MSCE Bible Knowledge flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Theopneustos

Greek term in 2 Timothy 3:16 meaning 'God-breathed' or inspired, grounding the Bible's authority in divine origin rather than human authorship alone.

Dead Sea Scrolls

Manuscripts discovered from 1947 at Qumran, including Old Testament texts about a thousand years older than previous copies, confirming the stability of the Hebrew text.

Canon criteria

Apostolicity, catholicity (universal acceptance) and conformity to the rule of faith were the tests used by the early church to recognise authoritative books.

Imago Dei

Latin for 'image of God'. Genesis 1:27 teaches that humanity, male and female, was made in God's image, giving every person unique dignity and value.

Protoevangelium

Genesis 3:15, the first gospel promise, declaring that the seed of the woman will crush the serpent's head, foreshadowing Christ's victory over sin.

Abrahamic covenant

God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, 15 and 17, promising land, countless descendants and blessing to all nations, sealed by circumcision.

Genesis 50:20

Joseph's statement that his brothers intended evil but God intended it for good, preserving many lives, a key text on divine providence.

Passover

The Exodus 12 festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egypt, marked by the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and the meal of unleavened bread.

Decalogue

The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, dividing into duties toward God (first four) and duties toward neighbour (last six).

Sinai covenant

The covenant made at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19-24), calling Israel a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, conditional on obedience and ratified by blood.

Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to make atonement for Israel's sins.

Davidic covenant

God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 of an everlasting dynasty and throne, later understood as pointing to the Messiah.

Fall of Samaria

The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, resulting from persistent idolatry and prophetic warnings.

Babylonian exile

The deportation of Judah to Babylon after Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC, lasting until Cyrus's decree of return in 538 BC.

New covenant

Jeremiah 31:31-34 promises a covenant written on hearts, with sins forgiven, fulfilled in Christ and celebrated in the Lord's Supper.

Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 5-7, Jesus's central ethical teaching, including the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, love of enemies and the golden rule.

Son of Man

A title Jesus used for himself, drawn from Daniel 7, combining humility and suffering with authority and future glory.

Kingdom of God

The central theme of Jesus's preaching: God's reign breaking into history in his ministry and to be fully realised at the end of the age.

Parable of the prodigal son

Luke 15, a story of a son who wastes his inheritance, returns in repentance, and is welcomed by a forgiving father, portraying God's grace.

Pentecost

Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, Peter preached, about 3,000 were baptised, and the church was born.

Jerusalem Council

Acts 15 meeting deciding that Gentile converts need not be circumcised, affirming salvation by grace through faith.

Damascus road

Acts 9, the encounter in which the risen Christ appeared to Saul, transforming the persecutor into Paul, apostle to the Gentiles.

Justification by faith

Paul's doctrine, especially in Romans and Galatians, that a person is declared righteous before God through faith in Christ, not by works of the law.

Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 lists love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control as marks of life in the Spirit.

Greatest commandments

Matthew 22:37-40: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself; all the law hangs on these.

Micah 6:8

A summary of ethical duty: to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God, often cited in Christian social ethics.

Renewing the mind

Romans 12:1-2 calls believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

Mulungu

The Chichewa name for the Supreme Being in Malawi, often used by Christians for God, showing continuity between ATR language and Christian belief.

Ancestor veneration

An ATR practice of honouring and communicating with the dead through offerings; most Malawian churches regard it as incompatible with exclusive worship of God.

CCAP

The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, formed in 1924 from Scottish missions, and one of the largest churches in Malawi.

Livingstonia Mission

A mission founded in 1875 in northern Malawi, inspired by David Livingstone's appeals, which established schools and churches.

Buku Lopatulika

The Chichewa translation of the Bible, produced in the early twentieth century, making Scripture widely accessible in Malawi.