[mon’-ur-jiz-um]
(Greek mono-, “one” + Greek ergon, “work”)
The doctrine that God the Holy Spirit solely and independently acts to regenerate the heart of man so as to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. In other words, God performs a unilateral inward action upon man’s heart to respond to the call of salvation.
Speaking of monergism…

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[muh-nawf‘-uh-sit’-iz-um]
(Greek mono-, “one” + Greek phusis, “nature”)
The belief that the two natures of Christ, human and divine, came together in the incarnation to make one new nature. It was condemned as heretical in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon. Chalcedon held that the two natures of Christ remain completely intact in one person.
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The “Messianic Secret” is a phrase that seeks to explain a common theme among the Gospel writers (especially Mark), where Christ seems to desire his identity to remain hidden. For example, in Mark 8:27-30 after Peter confesses that Christ is the Messiah, Christ “sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.” Explanations for […]

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(Also, “Marks of the Church”)
The Four Marks describe a belief in Christendom that the body of Christ—the church—is characterized by four “marks” or distinctives. These marks are found in the early church and found their way into the Creed of Constantinople in 381, “‘[We believe] In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.’” 1) One: this […]

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A term used to distinguish between the types of representative laws in biblical and systematic theology as well as philosophy. In biblical theology, the moral law represents the laws of the Mosaic Law that transcend both cultural and temporal barriers such as murder, adultery, lying, and stealing. This is to be distinguished from both the […]

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Any evil that happens which can be attributed to the volition of a personal agent, whether God, angels, or man. Moral evils are those which have an intent or reason, often without benevolence, but sometimes with a benevolent “greater good” in mind. Murder and killing in a just war are both moral evils, but not […]

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Referred to by Polycarp as “the first born of Satan,” Marcion was one of the most famous heretics of the early church and the leader of the sect known as the “Marcionites.” Marcion is known for his Gnostic leanings which he integrated into a version of Christianity. Marcion rejected the entire Old Testament, believing the […]

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Named after Luis de Molina, a 16th century Jesuit theologian, Molinism is a proposed reconciliation of the problems introduced in the tension between human freedom and divine sovereignty. Molinism seeks to retain both a true libertarian freedom without sacrificing divine providence or sovereignty by introducing the idea of “middle knowledge.” In this proposal God […]

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The view of the Lord’s supper believing that the taking of the bread and wine represents a symbolic memorial or a remembrance of Christ’s redeeming work on the cross. This view has its most articulated foundation in the theology of Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531). Memorialism is in contrast to all forms of the “real presence” view […]

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[muh-nar‘-kee-uh-niz’-um]
(Greek mono, “one” + Greek arche, “ruler”)
Monarchianism represents a type of teaching in the early Church which sought to preserve the uniqueness of the rulership of God through the preservation of an extreme monotheism and the essential denial of a plurality within the Godhead (i.e., the Trinity). There were two main types of monarchianism: 1) […]

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