Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 1 John (English → Filipino)
Purpose
This glossary extends the baseline Romans translation_memory.json for the 1 John curriculum. Terms already recorded in the baseline are marked Baseline Reuse and MUST use the exact recorded Filipino rendering — no substitution. Terms new to this curriculum are marked New and are proposed here for adoption into the Phase 2 translation memory, following the same risk framework as the baseline (Critical / High / Medium / Low).
Legend for Status column: Baseline Reuse = term and rendering already fixed by Romans package; New = introduced for 1 John, rendering proposed here.
Terms in Order of First Appearance
| # | Term (English) | Original / Transliteration | Filipino Rendering | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Word of Life | ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς / ho logos tēs zōēs | Salita ng buhay | New | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Names the eternal, incarnate Person (echoes John 1:1), not merely a spoken message; ties to baseline Incarnation caution re: Santo Niño devotional localization. |
| 2 | manifested / revealed | φανερόω / phaneroō | ipinahayag / inihayag | New | Medium | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Historical, once-for-all disclosure; not a repeated ritual manifestation. |
| 3 | fellowship | κοινωνία / koinōnia | pagsasamahan | Baseline Reuse | Low | Fellowship with God and One Another | Reuse exactly per baseline; shared participation in Christ and with believers. |
| 4 | light | τὸ φῶς / to phōs | liwanag | New | Medium-High | God is Light and God is Love | Parallels “God is love”; states God’s essential holy purity, must not sentimentalize into vague positivity. |
| 5 | darkness | σκοτία / skotia | kadiliman | New | Medium | God is Light and God is Love | Moral/spiritual falsehood and sin, opposed to fellowship with God. |
| 6 | walk (conduct) | περιπατέω / peripateō | lumakad (sa buhay) | New | Low | Fellowship with God and One Another | Idiomatic for habitual conduct; well understood in Filipino Christian usage. |
| 7 | blood (of Christ) | τὸ αἷμα / to haima | dugo | New | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Sacrificial, atoning sense; may draw on existing cultural resonance of “sandugo” if carefully taught as atoning, not merely kinship-forming. |
| 8 | cleanse | καθαρίζω / katharizō | linisin | New | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Linked to Critical confession/forgiveness cluster below. |
| 9 | sin | ἁμαρτία / hamartia | kasalanan | Baseline Reuse | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Reuse exactly per baseline. |
| 10 | confess (sin / Christ) | ὁμολογέω / homologeō | ipahayag / ipagtapat / aminin | New | Critical | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; The Incarnation and Antichrist | AVOID “kumpisal” (Catholic sacramental Confession to a priest). Distinguish confessing sin to God (1:9) from confessing Christ’s identity (2:23; 4:2-3, 15) — same Greek verb, both senses carry the same forbidden-substitution risk. |
| 11 | forgive / forgiveness | ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις / aphiēmi / aphesis | patawad / patawarin | New | Critical | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Forgiveness is God’s direct response to confession and faith in Christ’s finished work, not a benefit dispensed exclusively through priestly absolution. |
| 12 | unrighteousness | ἀδικία / adikia | kalikuan / kasamaan | New | Low | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Paired with “sin”; low ambiguity. |
| 13 | advocate | παράκλητος / paraklētos | Tagapagtanggol | New | Critical | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; Assurance of Salvation | Christ’s advocacy before the Father is unique and fully sufficient; do not present as one intercessory relationship among several (Mary, saints) — connects to baseline “intercession” Critical entry. |
| 14 | propitiation / atoning sacrifice | ἱλασμός / hilasmos | haing pantubos (sa kasalanan) | New | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | Once-for-all, completed sacrifice; must not be understood as an ongoing/repeated ritual re-presentation (risk from Mass theology). |
| 15 | commandment | ἐντολή / entolē | utos | New | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Christ’s specific ethical mandate to love; keep distinct from baseline “kautusan” (Mosaic Law as a body). |
| 16 | abide / remain | μένω / menō | manatili | New | Medium-High | Fellowship with God and One Another | Central relational-communion verb throughout the letter; render consistently. |
| 17 | world | κόσμος / kosmos | sanlibutan (moral sense) / daigdig (physical sense) | New | Medium-High | Overcoming the World | Three senses (created order; humanity; anti-God moral system) — track context per occurrence; ch. 2:15-17 and 5:19 require the negative sense marked clearly. |
