Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 1 John | English → Malayalam
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across all five chapters of 1 John. It is organized into two parts:
- Part A — terms already established in the baseline Romans Language Package (
translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json). These renderings MUST be reused exactly; no alternative is permitted regardless of how a generic Malayalam corpus might render them. - Part B — new terms introduced by 1 John, each assigned a risk tier using the identical Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as the baseline
doctrine_risk_registry.json, with grounded, Kerala-specific reasoning for every Critical/High assignment.
All renderings are in Malayalam script per project convention. Risk tier drives Phase 2 review routing exactly as in the baseline: Critical/High → human theologian; Medium → native speaker; Low → automated review.
Part A — Terms Reused from Baseline Romans Package (MUST match exactly)
| English Term | Malayalam (must reuse exactly) | Transliteration | Risk (baseline) | 1 John Occurrences | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | ദൈവം | daivam | Medium | Throughout | Reuse exactly; central to “God is Light” and “God is Love” doctrines. |
| Jesus | യേശു | yeshu | Critical | 2:22; 4:2-3, 15; 5:1, 5 | Reuse exactly; never ഈശോ in this curriculum’s Bible-study register. |
| Christ / Messiah | ക്രിസ്തു | kristu | Critical | 1:3; 2:1, 22; 4:2; 5:1, 6, 20 | Reuse exactly; central to Antichrist doctrine (denial of Jesus as the Christ). |
| Son of God | ദൈവപുത്രന് | daivaputhran | Critical | 3:8; 4:15; 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20 | Reuse exactly; never ദേവപുത്രന്. |
| Father | പിതാവ് | pithavu | Critical | 1:2-3; 2:1, 13-16, 22-24; 3:1; 4:14 | Reuse exactly. |
| Holy Spirit / Spirit (of God) | പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് | parishudhathmavu | Critical | 3:24; 4:2, 13; 5:6-8 | Reuse exactly; never ബ്രഹ്മം or പരമാത്മാവ്. |
| Incarnation | മാംസധാരണം | mamsadharanam | Critical | Underlies 1:1-3; 4:2-3 (“come in the flesh”) | Reuse exactly for the doctrinal-name; the forbidden substitution rule (never അവതാരം) applies to 1 John with the same force as to Romans, and arguably greater urgency, since 1 John 4:2-3 makes confession of the true incarnation the very test of the Spirit of God. |
| Resurrection | ഉയിര്ത്തെഴുന്നേല്പ്പ് | uyirthezhunnelppu | Critical | Assumed background to “eternal life” doctrine (5:11-13); not a frequent explicit term in 1 John itself | Reuse exactly if referenced in teaching material; never പുനര്ജന്മം. |
| Lord | കര്ത്താവ് | karthavu | Critical | Implicit in confession language | Reuse exactly wherever “Lord” title is used of Christ. |
| Faith / believe | വിശ്വാസം / വിശ്വസിക്കുക | vishwasam / vishwasikkuka | Medium | 3:23; 4:1, 16; 5:1, 4-5, 10, 13 | Reuse exactly. |
| Sin | പാപം | papam | Medium | 1:7-9; 2:2, 12; 3:4-9; 4:10; 5:16-18 | Reuse exactly. |
| Righteousness / righteous | നീതി / നീതിമാന് | neethi / neethiman | High | 1:9; 2:1, 29; 3:7, 10 | Reuse exactly; never ധര്മ്മം (see new term “lawlessness” below for the compound-risk extension). |
| Law | ന്യായപ്രമാണം | nyayapramanam | Medium | Underlies “lawlessness” (3:4) | Reuse root exactly when building compounds. |
| Salvation | രക്ഷ | raksha | High | Underlies “Savior of the world” (4:14) | Reuse root exactly; never മോക്ഷം/മുക്തി. |
| Fellowship | കൂട്ടായ്മ | koottayma | Low | 1:3, 6-7 | Reuse exactly. |
| Gentiles/Nations, World (general created order sense) | — | — | — | κόσμος overlaps partially but is a distinct new term (see Part B) | See Part B “world” for the doctrinally distinct 1 John usage. |
| Called/Calling | വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ട / വിളി | vilikkappetta / vili | Medium | Not prominent in 1 John; retained for cross-curriculum consistency | Reuse exactly if referenced. |
| Election | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ് | daivathinte thiranjeduppu | High | Not prominent in 1 John | Reuse exactly if referenced. |
| Intercession | മധ്യസ്ഥത | madhyasthatha | Medium | Root shared with new term “Advocate” (2:1) | See Part B “Advocate” for the extended, Christologically-specific application. |
| Adoption | ദത്തുപുത്രത്വം | dattuputhratvam | Medium | Complementary to new term “children of God” (3:1-2) | Reuse exactly; teach as complementary to, not redundant with, “children of God” (see Part B). |
| Abba | അബ്ബാ | abba | Medium | Not present in 1 John; retained for cross-curriculum consistency | Reuse exactly if referenced (relevant background for “children of God” teaching). |
Part B — New Terms Introduced by 1 John
| English Term | Malayalam Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Key Passages | Alternatives Rejected | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love (ἀγάπη, noun and verb) | സ്നേഹം / സ്നേഹിക്കുക | sneham / snehikkuka | High | God is Light and God is Love | 2:5, 2:10, 2:15, 3:1, 3:11-18, 4:7-21 (pervasive), 5:1-3 | — | Not in baseline. സ്നേഹം is Malayalam’s warm, everyday word for love and the established Bible term, but it must consistently be anchored to God’s self-giving initiating action (4:10, 4:19), not generic affection, romantic പ്രേമം, or bhakti-style devotee-responsive fondness. Central to the curriculum’s headline doctrine. |
| God is Love | ദൈവം സ്നേഹമാകുന്നു | daivam snehamakunnu | Critical | God is Light and God is Love | 4:8, 4:16 | — | Ontological statement of God’s nature, not an attribute among others. Must be rendered byte-for-byte identically at both occurrences (Theological Consistency Rule) and always anchored to the cross (4:9-10), not a generalized theistic benevolence compatible with bhakti devotionalism. |
| God is Light | ദൈവം പ്രകാശമാകുന്നു | daivam prakashamakunnu | Critical | God is Light and God is Love | 1:5 | — | Paired ontological statement with “God is Love.” പ്രകാശം carries residual risk of Hindu/Vedantic enlightenment-imagery (jyoti, jnana-as-light, Atman as self-luminous); must be anchored to moral purity/truthfulness against sin (1:5b-10), not metaphysical illumination or awakening of an already-divine inner self. |
