Passage
Romans 1
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Glossary Term
Apostle
Fairly stable technical term with limited competing everyday usage; main risk is treating 'apostle' as simply a job title ('an apostle of free trade,' a modern loose secular usage for 'a leading advocate') rather than a specific, foundational, non-repeatable New Testament office.
ROM.1.1
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Doctrine
Apostleship
Fairly stable; minor risk of loose secular usage ('an apostle of free trade') diluting the specific, foundational, non-repeatable New Testament office into a generic 'leading advocate.'
ROM.1.1
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Glossary Term
Called
Context-sensitive: in 1:1 = called to apostleship; in 1:7 = called to be saints; in 8:28-30 = effectual calling to salvation.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Glossary Term
Calling
Modern self-actualization culture has repurposed 'calling' as career vocation ('teaching is my calling') discovered through introspection, which risks reducing God's initiative in Romans' calling language to an individualist project of finding one's own purpose.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Doctrine
Christian Fellowship
In contemporary English, 'a fellowship' is more likely encountered as an academic or professional grant/appointment (e.g.
ROM.1.12
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Glossary Term
Covenant
Most contemporary English speakers now encounter 'covenant' chiefly in real estate law ('restrictive covenants' in property deeds) or contract law ('a covenant not to compete'), a technical legal-document sense that crowds out the relational, promissory, personal bond Romans and the wider Old Testament narrative intend.
ROM.1.3
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Glossary Term
David
Standard proper name; comparatively stable, though most contemporary readers' independent knowledge of David likely comes from the David-and-Goliath narrative alone rather than the covenant promise Romans 1:3 depends on, so that background should still be supplied.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Davidic Covenant
Most readers' independent knowledge of David likely comes from the David-and-Goliath narrative alone; the specific covenant promise behind Romans 1:3 should be supplied, not assumed known.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Deity of Christ
Popular post-Christian 'historical Jesus' narratives widely present Jesus as merely a wise moral teacher or social reformer, quietly denying his deity even while retaining reverent language about him; this common secular reduction should be directly named and addressed.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Divine Calling
Contemporary self-actualization culture has repurposed 'calling' as career vocation discovered through introspection, risking a subtle reversal of agency: God calls; the person does not self-select a calling through personal reflection.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Glossary Term
Exhort
OBSOLESCENCE RISK: 'exhort' and 'exhortation' are rare, formal, almost archaic-sounding words in ordinary contemporary speech; readers will likely need the word glossed (encourage, urge strongly) but are unlikely to actively misread it, since it has no competing secular meaning to interfere.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Faith
Contemporary English has largely detached 'faith' from any specific object ('keeping the faith,' 'faith in humanity,' 'a leap of faith' all mean generic hopefulness or an ungrounded gamble); Romans' personal, Christ-directed trust must be made explicit every time.
ROM.1.17
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Glossary Term
Faith
Contemporary English has largely detached 'faith' from any specific object: 'keeping the faith,' 'faith in humanity,' and 'a leap of faith' all use the word for generic hopefulness or an ungrounded gamble.
ROM.1.17
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Glossary Term
Fellowship
In contemporary English, 'a fellowship' is more likely to be encountered as an academic or professional grant/appointment than as shared Christian communal life, which can flatten Romans' relational, participatory sense into something closer to institutional membership or a funded program.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Fulfillment of Prophecy
The secular idiom 'a self-fulfilling prophecy' (a belief that causes its own fulfillment through behavior) is unrelated to, and could be confused alongside, God-inspired predictive prophecy fulfilled in Christ.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Glory
'Glory' survives mainly in nostalgic ('glory days') or explicitly self-seeking, even pejorative ('glory hound,' 'hogging the glory') secular usage — nearly inverted from God's self-existent, radiant, worship-worthy glory in Romans 1:23 and 9:5, which must be actively distinguished from these connotations.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
God
Contemporary spiritual-but-not-religious culture often substitutes deliberately vague or impersonal alternatives ('a higher power,' 'the universe') for a personal, specific, self-revealing God; Romans' God is not a placeholder concept but the specific God who raised Jesus from the dead (1:4) and is personally engaged with creation (1:19-20).
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Gospel
Comparatively stable; the idiom 'gospel truth' reinforces rather than undermines authoritative connotation.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Gospel
Comparatively stable: the idiom 'gospel truth' (meaning absolute, unquestionable truth) actually reinforces rather than undermines the word's authoritative connotation.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Humanity of Christ
Comparatively uncontroversial and low-risk; if anything, contemporary 'historical Jesus' popular narratives overemphasize Christ's humanity at the expense of his deity, the opposite imbalance from most doctrinal risk in this registry.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Incarnation
Comparatively stable, mostly encountered in explicitly Christian (especially Christmas-season) contexts.
