6 markers

Explain two Christian teachings about the incarnation.

• The incarnation of Jesus is the teaching that Jesus is God made flesh / God in human form: John 1:14.

• Jesus was fully God and fully human / He was God the Son, and part of the Trinity.

• God was incarnated as Jesus / for around 30 years.

• Two of the Gospels explain that the incarnation was brought about by God’s power /rather than by the normal means of sexual reproduction.

• The fact that Jesus was fully human / means that he was able to suffer / and these two ideas are together in the (Nicene) Creed: Jesus became incarnate from the Virgin Mary /and for our sake he suffered and was buried.

• Textual references: eg the appearance of the angel to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) / and to Joseph in Matthew (1:20-21).

• Jesus’ incarnation means that he was able to understand what it is like to be fully human /eg the misery of human suffering.

• The incarnation shows how much God loved the world and human beings, etc.

Explain two Christian beliefs about the causes of sin

• Sin can be caused by many things, particularly the mind, eg: lust (Matthew 5:28 – ‘Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart’) / greed/love of money (Luke 16, the unjust steward) / love of material things (Luke 16:13 – ‘You cannot serve both God and worldly things’) / violence (Matthew 5:39 – ‘Do not resist one who is evil – if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to him also’ / repeated sin (Jesus in John 8:34: ‘Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin’), etc.

• Some believe that Satan / the Devil causes people to sin / tempts people to sin, eg the temptations of Jesus (Luke 4:1–13), where Jesus is tempted by such things as bodily hunger and promises of worldly power.

• Also, some understand ‘lead us not into temptation’ in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13) to mean, ‘Do not let us be tempted to sin by others, by ourselves, or by Satan’.

• Some Christians believe the story in the Book of Genesis, where sin originated in the Garden of Eden / when humans disobeyed God / ate the forbidden fruit / thought they could be like God.

• Some think that all humans inherit the ‘original’ sin of Adam & Eve / some understand Jesus’ forgiveness of the sins of the paralysed man (Mark 2:1–12) in this light.

• Some believe that God causes sin / because as the Creator God is responsible for everything that exists / God made humans imperfect / God gave us free will / so for these reasons humans sin.

• Sin can be caused by separation from God / eg Adam and Eve were punished by being thrown out of the Garden.

• Credit wider social causes of sin, such as poverty, upbringing, addiction, etc.

Explain two Christian beliefs about the role of Jesus Christ in salvation

• Salvation means to be saved from sin and the consequences of sin.

• Some Christians believe that sin entered the world through the ‘original sin’ of Adam and Eve /when they ignored God’s command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil / the result of disobedience was separation from God, and death (Genesis 2 & 3).

• Christians believe that salvation from sin comes from the life and teachings of Jesus / St Paul explains this in Romans 6:23: ‘The wages of sin is death, but God’s free gift is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord’.

• Jesus was aware that his death was necessary in order to restore the right relationship between humans and God / to make forgiveness and eternal life possible for all people.

• Jesus allowed himself to be crucified by the Romans / even though he was innocent of the charges brought against him by the Romans and the Jews / so his crucifixion was the execution of an innocent man / Jesus was the Son of God, so he had miraculous powers / and could have escaped crucifixion / and some of those near him at the crucifixion urged him to do that (Matthew 27:42 – ‘He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.’).

• After his death in this way, the Gospels record that Jesus rose from the dead / and that God accepted Jesus’s sacrifice as an ‘atonement’ for human sin / the idea of the Atonement therefore means that salvation became available for all humans / because Jesus’ suffering and death restored the right relationship between humans and God / so the author of 1 John says: ‘If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ. He is the atoning sacrifice for sins’ / humans can return to paradise/live for ever in paradise / by believing in Jesus and following his teachings.

• Peter says (Acts 4:12) that salvation exists through Jesus and no one else: ‘there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.’

• St Paul summarises Jesus’ role in salvation by saying: ‘If you say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ (Romans 10:9-10), etc.

Explain two Christian teachings about sin

• Christians generally understand sin as any action or thought that goes against God / eg murder sins against God’s commandment not to murder (Exodus 20:13) / murder is wrong not because it is against the law but because God forbids it as being a sin.