| Darkness | ഇരുട്ട് / അന്ധകാരം | iruttu / andhakaram | Medium | God is Light and God is Love | 1:5-6, 2:8-11 | — | Moral-relational darkness (sin, deceit), not mere ignorance/absence-of-knowledge (ajnana). |
| Fellowship with God (contextual extension) | കൂട്ടായ്മ | koottayma | Low | Fellowship with God and One Another | 1:3, 1:6-7 | — | Baseline term reused; no new risk beyond baseline note. |
| Confess (sin) / Confess (Christ) | ഏറ്റുപറയുക | ettuparayuka | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1:9; 4:2-3, 15 | ക്ഷമ ലഭിക്കല് (already rejected in baseline for justification; equally insufficient here — loses the confession-act itself) | Two distinct objects of confession (sin in 1:9; Christ’s identity in 4:2-3, 15) both use the same verb and must both be rendered with ഏറ്റുപറയുക. Denominational-nuance flag: Catholic/Orthodox readers may associate this with the sacrament of confession (കുമ്പസാരം); teach as a complementary, not contradictory, direct-to-God transaction, parallel to the baseline’s handling of saints-intercession. |
| Forgive / Forgiveness | ക്ഷമിക്കുക / ക്ഷമ | kshamikkuka / kshama | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:9; 2:12 | — | ക്ഷമ is also the standard Hindu ethical virtue-term for patience/forbearance; must be read as God’s judicial cancellation of guilt grounded in Christ’s atoning blood, not generic tolerance. |
| Cleanse / Purify | ശുദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു | shudheekarikkunnu | Medium | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:7, 1:9; 3:3 | — | Moral cleansing from sin’s guilt through Christ’s blood; must be distinguished from ritual/ceremonial purity restoration. |
| Blood (of Jesus/Christ) | രക്തം | raktham | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:7; 5:6, 8 | — | Sacrificial atoning blood, given by God (cf. 4:10), not offered by worshippers to appease a deity (a caution given some Hindu/folk-tantric blood-offering practice); also distinct from, though compatible with, Catholic/Orthodox eucharistic theology. |
| Propitiation / Atoning Sacrifice | പാപപരിഹാരബലി | paapaparihara-bali | Critical | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2:2; 4:10 | പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം (rejected as a standalone term without qualification) | Direct collision with the Hindu/Sanskrit concept of self-performed penance/expiation. Christ’s propitiation is God’s own gift, not the sinner’s atoning work. If പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം must be used for readability, it requires an explanatory clause making clear God is the giver and Christ the sacrifice, never the sinner the performer. Parallel severity to the baseline’s incarnation/അവതാരം warning. |
| Advocate (of Christ) | മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥന് | madhyasthan | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life; Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 2:1 | — | Built on the baseline’s മധ്യസ്ഥത (intercession) root but applied here exclusively and specifically to Christ’s unique heavenly advocacy regarding the guilt of sin. Must not be blurred with general intercessory prayer among believers or with Catholic/Orthodox saints-intercession devotional practice (a live denominational-emphasis point, not a doctrinal error, per the baseline’s existing precedent). |
| Antichrist | എതിർക്രിസ്തു | ethirkristu | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2:18, 2:22; 4:3 | — | A specific, defined category (denial of the Father-Son relationship and of Jesus as the Christ come in the flesh), not a vague metaphor for generic evil or a horror-genre villain figure, which risks flattening the term in popular Malayalam usage. |
| Anointing | അഭിഷേകം | abhishekam | High | Testing the Spirits | 2:20, 2:27 | — | Direct collision with a major, highly visible Hindu temple ritual (ceremonial anointing of a deity’s image). Must be explicitly framed as the Holy Spirit’s internal teaching presence given to every believer, not a ritual act upon an external image. Cannot be avoided outright since it underlies established Messianic vocabulary (ക്രിസ്തു/മശിഹാ, “the Anointed One”). |
| Born of God / New Birth | ദൈവത്തിൽനിന്ന് ജനിച്ചത് (verbal phrase; avoid nominalizing) | daivathil ninnu janichathu | Critical | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18 | പുനര്ജനനം (explicitly rejected as a standalone noun) | The single highest-priority new-term risk in this curriculum. പുനര്ജനനം is phonetically and etymologically a near-twin of the baseline’s forbidden term പുനര്ജന്മം (reincarnation). Malayalam Hindu tradition uses this word-family for rebirth across a cycle of lives; 1 John’s γεννάω is a definite, once-for-all spiritual begetting by God, not entry into a new cycle. Always use the verbal phrase (ജനിച്ചത്/ജനിച്ചവന്, “one born/begotten”), never a bare compound noun built on പുനര്-. This risk recurs at every single occurrence of the doctrine and requires human theologian review each time. |
| Children of God | ദൈവമക്കള് | daivamakkal | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:1-2, 3:10; 5:2 | — | Complementary to, not redundant with, the baseline’s ദത്തുപുത്രത്വം (adoption, legal/forensic). 1 John’s τέκνα emphasizes organic new-birth family membership. Teach both together. |
| World (κόσμος, negative/moral-system sense) | ലോകം | lokam | Medium | Overcoming the World | 2:15-17; 3:1, 13; 4:1-5, 9, 14, 17; 5:4-5, 19 | — | Sanskrit loanword (loka) also denotes a cosmic realm/plane in Hindu cosmology. Context must control the sense: fallen moral-spiritual system opposed to God (negative, most frequent 1 John sense) vs. simply “humanity” or “the created order” (neutral, e.g. 4:9, 4:14). Never a cosmological “plane of existence” reading. |
| Overcome | ജയിക്കുന്നു | jayikkunnu | Medium | Overcoming the World | 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5 | — | Victory grounded in God’s word/faith abiding in the believer (2:14; 5:4), not self-achieved spiritual attainment through disciplined practice. |
