Studied by 2 people
which stories from the bible show God as omnipotent
the creation story (‘let there be light and there was light’)
the calming of the storm
Jesus’ resurrection
the incarnation
which story from the bible shows God as omnibenevolent
the prodigal son
who represents who in the prodigal son story
the son → the sinner who comes away from God
the father →God
the other brother → less forgiving people
which story from the bible shows God as just
the sheep and the goats
what does the trinity describe
the three roles of God
three different persons in one God
what are the three persons in the trinity
the father
the son
the holy spirit
what are the three persons in the trinity in relation to each other
co eternal
co equal
co substancial
what does Matthew chapter 3 suggest the about the trinity
‘he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove’ → holy spirit
‘a voice said from heaven”this is my own dear son with whom i am pleased”’ → the father
‘as soon as Jesus was baptised’ → Jesus the son
what does the day of Pentecost suggest about the trinity
‘all of them were filled with the holy spirit’ → the holy spirit
what does Jesus’ instructions to his disciples at the great commission suggest about the trinity
‘go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit’ (Jesus talking to his disciples in Matthew)
who is the father in the trinity
the creator
who is the son in the trinity
the saviour
who is the holy spirit in the trinity
the life giver
how does belief in the holy spirit in the trinity affect the lives of christians
they can ask for guidance of the holy spirit when facing tough decisions
they believe it can inspire people and give them the ‘gifts’ they need to live a good life. they may ask the holy spirit to guide their behaviour. if they are in a stressful situation they may ask the holy spirit to bring them peace and calm
how does the belief in the father in the trinity affect the lives of christians
at the heart of gods being is a relationship of love and equality - Christians should imitate this, trying to have good relationships and treat others with the love and respect they see flowing within the trinity
it affects how they pray to God and relate to him. prayers are offered “in the name of the Father, Son and Hole Spirit” and they worship all three equally. they bless in the name of Trinity, are baptised in the name of trinity etc.
how does the belief in the son in the trinity affect the lives of christians
the second person became human and demonstrated how to live a good life devoted to God. Christians try to apply the example and teaching of Jesus to their own understanding of the world and behaviour.
because the son became human, they will feel closer to God - when they are suffering, of facing problems, they know God understands what it is to be human and has experienced pain
how is belief in trinity reflected in christian worship
hymns
the grace → references to the holy spirit
prayer → God is referenced to as the father e.g. the lords prayer ‘our father who art in heaven’
in Matthew chapter three what quote does god say which suggests the trinity
‘this is my own dear son with whom; i am pleased’
what is a quote about the genesis creation story which suggests the trinity
“in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was God.he was with God in the beginning and without him nothing was made that has been made… and the word became flesh and dwelt among us”
what does the quote “in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was God.he was with God in the beginning and without him nothing was made that has been made… and the word became flesh and dwelt among us” suggest about the trinity
‘the word became flesh’ → the son
‘dwelling among us’ → the holy spirit and Jesus the son being on earth
how does the belief in creation influence Christians today
liberal Christians read Genesis metaphorically means they can accept evolution etc.
the holy spirit was present in creation so one can ask the holy spirit for guidance
more truthful - the word was involved in creation
why do Christians believe Jesus was the incarnate son of God
Lukes gospel describes angel Gabriel telling the virgin Mary that she will become pregnant
Jesus was resurrected on Easter day after he was crucified
Jesus is asked of he is the son of God and he says ‘i am’,’i and the father are one
Jesus performed miracles - the feeding of 5000
J
esus’ baptism - the voice of father from the sky ‘this is my dear son’
what is a quote about the incarnation of Jesus
‘the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son, who came from the father, full of grace and truth’
how does the incarnation influence Christians today
gives Christians faith
they appreciate God more and pray more as they are grateful for the sacrifice
they may seek comfort from God → prayer when suffering as incarnation shows God knows what suffering is like
they are grateful for the gift of eternal life → esus opened the way to heaven through his incarnation and resurrection
welcoming to the marginalised
clearer idea of how to live a life pleasing to God
inspired by the love of God shown in incarnation to show love to others
timeline of Jesus’ last week
plot to kill Jesus
Judas to betray Jesus
the Passover with his disciples
institution of the Lord’s supper
who is the greatest?
