Passage
Romans 1
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Glossary Term
Apostle
Established CUV term; no significant folk-religion collision.
ROM.1.1
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Doctrine
Apostleship
Low collision risk: 使徒 is an established, specific term.
ROM.1.1
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Glossary Term
Called
NEVER use 天命所归 ('the one to whom the Mandate of Heaven has returned') — classical Chinese political-legitimacy language for a ruler chosen by an impersonal cosmic mandate.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Glossary Term
Calling
NEVER use 天命 (tiānmìng, Mandate of Heaven) alone for the noun form — it carries a specific, loaded political-theological history (the basis for imperial legitimacy in classical Chinese political thought) that turns a personal divine summons into an impersonal cosmic entitlement.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Doctrine
Christian Fellowship
Shared participation in Christ; not a ritualized sworn-brotherhood pact (结拜) or mere social association.
ROM.1.12
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Glossary Term
Covenant
Relational, divinely initiated covenant bond.
ROM.1.3
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Glossary Term
David
CUV standard proper name form.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Davidic Covenant
Requires OT background explanation; no directly analogous concept of a perpetual royal covenant promise exists in Chinese dynastic tradition, where legitimacy is understood as a revocable Mandate of Heaven rather than an unconditional promise to one line.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Deity of Christ
CRITICAL: co-equal, eternal divine nature — not a human ruler elevated to semi-divine status, as in the historic Chinese emperor's Mandate-of-Heaven-derived legitimacy.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Divine Calling
Must be kept distinct from 天命 (Mandate of Heaven), the classical Chinese concept of an impersonal cosmic mandate legitimizing a ruler.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.6-7
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Glossary Term
Exhort
Standard term for encouraging/urging fellow believers.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Faith
Personal trust in Christ specifically; not generic religious devoutness (虔诚) that could be directed at any deity or practice.
ROM.1.17
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Glossary Term
Faith
Personal trust placed in Christ specifically; object of faith must be stated in context.
ROM.1.17
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Glossary Term
Fellowship
团契 is a Chinese Christian coinage for shared participation in Christ.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Fulfillment of Prophecy
Linear, one-time historical fulfillment (OT to NT), not the cyclical dynastic-rise-and-fall pattern (治乱循环, the recurring order-chaos-order cycle of Chinese historiography) that shapes how many Chinese readers intuitively read long historical narratives.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Glory
Avoid collapsing into 面子 (miànzi, 'face'/social reputation) or 光宗耀祖 (bringing honor to one's ancestors and lineage) — both reduce God's radiant divine glory to human social status and family honor.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
God
CRITICAL: this Language Package standardizes on 神 (the CUV 'Shen edition' reading) rather than 上帝 (Shàngdì) to avoid the specific historical association of 上帝 with the pre-Christian Shang/Zhou dynasty high god who was the object of the emperor's exclusive state border sacrifice — a term some 19th-century missionaries favored precisely for continuity with that royal cult.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Gospel
福音 is an established, unambiguous term, but its root character 福 (fortune/blessing) sits inside the same semantic field as folk fortune-seeking language; teaching must make clear the gospel is news of salvation through Christ, not an omen of coming luck.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Gospel
Established CUV term, literally 'blessing-news'.
ROM.1.1, ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Humanity of Christ
Real, physical human nature, not a temporary manifestation-body (化身) that a deity could shed or exchange for another form.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Incarnation
CRITICAL: the established phrase 道成肉身 borrows 道 (Dao), which also names the impersonal cosmic principle of Daoist metaphysics — every use must clarify this is the personal, eternal divine Word, not an impersonal Way.
ROM.1.3
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Glossary Term
Incarnation
CRITICAL: established Chinese Christian phrase ('the Dao/Word became flesh', echoing John 1:14) is itself carefully chosen but requires ongoing vigilance: 道 (dào) also names the impersonal cosmic principle of Daoist metaphysics, so the phrase must always be taught as the personal, eternal divine Word taking flesh, not an impersonal cosmic Way manifesting.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Inspiration of Scripture
Distinguish God-breathed Scripture from the Chinese classical canon (经, jīng, as in the Confucian Five Classics or Daoist Daodejing), which is authoritative as sage-wisdom rather than as the direct, verbal communication of a personal God through human authors.
ROM.1.2
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Glossary Term
Jesus
CUV standard transliteration, used uniformly across all Chinese Bible traditions.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Justification
CRITICAL: established CUV compound, literally 'called/reckoned righteous' — a forensic declaration, not a process.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Law
The Mosaic Law.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Lord
Established term.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Lordship of Christ
CRITICAL: Romans 10:9 — '耶稣是主' is the salvation confession.
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Messiah
CRITICAL: 基督 (transliteration of 'Christos') is the CUV standard, used far more than the direct transliteration 弥赛亚 (mísàiyà).