| Test the Spirits | ആത്മാക്കളെ പരിശോധിക്കുക | aathmakkale parishodhikkuka | High | Testing the Spirits | 4:1 | — | ആത്മാവ് shares its root with the established പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് (Holy Spirit) but pluralized denotes personal spiritual beings to be discerned. Intersects with Kerala folk-spirit traditions (ഭൂതം/പ്രേതം) and the philosophical ātman category; must be anchored to the fixed Christological test of 4:2-3, not generic paranormal discernment. |
| Spirit of God / Spirit of Error | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ ആത്മാവ് / വഞ്ചനയുടെ ആത്മാവ് | daivathinte aathmavu / vanchanayude aathmavu | High | Testing the Spirits | 4:1-6 | — | Absolute binary (of God / not of God); must not be softened into a spectrum of more-or-less-spiritual sources. |
| Confess Christ Come in the Flesh | ജഡത്തില് വന്നു എന്നു ഏറ്റുപറയുന്നു | jadathil vannu ennu ettuparayunnu | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Testing the Spirits | 4:2-3 | — | Direct extension of the baseline’s Critical Incarnation doctrine (മാംസധാരണം); this confession is 1 John’s explicit test-criterion for distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist. Never അവതാരം anywhere in this context. |
| Truth | സത്യം | sathyam | Medium | Testing the Spirits; Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:6, 8; 2:4, 21; 3:18-19; 4:6; 5:6 | — | Relational/propositional truth about Christ’s identity and God’s word, kept distinct from the Vedantic metaphysical-absolute usage of the same Sanskrit root (satya as ultimate reality). |
| Lawlessness | ന്യായപ്രമാണലംഘനം | nyayapramana-langhanam | High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 3:4 | ധര്മ്മലംഘനം (explicitly rejected) | Defines sin as rebellion against a personal God’s revealed will/law. Must be built on the established ന്യായപ്രമാണം root; never on ധര്മ്മം, which would reintroduce the baseline’s forbidden cosmic-duty framework precisely where sin’s personal, relational character is being defined. |
| Seed of God | ദൈവത്തിന്റെ വിത്ത് | daivathinte vithu | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:9 | ബീജം (avoided due to biological/reproductive connotation) | Generative metaphor for God’s own life/nature abiding in the believer; the agricultural വിത്ത് avoids unwanted biological overtones present in ബീജം. |
| Perfect / Complete Love | പൂര്ണ്ണമായ സ്നേഹം | poornnamaya sneham | Medium-High | God is Light and God is Love | 4:12, 17-18 | — | Relational/communal maturity, not sinless moral perfection nor an ascetic ideal of spiritual perfection through disciplined attainment. |
| Confidence / Boldness (παρρησία) | ധൈര്യം | dhairyam | Medium-High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14 | — | Confident standing before the divine Judge grounded in Christ’s finished work, not human courage or self-assurance; must render identically at every occurrence per the Theological Consistency Rule. |
| Abide / Remain (μένω) | വസിക്കുന്നു | vasikkunnu | Medium | Fellowship with God and One Another | 2:6, 2:10, 2:24, 2:27-28; 3:6, 3:9, 3:14-15, 3:17, 3:24; 4:12-16 | — | Relational-covenantal indwelling/communion, not mere spatial location. Extremely high-frequency term across the whole book; consistency is essential. |
| Eternal Life | നിത്യജീവന് | nithyajeevan | High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 5:11-13, 5:20 | — | Same AI-drift risk family as the baseline’s രക്ഷ (salvation): must remain personal, relational, unending life with God through the Son, presently possessed (5:12) — never drifted toward a മോക്ഷ-style liberation-from-rebirth framing. |
| Savior of the World | ലോകത്തിന്റെ രക്ഷകന് | lokathinte rakshakan | Medium | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4:14 | — | Built transparently on the baseline’s രക്ഷ root; inherits its comparatively low Malayalam risk profile, with the same AI-drift vigilance required. |
| Only-begotten / Unique Son | ഏകജാതനായ പുത്രന് / ഏകപുത്രന് | ekajathanaya puthran / ekaputhran | Critical | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 4:9 | — | Extends the baseline’s Critical Sonship-of-Christ doctrine: Christ is categorically unique, not one son/avatar among several divine descents — a live risk given the broader Malayalam corpus’s familiarity with multiple avatara narratives. |
| Idols | വിഗ്രഹങ്ങള് | vigrahangal | High | Testing the Spirits; God is Light and God is Love | 5:21 | — | The standard Malayalam word for idols is simultaneously the ordinary term for consecrated images at the center of present-day Hindu temple worship in Kerala. The verse must not be softened, but teaching material must supply pastoral framing (exclusive loyalty to the “true God” of 5:20 against every counterfeit rival) so the verse functions as intended rather than as an unexplained denunciation of neighbors’ religious practice. |
| Brother / Brethren | സഹോദരന് | sahodaran | Low | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2:9-11; 3:10, 14-17; 4:20-21 | — | Standard term; key vocabulary for this doctrine’s title term. |
| Word of Life | ജീവന്റെ വചനം | jeevante vachanam | High | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1:1 | — | Connects to Johannine Logos Christology (cf. John 1:1); വചനം must carry the personal, incarnate-Word sense, not a merely impersonal “teaching/message.” |
| True (God) | സത്യദൈവം | sathya-daivam | High | Testing the Spirits | 5:20 | — | Must be read together with the immediately following idols warning (5:21): “the one genuine God” as opposed to every counterfeit rival, not “a truthful deity among several real ones.” |
| Sin unto Death / Not unto Death | മരണത്തിനുള്ള പാപം / മരണത്തിനല്ലാത്ത പാപം | maranathinulla papam / maranathinallatha papam | Medium-High | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 5:16-17 | — | Pastorally sensitive distinction; should not be assumed equivalent to the later Catholic mortal-sin/venial-sin moral-theology categories, though readers from that tradition may bring that association. |
