sancti¿ cation: From sanctus, the Latin word for “holy,” the process by
which a person becomes holy. In Protestant theologies, this is contrasted with
justi¿ cation, which is typically treated as a once in a lifetime event, an act of
God, which takes place at conversion, in which God forgives people’s sins,
imputes to them the merits of Christ, declares them righteous, and bestows
salvation (hence later Protestants often equate justi¿ cation with salvation),
but does not make a real inward change in their hearts. Sancti¿ cation is the
name for the process of real inward transformation that begins immediately
at conversion and results in holy living. In the Holiness traditions stemming
from Wesley, the term typically refers to the stage of Christian perfection or
entire sancti¿ cation.
sanctifying grace: Standard English translation of the Roman Catholic
theological term gratia gratum faciens, literally “grace that makes [a person]
acceptable,” it is the supernatural but created form or habit that is infused
into the soul so as to make it righteous before God and capable of the
theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
sanctus: The Latin word for “holy,” the name of a prayer early in the
eucharistic liturgy which begins, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts.”
satisfaction: From a Latin verb meaning “to do enough” (the basic idea
being to “make up for” some wrong or injustice you have done to someone
else). In Anselm’s theory of atonement, the term refers to the payment of an
in¿ nite debt which sinners incur by their offense against the in¿ nite majesty
of God—a payment that no one is capable of making except God-made-man.
This term is also a technical term in the sacrament of Penance, meaning what
penitents must do after absolution to make up for their sins.
Schleitheim Confession: The most important doctrinal statement of the
early Anabaptist movement, published in Switzerland in 1527.
scholasticism: University based theology in the west from the Middle Ages
to the 18th century. Aquinas is a medieval scholastic theologian, in contrast
to Anselm, who is a medieval monastic theologian (you ¿ nd Aquinas at
universities and Anselm in monasteries). In the 17th century there also arose
a Protestant form of scholasticism, against which Pietism was a reaction.