• Some Christians teach that humans are born with a tendency to commit sin / they derive this idea from the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 / who sinned by breaking God’s instruction not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

• The sin of Adam and Eve is seen by some as the ‘original sin’ / a doctrine from St Augustine / and some Christians believe that original sin is present in every human / until it is removed by baptism.

• Some teach that sin was brought about by Satan, who (in the form of the serpent) tempted Eve to eat the fruit (Genesis 3:1-7) / others see sin as the result of God’s gift to humans of free will.

• Having free will makes people responsible for their actions / so some Christians think that humans are judged by God when they die.

• Christians believe that they are saved from sin by God’s grace / so long as they repent.

• Christians believe that they can be saved from sin because Jesus died in order to bring that about / Christians have different beliefs about how salvation from sin works / eg by obeying God’s laws / by having one’s sins forgiven through God’s grace, etc.

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”‘ (Genesis 3:4-5).

• ‘… she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ (Matthew 1:21).

• ‘… that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins – he said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.”’ (Mark 2:10-11).

• ‘… Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick;I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”’ (Luke 5:31-32).

• ‘… for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’ (Matthew 26:28).

• ‘And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”’ (Luke 7:48-50)

• References to the sin of breaking one of the Ten Commandments, eg ‘You shall not kill.’ (Exodus 20:13); ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (Exodus 20:14); ‘You shall not steal.’ (Exodus 20:15), et

Explain two Christian beliefs about the crucifixion of Jesus

• Jesus was crucified as part of God’s plan / to redeem humanity from sin.

• Jesus himself taught his disciples that he would be delivered into human hands / he would be killed and rise after three days. (Mark 9:30-32; also Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

• Christians believe that Jesus’ crucifixion was a fulfilment of scripture / eg John 19:31-37 records that Jesus’ legs were not broken, to fulfil the scripture that ‘Not a bone of him shall be broken’.

• Jesus’ death teaches forgiveness / Jesus forgave those who crucified him because they did not understand the significance of what they were doing / forgiveness of others can accompany the worst pains.

• The crucifixion shows that Jesus’ crucifixion was a very painful death / so Christians are taught that God understands human pain.

• One of the criminals crucified with Jesus mocked him angrily, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ / Christians are taught that Jesus did not use his power to save himself / he endured suffering / he was able to ignore mockery.

• The crucifixion shows that suffering is a part of life / so Christians can deal with whatever suffering they encounter.

• Jesus told one of the two men crucified with him that he would be with God in paradise / so Christians are taught that the pain of crucifixion can lead to the blessings of an afterlife.

• The centurion in charge of Jesus’ crucifixion said, ‘Surely this man was a/the son of God’ (Mark 15:39) / which teaches that even the most righteous Christians can suffer unjustly.

• Christians are taught that by accepting Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross / sin cannot destroy their lives/ suffering is part of life.

• Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross through execution (by means of crucifixion) / in order for the forgiveness of sins to be possible, etc

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him … and after three days he will rise.’ (Mark 9:31)

• ‘For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.’ (1 Corinthians 15:3)

• ‘And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” ’ (Luke 23:34)

• ‘He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, the chosen of God.’ (Luke 23:35)

• ‘One of the criminals railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ’ (Luke 23:39)

• ‘And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” ’ (Luke 23:43)

• ‘Surely this man was a/the son of God.’ (Mark 15:39)

• ‘For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.’ (Nicaean Creed)

Explain two Christian teachings about life after death

• One Christian teaching about life after death is that the dead are resurrected / the Apostles’ Creed contains the statement, ‘I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting’ / accordingly many Christians believe that the afterlife is bodily / and that it is forever / for eternity.

• There are different Christian teachings about what the resurrection body is like / some argue that the resurrection body cannot be the same as the body we have now (which rots, etc.) / many therefore accept St Paul’s teaching that the body is sown perishable but raised imperishable / it is sown in dishonour but raised in glory / it is sown in weakness but raised in power / it is sown a natural body and raised a spiritual body.

• Some ask what happens if the present body is disfigured or lost through fire, for example? / how will people recognise each other in the resurrection? / many Christians teach that what continues after death is the soul / which is non-physical and eternal (being non-physical it cannot be killed).