| Spirit, Water, and Blood | ആത്മാവ്, ജലം, രക്തം | aathmavu, jalam, raktham | Medium-High | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 5:6-8 | — | Threefold testimony to Christ’s identity; Catholic/Orthodox readers may bring sacramental (baptismal/eucharistic) associations — a denominational-emphasis teaching point, not an error to correct. |
| Understanding | വിവേകം | vivekam | Medium | Testing the Spirits | 5:20 | ബോധം (higher-risk alternative, carries bodhi/enlightenment echo) | God-given discerning capacity to know the true God, set against the closing idols warning; വിവേകം carries less enlightenment-tradition freight than ബോധം. |
| Anointing-taught truth / “you know all things” | (see Anointing above) | — | High | Testing the Spirits | 2:20, 27 | — | Cross-reference to Anointing entry; every believer, not a special class, receives this teaching. |
| Lay Down One’s Life | ജീവന് കൊടുക്കുന്നു | jeevan kodukkunnu | Medium | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:16 | — | Self-sacrificial, Christ-imitating giving of one’s whole life, not merely time or effort. |
Cross-Reference Notes for Phase 2
- Compound-risk terms: several 1 John phrases combine two independently flagged terms (e.g. “abides in love” = വസിക്കുന്നു + സ്നേഹം at 4:16; “born of God overcomes the world” = ജനിച്ചവന് + ജയിക്കുന്നു at 5:4). Phase 2 segment review must flag the compound, not just each component term individually, since combined doctrinal weight can exceed either term’s individual risk tier.
- Highest-priority new risk: the “born of God / new birth” family (πυνार्जननం collision) is assessed as the single most consequential new risk this curriculum introduces beyond the baseline, on the same severity tier as incarnation/അവതാരം in Romans. It must be added to the AI system’s forbidden-substitution list for Phase 2 (see companion document
12_ai_translation_requirements.mdupdate). - Two ontological “is” statements (ദൈവം സ്നേഹമാകുന്നു, ദൈവം പ്രകാശമാകുന്നു) require the identical Theological Consistency Rule treatment the baseline gives Romans 1:16-17, 8:28, and 10:9-10: byte-for-byte identical rendering at every occurrence.
- All baseline forbidden substitutions (അവതാരം, പുനര്ജന്മം, മോക്ഷം/മുക്തി, ധര്മ്മം, ദേവപുത്രന്, ബ്രഹ്മം/പരമാത്മാവ്, ജാതികള്, ഗുരു) remain in force for 1 John without exception, and are joined by the new forbidden/cautioned terms above (പുനര്ജനനം as standalone noun; bare പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം without qualifying clause; ധര്മ്മലംഘനം; ബീജം for “seed of God”).
Critical Risk Terms
Jesus
Approved rendering: യേശു
Transliteration: yeshu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Required in the Christological confession formulas of 1 John (2:22; 4:2-3, 15; 5:1, 5); never ഈശോ in this curriculum’s Bible-study register.
Messiah
Approved rendering: ക്രിസ്തു
Transliteration: kristu
Doctrine: Messianic Promise / The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Central to 1 John’s Antichrist doctrine (denial that Jesus is the Christ, 2:22) and to the Christological confession test governing ‘Testing the Spirits’ (4:2-3; 5:1).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവപുത്രന്
Transliteration: daivaputhran
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ / Deity and Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ദേവപുത്രന്
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ദേവപുത്രന്. 1 John 4:15, 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20 make confession of this title the criterion of abiding in God, doctrinal weight parallel to Romans 10:9.
Father
Approved rendering: പിതാവ്
Transliteration: pithavu
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Frequent throughout 1 John (1:2-3; 2:1, 13-16, 22-24; 3:1; 4:14), grounding both fellowship and adoption/new-birth doctrines.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്
Transliteration: parishudhathmavu
Doctrine: Sanctification / Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: ബ്രഹ്മം, പരമാത്മാവ്
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ബ്രഹ്മം or പരമാത്മാവ്. Underlies 1 John’s anointing doctrine (2:20, 27); must not be confused with the distinct plural term ആത്മാക്കള് (‘spirits,’ see test_the_spirits below), which denotes personal spiritual beings to be tested, not the one Holy Spirit.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: മാംസധാരണം
Transliteration: mamsadharanam
Doctrine: Incarnation / The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: അവതാരം
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER അവതാരം. 1 John 4:2-3 makes confession of the real incarnation (‘Jesus Christ come in the flesh’) the explicit test distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist — arguably this pipeline’s single most load-bearing incarnation passage after Romans 1:3.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ഉയിര്ത്തെഴുന്നേല്പ്പ്
Transliteration: uyirthezhunnelppu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: പുനര്ജന്മം
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER പുനര്ജന്മം. Not a frequent explicit term in 1 John itself but assumed background to the eternal life doctrine of 5:11-13; the same forbidden-substitution rule applies if referenced in teaching material.
Lord
Approved rendering: കര്ത്താവ്
Transliteration: karthavu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies 1 John’s confession language wherever the title ‘Lord’ is applied to Christ; must retain exclusive, supreme Lordship.
God Is Love
Approved rendering: ദൈവം സ്നേഹമാകുന്നു
Transliteration: daivam snehamakunnu
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν
Category: God
New term, Critical. Ontological statement of God’s essential nature, not an attribute among others. Must be rendered byte-for-byte identically at both occurrences (4:8, 16), mirroring the Theological Consistency Rule the baseline requires for Romans 1:16-17/8:28/10:9-10. Must remain anchored to the cross (4:9-10), never a generalized theistic benevolence compatible with bhakti devotionalism.