| 18 | antichrist | ἀντίχριστος / antichristos | anticristo | New | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Both a future figure and a present false-teaching pattern; anchor specifically to denial of Christ’s incarnation and Father-Son identity, not vague “opponent” label. |
| 19 | anointing | χρῖσμα / chrisma | pahid / ang pagpapahid | New | Critical | Testing the Spirits | Universal to all believers via the Spirit; distinguish from Catholic sacramental chrism/anointing administered by clergy to a subset of the faithful. |
| 20 | lie / liar | ψεῦδος / ψεύστης / pseudos / pseustēs | kasinungalingan / sinungaling | New | Low | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Standard, low ambiguity. |
| 21 | deny | ἀρνέομαι / arneomai | itatwa / itanggi | New | Medium | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Antithesis of “confess”; doctrinal denial of the Son. |
| 22 | born of God / new birth | γεννάω (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) / gennaō (ek tou theou) | ipinanganak ng Diyos / bagong pagkasilang | New | Critical | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth; Assurance of Salvation | Guard against collapse into folk-Catholic infant-baptism sacramentalism (binyag as automatically conferring new life apart from living faith). Evidenced by love, righteousness, and overcoming sin — not conferred by ritual alone. |
| 23 | righteousness | δικαιοσύνη / dikaiosynē | katuwiran | Baseline Reuse | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Reuse exactly per baseline; right standing/conduct flowing from new birth, not its ground. |
| 24 | children of God | τέκνα θεοῦ / tekna theou | mga anak ng Diyos | New | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Keep grammatically/visually distinct from “Anak ng Diyos” (Christ, singular, capitalized, baseline term). |
| 25 | purify | ἁγνίζω / hagnizō | paglilinis (ng sarili) / pagdadalisay | New | Low-Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Motivated by hope of Christ’s return. |
| 26 | lawlessness | ἀνομία / anomia | paglabag sa kautusan | New | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Sin defined as rebellion against God’s rule; distinguish from narrow ceremonial-code sense of “kautusan.” |
| 27 | devil | διάβολος / diabolos | diyablo | New | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth; Overcoming the World | Established, unambiguous transliteration. |
| 28 | love (noun/verb) | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω / agapē / agapaō | pag-ibig / umibig / magmahal | New | High | God is Light and God is Love; Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Distinguish from romantic pag-ibig (dominant cultural connotation) and from utang na loob (reciprocal debt) — God’s love is self-giving and prior (4:19), not sentiment or repayment obligation. |
| 29 | God is love | ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν / ho theos agapē estin | Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig | New | Critical | God is Light and God is Love | Essential-nature statement, parallel to “God is light”; requires teaching note distinguishing from vague benevolence or romantic sentiment. |
| 30 | brother / brethren | ἀδελφός / adelphos | kapatid | New | Low-Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Warm, established term for spiritual as well as biological kinship; ensure spiritual-family sense is contextually clear. |
| 31 | hate | μισέω / miseō | mapoot / mamuhi | New | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Direct antithesis of love; no neutral middle ground in John’s usage. |
| 32 | murderer | ἀνθρωποκτόνος / anthrōpoktonos | mamamatay-tao | New | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Moral (not necessarily literal) equivalence with hatred of a brother. |
| 33 | lay down one’s life | τὴν ψυχὴν τιθέναι / tēn psychēn tithenai | ialay/ibigay ang buhay | New | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | Pattern set by Christ’s self-sacrifice; keep the cross-connection explicit. |
| 34 | confidence / boldness | παρρησία / parrēsia | pagtitiwala / lakas ng loob | New | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Grounded in Christ’s finished work and the Spirit, not sacramental performance frequency — parallels baseline’s Assurance of Salvation guidance. |
| 35 | only Son / unique Son | μονογενής / monogenēs | bugtong (na Anak) | New | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Sonship of Christ | Pair with baseline “Anak ng Diyos”; emphasizes uniqueness — not one divine son among several. |
| 36 | Savior | σωτήρ / sōtēr | Tagapagligtas | New (baseline-linked) | Critical | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Links directly to baseline “salvation” = kaligtasan; requires the same faith-not-ritual teaching note. |
| 37 | fear | φόβος / phobos | takot | New | Low-Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Anxious dread of judgment, displaced by mature love; distinguish from reverent “fear of the Lord” elsewhere in Scripture. |
