Christianity: Beliefs and Teachings

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core Christian beliefs and teachings from the lecture notes, including the nature of God, the Trinity, creation, Jesus' incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, sin, salvation, afterlife, and judgement.

Monotheism

The belief in only one supreme Being, God.

Catholic Christianity

A major branch of Christianity that is based in Rome and led by the Pope.

Orthodox Christianity

A major branch of Christianity that separated from Catholic Christianity in 1054 and is located mainly in Eastern Europe.

Protestantism

A major branch of Christianity that separated from the Catholic Church and divided into various denominations, such as Baptist and Pentecostal.

Nicene Creed

A Christian declaration of faith that expresses the belief in one God.

Omnipotent

The attribute of God being all-powerful with unlimited authority.

Benevolent (Omnibenevolent)

The nature of God as all-loving and all-good, using His power to do good and demonstrating love by sending His Son, Jesus, to Earth.

God as Just

The characteristic of God as a fair Judge who opposes injustice, unfair treatment, prejudice, and oppression.

Moral Evil

Evil and suffering caused by human actions, including murder, war, and cruelty.

Natural Evil

Suffering caused by natural events beyond human control, such as earthquakes and floods.

Soul-making

The Christian concept that experiencing suffering helps humans develop positive qualities such as courage, compassion, patience, and resilience for spiritual growth.

The Trinity

The Christian doctrine that there is one God existing in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being fully God.

God the Father

The person of the Trinity regarded as the Creator of all life, a good father to all his children, who is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

God the Holy Spirit

The unseen power of God that was active in creation and continues to influence, guide, and sustain life on Earth.

The Word

A title used in John's Gospel to describe the Son of God, Jesus, who was with God at the beginning and through whom all things were created.

Incarnation

The Christian belief that God took human form in Jesus Christ, who was conceived through the Holy Spirit and is fully God and fully human.

Messiah

Meaning 'anointed one' or 'Christ'; Christians believe Jesus is the spiritual Messiah rather than the political ruler many Jews expected.

Blasphemy

The religious offense of claiming to be God or showing disrespect to God, an accusation Jesus' opponents could have used against Him.

Crucifixion

The Roman execution method by fixing a person to a cross; Jesus was sentenced by Pontius Pilate and died on Good Friday as a sacrifice for human sins.

Resurrection

Jesus rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, demonstrating God's power over evil and death and assuring Christians of their own future life.

Ascension

The event occurring 40 days after the resurrection when Jesus returned to God in heaven, paving the way for the Holy Spirit to be sent.

Bodily Resurrection

The Catholic and Orthodox belief that resurrection is both spiritual and physical, in which the physical body lost at death is restored and transformed into an imperishable spiritual body.

Sin

Any thoughts or actions that separate humans from God by disobeying His will or laws.

Original Sin

An in-built tendency to sin that all humans are born with, stemming from Adam and Eve's disobedience when eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge.

Salvation

Being saved from sin and its consequences, which repairs the damage caused by sin and restores human relationship with God.

Salvation through Grace

The Christian belief that salvation is a free, unearned gift of God's love received through faith in Jesus Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Salvation through Good Works

The belief that salvation is attained through obeying God's laws and demonstrating faith through righteous actions.

Purgatory

An intermediate state believed by Catholics where some souls undergo cleansing before entering heaven.

Hell

The state or place of eternal torment and suffering, characterized by being permanently cut off from the presence of God as a result of rejecting Him.

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

A biblical passage in Matthew 25 teaching that God will judge people based on their actions, showing that serving those in need is equivalent to serving Jesus.

Day of Judgement

A future event at the end of the world when God will evaluate the living and the dead based on their faith and lifetime actions.

Atonement

The restoration of the broken relationship between God and humanity, achieved when Jesus bore and paid for the sins of all humanity through His sacrificial death.