God Is Light
Approved rendering: ദൈവം പ്രകാശമാകുന്നു
Transliteration: daivam prakashamakunnu
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν
Category: God
New term, Critical. Paired ontological statement with ‘God is Love.’ പ്രകാശം carries residual risk of Hindu/Vedantic enlightenment imagery (jyoti, jnana-as-light, Atman as self-luminous); must be anchored to moral purity/truthfulness against sin (1:5b-10), never metaphysical illumination. Only occurrence: 1:5; fix as immutable string.
Propitiation
Approved rendering: പാപപരിഹാരബലി
Transliteration: paapaparihara-bali
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin / The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം
Original: ἱλασμός
Category: Salvation
New term, Critical. NEVER bare പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം (the standing Sanskrit-derived Hindu term for self-performed penance/expiation) without a qualifying clause; this doctrine’s direction is reversed — God supplies the atoning sacrifice, the sinner performs no expiating work. Parallel severity to the baseline’s incarnation/അവതാരം warning. Occurs at 2:2; 4:10.
Antichrist
Approved rendering: എതിർക്രിസ്തു
Transliteration: ethirkristu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology
New term, Critical. A specific, defined category (denial of the Father-Son relationship and that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh, 4:2-3), not a vague metaphor for generic evil or a horror-genre villain figure, a flattening risk in some Malayalam popular/cinematic usage. Occurs at 2:18, 22; 4:3.
Born Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിൽനിന്ന് ജനിച്ചത്
Transliteration: daivathil ninnu janichathu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: പുനര്ജനനം
Original: γεγέννηται ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term, Critical — HIGHEST-PRIORITY new risk in this curriculum. NEVER render as the standalone noun പുനര്ജനനം, a phonetic/etymological near-twin of the baseline’s forbidden term പുനര്ജന്മം (reincarnation), used in Malayalam Hindu tradition for rebirth across a cycle of lives. Always use the verbal phrase (‘one born/begotten of God’), never a bare compound noun built on പുനര്-. Occurs at 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18.
Confess Christ Come In Flesh
Approved rendering: യേശുക്രിസ്തു ജഡത്തില് വന്നു എന്നു ഏറ്റുപറയുന്നു
Transliteration: yeshukristu jadathil vannu ennu ettuparayunnu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist / Testing the Spirits
Original: ὁμολογεῖ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα
Category: Christology
New term, Critical. Direct extension of the baseline’s Critical Incarnation doctrine (മാംസധാരണം); NEVER അവതാരം anywhere in this construction. ജഡം carries its neutral ‘genuine human body/nature’ sense here, distinct from its negative ‘sinful desire’ sense at 2:16. This is 1 John’s explicit test-criterion distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist. Occurs at 4:2-3.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: ഏകജാതനായ പുത്രന്
Transliteration: ekajathanaya puthran
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist / Deity and Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ഏകപുത്രന് (acceptable variant, not rejected)
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
New term, Critical. Extends the baseline’s Critical Sonship-of-Christ doctrine: Christ is categorically unique, not one son/avatar among several divine descents — a live risk given the broader Malayalam corpus’s familiarity with multiple avatara narratives (Rama, Krishna). Occurs at 4:9.
High Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: നീതി
Transliteration: neethi
Doctrine: Salvation / Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: ധര്മ്മം
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ധര്മ്മം. Applied to God’s own character in 1:9 (‘faithful and just/righteous’) and to conduct evidencing new birth in 2:29, 3:7, 10.
Salvation
Approved rendering: രക്ഷ
Transliteration: raksha
Doctrine: Salvation / Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: മോക്ഷം, മുക്തി
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER മോക്ഷം/മുക്തി. Root underlies 4:14’s title ‘Savior of the world’ (ലോകത്തിന്റെ രക്ഷകന്) and the eternal life doctrine of chapter 5.
Election
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പ്
Transliteration: daivathinte thiranjeduppu
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: വിധി, തലയെഴുത്ത്
Inherited from Romans package. Not prominent in 1 John’s own text; retained for cross-curriculum consistency. Never വിധി or തലയെഴുത്ത്.
Love
Approved rendering: സ്നേഹം
Transliteration: sneham
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Love
New term for 1 John (not in baseline). സ്നേഹം is Malayalam’s warm, established Bible term for love, but every occurrence must be anchored to God’s initiating, self-giving action (4:10, 19), never generic affection, romantic പ്രേമം, or Kerala bhakti-tradition devotee-responsive fondness for a deity. Pervasive throughout 2:5-15; 3:1-18; 4:7-21; 5:1-3.
Confess
Approved rendering: ഏറ്റുപറയുക
Transliteration: ettuparayuka
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin / The Incarnation and Antichrist / Christological Confession
Rejected alternatives: ക്ഷമ ലഭിക്കല്
Original: ὁμολογέω
Category: Faith
New term. Two distinct objects of confession (sin, 1:9; Christ’s identity, 2:23; 4:2-3, 15) both use this same verb. Denominational-nuance flag: Catholic/Orthodox readers may associate 1:9 with the sacrament of confession (കുമ്പസാരം); teach as complementary direct-to-God transaction, not contradictory, parallel to the baseline’s saints-intercession precedent.
Blood Of Christ
Approved rendering: രക്തം
Transliteration: raktham
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: τὸ αἷμα Ἰησοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term. Poses no lexical difficulty, but the theological claim sits near two Kerala religious frames requiring distinction: (1) folk-tantric blood-offering practice to appease a deity, the reverse direction — Christ’s blood is given by God himself (4:10), not offered by worshippers; (2) Catholic/Orthodox eucharistic Blood-of-Christ theology, whose sacramental associations exceed but do not contradict 1 John’s forensic/cleansing emphasis. Occurs at 1:7; 5:6, 8.