ROM.1.3-4
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Doctrine
Messianic Promise
CRITICAL: must not be conflated with Maitreya (弥勒), the future Buddha expected in Chinese Buddhist eschatology to appear and save the world in a coming age — a figure historically invoked by Chinese millenarian folk-religious movements.
ROM.1.3-4
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Glossary Term
Mission
Historically, Christianity in China was labeled 洋教 (yángjiào, 'foreign/Western religion'), a term carrying colonial-era and anti-imperialist connotations from the 19th-20th centuries.
ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14
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Doctrine
Mission to the Nations
Cultural sensitivity: Christianity has historically been labeled 洋教 ('foreign/Western religion') in China, carrying 19th-20th century colonial-era connotations.
ROM.1.5, ROM.1.13-14
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Doctrine
Mutual Edification
Building one another up in faith; no significant doctrinal risk.
ROM.1.12
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Doctrine
Obedience of Faith
Obedience that flows from faith already given, not filial-duty obedience (孝顺) discharged as a debt owed to a superior.
ROM.1.5
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Glossary Term
Obedience Of Faith
Romans 1:5 and 16:26.
ROM.1.5
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Glossary Term
Power Of God
NEVER use 气 (qì, the vital life-energy of Chinese medicine, qigong, and martial-arts/Daoist cosmology) or 法力 (ritual/magical power of a folk practitioner).
ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Power of God for Salvation
大能 required; never 气 (vital life-energy of Chinese medicine/qigong/martial-arts cosmology) or 法力 (a folk practitioner's ritual power).
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Prophecy
God-inspired declaration of what he will do; distinguish from 算卦/占卜 (divination, e.g.
ROM.1.2-4
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Glossary Term
Prophet
God's spokesperson; distinguish from 算命先生 (suànmìng xiānsheng, a fortune-teller).
ROM.1.2
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Glossary Term
Resurrection
CRITICAL: NEVER use 轮回 (lúnhuí, the cycle of reincarnation) or 投胎 (tóutāi, being reborn into a new womb) — both are Buddhist rebirth concepts describing an ongoing cycle, the opposite of a once-for-all bodily resurrection.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Resurrection of Christ
CRITICAL: 复活, not 轮回 (reincarnation cycle) or 投胎 (rebirth into a new womb) or 还魂 (folk ghost-story reanimation).
ROM.1.4
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Glossary Term
Righteousness
CRITICAL: 义 is also one of the Confucian Five Constant Virtues (仁义礼智信) — a social-ethical duty of rightness owed within relationships, cultivated by moral effort.
ROM.1.16
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Doctrine
Sainthood (Called to be Holy)
All believers are 圣徒 corporately; 圣人 (sage) is a specific, elevated Confucian category reserved for a tiny number of morally perfected figures like Confucius (至圣) and must not be implied.
ROM.1.7
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Doctrine
Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER 解脱 (Buddhist liberation from samsara) or 超度 (a posthumous rite performed on behalf of the dead).
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use 解脱 (jiětuō) — Buddhist liberation from the cycle of samsara/suffering, the rough functional equivalent of Hindu moksha.
ROM.1.16
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Glossary Term
Seed Of David
Romans 1:3; conveys physical lineage and OT covenant fulfillment.
ROM.1.3
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Doctrine
Separation unto God's Service
Must not be confused with the Daoist/Buddhist ideal of withdrawing from worldly life to pursue ritual purity or immortality through seclusion.
ROM.1.1
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Glossary Term
Sin
罪 also means criminal guilt (as in 罪犯, 'criminal') and, in folk usage, is linked to 报应 (bàoyìng, karmic retribution for wrongdoing across a person's fortune/lineage).
ROM.1.18
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Glossary Term
Son Of God
CRITICAL: NEVER use 天子 ('Son of Heaven') — the historic title of the Chinese emperor, whose legitimacy rested on the Mandate of Heaven, a political-religious office rather than eternal deity.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Sonship of Christ
CRITICAL: NEVER equate with 天子 ('Son of Heaven'), the historic imperial title held by any legitimate emperor under the Mandate of Heaven.
ROM.1.4
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Doctrine
Spiritual Gifts
Spirit-given enablements for building up the church; not 神通 (supernatural powers attained through Buddhist/Daoist spiritual cultivation) or 法力 (a folk-religion practitioner's ritual power).
ROM.1.11
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Glossary Term
Spiritual Gifts
Always use the compound 属灵恩赐, never 恩赐 alone.
ROM.1.11
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Doctrine
Thanksgiving
Standard term; minor risk of generic secular gratitude without reference to God specifically.
ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21
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Glossary Term
Thanksgiving
Standard term.
ROM.1.8, ROM.1.21
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Doctrine
Universal Human Accountability
All humanity equally guilty before God, regardless of social or civilizational standing; retain universal language without softening toward a graded moral-hierarchy reading.
ROM.1.18
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Doctrine
Universal Scope of the Gospel
No ethnic or civilizational barrier to the gospel; must resist any framing that echoes the classical Hua-Yi (华夷) civilized-insider/outsider distinction.
ROM.1.16