TP - Christian beliefs and teachings

explain 2 beliefs about god omnipotence

• this is sometimes misunderstood as god can do anything when it really means god can do anything that is logically possible

• it is believed nothing can defeat gods power

give 2 quotes that show gods omnipotence

• Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth“

• “Nothing is impossible with God“

2 ways God’s omnipotence may influence christians

• to pray for miracles as they believe god can intervene, performed miracles through Jesus e.g. healing the blind and deaf

• Behave morally because they believe he has the power to reward or punish

Explain 2 problems with God’s omnibenevolence

• How can God be omnibenevolent yet evil and suffering still exist in our world, problem of evil

• the inconsistencies in suffering/ unequal, if God loved us all equally he we would all experience and equal amount of suffering

2 quotes showing Gods omnibenevolence

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

• God’s love is shown by his actions in the world e.g. miracles

2 ways belief about God’s omnibenevolence may influence Christians

• to follow Gods model, he shows love to everyone so Christians will want to show love to everyone

• believing God is loving and forgiving may influence Christians to do the same and forgive rather than holding grudges

explain 2 belief about Gods omniscience

• God possesses timeless knowledge ( past, present, future ) meaning that he knows what will happen to each individual, comfort to Christians knowing God has a plan for them

• the fact he knows what has, is and will happen shows him as the truly perfect and true source for knowledge, meaning the bible is a true source as it is God’s words

2 quotes that show Gods omniscience

• “God is greater than our heart and he knows everything“ 1 John 3:20

• “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account" Hebrew 4:13

• Matthew 10 - hair on head

2 beliefs about Gods omniscience that may influence Christians

• May influence Christians not to sin and behave morally because if God sees all then he will know and it could cause them to be punished by him later

• Influence Christians to read the bible because if God knows all then his words are surely true and the bible is essentially God’s word

• May influence Christians to worship/ believe in God if he knows all then he has a plan for them in life, placing their total trust in his guidance and may shrink their worries about the future

2 problems with God’s omnipotence

• Problem of evil, If God is all powerful why does evil and suffering still exist

• the stone paradox - he cant lift he isn’t omnipotent, he can’t create a stone heavy enough he isn’t omnipotent

• if God is all powerful why did it take him 6 days to create the world

• “It was impossible for God to lie“ Hebrew 6:18

2 beliefs about Gods omnibenevolence

• God’s love is AGAPE - unconditional love - for mankind as he wants what is best for them and created them to love them

• Gods love is limitless in time and he will forgive all wrongs

2 problems with Gods omniscience

• How can humans have free will if God knows with certainty what will happen, then the action is necessary not free

• if God knew evil would happen and had the power and love to stop it why didn’t he

2 beliefs that about God as just

• God is fair but in an absolute sense, not under any influence or bias, he can be this because he is transcendent and omniscient so can judge with clarity and hates injustice

• unlimited power and total love means perfect giver of justice

2 ways God as Just may influence Christians

• Influence them to work towards social justice e.g. giving to charities like Christian aid or supporting fairtrade

• God is fair and treats all equally so Christians mat aim to do the same

• even with injustices it influences Christians to have faith that they will be rewarded in the after life

2 quotes that can be used for a question on God’s justice

• “Let justice roll on like a river“ Amos 5 - emphasises that God delights in Justice and righteousness

• “He rules the world in righteousness and judges the people with equity” Psalm 9:8

2 problems with the idea of God as just

• problem of evil

• the idea of eternal punishment is considered disproportionate and unjust in human moral standards

Natural evil

evil that occurs by natural processes e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, disease

moral evil

the acts of humans which are considered to be morally wrong e.g. murder, slavery, severe dishonesty