sabbath
a time of rest or ceasing to work. In the Old Testament, God told his people to celebrate Sabbath days (the seventh day of the week and other holidays).
The land was to have a Sabbath year of rest every seventh year.
Jesus often had conflict with the religious leaders of his day about the Sabbath. They had added many rules about what people should not do on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a picture of the rest and peace Jesus' followers have because of his work for them.
sacrifice
an offering or gift given to God to remove the guilt of sin. Throughout the Old Testament, God's people brought sacrifices to God.
The greatest sacrifice was when Jesus gave his own life to pay for sin, once and for all.
God's people today give themselves as "living sacrifices" to serve and praise God.
See also the word offering in this dictionary.
Sadducees
a small but powerful group of religious leaders at the time of Jesus. The Sadducees were mostly priests who followed only the Old Testament law. They did not obey the rules added by the Pharisees. The Sadducees did not believe in any life after death. Like the Pharisees, they were often in conflict with Jesus.
salvation
to be rescued from danger or evil. Salvation is a main idea in the Bible. God will take away all the results of sin. He will bring his creation to a peaceful and friendly relationship with him. In the Old Testament, God saved his people from their enemies many times.
The New Testament shows us that Jesus is the Savior. Only he can save us and our world.
Also "save".
Samaritan
a person from the country of Samaria (part of Palestine). The Jews hated the Samaritans because they had married non-Jews. They also worshiped God differently from the Jews. But Jesus showed his love for the Samaritans by going to them and teaching them about the kingdom of God.
sanctify
to make holy; to set apart to be used by God. The followers of Jesus are sanctified by Jesus' sacrifice for them.
But they must also keep on working to be sanctified. The Holy Spirit helps God's people live holy lives.
Sanhedrin
the most important Jewish court of law in Jesus' time.
Satan
means "adversary." Satan is the enemy of God. He wants to destroy everything God has created. He is also called "the devil" (James 4:7), "the evil one" (1 John 5:18-19), "the prince of this world" (John 14:30) and "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Satan brought evil into the world. He lies, destroys and attacks the people of God.
Jesus came into the world to renew what Satan had destroyed. Satan tried to stop Jesus. But Jesus is God's Son, and he has more power than Satan.
The followers of Jesus can resist Satan by asking for the power of the Lord.
God will one day win a complete victory over Satan.
Savior
rescuer, one who saves from danger and restores health or fortunes, one who sets people free from sin. This is usually a title for Jesus.
sin
perversion of God's good creation, breaking God's law. Sin causes a broken relationship with God. Sin is not a part of our original human nature. God created the first people with the ability to choose whether or not to trust and obey God.
All people now are born with a sinful nature that holds them in slavery. This leads to all kinds of law-breaking.
God sent Jesus to defeat the power of sin and remove its punishment.
When God's people confess their sins, God will forgive them.
In the future, God will take away all the results of sin from his creation.
Son of Man
a title Jesus used for himself during his ministry on earth. In the Old Testament, there is a prophecy about a divine person "one like a son of man." This person would receive an everlasting kingdom and be worshiped by all nations.
Jesus called himself "the Son of Man." This showed that he had the authority and power of a divine person, and yet was also a man.
synagogue
a Greek word meaning "to gather." The Jews gathered at buildings called synagogues to worship God and to study the Scriptures. Each Jewish community also used the synagogue to teach young people.
Jesus went to the synagogue to worship. He also taught there.
Paul used the synagogue as a place to preach the gospel to the Jews.