christian beliefs and teachings

which stories from the bible show God as omnipotent

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