Luke study section
Luke word studies
A handful of Greek words carry the theology of Luke. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.
Key words
σωτηρία (sōtēria) — “Salvation”
Usage: Luke 1:69, 77; 2:30; 3:6; 19:9
Meaning: Salvation, deliverance, rescue, wholeness. Related to sōtēr, “Savior,” and sōzō, “to save.”
Theological Significance: Salvation is Luke’s dominant theme, embodied in the Savior born in Bethlehem and seen by Simeon. It is deliverance from sin and its judgment, offered freely to all who come to Christ (Luke 2:11; 19:10; Acts 4:12).
εὐαγγελίζω (euangelizō) — “To Proclaim Good News”
Usage: Luke 1:19; 2:10; 4:18, 43; 7:22
Meaning: To announce good news, to preach the gospel — the verb behind “evangelize.”
Theological Significance: Jesus came “to proclaim good news to the poor,” and the angels bring “good news of great joy” for all people. The gospel is the announcement of the arriving reign and salvation of God in Christ (Luke 4:18; 4:43).
ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos) — “Sinner”
Usage: Luke 5:32; 7:37; 15:2; 18:13; 19:7
Meaning: A sinner, one who misses the mark; often a term of social and religious contempt.
Theological Significance: Luke shows Jesus as the friend of hamartōloi — He receives them, eats with them, and came “to call sinners to repentance.” The gospel is good news precisely for those who know themselves to be sinners (Luke 5:32; 18:13).
πνεῦμα (pneuma) — “Spirit”
Usage: Luke 1:35; 3:22; 4:1, 18; 11:13
Meaning: Spirit, breath, wind — especially the Holy Spirit, the pneuma hagion.
Theological Significance: Luke foregrounds the Spirit, who conceives, descends upon, and empowers Jesus, and whom the Father gladly gives to those who ask. This emphasis flows on into Acts, the story of the Spirit-filled church (Luke 4:1, 18; 24:49; Acts 1:8).
χαρά (chara) — “Joy”
Usage: Luke 1:14; 2:10; 15:7, 10; 24:52
Meaning: Joy, gladness, rejoicing. Related to chairō, “to rejoice,” and charis, “grace.”
Theological Significance: The coming of the Savior is “good news of great joy,” and heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. Joy frames Luke’s whole Gospel, which ends with the disciples worshiping “with great joy,” a mark of true salvation (Luke 2:10; 15:7; 24:52).
My notes
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