Jesus foretells Peter’s denial
scripture must be fulfilled in Jesus
Jesus prays on the mount of olives
betrayal and arrest of Jesus
Peter denies Jesus
Jesus is mocked
Jesus before the council
Jesus before Pilate
Jesus before Herod
Pilate delivers Jesus to be crucified
the crucifixion
Jesus is buried
how does the belief in the resurrection influence Christians
his resurrection tells us that he was not only a prophet but rather the son of God - different belief to Islam where he was a prophet
no matter how much suffering you are going through, God has a plan
gives Christians faith in Gods omnipotence
less fear in death as Jesus overcame death
Christians celebrate Easter (salvation)
what are different christian interpretations of the resurrection
most Christians do believe in the resurrection as a miracle of God
conservative Christians - take Gospel accounts literally
very liberal Christians - it is a myth - not literally true although it is an important story to show the love of god and the power of God → hope
what was the ascension
40 days after the resurrection, Jesus left the earth and entered heaven. After meeting his disciples and telling them to carry on with their good work, he left the eart
how may Christians respond to the problem of evil
we have free will
punishment for our sins
Gods plan
we need evil to understand God so we can appreciate life
what is Augustine’s theodicy
God created a perfect world where people are good with free will
Adam and Eve used free will to disobey God, bringing sin and evil into the world
the world and humans are now imperfect → sin, evil and suffering occur
salvation from sin and death and eternal life are offered by Jesus’ redemptive death on the cross
natural evil
not caused by humans → the world is out of balance
moral evil
because we have origional sin
what is the Irenaean theodicy (Irenaeus)
God creates an imperfect world
God creates humanity in his image but we need to grow into his likeness by learning to use our free will how God would want us
Adam and Eve made a mistake disobeying God because they were immature. all moral evil is humans making mistakes
God allows suffering and evil in the world because it gives us opportunities to grow
through evil and suffering we grow our souls into God’s likeness - through Jesus’ death we will be reunited with God in a perfect heaven
how can natural evil affect christians
it allows humans to show compassion
what is a criticism of Irenaeus
a russian author Dostoevsky, wrote in a novel about a boy who injured a generals dog and was locked up and was torn apart by dogs → he thinks that if suffering is required for humans to grow their souls into Gods likeness then it is too high a price to pay
strengths of Augustine’s theodicy
he is omnibenevolent as he gave people free will
evil is the lack of goodness rather than being a physical thing. poverty is a lack of generosity
places the blame for evil on humans rather than God
fits with genesis
shows God is still loving because he is forgiving
weaknesses of Augustine’s theodicy
during design, why would God create creatures with the capacity to sin if we were made in Gods image
why would he create Adam and Eve if he knew they would eat the fruit
God shouldn’t let there be a possibility of a lack of goodness
evolution - we evolved from apes, not two humans
strengths of the irenean theodicy
gives people the opportunity to build strength, rather than simply going through life smoothly and never learning
places less blame on humans for our suffering, it is more understanding of making mistakes
it defends God’s love and shows that there is a reason for evil
The weaknesses of the Irenean theodicy
if you face suffering that causes you to die, you cannot grow
some suffering can stunt the growth of people
why would God create challenges that are so harmful in order to build peoples character
what is a biblical story about evil
the story of Job
biblical solutions to evil and suffering encourage Christians to believe:
suffering is part of life
Christians can pray to God to get comfort in their suffering and they should praise God for this help in times of trouble
God is love, but sometimes its hard to understand why God doesn’t intervene. faith sometimes involves trust without understanding
one day all suffering will come to an end
what is the day of judgement
a time when the world will end and every soul will be judged by God and be rewarded and punished
what is the day of judgment
a time when the world will end and every soul will be judged by God and be rewarded or punished
what is salvation
saving the soul, deliverance from sin and admission to heaven brought about by Jesus
what represents temptation of evil in the bible
the serpent
what are the two types of salvation
salvation through good works - having faith in god and beying Gods law
salvation through grace - faith in Jesus, it is not earned or deserved but is a gift for the faithful
what did Jesus’ death do for humanity
made up for original sin
atonement
restoring the relationship between people and God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
what does the father represent in the trinity
a parental figure
God → not a physical being
omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient
what does the son represent in the trinity
a way to relate mankind to God, to develop an understanding
Jesus
revealing God to humans
what does the holy spirit represent in the trinity
when Jesus left the earth, God left the holy spirit to maintain holiness on earth
the power of God