| 38 | perfect / complete (love) | τέλειος / τελειόω / teleios / teleioō | ganap / lubos | New | Medium | God is Light and God is Love; Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Maturity/completeness, not sinless flawlessness; avoid “perpekto.” |
| 39 | punishment / torment | κόλασις / kolasis | kaparusahan | New | Low | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Standard term, low ambiguity. |
| 40 | test the spirits | δοκιμάζω τὰ πνεύματα / dokimazō ta pneumata | subukin/suriin ang mga espiritu | New | Critical | Testing the Spirits | Doctrinal discernment measured against confession of Christ’s true incarnation; categorically distinct from and opposed to consulting spirit-mediums, psychics, or folk-occult practices for guidance. |
| 41 | spirit of truth / spirit of error | πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας / τῆς πλάνης / pneuma tēs alētheias / tēs planēs | espiritu ng katotohanan / espiritu ng kamalian | New | High | Testing the Spirits | Keep visually/doctrinally distinct from “Espiritu Santo” (capitalized, baseline Holy Spirit term) to avoid implying multiple divine spirits. |
| 42 | flesh (incarnate) | σάρξ / sarx | laman | New (baseline-linked) | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Reuses baseline Incarnation pattern (“came in the flesh”); guard against Santo Niño image-localization risk already documented in baseline. |
| 43 | Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα (ἅγιον) / pneuma (hagion) | Espiritu Santo | Baseline Reuse | High | Testing the Spirits; Fellowship with God and One Another | Reuse exactly per baseline; never anito or bare kaluluwa. |
| 44 | Father | πατήρ / patēr | Ama | Baseline Reuse | High | Fellowship with God and One Another | Reuse exactly per baseline. |
| 45 | Son of God | υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ / huios tou theou | Anak ng Diyos | Baseline Reuse | High | Sonship of Christ; The Incarnation and Antichrist | Reuse exactly per baseline. |
| 46 | Messiah / Christ | Χριστός / Christos | Mesiyas / Kristo | Baseline Reuse | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | Reuse exactly per baseline “messiah” entry (Mesiyas); “Kristo” as established proper-name form per pipeline transliteration standards. |
| 47 | faith / believe | πίστις / πιστεύω / pistis / pisteuō | pananampalataya / maniwala | Baseline Reuse | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Reuse exactly per baseline; object of faith is Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. |
| 48 | overcome / conquer | νικάω / nikaō | dumaig / managumpay | New | Medium | Overcoming the World | Victory grounded specifically in faith in the Son of God; avoid generic self-help “overcoming” framing. |
| 49 | testimony / witness | μαρτυρία / μαρτυρέω / martyria / martyreō | patotoo / sumaksi | New | Low-Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Standard, established terms. |
| 50 | eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος / zōē aiōnios | buhay na walang hanggan | New | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Present possession through the Son, not merely future reward; not to be confused with any notion of a repeating existence-cycle. |
| 51 | sin unto death | ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον / hamartia pros thanaton | kasalanang patungo sa kamatayan | New | Medium (interpretive) | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Render literally; preserve ambiguity rather than resolving it interpretively. Flag for theologian/native-speaker review given pastoral sensitivity. |
| 52 | the true God | ὁ ἀληθινός (θεός) / ho alēthinos (theos) | ang tunay na Diyos | New | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | Reinforces baseline “Diyos” (never Bathala). |
| 53 | idols | εἴδωλα / eidōla | mga diyus-diyosan / mga idolo | New | Critical | Overcoming the World; God is Light and God is Love | Exclusive worship/trust in the one true God alone is the doctrinal point; requires a respectful teaching note given the centrality of santo images and veneration practice in Filipino folk Catholicism. Route for human theologian review. |
| 54 | God | θεός / theos | Diyos | Baseline Reuse | High | (all doctrines) | Reuse exactly per baseline; never Bathala. |
Critical-Risk Terms Requiring Mandatory Teaching/Translator Notes
The following terms carry Critical risk and must never appear in Phase 2 output without an accompanying contextual framing note, per the baseline’s enforcement pattern:
- Confess (sin) — ipagtapat/aminin, never kumpisal; forgiveness follows confession to God, not sacramental absolution as a mechanically necessary step.
- Forgiveness — patawad; God’s direct response to confession and faith, not dispensed exclusively through priestly mediation.
- Advocate (Paraklētos) — Tagapagtanggol; Christ’s advocacy is unique and sufficient, not one intercessory relationship among several.
- Propitiation (Hilasmos) — haing pantubos; a completed, once-for-all sacrifice, not an ongoing ritual re-presentation.