• Another teaching is that after death people are judged by God / and go to heaven or hell (or an intermediate state of purgatory) / depending on how the person has behaved on earth / as described in the Parable of the Sheep & Goats / the Judgement of the Nations.

• Some Christians might look to the teaching of Jesus where he says that in the resurrection people neither marry nor are given in marriage / but are like the angels.

• Accept different ideas about what life after death is like / eg a reuniting with those who have died before / with accompanying feelings of absolute / definitive happiness, etc. / being in a relationship with God and Jesus (who will sit at God’s right hand) and the angels / some might refer to the idea of a messianic banquet / some might suggest that life after death is beyond our understanding / some might refer to afterlife ‘events’ such as the second coming of Christ.

• Some Christians teach that each individual has a unique identity / which in some way will remain after death, etc.

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

• ‘At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.’ (Matthew 22:30)

• ‘So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.’ (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

• ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live.’ (John 11:24-25)

• ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be whereI am.’ (John 14:1-3)

• ‘I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.’ (Apostles Creed)

Explain two Christian teachings about original sin

• The doctrine of original sin was taught by the Church (St Augustine) / used by some Christians to explain why humans are born with an inherited guilt or tendency to sin against God / as an explanation for evil in the world / which links to the purpose of baptism for Christians.

• According to this teaching, the original human sin was that of disobedience / according to the Bible (Genesis 3) Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instruction not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil / due to God’s gift of free-will.

• In the story, Adam and Eve disobeyed God because of the cunning of the crafty serpent / later Christian teachings identify the serpent as Satan.

• Adam and Eve in the story are the first human pair / the ‘fruit’ of the tree may refer to sexual awareness / which is shared by all humans / since all humans descend from Adam and Eve.

• The story of the original sin of Adam and Eve teaches that death entered the world as a punishment from God / as well as other forms of divine punishment, as outlined in the story / and only Jesus can save from death as the source of salvation / through his atonement on the cross.

• Since the doctrine teaches that the original sin was one of disobedience / humans are required to obey God’s laws and teachings in return for personal forgiveness and salvation from their sins, together with the gift of eternal life, etc.

Sources of authority might include:

• ‘But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ (Genesis 2:17)

• ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ (Romans 3:23)

• ‘The wages of sin is death, but the true gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 6:23)

• ‘The mind that is set on flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law – and indeed it cannot.’ (Romans 8:7)

• ‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’ (1 John 1:10)

• ‘For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.’ (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Explain two beliefs about the role of Christ in salvation for Christians

• The death of Jesus was central to God’s plan of salvation / the disobedience of Adam and Eve led to all their descendants being tainted with original sin / God was able to deal with the barrier caused by sin through the incarnation of Jesus / and subsequently the death of Jesus / and subsequently the resurrection of Jesus.

• Christians see Jesus’ death as an atonement / as on the cross Jesus bore the consequences of human sin / suffered pain as the price for salvation.

• Through Jesus, God is able to reconcile humanity to God / as Jesus, as God the Son, is God-incarnate / who lived and died among humankind so that Christians are able to relate to God and achieve salvation.

• Jesus is often referred to as the “Lamb of God” / who takes away the sins of the world / Christians believe that Jesus’ death on the cross is seen as the ultimate sacrifice / that reconciles humanity with God / and therefore Jesus makes it possible for people to be forgiven / and to have a restored relationship with God.

• Central to the Christian understanding of salvation is the promise of eternal life / Christians trust that through faith in Jesus Christ, they will have eternal life with God / in heaven / after their earthly life ends.

• Some Christians believe that the role of Christ is to guide Christians towards the means of salvation / where Christ, through his teachings, can outline how salvation can come through adherence to God’s law / and judge those who are deemed worthy of salvation / or by doing good deeds and loving your neighbour as yourself / or by having faith in Christ as the Incarnation of God and the way to the Father, etc.

Sources of authority might include:

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

‘Father, if it is your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.’ (Luke 22:42)

‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ’ (John 14:6)

‘For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.’ (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you didfor me.’ (Matthew 25:40)