ROM.1.3
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Glossary Term
Incarnation
Comparatively stable and mostly encountered in explicitly Christian (especially Christmas-season) contexts, which is a mild asset.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Inspiration of Scripture
Contemporary secular and academic culture widely treats the Bible as a purely human, historically-conditioned literary artifact; this live 'Scripture as human product vs.
ROM.1.2
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Glossary Term
Jesus
Widely used as a casual interjection or mild expletive in secular speech, a use this curriculum's register should obviously avoid; otherwise the name itself is stable, though popular 'historical Jesus' framings (a wise moral teacher, a social reformer) often quietly strip out the divine claims Romans makes about him.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Justification
CRITICAL FALSE-FRIEND DRIFT: in everyday English, 'to justify' overwhelmingly means to give a reason or defense for an action ('justify your answer,' 'how do you justify that expense'), a rational self-defense completely different from Paul's forensic sense of God declaring a sinner righteous.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Law
Contemporary Western readers live in a highly legalistic, litigious culture where 'the law' primarily evokes civil and criminal law and the legal profession; this is a partial asset for Paul's legal-metaphor argument in Romans 2-7 but requires care to keep readers from assuming only contemporary secular legal categories are in view, and to avoid caricaturing 'law vs.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Lord
CRITICAL: 'Lord' has nearly disappeared from ordinary spoken English outside this specific religious usage, and where it does survive (British/Commonwealth aristocratic titles, 'the House of Lords,' fantasy fiction 'dark lords') it carries archaic or fictional-genre associations rather than lived, felt authority.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Lordship of Christ
CRITICAL: 'Lord' has nearly disappeared from ordinary spoken English outside this specific religious usage; where it survives (British aristocratic titles, fantasy fiction) it carries archaic or fictional-genre associations rather than lived, felt authority.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Messiah
'A messiah complex' is a common pop-psychology term of mild clinical mockery for main-character grandiosity, an association this curriculum should be aware could color the word negatively for some readers; the term's specific, positive, Jewish-messianic-fulfillment sense in Romans 9:5 should be actively restated.
ROM.1.3-4
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Doctrine
Messianic Promise
'A messiah complex' is a common mild pop-psychology pejorative for grandiosity; this curriculum should restate the term's specific, positive, Jewish-messianic-fulfillment sense rather than assume it is unaffected by this association.
ROM.1.3-4
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Glossary Term
Mission
Contemporary English speakers most often encounter 'mission' in corporate or organizational branding ('our mission statement,' 'mission-driven company'), a secularized strategic-goal sense quite different from Paul's specific sense of gospel proclamation to the unreached.
ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14
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Doctrine
Mission to the Nations
Contemporary English speakers most often encounter 'mission' in corporate branding ('our mission statement'), a secularized strategic-goal sense quite different from Paul's specific sense of gospel proclamation to the unreached.
ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14
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Doctrine
Mutual Edification
'Edify/edification' is rare and slightly archaic in ordinary speech (obsolescence risk) but has no significant competing meaning, so it is unlikely to be actively misunderstood once glossed.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Obedience of Faith
Contemporary Western culture's high value on individual autonomy makes it broadly suspicious of 'obedience' as a virtue, often associating it with servility or historical complicity ('just following orders'); Romans' obedience flowing freely from faith must be distinguished from this negative cultural default.
ROM.1.5
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Glossary Term
Obedience Of Faith
Contemporary Western culture places very high value on individual autonomy and is broadly suspicious of 'obedience' as a virtue, often associating it with servility, lack of critical thinking, or even historical complicity in wrongdoing ('just following orders').
ROM.1.5
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Glossary Term
Power Of God
Contemporary secular discourse about 'power' is dominated by political, corporate, and interpersonal power struggles and abuse-of-power narratives, generally negative in connotation; Romans 1:16's saving, life-giving divine power should be actively distinguished from this largely negative secular power discourse.
ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Power of God for Salvation
Contemporary secular discourse about 'power' is dominated by political, corporate, and abuse-of-power narratives, generally negative in connotation; Romans 1:16's saving, life-giving divine power should be actively distinguished from this largely negative secular power discourse.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Prophecy
'A self-fulfilling prophecy' is a well-known secular psychological idiom describing a belief that causes its own fulfillment through behavior, unrelated to and potentially confusing alongside God-inspired predictive prophecy in the biblical sense.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Prophet
Secular usage applies 'prophet' loosely to any confident public forecaster ('a tech prophet,' 'a prophet of doom'), diluting the specific sense of one who speaks God's own revealed word rather than making an educated guess about the future.