- Anointing (Chrisma) — pahid; given to every believer directly by the Spirit, not a clergy-administered sacramental rite for a subset of believers.
- Born of God / New Birth (Gennaō) — ipinanganak ng Diyos; evidenced by love and obedience, not automatically conferred by infant baptism apart from living faith.
- God is Love — Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig; an essential-nature statement, not vague benevolence or romantic sentiment.
- Love (Agapē/Agapaō), esp. Rom-parallel utang na loob risk in 1 John 4:11, 19 — pag-ibig; God’s love is prior and self-giving, never a reciprocal debt requiring repayment.
- Savior (Sōtēr) — Tagapagligtas; links to baseline Critical “salvation” entry — received by faith, not guaranteed by ritual performance.
- Test the Spirits (Dokimazō ta pneumata) — subukin ang mga espiritu; doctrinal discernment against confession of Christ’s incarnation, categorically distinct from consulting spirit-mediums or folk-occult practices.
- Idols (Eidōla) — mga diyus-diyosan; exclusive worship of the one true God, handled with respectful, non-dismissive framing toward readers from a santo-devotional background.
Terms Inherited Unchanged from the Baseline Romans Package
The following terms occur in 1 John and MUST use the exact baseline rendering with no deviation: fellowship (pagsasamahan), sin (kasalanan), righteousness (katuwiran), Holy Spirit (Espiritu Santo), Father (Ama), Son of God (Anak ng Diyos), Messiah/Christ (Mesiyas/Kristo), faith/believe (pananampalataya), God (Diyos).
Critical Risk Terms
Advocate
Approved rendering: Tagapagtanggol
Transliteration: Tagapagtanggol
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: pamamagitan, tagapamagitan
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: 1 John 2:1-2. Christ’s role as heavenly legal advocate before the Father. Recommend Tagapagtanggol rather than reusing baseline’s ‘pamamagitan’ or the common MBB rendering ‘tagapamagitan,’ both of which are also used for the intercessory role popularly assigned to Mary and the saints in folk-Catholic devotion. Every occurrence needs a note that Christ’s advocacy is unique and fully sufficient, not one intercessory relationship to add alongside others.
Anointing
Approved rendering: pahid
Transliteration: pahid
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: krisma
Original: χρῖσμα
Category: Discernment
CRITICAL: 1 John 2:20, 2:27. The Spirit’s gift of discernment given directly to every believer, not a special class. Use the native word ‘pahid,’ not the transliterated ‘krisma,’ which would more strongly anchor to the Catholic sacramental chrism (Confirmation) or Anointing of the Sick administered by a priest. Every occurrence requires a note distinguishing the Spirit’s universal internal anointing from a clergy-administered sacramental rite for a subset of believers.
Born Of God
Approved rendering: ipinanganak ng Diyos
Transliteration: ipinanganak ng Diyos
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: γεννάω (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ)
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 18. Risks being absorbed into folk-Catholic sacramental theology where spiritual new life is conferred at binyag (infant baptism) through the ritual itself. Every occurrence needs a note that new birth from God is evidenced by present, observable love, righteousness, and victory over habitual sin — not automatically conferred by a rite performed in infancy apart from living faith.
Confess
Approved rendering: ipagtapat / ipahayag
Transliteration: ipagtapat / ipahayag
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: kumpisal, ikumpisal
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Sin
CRITICAL: 1 John 1:9 (confessing sin to God — use ‘ipagtapat’/‘aminin’); 2:23; 4:2-3, 15 (confessing Christ’s identity — use ‘ipahayag’). Same Greek verb (homologeō), two senses, both requiring the identical hard fence against ‘kumpisal/ikumpisal,’ which in Filipino Catholic usage names the sacrament of Confession/Penance to a priest and risks importing a ritual-mediated framework into what 1 John presents as direct, personal, verbal affirmation.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: patawad
Transliteration: patawad
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις
Category: Sin
CRITICAL: 1 John 1:9; 2:12. God’s faithful and just release/pardon of sin, granted directly to all who confess, on the basis of his own character and Christ’s atoning blood. Every occurrence needs a note that this is God’s direct response to confession and faith, not a benefit dispensed exclusively through priestly sacramental mediation.
