If you did not grow up in church, Christian conversation can sound like a language everyone else already knows. Some of its words are worth learning. Others just need a clearer explanation.
I have been a Christian since childhood, and even I have found myself wondering what some of these expressions actually mean. If you have ever heard a phrase in church and thought, “What does that mean in ordinary language?”, this guide is for you.
Christianese is shorthand for the words and expressions used within Christian communities. Some come directly from the Bible. Others come from hymns, tradition, or everyday church conversation. Here are eighteen common examples, with a plain-language translation and a little context. Christians sometimes explain these ideas differently; these definitions give you a starting point for asking more.
The Lord works in mysterious ways
Plain-language translation: “I trust God, even though I do not understand what is happening.”
This familiar saying expresses trust in God’s wisdom when events seem confusing. It is not a direct Bible quotation, and it does not explain why a particular painful event happened. When someone is grieving, listening and offering practical care may be more helpful than saying it.
Read Isaiah 55:8–9 for a related idea about God’s thoughts and ways.
The old man / the new man
Plain-language translation: “The person I was, and the new way of life I am learning through Christ.”
Often translated “old self” and “new self,” these expressions describe a change in how someone lives. They are not about age or being male. The surrounding passage connects the change with concrete actions, such as speaking truthfully and treating people kindly.
An unblemished lamb
Plain-language translation: “Jesus is described as a sacrifice without fault.”
Literally, an unblemished lamb is a lamb without a defect. The image draws on sacrificial language in the Bible. Christians use it to speak about Jesus’ sinlessness and his death on behalf of others.
The fruit of the Spirit
Plain-language translation: “The qualities that grow in a person’s life as God’s Spirit shapes them.”
“Fruit” is a picture of what grows in someone’s life. Galatians names love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Responding patiently when you might once have lashed out is one example of the change Christians are describing.
Washed in the blood
Plain-language translation: “Forgiven and made clean through Jesus’ sacrificial death.”
This is a metaphor, not a literal washing. Blood represents Jesus’ life given in his death; washing represents cleansing from sin. The phrase combines imagery that can sound startling without its biblical context.
Born again
Plain-language translation: “Given a new spiritual beginning by God.”
In John 3, Jesus speaks with Nicodemus about a birth brought about by the Spirit. The expression can also be translated “born from above.” Christians use it to describe new life with God, rather than a second physical birth. It does not mean a person immediately becomes perfect.
Grace
Plain-language translation: “God’s generous kindness, given rather than earned.”
Grace describes God’s favor and help, not a reward for collecting enough good deeds. When someone says they are “saved by grace,” they mean their relationship with God rests on his gift rather than their ability to deserve it.
Faith
Plain-language translation: “Trusting God and responding to him.”
In Christian conversation, faith involves more than knowing religious facts. It includes trust that shapes a person’s actions. Having faith does not mean never having a question or never admitting uncertainty.
Saved / salvation
Plain-language translation: “Rescued from sin and its consequences, and brought into life with God through Jesus.”
“Saved” can sound incomplete because it raises the question, “Saved from what?” Christians connect salvation with forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and freedom from sin and death. Different traditions emphasize different aspects of how this rescue is received and lived out.
Repentance
Plain-language translation: “Recognizing what is wrong and turning toward a different way of living.”
Repentance is more than feeling embarrassed or saying sorry. It involves a change of direction. If someone has harmed another person, that can include admitting the harm, making amends where possible, and changing the behavior.
The gospel
Plain-language translation: “The good news about Jesus and what God has done through him.”
“Gospel” means good news. Christians use it for the message about Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and the life with God he offers. “The Gospels” also names the four biblical accounts of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Sin
Plain-language translation: “What goes against God’s goodness and the life he intends for us.”
Sin includes harmful actions, motives, and failures to do what is right. It is not simply another word for breaking a church custom. Christian teaching also speaks of sin as a deeper condition from which people need God’s help.
Fellowship
Plain-language translation: “Sharing life, faith, and mutual care with other people.”
A church might call coffee after a service “fellowship,” but the idea is broader than socializing. It includes belonging, learning together, sharing resources, and supporting one another.
A testimony
Plain-language translation: “A personal account of how someone has experienced God or come to faith.”
“Sharing your testimony” usually means telling your own story. It might describe becoming a Christian, finding help in difficulty, or a change in outlook. It need not be dramatic, and one person’s experience is not a template everyone else must follow.
Read Acts 22:1–16 for Paul’s account of his experience.
Conviction / feeling convicted
Plain-language translation: “Becoming aware of something wrong that I need to face or change.”
Christians may understand this awareness as a prompting from the Holy Spirit, God present and active in their lives. Here, “conviction” means recognizing a need to change. It has a different meaning from a legal conviction or a strongly held opinion. Christians also need to examine a powerful feeling carefully before assuming it comes from God.
A calling
Plain-language translation: “A purpose or responsibility I believe God is inviting me to pursue.”
A calling can refer to following Jesus generally or to a particular kind of service. It is not limited to becoming a pastor. When someone says they “feel called,” they mean they believe God is giving them a direction. Working out what that means can take time, wise advice, and careful thought about the choices involved.
Read 1 Corinthians 12:4–7 on different gifts and forms of service.
Sanctification
Plain-language translation: “Being set apart for God and becoming more like Christ.”
This theological word includes belonging to God and the shaping of a person’s life. Christians often use it for growth in love, integrity, and holiness. Traditions differ in how they explain its stages, but it is more than trying to look religious.
Amen
Plain-language translation: “Yes; let it be so.”
Often said at the end of a prayer, “amen” expresses agreement or affirmation. It is not a special word that makes a prayer work. Saying it after someone else’s prayer can mean you join in what they have prayed.
Keep the conversation open
“What do you mean by that?” is a good question. A word can have a biblical meaning, a church meaning, and a personal meaning that do not quite match. Ask for context, read the surrounding passage, and give people room to explain.
If you are explaining your faith, use language your listener can understand. Explain what you mean, and be willing to listen. An unfamiliar phrase can become the beginning of a good conversation.
Where Christians read differently
Who should be baptized, and what does baptism do? “Born again” describes new life from God, but Christians explain its relation to baptism differently. Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran accounts closely connect new birth with baptism; many evangelicals emphasize coming to personal faith and regard baptism as its public expression. Reformed accounts often explain infant baptism through the child’s place among the people of God’s covenant promises. The disagreement concerns the meaning of the practice as well as who receives it. Compare the arguments →
How do faith, grace, and good works belong together? Christian traditions agree that salvation depends on God’s grace, but differ about how people are put right with God, grow in holiness, and express faith through action. Many Protestants distinguish being accepted by faith alone from the good works that follow. Catholic accounts emphasize grace-enabled faith working through love; Orthodox accounts stress healing and participation in God’s life. Each tradition seeks to explain how God’s gift changes a person’s life. Compare the arguments →
How does Jesus’ death bring salvation? Expressions such as “washed in the blood” and “an unblemished lamb” draw on biblical images of sacrifice and cleansing. Christians connect these with Christ’s saving death, while differing about the relationship between substitution, reconciliation, victory, and healing. The images are a starting point for understanding those arguments; they do not by themselves establish one theory as the view of every church. Compare the arguments →
A question in the margin is a good place to begin.