ROM.1.2
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Glossary Term
Resurrection
Contemporary post-Christian Western culture broadly treats the resurrection as a religious metaphor, myth, or seasonal cultural observance (heavily commercialized as 'Easter,' with imagery unrelated to the biblical event) rather than a claimed historical fact.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Resurrection of Christ
Contemporary post-Christian Western culture broadly treats the resurrection as metaphor or myth, and 'Easter' itself has been heavily commercialized (chocolate eggs, an Easter bunny) in ways detached from the historical claim; the historical, bodily nature of the event must be stated plainly.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Righteousness
In contemporary usage, 'righteous' and especially 'self-righteous' carry a strongly negative, sanctimonious connotation — nearly the opposite of Paul's sense of a right standing before God received as a gift.
ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Sainthood (Called to be Holy)
Real denominational contest: Catholic and Orthodox usage reserves 'saint' for a formally canonized figure, while Romans 1:7 addresses every ordinary believer corporately; this should be stated explicitly given the word's split usage across the wider English-speaking Christian world.
ROM.1.7
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Doctrine
Salvation
CRITICAL: English-speaking Christian traditions are themselves divided over 'being saved' as a single datable past event (revivalist/altar-call traditions) versus an ongoing, lifelong reality (Catholic, Orthodox, many mainline Protestant traditions); this curriculum should state which sense a given passage intends.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Salvation
CRITICAL DENOMINATIONAL CONTEST: English-speaking Christian traditions are themselves divided on 'being saved' — revivalist/altar-call traditions often treat it as a single, datable past-tense event ('I got saved on such-and-such date'), while Catholic, Orthodox, and many mainline Protestant traditions treat salvation as an ongoing, lifelong reality worked out over time.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Seed Of David
Romans 1:3; 'seed' in the sense of 'offspring/lineage' is archaic in ordinary modern English (where 'seed' otherwise means a plant seed or, colloquially, a starting input, as in 'seed money' or 'seed an idea'); 'descendant of David' is an acceptable plain-language gloss, but the older King James-influenced phrase 'seed of David' is worth retaining alongside it given its familiarity in English hymnody and older translations.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Separation unto God's Service
Contemporary egalitarian culture can hear 'set apart' as exclusionary or elitist; the curriculum should clarify this is devotion to God's purposes, not a claim of superior status.
ROM.1.1
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Glossary Term
Sin
Contemporary marketing and casual speech have trivialized 'sin' into a jokey synonym for a harmless indulgence ('sinfully delicious chocolate cake'), and broader therapeutic and non-judgmental cultural norms are often actively resistant to guilt-based moral language generally.
ROM.1.18
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Glossary Term
Son Of God
Comparatively stable phrase, but contemporary secular 'historical Jesus' popular narratives (treating Jesus as merely a wise moral teacher or social reformer) can quietly strip the theological content from the phrase even when the words themselves are retained; the eternal, unique, divine sense must be actively taught, not assumed retained by cultural familiarity with the phrase.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Sonship of Christ
Comparatively stable phrase; the eternal, unique, divine sense must be actively taught since cultural familiarity with the phrase does not guarantee retained theological content.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Spiritual Gifts
'Gifted' in contemporary English overwhelmingly refers to innate natural talent or academic aptitude (gifted-and-talented programs), a merit/aptitude framework quite different from Spirit-given grace enablements distributed by God's will.
ROM.1.11
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Glossary Term
Spiritual Gifts
'Gifted' in contemporary English overwhelmingly refers to innate natural talent or academic aptitude (gifted-and-talented education programs), a merit/aptitude framework quite different from Spirit-given grace enablements distributed according to God's will, not innate ability.
ROM.1.11
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Doctrine
Thanksgiving
Minor risk: the capitalized national holiday 'Thanksgiving' could crowd out the general theological sense of giving thanks to God; context usually disambiguates.
ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21
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Glossary Term
Thanksgiving
Minor risk: capitalized 'Thanksgiving' names a major secular/cultural American national holiday (turkey, family gatherings, football), which could crowd out the general theological sense of giving thanks to God found throughout Romans; context (lowercase, general usage) usually disambiguates.
ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21
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Doctrine
Universal Human Accountability
CRITICAL: contemporary therapeutic culture and a strong norm of non-judgmentalism ('don't judge,' 'live your truth') are broadly resistant to guilt-based moral language of any kind, and marketing/casual speech has trivialized 'sin' into a jokey synonym for harmless indulgence ('sinfully delicious').
ROM.1.18
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Doctrine
Universal Scope of the Gospel
Contemporary secular pluralism and equality discourse resonates positively with 'no distinction' language, a genuine asset, but risks being read as generic inclusivity divorced from its specific basis in Christ rather than a claim about the gospel specifically.
ROM.1.16