Christian Terms and Phrases in Spanish
Build your Spanish vocabulary for Christian faith and biblical living with an illustrated bilingual booklet, a quick-reference glossary, and expanded Spanish definitions with Scripture.

Begin with the illustrated booklet
Read definitions of words connected to Christian faith and biblical living, with illustrations and Bible verses to support understanding.
Tips for reading in Spanish
- Skim for overall meaning. Read the whole text for its general content, information, and purpose.
- Use word formation. Verb endings, prefixes, suffixes, and other features offer helpful clues.
- Search out details. Note headings, subheadings, references, italics, bold text, and other quick signposts.
- Look for cognates. Spanish and English words can sometimes share meaning, but watch for false friends.
- Use context. Make educated guesses about unfamiliar words by considering their role in the text.
Swipe left or right through the booklet
Explore the quick-reference glossary
Browse concise terms by theme, or use the alphabet to jump directly to a word.
Faith and belonging
el bautismo
Baptism (often a Christian rite, sometimes seen as an ordinance)
Católico/a · el Catolicísmo
Catholic · Catholicism
un creyente
A believer
el Cristianismo ortodoxo · los Cristianos ortodoxo
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
el Protestante
A Protestant person
God and divine life
el Dios Trino
The triune God
es y son familia
This technically means “is and are a family”; it is used to describe the divine dance of the Trinity.
el Espíritu Santo
The Holy Spirit
Jesucristo · Jesus de Nazaret
Jesus Christ; Christ the King · Jesus of Nazareth
la Santísima Trinidad
The Holy Trinity
la Virgen María · la Madre de Dios
The Virgin Mary · Mother of God. The Virgin Mary is extremely revered and sacred to Latin American thought, perhaps initially because of Mariology in Catholic thought, though it is by no means only a Catholic phenomenon.
Theology and discernment
el discernimiento
Discernment
la escatología
Eschatology (the theological study of the End Times)
hamartiología
Hamartiology (the theological study of sin)
la Teología en conjunto
Dialogical theology often used in Latino/a theology; theological reflection that is collaborative and kaleidoscopic. The sense is of a collective understanding and process of meaning-making made up of multiple perspectives: unity amidst acknowledged and honored diversity.
Sacred life and witness
Encarnada
Embodied, enfleshed, incarnational
evangéliсo/a
Evangelical, i.e. not Catholic; or better: Protestant, by which is meant belief in individual communion with God and Jesus and also in justice. Some evangélicos/as, for example, do not support infant baptism because Catholics do this and so it feels colonial.
hijos y hijas en el Espíritu
Sons and daughters in the Spirit
hijos y hijas de Dios
Sons and daughters of God
el Pecado
Sin
el Sacramento
Sacrament
santo/a
Holy, sanctified
un Testimonio
This seems like “testimony,” and it is, but it has a sense of humility closer to “witnessing.” It deals with the presence of God manifesting in one’s day-to-day. It is less about one’s faith journey and more about how God has shown up for you.