Biblical Dictionary

*Agape* is the highest form of love in the New Testament — unconditional, sacrificial love that seeks the good of another, supremely shown at the cross.

The Ark held the tablets of the Law and represented God's throne and presence among Israel, kept in the Most Holy Place.

A covenant is a sacred, binding relationship initiated by God. Scripture traces covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, culminating in the New Covenant sealed by the blood of Christ.

Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. It is wholehearted trust in God, taking Him at His Word, and the means by which believers are justified and live.

Grace is the free and undeserved love and favor of God shown to sinners. It is the foundation of salvation — a gift received by faith, not earned by works. In Greek, *charis* conveys kindness that brings joy and delight.

*Hesed* is God's loyal, faithful, steadfast love that endures forever — covenant love that keeps its promises.

Holiness means being set apart for God and reflecting His moral purity. God is holy, and He calls His people to be holy as He is holy.

Jerusalem is the city David made his capital and where Solomon built the temple. It is central to redemptive history — the place of Christ's death, resurrection, and the birth of the church.

*Logos* means 'word' or 'reason.' John applies it to Jesus as the eternal Word through whom all things were made and who became flesh.

Manna was the miraculous bread God provided daily during Israel's wilderness journey, pointing forward to Jesus, the true bread of life.

The Passover commemorates the night the LORD passed over Israel's homes marked with lamb's blood, delivering them from slavery. It foreshadows Christ, our Passover Lamb.

Fifty days after Passover, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, empowering the church and launching its global mission.

Redemption is the act of God purchasing freedom for His people from slavery to sin, paying the price through the death of Christ. The imagery comes from the marketplace and from the Exodus.

Repentance (Greek *metanoia*) is a change of mind that produces a change of direction — turning from sin and turning to God in faith.

*Shalom* means far more than the absence of conflict — it is wholeness, completeness, and flourishing in every relationship: with God, others, and creation.

Originally the hill of the Jebusite fortress in Jerusalem, Zion became a poetic name for the city, the temple mount, and ultimately the heavenly dwelling of God's people.