God Is Love
Approved rendering: Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig
Transliteration: Ang Diyos ay pag-ibig
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: Ang Diyos ay mapagmahal (generic ‘God is kind/loving’)
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν
Category: Love
CRITICAL: 1 John 4:8, 4:16 — the curriculum’s core-doctrine statement, parallel to ‘God is light’ (1:5). Essential-nature statement easily misheard as generic benevolence or romantic sentiment. Mandatory teaching note required at every occurrence distinguishing this from romantic pag-ibig and from vague, undemanding kindness — God’s love is holy, self-giving, and defined by the sending of the Son as a propitiatory sacrifice (4:9-10).
Idols
Approved rendering: mga diyus-diyosan
Transliteration: mga diyus-diyosan
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Discernment
CRITICAL: 1 John 5:21, the letter’s abrupt closing warning. ‘Diyus-diyosan’ (the natural, judgment-laden Filipino compound implying falseness) is preferred as primary rendering; ‘idolo’ may be retained as a parenthetical gloss only. Lands in a uniquely sensitive area of Filipino religious life given the centrality of santo images and veneration practice; requires a careful, respectful teaching note affirming exclusive worship/trust in the one true God alone is the doctrinal point, not a blanket verdict on religious imagery as such. Route for human theologian review.
Love
Approved rendering: pag-ibig
Transliteration: pag-ibig
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: utang na loob
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Love
CRITICAL: Pervasive through the letter, esp. 4:7-21. Pag-ibig carries strong cultural association with romantic love (love songs, courtship, popular media). Every occurrence needs contextual framing distinguishing selfless, God-originated love from erotic or romantic pag-ibig, and guarding against collapse into utang na loob (reciprocal debt of gratitude) — same forbidden substitution the baseline documents for ‘grace,’ extended here to 4:11 and 4:19: God’s love is prior and unearned, not a debt human love repays.
Propitiation
Approved rendering: haing pantubos sa kasalanan
Transliteration: haing pantubos sa kasalanan
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: haing, regalo/kaloob
Original: ἱλασμός
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: 1 John 2:2; 4:10. Compound phrase required to avoid two collapses: reducing it to a mere gift losing sacrificial/judicial weight; or allowing folk-Catholic Mass theology (Christ’s sacrifice re-presented in each Eucharist) to suggest the atonement is ongoing rather than a completed, once-for-all sacrifice. Every occurrence requires a teaching note affirming this.
Savior
Approved rendering: Tagapagligtas
Transliteration: Tagapagligtas
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: seguradong pumunta sa langit dahil sa sakramento
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: 1 John 4:14. Links directly to the baseline’s Critical ‘salvation’ entry (kaligtasan). Requires the same teaching note: this saving work is received by faith in Christ’s finished work, not mechanically guaranteed through sacramental performance.
Test The Spirits
Approved rendering: subukin ang mga espiritu
Transliteration: subukin ang mga espiritu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: pakikipag-ugnayan sa espiritu, paghula, pagkonsulta sa anito
Original: δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα
Category: Discernment
CRITICAL: 1 John 4:1-6. Careful, criterion-based doctrinal examination against confession that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This sits in acute tension with widespread Filipino folk-religious practice of consulting spirit-mediums, psychics, albularyo, or ancestral/nature spirits (anito) for guidance. A strong teaching note is required at every occurrence distinguishing doctrinal discernment measured against the confession of Christ’s incarnation from consulting spiritual mediums or occult practices — categorically opposed activities, not analogous ones.
High Risk Terms
Abide
Approved rendering: manatili
Transliteration: manatili
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: μένω
Category: Church
1 John 2:6, 2:24, 2:27-28; 3:24; 4:12-16. The letter’s central relational-communion verb — dwelling continually in settled, ongoing union with God. Must be rendered with a single, consistent Filipino term throughout the letter, parallel to the baseline’s High-risk ‘in Christ’ identity language for Romans; do not treat as a stylistic variant of ‘pagsasamahan.‘
Antichrist
Approved rendering: anticristo
Transliteration: anticristo
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology
1 John 2:18-23; 4:3. Established transliteration; the teaching risk is fixation on only a future singular figure (paralleling popular end-times speculation) and missing John’s present-tense warning about false teachers now active. Must be tied precisely to denial of Christ’s true identity and incarnation, not treated as a vague label for any opponent.
