sovereignty
Great Commandments
Covenants
Original Sin
Hell
Messiah
Atonement
Resurrection
Justification
Regeneration
Adoption
Baptism
Lord's Supper
Sanctification
Glorification
Second Coming
Heaven

A sampling of the definitions:

Trinity: DEFINITION: God is eternally one Being. Yet He exists eternally as three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. There are not three Gods, only one. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct from each other.

Depravity: DEFINITION: Depravity means tendency toward evil. Everyone is naturally inclined away from loving God and toward self-centeredness. Humans are not as sinful as they can possibly be, but they are tainted by evil through and through.

Gospel: DEFINITION: Depravity means tendency toward evil. Everyone is naturally inclined away from loving God and toward self-centeredness. Humans are not as sinful as they can possibly be, but they are tainted by evil through and through.

Regeneration: DEFINITION: Regeneration or being born again refers to God's act of making a person alive spiritually. This is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit by which sinners are given new spiritual life enabling them to relate to God in faith, love, obedience, and delight.

Faith: DEFINITION: Gospel faith means trust, reliance, confidence, or commitment. Jesus Christ, specifically His death in saving sinners, is the object of such belief. This must be distinguished from “assent” (belief that facts are true). Loyalty and devotion are included in genuine faith.

Hell: DEFINITION: Hell is the final place and condition of unregenerate humans (and evil spirits) in which they consciously suffer everlasting punishment, separated from God forever. It is a place of spiritual, psychological, and bodily torment from which there will never be hope of release.

Heaven: DEFINITION: Heaven is the supernatural location of God's presence displayed far beyond the earth, where the holy angels worship Him. After the last judgment and the renewal of all things, God will manifest His presence among the redeemed in “the New Jerusalem.”

I appreciated this book. I think it is a necessary book. Understanding and comprehension is important. Assumption that everyone is automatically "on the same page" is wishful thinking. These are words used commonly in sermons, in Christian articles and books, in conversations and debates. Not that this is about "being smart." These terms can bring clarity to WHAT you believe and WHY you believe which could impact HOW you live and HOW you share the gospel. For example, understanding, "grasping" truths such as justification and sanctification and atonement and adoption CAN be life changing.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

This is a definition and concise explanation of fifty two ChristIan terms that every Christian needs to know and understand. It is well done with brief descriptions of alternative definitions when required.

[Shelby Gaug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting

This book was really informative. It dives into deeper meaning of the "Christian-ese" words we hear all the time in church and fleshes out our understanding of these words.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief summary of key biblical terms.

[Paul Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repeative

The book is not opening any new insights or original thought! Doesn't lineup with it's promise wasn't clear in view of the day!