Advocate
Approved rendering: മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥന്
Transliteration: madhyasthan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life / Christ’s Advocacy
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Christology
New term. Built on the baseline’s മധ്യസ്ഥത (intercession) root but applied here exclusively to Christ’s unique heavenly mediatorial role regarding the guilt of sin (2:1). Must not be blurred with general intercessory prayer among believers (5:16) or Catholic/Orthodox saints-intercession devotional practice — a denominational-emphasis teaching point, not a doctrinal error.
Anointing
Approved rendering: അഭിഷേകം
Transliteration: abhishekam
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: χρῖσμα
Category: Spiritual Discernment
New term. അഭിഷേകം is simultaneously the precise term for a major, highly visible present-day Hindu temple ritual (ceremonial anointing of a deity’s image, e.g. Guruvayur). Cannot be avoided since it underlies established Messianic vocabulary (ക്രിസ്തു); must be explicitly framed as the Holy Spirit’s internal teaching presence given to every believer, never a ritual act upon an external image. Occurs at 2:20, 27.
Test The Spirits
Approved rendering: ആത്മാക്കളെ പരിശോധിക്കുക
Transliteration: aathmakkale parishodhikkuka
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: δοκιμάζετε τὰ πνεύματα
Category: Spiritual Discernment
New term. ആത്മാവ് shares its root with the established പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് (Holy Spirit), but pluralized denotes personal spiritual beings under test — intersecting Kerala folk-Hindu spirit-entity traditions (ഭൂതം/പ്രേതം) and the philosophical ātman category. Must be anchored to the fixed Christological confession test of 4:2-3, never generic paranormal discernment. Occurs at 4:1.
Spirit Of Error
Approved rendering: വഞ്ചനയുടെ ആത്മാവ്
Transliteration: vanchanayude aathmavu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πλάνης
Category: Spiritual Discernment
New term. Set in absolute binary contrast with the Spirit of God (of God / not of God, established by the confession-test of 4:2-3); must not be softened into a spectrum of more-or-less-spiritual sources. Occurs at 4:6.
Spirit Of God Contrast
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ ആത്മാവ്
Transliteration: daivathinte aathmavu
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
New term, distinct entry from the full title Holy Spirit (പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്). Used specifically in the binary contrast of 4:1-6 to identify the genuine divine source of a spiritual utterance, tested by the confession criterion of 4:2-3.
Lawlessness
Approved rendering: ന്യായപ്രമാണലംഘനം
Transliteration: nyayapramana-langhanam
Doctrine: Sin as Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: ധര്മ്മലംഘനം
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin
New term. Must always be built on the established ന്യായപ്രമാണം root; NEVER on ധര്മ്മം (never ധര്മ്മലംഘനം), which would reintroduce the baseline’s forbidden cosmic-duty framework precisely where sin’s personal, relational character against a personal God is being defined. Occurs at 3:4.
Perfect Love
Approved rendering: പൂര്ണ്ണമായ സ്നേഹം
Transliteration: poornnamaya sneham
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: τελεία ἀγάπη
Category: Love
New term. Compound risk (built from both flagged സ്നേഹം and a completeness/maturity claim). Must convey relational maturity/completeness, never sinless moral perfectionism or an ascetic ideal of spiritual perfection through disciplined attainment. Occurs at 4:12, 17-18.
Confidence
Approved rendering: ധൈര്യം
Transliteration: dhairyam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρρησία
Category: Eschatology
New term. Must convey confident standing before the divine Judge grounded in Christ’s finished work, not human courage or stoic self-assurance. Must render identically at every occurrence per the Theological Consistency Rule: 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: നിത്യജീവന്
Transliteration: nithyajeevan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life / Eternal Life
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Same AI-drift risk family as the baseline’s രക്ഷ (salvation): must remain personal, relational, presently possessed (5:12), never drifted toward a മോക്ഷ-style liberation-from-rebirth framing. Occurs at 5:11-13, 20.
Idols
Approved rendering: വിഗ്രഹങ്ങള്
Transliteration: vigrahangal
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits / Exclusive Worship / Warning Against Idols
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Worship
New term. The standard Malayalam word for idols is simultaneously the ordinary term for consecrated images at the center of live, present-day Hindu temple worship across Kerala. Verse (5:21) must not be softened, but teaching material must supply pastoral framing (exclusive loyalty to the ‘true God’ of 5:20 against every counterfeit rival) so the verse functions as intended without becoming an unexplained denunciation of neighbors’ religious practice.
Word Of Life
Approved rendering: ജീവന്റെ വചനം
Transliteration: jeevante vachanam
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist / Word of Life and Apostolic Testimony
Original: ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
New term. വചനം must carry the personal, incarnate-Word sense already established in the Malayalam Bible’s John 1:1, not a merely impersonal ‘teaching/message.’ Directly connects to the Incarnation doctrine. Occurs at 1:1.
True God
Approved rendering: സത്യദൈവം
Transliteration: sathya-daivam
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits / Exclusive Worship
Original: ἀληθινός
Category: God
New term. Must be read together with the immediately following idols warning (5:21): ‘the one genuine God’ as opposed to every counterfeit rival, not ‘a truthful deity among several real ones.’ Occurs at 5:20.
Medium Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ദൈവം
Transliteration: daivam
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: ഭഗവാന്
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In 1 John this is the subject of the book’s two ontological anchor statements, ‘God is Light’ (1:5) and ‘God is Love’ (4:8, 16). Avoid ഭഗവാന്, which carries a Hindu-devotional register.
Faith
Approved rendering: വിശ്വാസം
Transliteration: vishwasam
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ഭക്തി
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. 1 John 5:1, 4-5 ties new birth and overcoming the world directly to faith that Jesus is the Christ; distinguish from ഭക്തി (devotional reverence).
Sin
Approved rendering: പാപം
Transliteration: papam
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability / Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Central to 1:7-9; 2:2, 12; 3:4-9; 4:10; 5:16-18; underlies 1 John’s distinctive definition of sin as lawlessness (3:4, see lawlessness entry).
