Passage
Romans 3
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Doctrine
Faith
Personal trust in Christ specifically, not the generic 'both-and' religious sentiment typical of Japan's syncretistic shrine-and-temple practice.
ROM.3.22-28
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Glossary Term
Faith
Personal trust in Christ specifically; must be distinguished from generic 宗教心 (religious sentiment) common in Japan's famously syncretistic 'do both' religious practice (visiting a Shinto shrine at New Year and a Buddhist temple at Obon without exclusive commitment to either).
ROM.3.22-28
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Doctrine
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Linear, one-time historical fulfillment (OT to NT), not a fortune-telling prediction (占い) coming true by chance.
ROM.3.21
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Glossary Term
Gentiles
Avoid casual 外人 (gaijin, 'outsider/foreigner'), which risks reinforcing Japan's strong insider/outsider (内・外, uchi-soto) social framework as the operative category, when Romans' Jew/Gentile distinction is a specific redemptive-historical category, not a generic ethnic-insider one.
ROM.3.29-30
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Doctrine
Grace
CRITICAL: Japan's on-giri reciprocal-obligation system (恩・義理) risks processing grace as a favor that creates a repayment debt rather than an unconditional, unearned gift.
ROM.3.24
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Glossary Term
Grace
CRITICAL: Japanese social ethics run on 恩 (on, a debt of gratitude/obligation incurred when one receives a favor) and 義理 (giri, the felt duty to repay it) — the on-giri reciprocity system.
ROM.3.24
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Glossary Term
Israel
Proper name; established form.
ROM.3.29-30
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Glossary Term
Law
The Mosaic Law.
ROM.3.21
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Glossary Term
Prophecy
Same 預言/予言 homophone risk as 'prophet' above.
ROM.3.21
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Glossary Term
Sin
Japan's culture is frequently described (following Ruth Benedict's shame/guilt framework) as shame-oriented (恥, haji, public loss of face) rather than guilt-oriented; there is a real risk that 罪 gets processed primarily as causing 迷惑 (meiwaku, trouble/inconvenience to others) or public shame rather than moral guilt before a holy God regardless of social consequence.
ROM.3.23
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Doctrine
Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Directly challenges any lingering uchi-soto insider/outsider framing; must translate with theological clarity rather than softened diplomatic language.
ROM.3.29-30
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Doctrine
Universal Human Accountability
All humanity equally guilty before God regardless of social standing; must be taught as guilt before a personal God, not merely social shame (恥) or causing 迷惑 to others.
ROM.3.23