Confidence Boldness
Approved rendering: pagtitiwala
Transliteration: pagtitiwala
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρρησία
Category: Salvation
1 John 2:28; 3:21-22; 4:17; 5:14. Grounded in Christ’s finished work and the Spirit’s transforming presence, not the frequency or correctness of sacramental observance. Use ‘lakas ng loob’ only where the forensic/judgment sense (4:17) is more prominent than the prayer-access sense (3:21-22; 5:14); record the choice per occurrence.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: buhay na walang hanggan
Transliteration: buhay na walang hanggan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
1 John 1:2; 2:25; 5:11-13, 5:20. Established rendering; must communicate a present possession received through the Son (5:11-13, the letter’s stated purpose verse), not merely a future reward, and must not be confused with reincarnation or an unending existence-cycle.
Father
Approved rendering: Ama
Transliteration: Ama
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. God as personal, relational Father. Keep distinct from the reverence-title Padre used for Catholic priests, and from petitions directed toward deceased relatives in folk ancestor veneration. Central to 1 John 1:3, 2:1, 2:22-24, 4:14.
Flesh Incarnate
Approved rendering: laman
Transliteration: laman
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
1 John 4:2-3. ‘Naparito sa laman’ reuses the baseline’s Incarnation pattern; every occurrence needs the baseline’s caution against localizing the incarnation into devotion toward a specific miraculous image rather than the historical, bodily reality of the Son’s taking on true human flesh. This is the letter’s literal doctrinal test of 4:2-3.
God
Approved rendering: Diyos
Transliteration: Diyos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Bathala
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Diyos (from Spanish Dios) is shared across Catholic and Protestant Filipino usage with well-established, non-ambiguous doctrinal content. Avoid Bathala, the pre-colonial Tagalog supreme-being concept. In 1 John, underlies ‘ang tunay na Diyos’ (5:20) as the exclusive object of worship against idols (5:21).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espiritu Santo
Transliteration: Espiritu Santo
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: anito, kaluluwa
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Never use anito (ancestral/nature spirit) or bare kaluluwa (wandering soul/ghost). Must be kept visually and doctrinally distinct from ‘espiritu ng katotohanan/kamalian’ (lowercase, uncapitalized) so readers never infer multiple divine spirits of comparable rank. Governs 1 John 3:24; 4:13.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Transliteration: Jesus
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Jesus is the standard Filipino Protestant Bible spelling (Hesus is the common Catholic-tradition spelling); this Language Package follows the Protestant register used across this pipeline. Never use a rendering associated with a different religious tradition’s account of this figure (e.g., Isa).
Light
Approved rendering: liwanag
Transliteration: liwanag
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: φῶς
Category: God
1 John 1:5, 1:7; 2:8-10. Liwanag is the natural, established Filipino rendering; the risk is sentimentalizing it into vague positivity/blessing rather than preserving its force as a statement about God’s holy, sin-excluding purity, parallel to ‘God is love’ (4:8). Requires a teaching note at every occurrence of the essential-nature claim.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesiyas
Transliteration: Mesiyas
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Also rendered ‘Kristo’ as the established proper-name form per pipeline transliteration standards. Underlies 5:1’s confession ‘Jesus is the Christ’ and the doctrinal test of 4:2-3.
Monogenes
Approved rendering: bugtong na Anak
Transliteration: bugtong na Anak
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
1 John 4:9. Standard, already-established Filipino Bible phrase (cf. John 3:16). Paired with ‘Anak ng Diyos’; must not be read as ‘a’ divine son among several, nor diluted by devotional attention shared with other holy figures.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: katuwiran
Transliteration: katuwiran
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. In 1 John 2:29 and 3:7, righteous conduct is evidence flowing from new birth, not its ground; katuwiran must not collapse into a term for dutiful conduct earning standing.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Anak ng Diyos
Transliteration: Anak ng Diyos
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Full phrase required, singular and capitalized, reserved for Christ. Must be kept visually/grammatically distinct from the new 1 John term ‘mga anak ng Diyos’ (plural, lowercase, believers). Governs 1 John 3:8, 4:15, 5:5, 5:20.
Spirit Of Truth Error
Approved rendering: espiritu ng katotohanan / espiritu ng kamalian
Transliteration: espiritu ng katotohanan / espiritu ng kamalian
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας / τῆς πλάνης
Category: Discernment
1 John 4:6. Two opposed spiritual sources of teaching, distinguishable by doctrinal content, not subjective feeling. Must be kept visually and doctrinally distinct from ‘Espiritu Santo’ (capitalized baseline term) — never abbreviate to ‘Espiritu’ alone — to avoid implying multiple divine spirits of comparable status.