Law
Approved rendering: ന്യായപ്രമാണം
Transliteration: nyayapramanam
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy / Sin as Lawlessness
Rejected alternatives: ധര്മ്മം
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Root term underlying 1 John 3:4’s definition of sin as lawlessness (ന്യായപ്രമാണലംഘനം); compounds built from this term must never substitute ധര്മ്മം.
Called
Approved rendering: വിളിക്കപ്പെട്ട
Transliteration: vilikkappetta
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. Not prominent in 1 John’s own text; retained for cross-curriculum consistency when teaching calling alongside election/new birth.
Calling
Approved rendering: വിളി
Transliteration: vili
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. Retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Intercession
Approved rendering: മധ്യസ്ഥത
Transliteration: madhyasthatha
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession / Christ’s Advocacy
Original: ἔντευξις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Root shared with 1 John’s distinct, higher-risk ‘Advocate’ term (മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥന്, see advocate below), which applies specifically and exclusively to Christ’s heavenly mediatorial role regarding sin’s guilt (2:1); this general term still applies to intercessory prayer for a brother’s sin (5:16).
Adoption
Approved rendering: ദത്തുപുത്രത്വം
Transliteration: dattuputhratvam
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family / Children of God and Adoption
Rejected alternatives: ദത്തെടുക്കല്
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Complementary to, not redundant with, 1 John’s organic new-birth doctrine of ‘children of God’ (ദൈവമക്കള്, 3:1-2); the two must be taught together as legal (adoption) and organic (new birth) dimensions of the same family membership.
Abba
Approved rendering: അബ്ബാ
Transliteration: abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: אַבָּא
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Not present in 1 John’s own text but retained for cross-curriculum consistency when teaching adoption/children-of-God doctrines alongside Romans 8:15.
Darkness
Approved rendering: ഇരുട്ട് / അന്ധകാരം
Transliteration: iruttu / andhakaram
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: σκοτία
Category: Sin
New term. Moral-relational darkness (sin, deceit), not mere absence of knowledge/ignorance (an ajnana-adjacent framing). Occurs at 1:5-6; 2:8-11.
Forgive
Approved rendering: ക്ഷമിക്കുക
Transliteration: kshamikkuka
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀφίημι
Category: Salvation
New term. ക്ഷമ/ക്ഷമിക്കുക is also the ordinary Hindu ethical virtue-term for patience/forbearance; must be read as God’s judicial cancellation of guilt grounded in Christ’s atoning blood (1:7; 2:2), not a generic virtue of tolerance. Occurs at 1:9; 2:12.
Cleanse
Approved rendering: ശുദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: shudheekarikkunnu
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Sanctification
New term. Moral cleansing from sin’s guilt through Christ’s blood, not ceremonial/ritual purity restoration. Occurs at 1:7, 9; related purification verb (ἁγνίζω) at 3:3.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവമക്കള്
Transliteration: daivamakkal
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth / Children of God and Adoption
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term. Distinct from, but doctrinally complementary to, the baseline’s ദത്തുപുത്രത്വം (adoption, legal/forensic). 1 John’s τέκνα emphasizes organic new-birth family membership; teach both together. Occurs at 3:1-2, 10; 5:2.
World
Approved rendering: ലോകം
Transliteration: lokam
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Direct Sanskrit loanword (loka) denoting a cosmic plane/realm in Hindu cosmology (bhu-loka, deva-loka, the traditional fourteen lokas). Context must control the sense across all three 1 John usages: neutral created-order/humanity sense (4:9, 14), and the dominant negative fallen-moral-system sense (2:15-17; 3:1, 13; 4:1-5, 17; 5:4-5, 19). Never a cosmological-plane reading.
Overcome
Approved rendering: ജയിക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: jayikkunnu
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: νικάω
Category: Eschatology
New term. Victory grounded in God’s word/faith abiding in the believer (2:14; 5:4), not self-achieved spiritual attainment through disciplined practice — a subtle echo risk with ascetic/yogic attainment frameworks. Occurs at 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4-5.
Truth
Approved rendering: സത്യം
Transliteration: sathyam
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits / Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith
New term. Must be kept distinct from the Vedantic metaphysical-absolute usage of the same Sanskrit root (satya as ultimate reality, part of Sat-Chit-Ananda). Relational/propositional truth about Christ’s identity and God’s word. Occurs at 1:6, 8; 2:4, 21; 3:18-19; 4:6; 5:6.
Seed Of God
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിന്റെ വിത്ത്
Transliteration: daivathinte vithu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: ബീജം
Original: σπέρμα αὐτοῦ
Category: Salvation
New term. Prefer the agricultural word വിത്ത് over the biological/reproductive ബീജം to avoid unwanted biological connotations while conveying a generative, life-producing metaphor for God’s own life/nature abiding in the believer. Occurs at 3:9.
Abide
Approved rendering: വസിക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: vasikkunnu
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: μένω
Category: Church
New term. Extremely high-frequency across the whole book (2:6, 10, 24, 27-28; 3:6, 9, 14-15, 17, 24; 4:12-16). Must consistently mark ongoing relational-covenantal indwelling, not mere spatial location. Mandate fixed collocation patterns (e.g. ‘അവനില് വസിക്കുന്നു,’ ‘സ്നേഹത്തില് വസിക്കുന്നു’) so the relational object is never dropped.
Savior Of The World
Approved rendering: ലോകത്തിന്റെ രക്ഷകന്
Transliteration: lokathinte rakshakan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Christology
New term, built transparently on the baseline’s രക്ഷ root; inherits its comparatively low Malayalam risk profile, with the same AI-drift vigilance against മോക്ഷ-family substitution. Occurs at 4:14.
