Skip to content
The Historic Faith
Sign in

Jumpstarter 6 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion
Question 6
Bercot lists non-biblical terms such as “Revival,” “Legalism,” “Trinity,” “Incarnation,” “Missionary,” “Altar Call,” and “Born Again Experience.” What does our dependence on non-scriptural vocabulary reveal about the difference between claiming to believe only the Bible and actually practicing that claim?
Another way to ask: Bercot lists words not found in the Bible, like “Revival,” “Legalism,” “Trinity,” “Incarnation,” “Missionary,” “Altar Call,” and “Born Again Experience.” What does our use of these words show about the difference between saying we believe only the Bible and actually doing it?

Direct Answer

Bercot argues that reliance on non-scriptural vocabulary shows that Christians do not actually speak, teach, or think with the Bible alone, even when they claim to. Their beliefs are often expressed through terms and categories not found in Scripture.

Support from Transcript

- He says members of such churches “cannot even express what they believe without using language that is not in Scripture.” - His examples include “Revival, Legalism, Trinity, Incarnation, Missionary, Altar Call, and Born Again Experience.” - He even notes, “Even the term ‘Bible’ is not a Scriptural term.” - He clarifies, “I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with these terms.” - He observes that some terms, “like ‘Trinity,’ we have borrowed from the early church.” - His main point is that “we have all added so much to Scripture” that many cannot describe their faith using only scriptural language.

Discussion Follow-ups

The transcript does not condemn all non-biblical terminology; it uses the vocabulary issue to expose inconsistency in claims of using only Scripture.