Christianese. It’s the sometimes crazy language used in church. It may sound strange that Christianity has its own language, but if you think about it, everything has its own lingo!
No matter what you do for work, there is a language exclusive to that field. You use those words among coworkers without giving it a second thought. Those you work with understand what’s being communicated. If you are employed in retail, you may have a job as a POS associate. If you don’t know, POS is an acronym for point-of-sale, aka a cashier or a check-out clerk – depending on your age. In my day, if you were a POS, it was an insult, not a cashier…but that’s another story!
I once took a class in plant pathology. During the first week, I was completely lost. The instructor quickly explained the definitions we needed, and then he took off running! He rattled on about disease cycles and fruiting bodies, and I had no idea what was going on. Although he had explained the terms, it didn’t stick in my brain. I finally had to sit down and write the definitions on flashcards. Once I understood the language, the class was a breeze. That being said, I probably should have written this post a little sooner, but better late than never!
Definition of Christianese
What is Christianese? It’s a language that Christian churches use. Some things are biblical terminology, some are theological, and some are just made up! If you don’t know any Christianese, read on! If you are a church-goer, read on! ‘Cuz you church-goers need to take a look at what you’re saying and how others perceive you!
Salvation
Although many Christian terms are used, I’m only going to take a look at one. Salvation. This is a biblical term that really needs to be understood. Salvation is used multiple times in the old (Yesua in Hebrew) and new testaments (Soteria in Greek).
According to Zondervan’s NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the definition of both words is:
“salvation, rescue, deliverance, the state of not being in grave danger and so being safe; this can refer to ordinary dangers and conditions on earth, but it usually refers to the state of believers being safe from righteous wrath in a proper relationship with God: be saved.”
Believers use several synonyms of salvation; born-again, saved, asked Jesus into my heart, Jesus lives in me, and Jesus is the Lord of my life. Two other noteworthy phrases annoy me the most: washed by the blood and covered by the blood…eeeewwwww! I’m sorry, but that sounds so disgusting! Washed in blood??? Covered by the blood???
Where do Those Term Originate?
First off, let me assure you neither of those things is a literal washing or covering! It’s Christianese! And it’s pretty disgusting sounding. If someone is “washed or covered in the blood,” it means they are saved or born again or whatever term you want to use. This statement is often connected to Revelation 1:5 and the old English translation of The King James Version:
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood…”
The same verse in the new Passion Translation reads:
“And from Jesus Christ the Faithful Witness, the Firstborn from among the dead and the ruling King, who rules over the kings of the earth! Now to the one who constantly loves us and has loosed us from our sins by his own blood…”
The Passion Translation definitely makes more sense and sounds less gross. In other words, when you are saved, you are forgiven for your sins because of the blood that Jesus shed when he was crucified. Hebrews states that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. While I can assure you, there is no literal washing in blood; I can also say that it sounds like it came straight out of a horror movie.
When I was very young, the movie “Carrie” came out. I didn’t know much about it until it made it onto HBO in middle school. At that point, one scene was the talk of the 7th grade. A bucket of pigs’ blood was dumped onto one of the characters. Gross! I don’t do horror movies, but the thought of washing in blood can conjure up strange thoughts!
There are so many weird things that Christians say, but those are the only ones I’m going to discuss for now. I want to be sure that you understand the definition of salvation and all the synonyms that go with it.
To the Christians
As I’ve gone through life, I’ve made mental notes of how not to act. For example, when I started my first “real job,” I found my new coworkers less than friendly and inviting. I remember thinking to myself, “If I don’t quit this place immediately, I will make sure any newbies get treated better than me.” I worked there for six years and saw many new hires come through. I made sure to stop at their cubicles and invite them to break and lunch with the rest of the group. Then I talked to them during those times.
That being said, fellow believers, remember what it was like when you first started learning biblical stuff and attending a church or small group. Did you know what the group meant when they said that Jesus lived in them? How did you feel when someone put you on the spot and wanted to know if you were saved? If you weren’t saved, were you bombarded with questions about the “sin you were living in?” Or about how you were going straight to hell if you died in a fiery car wreck on the way home? I heard that stuff enough when I was young, and just like I made notes on how to treat new coworkers, I made notes on how to treat people who didn’t know anything about God. Sometimes people are checking out Christianity and taking their time. They want to understand what’s so great about Jesus and if they want to head in that direction. I didn’t like being put on the spot and answering to demanding people. It’s rude, intimidating, and made me want to stay away.
Watch your Christianese! You may sound weird, scary, and downright gross to someone who doesn’t understand yet – washed in the blood? It sounds like a horror movie!
Until next time, be blessed!