Sin Unto Death
Approved rendering: മരണത്തിനുള്ള പാപം
Transliteration: maranathinulla papam
Doctrine: Sin Unto Death and Intercessory Prayer for Believers
Original: ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον
Category: Sin
New term. Should not be assumed equivalent to the later Catholic mortal-sin/venial-sin moral-theology categories, though readers from that tradition may bring that association; treat as 1 John’s own pastoral-intercessory framing. Occurs at 5:16-17.
Spirit Water Blood
Approved rendering: ആത്മാവ്, ജലം, രക്തം
Transliteration: aathmavu, jalam, raktham
Doctrine: The Threefold Testimony (Spirit, Water, Blood)
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα, τὸ ὕδωρ, τὸ αἷμα
Category: Christology
New term. Catholic/Malankara Orthodox readers may bring sacramental (baptismal/eucharistic) associations to ‘water’ and ‘blood’ that exceed but do not contradict 1 John’s immediate testimonial argument; treat as a denominational-emphasis teaching point. Occurs at 5:6-8.
Understanding
Approved rendering: വിവേകം
Transliteration: vivekam
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: ബോധം
Original: διάνοια
Category: Faith
New term. Prefer വിവേകം (discernment/understanding) over ബോധം, which carries a Sanskrit/Buddhist bodhi (awakening) echo. Standing rule, not case-by-case: always വിവേകം. Occurs at 5:20.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: ജീവന് കൊടുക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: jeevan kodukkunnu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τὴν ψυχὴν τιθέναι
Category: Love
New term. Must retain the self-sacrificial, Christ-imitating sense of giving one’s whole life, not merely spending time or effort. Occurs at 3:16.
Unrighteousness
Approved rendering: അനീതി
Transliteration: aneethi
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀδικία
Category: Sin
New term, built directly on the baseline’s നീതി root; consistent with baseline term family. Occurs at 1:9; 5:17.
Commandment
Approved rendering: കൽപ്പന
Transliteration: kalpana
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Covenant
New term. Must retain the sense of a binding directive received from God (‘we have this commandment from him,’ 4:21), not a self-generated moral aspiration. Recurs at 2:3-4, 7-8; 3:22-24; 4:21; 5:2-3; render identically at every occurrence.
Liar
Approved rendering: ഭോഷ്കു പറയുന്നവന് / കള്ളന്
Transliteration: bhoshku parayunnavan / kallan
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin / Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ψεύστης
Category: Sin
New term. Must retain 1 John’s characteristic bluntness, not a euphemistic softening (‘is mistaken,’ ‘is inconsistent’). Occurs at 1:10; 2:4, 22; 4:20.
Lust Of Flesh Eyes Pride
Approved rendering: ജഡമോഹം, കണ്മോഹം, ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ അഹംഭാവം
Transliteration: jadamoham, kanmoham, jeevithathinte ahambhavam
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: ἐπιθυμία τῆς σαρκός, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, ἀλαζονεία τοῦ βίου
Category: Sin
New term. ജഡം (flesh) shares its root with existing humanity-of-Christ Christology vocabulary and must here be understood in its ethical, not anatomical, sense. Occurs at 2:16.
Children Of Devil
Approved rendering: പിശാചിന്റെ മക്കള്
Transliteration: pisachinte makkal
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τέκνα τοῦ διαβόλου
Category: Sin
New term. The negative counterpart to ‘children of God’ — a real, binary moral-spiritual parentage, not metaphorical hyperbole; must not be softened into a spectrum. Occurs at 3:10.
Parousia
Approved rendering: അവന്റെ വരവ്
Transliteration: avante varavu
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
New term. Standard eschatological vocabulary; grounds present confidence (or shame) in Christ’s certain future return, a fixed future event, not a recurring cyclical event. Occurs at 2:28.
Know God
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തെ അറിയുന്നു
Transliteration: daivathe ariyunnu
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: ജ്ഞാനം (as a substitute noun for relational knowledge — rejected)
Original: γινώσκω τὸν θεόν
Category: Faith
New term. Relational, experiential knowledge of God, not mere intellectual assent. Avoid ജ്ഞാനം, loaded with Vedantic speculative-knowledge associations. Occurs at 2:3-4, 13-14; 4:6-8.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: കൂട്ടായ്മ
Transliteration: koottayma
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship / Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: സൗഹൃദം
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational to 1:3, 6-7 and the doctrine ‘Fellowship with God and One Another.‘
Brother
Approved rendering: സഹോദരന്
Transliteration: sahodaran
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Love
New term. Standard, low-ambiguity Malayalam Bible term; key vocabulary for this doctrine’s title. Occurs at 2:9-11; 3:10, 14-17; 4:20-21.
Joy
Approved rendering: ആനന്ദം / സന്തോഷം
Transliteration: aanandam / santhosham
Doctrine: Joy and Apostolic Purpose in Writing
Original: χαρά
Category: Faith
New term. ആനന്ദം echoes the Hindu/Vedantic term ananda (bliss, part of Satchidananda), but carries minimal devotional loading in ordinary Malayalam usage; note for awareness, not a required substitution. Occurs at 1:4.
Walk
Approved rendering: നടക്കുന്നു / ജീവിക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: nadakkunnu / jeevikkunnu
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
New term. Standard Bible idiom for habitual conduct, not a single act. Occurs at 1:6-7; 2:6, 11.
Hate
Approved rendering: വെറുക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: verukkunnu
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: μισέω
Category: Sin
New term. Diagnostic opposite of love throughout the book; strong verb, must not be softened toward mere indifference. Occurs at 2:9, 11; 3:15; 4:20.
Testimony
Approved rendering: സാക്ഷ്യം
Transliteration: sakshyam
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: μαρτυρία
Category: Faith
New term. Standard legal/testimonial Malayalam vocabulary; low collision risk. Occurs at 4:14; 5:6-11.
Cain
Approved rendering: കയീന്
Transliteration: kayeen
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
New term (proper name). Established Malayalam OT form; historical exemplar of hatred/murder as the devil’s-children pattern (3:12).
Referenced passages