Word Of Life
Approved rendering: Salita ng buhay
Transliteration: Salita ng buhay
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
1 John 1:1-2. Names the eternal, incarnate Person (echoing John 1:1), not merely a spoken message; carries the same risk as baseline’s Incarnation entry of localization into devotion toward a specific miraculous image (e.g., the Santo Niño) rather than the historical, bodily incarnate Word.
World
Approved rendering: sanlibutan
Transliteration: sanlibutan
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: Eschatology
1 John 2:15-17; 3:1, 13; 4:1, 3-5, 9, 14, 17; 5:4-5, 19. Three senses in Greek (created order; humanity generally; the anti-God moral-spiritual system) collapse onto ‘sanlibutan’ (preferred, moral sense) and ‘daigdig’ (neutral physical sense, used sparingly). Default to ‘sanlibutan’ for the negative sense dominant in 2:15-17 and 5:19; flag every occurrence for a context check rather than defaulting mechanically.
Medium Risk Terms
Blood
Approved rendering: dugo
Transliteration: dugo
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: τὸ αἷμα
Category: Sin
1 John 1:7; 5:6, 5:8. The sacrificial, atoning blood of Christ that cleanses believers from all sin. Standard term; carries strong existing cultural resonance (‘sandugo,’ blood-compact kinship bonding), which can be a helpful bridge if carefully taught as sacrificial, atoning blood rather than merely a kinship-forming ritual bond.
Brother
Approved rendering: kapatid
Transliteration: kapatid
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Love
1 John 3:10-17; 4:20-21. Warm, established term already used broadly for fellow believers (‘mga kapatid kay Kristo’); ensure the spiritual-family sense (not only biological/clan) is clear from context.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: mga anak ng Diyos
Transliteration: mga anak ng Diyos
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
1 John 3:1-2, 3:10; 5:2. Plural, common noun, lowercase — must be kept visually and grammatically distinct from ‘Anak ng Diyos’ (singular, capitalized, reserved for Christ) to avoid implying believers share Christ’s unique divine Sonship rather than an adoptive/regenerate family identity.
Cleanse
Approved rendering: linisin
Transliteration: linisin
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Sin
1 John 1:7, 1:9. Ritual and moral cleansing from sin, accomplished by Christ’s blood and appropriated through confession and faith; linked to the Critical confession/forgiveness cluster and should be taught alongside those terms.
Commandment
Approved rendering: utos
Transliteration: utos
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Love
1 John 2:3-8; 3:22-24; 4:21. Christ’s specific ethical mandate to believe in the Son and love one another as a single, unified command. Must not collapse into baseline’s ‘kautusan’ (Mosaic Law as a body of legislation) — entolē here names Christ’s specific mandate, not Torah observance as a system.
Darkness
Approved rendering: kadiliman
Transliteration: kadiliman
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: σκοτία
Category: God
1 John 1:5-6; 2:8-11. Moral and spiritual falsehood/sin, the realm opposed to fellowship with a holy God; must not be read as merely sadness or ignorance.
Deny
Approved rendering: itatwa
Transliteration: itatwa
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ἀρνέομαι
Category: Christology
1 John 2:22-23. The antithesis of confessing; denying the Son necessarily means not having the Father either.
Faith
Approved rendering: pananampalataya
Transliteration: pananampalataya
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Object of faith must always be specified as Jesus/the Son of God, per 1 John 5:1, 5:5, 5:13; not generalized belief.
Fear
Approved rendering: takot
Transliteration: takot
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: φόβος
Category: Eschatology
1 John 4:18. Anxious dread of judgment displaced by mature love; distinguish from reverent ‘fear of the Lord’ found elsewhere in Scripture.
Lawlessness
Approved rendering: paglabag sa kautusan
Transliteration: paglabag sa kautusan
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin
1 John 3:4. Sin defined categorically as rebellion against God’s rightful rule, broader than an isolated transgression. Links naturally to the baseline’s ‘law’ (kautusan); care must be taken that this names rebellion against God’s moral authority broadly, not narrowly the Mosaic ceremonial code.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: ialay ang buhay
Transliteration: ialay ang buhay
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τὴν ψυχὴν τιθέναι
Category: Love
1 John 3:16-17. Self-sacrificial giving of one’s life, patterned on Christ’s own sacrifice and extended to material generosity for a brother in need; keep the connection to Christ’s cross explicit.
Manifested Revealed
Approved rendering: ipinahayag
Transliteration: ipinahayag
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: φανερόω
Category: Christology
1 John 1:2; 4:9. To make visible/known what was previously hidden — God’s love and ‘the life’ historically demonstrated in Christ. Must convey a historical, once-for-all demonstration, not a repeated ritual manifestation.
