Introducing the Series
Why Words Matter—and How the Gospel is Better Than We’ve Been Told
If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know I love digging into the original languages of the Bible – Greek and Hebrew – not to show off grammar, but because these words matter. They shape our imagination, our theology, and how we live.
I’ve written on words like agape, euangelion, and pistis before. But in this new series, I want to do something a little different. I want to take you on a journey—not just through a set of theological concepts, but through the entire story the Bible is telling, from creation to new creation.
This is a biblical theology told through word studies. We’ll look at key words in Greek and Hebrew—not just for the sake of learning cool definitions, but to retrace the arc of the Gospel and rediscover what salvation, life, peace, and hope really mean.
And along the way, we’ll confront some of our modern assumptions. Because words like faith, repentance, righteousness, and even salvation have been flattened, moralized, or individualized beyond recognition.
🧩 The Concept
Each post will explore a word that opens a doorway into a deeper part of the biblical story. These aren’t just theological vocabulary words—they’re narrative turning points, kingdom invitations, and identity markers. Together, they tell a coherent story:
- A story that begins in Shabbat—a world created in love and ordered for peace.
- A story that culminates in Resurrection and Shalom—where love defeats death and all things are made new.
- A story centered on the Kingdom of God, the cross-shaped love of Christ, and the restoration of creation.
Each word will be its own blog post, but you’ll start to see how they all connect.
🔍 What to Expect
We’ll explore words like:
- Agape – not just “love,” but the very logic of God’s kingdom
- Pistis – not just belief, but allegiance to the crucified King
- Dikaiosune – not individual moral perfection, but right relationship
- Euangelion, Basileia, Metanoia, Charis, Sozo, and more
We’ll look at their linguistic roots, biblical usage, cultural context, and how they’ve been translated (or mistranslated) in popular theology. And most of all—we’ll explore how they help us reclaim the fullness of the Gospel.
🧭 Why This Matters
The Gospel is not a sales pitch.
It’s not a sin management program.
It’s not just a ticket to heaven.
It’s the announcement that Jesus is King, that death has been defeated, and that a new world has begun. This series is my attempt to untranslate the words we’ve glossed over or misunderstood, and to hear them again—fresh, political, communal, embodied, and hopeful.
If you’ve ever sensed that there’s more to the Bible than what you’ve been told, this is for you.
Stay tuned for the first post in the series:
“Shabbat: The Restful Rhythm at the Heart of Creation.”
Here is the link:
The Logos of Agape 