[in’-fruh-lap-sair‘-ee-uh-niz’-um]
(Latin infra, “after” + Latin lapsus, “fall” = “After the fall”)
Also, “sublapsarianism.”
A system of belief among certain Calvinists believing in a theoretical plan of God that occurred before creation concerning his decree to save mankind. In the “infra” scheme, God first decreed creation, second he decreed to allow the fall, third he decreed to elect […]

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[in-ef’-uh-buhl]
(Latin in, “not” + Latin effabilis “utter”)
The ineffability of God refers to those characteristics of his nature and his plan that are beyond comprehension and unable to be expressed through human means of articulation. When we speak of God’s nature we quickly move into this realm. God said that there are many things that have been […]

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(c. 130-200)
A disciple of Polycarp who was said to have been a disciple of the Apostle John, Irenaeus was one of the greatest theologians of the early church. He served as the bishop of Lyons (France). Irenaeus is known for his polemics against the false teachers and teachings of his day. In his Against Heresies, he […]

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Belief among many conservative Christians that the Bible does not contain any errors, historical, scientific, or otherwise. Although the term was not employed much until the twentieth century, upon the rise of biblical criticism, inerrantists would argue that this designation became a necessary line of demarcation between liberals and conservative Christians. Many difficulties arise when […]

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[in’-kar-nay‘-shun]
(Latin in, “in” + carn, “flesh”)
A theological term describing the union of the second person of the Trinity with human nature. Christ became “incarnate” in that he took on flesh or human nature (John 1:14). The incarnation was a necessity for Christ to secure salvation and act as the mediator between God and man. Without […]

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The belief concerning the destiny of the unevangelized that the blood of Christ is the only way for a person to be saved, but that one does not necessarily have to hear and believe the Gospel in order to be saved by the blood of Christ. In other words, Christ is needed ontologically, but not […]

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Lat. “image of God”
The theological concept that man uniquely represents the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26-27). It is debated exactly what characteristics are unique to man. The options are many: personality, eternality, relationality, volitionality, rationality, spirituality, morality, dominionality. The best option seems to be that man possesses all these qualities to a greater […]

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[iye-rehn’-iks or iye-ree’-niks]
(Greek eirene, “peace”)
Irenics is a method of discourse in which a peaceful approach of engagement is sought as opposed to a more polemic, war-like approach. In theology, this involves seeking to accurately understand and represent all positions, even when there is strong disagreement among them. The irenic method seeks to engage in […]

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[iye-kawn’-uh-klast]
(Greek eikon, “image” + Greek klastes, “breaker”)
In church history, iconoclasts were people who believed that creating any visible representation of Christ or the saints was idolatry and in direct violation of the second commandment (according to the enumeration of Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Judaism; the Roman church numbers this prohibition as part of the first […]

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(Latin in-, “in” + Latin spirare, “to breathe”)
The doctrine relating to the divine origin of Scripture, that it is a joint product of God and man. “Scripture is not only man’s word, but also, and equally God’s word, spoken through man’s lips or written with man’s pen” (J. I. Packer, The Origin of the […]

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