Overcome
Approved rendering: dumaig
Transliteration: dumaig
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Rejected alternatives: managumpay (secondary variant)
Original: νικάω
Category: Eschatology
1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5. Victory over the world’s opposition achieved specifically through faith in Jesus as the Son of God; keep the ground of victory syntactically attached in every occurrence (e.g., ‘dumaig sa sanlibutan sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya’) rather than drifting toward generic self-help ‘overcoming.‘
Perfect Complete
Approved rendering: ganap
Transliteration: ganap
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: perpekto
Original: τέλειος / τελειόω
Category: Love
1 John 4:12, 4:17-18. Maturity, completeness, or reaching one’s intended goal — used of love reaching its full expression, not sinless flawlessness. ‘Ganap’/‘lubos’ is preferable to ‘perpekto,’ which suggests flawless performance.
Sin Unto Death
Approved rendering: kasalanang patungo sa kamatayan
Transliteration: kasalanang patungo sa kamatayan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον
Category: Sin
1 John 5:16-17. A difficult, debated pastoral distinction; render literally and preserve the interpretive ambiguity rather than resolving it. Flag for theologian/native-speaker review given pastoral sensitivity around prayer for the sick or spiritually struggling.
Sin
Approved rendering: kasalanan
Transliteration: kasalanan
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Moral transgression against a personal God; pervasive through the letter (1:7-10; 2:1-2, 12; 3:4-9; 5:16-18). Anchored to relational offense confessed to God directly, not a purely sacramental category.
True God
Approved rendering: ang tunay na Diyos
Transliteration: ang tunay na Diyos
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: ὁ ἀληθινός (θεός)
Category: God
1 John 5:20. Contrasts the one true God with idols (5:21); reinforces the baseline’s ‘Diyos’ (never Bathala) instruction and the full deity of the Son affirmed in the same verse.
Low Risk Terms
Devil
Approved rendering: diyablo
Transliteration: diyablo
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: διάβολος
Category: Sin
1 John 3:8, 3:10. The personal spiritual adversary, source of sin and murder; established, unambiguous Filipino transliteration.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: pagsasamahan
Transliteration: pagsasamahan
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; reused exactly for 1 John. Shared participation in Christ and with other believers (1:3, 1:6-7, 4:12). Distinguish from mere social camaraderie or simbahan institutional belonging.
Hate
Approved rendering: napopoot
Transliteration: napopoot
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: μισέω
Category: Love
1 John 2:9-11; 3:15; 4:20. Direct antithesis of love; John allows no neutral middle ground between the two.
Lie Liar
Approved rendering: sinungaling
Transliteration: sinungaling
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ψεῦδος / ψεύστης
Category: Ethics
1 John 2:20-22; 2:27; 4:20. Falsehood/a false person, applied both to general moral dishonesty and doctrinal denial of Christ.
Murderer
Approved rendering: mamamatay-tao
Transliteration: mamamatay-tao
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀνθρωποκτόνος
Category: Love
1 John 3:15. Moral (not necessarily literal) equivalence John draws between hatred of a brother and murder.
Punishment
Approved rendering: kaparusahan
Transliteration: kaparusahan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: κόλασις
Category: Eschatology
1 John 4:18. Standard term for the punishment/torment anticipated by a guilty conscience expecting judgment.
Purify
Approved rendering: paglilinis ng sarili
Transliteration: paglilinis ng sarili
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: ἁγνίζω
Category: Sanctification
1 John 3:3. Present moral purification motivated by the hope of Christ’s appearing.
Testimony Witness
Approved rendering: patotoo
Transliteration: patotoo
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: μαρτυρία / μαρτυρέω
Category: Faith
1 John 1:2; 4:14; 5:6-11. Standard, established terms (patotoo / sumaksi) describing authoritative eyewitness or divine testimony to the Son.
Unrighteousness
Approved rendering: kalikuan
Transliteration: kalikuan
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀδικία
Category: Sin
1 John 1:9. Wrongdoing, paired with ‘sin’ as the totality God cleanses upon confession; low ambiguity.
Walk Conduct
Approved rendering: lumakad
Transliteration: lumakad
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Ethics
1 John 1:6-7; 2:6, 2:11. Idiomatic for habitual conduct/way of life, extended from literal walking; well understood in Filipino Christian usage as ‘paglakad sa buhay.’
Referenced passages