SPM Bible Knowledge flashcards

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

Theophilus

The named recipient of both Luke's Gospel and Acts, addressed as 'most excellent' in Luke 1:3; the name means 'lover of God' and may denote a real patron or a symbolic audience.

Luke's prologue

Luke 1:1-4, where the author describes investigating eyewitness accounts, writing an orderly narrative, and aiming to confirm Theophilus in the certainty of the teaching he received.

Magnificat

Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55, praising God for lifting the humble, scattering the proud, filling the hungry, and remembering mercy to Israel as promised to Abraham.

Benedictus

Zechariah's prophecy in Luke 1:68-79, blessing God for raising a horn of salvation from David's house and predicting that John will prepare the way by giving knowledge of salvation.

Nunc Dimittis

Simeon's words in Luke 2:29-32 when he sees the infant Jesus in the temple: now let your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation, a light for Gentiles and glory for Israel.

Nazareth synagogue sermon

Luke 4:16-30: Jesus reads Isaiah 61, declares the Scripture fulfilled in their hearing, and, after the crowd rejects him, notes that no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

Genealogy to Adam

Luke 3:23-38 traces Jesus' ancestry backward through David and Abraham all the way to Adam, son of God, stressing the universal scope of salvation beyond Israel.

Good Samaritan parable

Luke 10:25-37: a wounded traveler is passed by a priest and Levite but helped by a Samaritan; Jesus tells the lawyer to go and do likewise, redefining neighbor.

Prodigal son parable

Luke 15:11-32: a younger son squanders his inheritance, returns in repentance, and is welcomed with a feast, while the elder brother resents the father's mercy.

Rich man and Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31: a rich man and a poor beggar meet opposite fates after death; Abraham refuses to send a sign, saying hearers should heed Moses and the prophets.

Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10: a chief tax collector in Jericho climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus, receives him gladly, repents with restitution, and hears that the Son of Man came to seek the lost.

Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13-35: two disciples walking to Emmaus meet the risen Jesus unrecognized; he interprets Scripture, is revealed in the breaking of bread, and they return to Jerusalem.

Lukan travel narrative

The long central section of Luke (roughly 9:51-19:27) presenting Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem, containing many parables and sayings found only in this Gospel.

Luke's theme of reversal

A pattern in Luke where the proud, rich, and powerful are brought down while the humble, poor, and outcast are lifted up, seen in the Magnificat and in parables like the great banquet.

Ascension in Luke

Luke 24:50-53 records Jesus leading the disciples to Bethany, blessing them, and being carried up into heaven, after which they return to Jerusalem with great joy.

Persistent widow parable

Luke 18:1-8: a widow repeatedly appeals to an unjust judge until he grants justice; Jesus uses her persistence to teach that disciples should pray and not lose heart.

Acts 1:8 program

The risen Jesus' words that the disciples will receive power from the Holy Spirit and be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, structuring the book.

Day of Pentecost

Acts 2: the Spirit descends on the gathered disciples with wind and fire, they speak in other tongues, Peter preaches from Joel 2, and about three thousand are baptized.

Jerusalem community practices

Acts 2:42-47 describes the early believers devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer, sharing possessions and praising God together.

Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:1-11: a husband and wife sell property but secretly keep part of the proceeds while claiming to give all, and both fall dead after Peter confronts the deception.

Stephen's martyrdom

Acts 7: the deacon Stephen recounts Israel's history, accuses the council of resisting the Holy Spirit, sees Jesus standing at God's right hand, and is stoned while Saul looks on.

Ethiopian eunuch conversion

Acts 8:26-40: Philip, guided by the Spirit, meets an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah, explains the passage about the suffering servant, and baptizes him beside the road.

Damascus road encounter

Acts 9:1-19: Saul, persecuting the church, is blinded by a light and hears Jesus ask why he persecutes him; Ananias restores his sight and he is baptized.

Cornelius the centurion

Acts 10-11: a devout Roman centurion in Caesarea receives a vision, sends for Peter, and with his household receives the Holy Spirit and baptism, opening the mission to Gentiles.

Jerusalem council

Acts 15: church leaders gather to decide whether Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the law; James concludes they should not be burdened beyond essential abstentions.

Areopagus speech

Acts 17:22-31: Paul addresses Athenian philosophers, identifies the unknown god they worship, quotes their poets, and calls them to repent before the risen Christ.

Miletus farewell

Acts 20:17-38: Paul tells the Ephesian elders he is going to Jerusalem bound by the Spirit, warns of false teachers, commends them to God, and prays with them.

Paul's conversion accounts

Acts recounts Saul's Damascus road encounter three times: in the narrative of chapter 9 and in Paul's speeches of defense in chapters 22 and 26, each with different emphasis.

Missionary journeys

Three journeys from Antioch: first to Cyprus and Asia Minor (13-14), second to Macedonia and Achaia (15:36-18:22), third to Ephesus and Asia (18:23-21:16).

Voyage to Rome

Acts 27-28: Paul, as a prisoner, survives a shipwreck on Malta after a storm, heals the sick there, and finally arrives in Rome where he preaches under house arrest.

Holy Spirit in Acts

The Spirit empowers witness, fills believers, guides Philip and Paul, and directs the Jerusalem council's decision (15:28); the book is often called the Acts of the Holy Spirit.