Christian Beliefs and Teachings

What is the nature of God? (8)

1) Elusive - difficult to describe

2) Spiritual - cannot see

3) Transcendent - existing outside the universe, space, and time

4) Immanent - He is with us

5) Omnipotent - all powerful, not limited in any way ("Nothing is impossible with God" - Luke 1:37)

6) Personal

7) Omnibenevolent - all loving (John 3:16)

8) Omniscient - all knowing

What is the problem of evil?

If God exists, and is all-good and all-powerful, why is there suffering and evil in the world?

What is are the Christian responses to the problem of evil? (5)

1) Everything happens for a reason

2) Rewards are given in Heaven

3) We're given freewill

4) It helps to grow and learn spiritually

5) Helps us to appreciate what we have

What is the Irenaen theodicy?

Life is a test.

Suffering exists to enable humans to develop God's likeness. God has given us freewill and suffering gives us virtues and helps us to become better people

What is the Augustinian Theodicy?

Suffering is a misuse of freewill and punishment for the disobedience of Adam and Eve and is a privation when we fail to display good virtues. God is still omnibenevolent because he saves us through the resurrection.

What verse in the story of Job answers the problem of suffering?

"The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the Lord"

What is the The Holy Trinity?

Father - omnibenevolent creator watching over everything, the judge

Son - God in human form, made to show God's love by the crucifixion

Holy Spirit - what God shows himself through, elusive and spiritual, guides people and performs miracles

What verse in the Bible mentions the Holy Trinity?

"Spirit of God descending like a dove... voice from heaven said "This is my Son, whom I love..."

Matthew 3:16-17

What do Young Earth Creationists believe?

World was created exactly as it says in the book of Genesis

Why do some Christians not believe in evolution?

They take genesis literally and believe that we were in God's image for a special purpose

Why is the word 'iom' used to explain that the Creation story should not be taken seriously?

The Hebrew word 'iom' means a period to time so the 6 days in Genesis could mean six periods of time that were thousands or millions of years

Where in the Bible is there mention of the pre-existence of Jesus during the Creation?

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him"

John 1:1-3

What are 2 different Christian beliefs about life after death?

1) Catholics - the soul does not enter heaven until the last judgement when it (along with the body) is resurrected and pardoned AKA the resurrection of the body

2) Others - the soul goes to heaven immediately after death AKA immortality of the soul

What is the Bible verse that highlights how we get into Heaven?

"I am the way, the truth, and the life.. No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

What is the quote that highlights the Catholic view of the resurrection of the body?

"I believe in... the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting"

The Apostles Creed (often used in Roman Catholic worship and prayer)

What are the 3 Christian beliefs about how we get into heaven?

1) Exclusive Christians - only people who follow Jesus and live by his teachings will go to heaven

2) Inclusive Christians - same as exclusive Christians but also that some non-Christians can get in if they've followed a good life (answers the question of the prophets and everyone else good who came before Jesus)

3) Pluralist Christians - accept all religions as equally valid and correct and can coexist

What is the parable of the sheep and the goats?

Matthew 25:31-46 - sheep represent the good people on Earth who help those even if they get nothing in return and the goats represent the bad people who did not help those who need it. The sheep go on Jesus' right and the goats on his left.

What does the parable of the sheep and the goats illustrate?

Jesus told this parable to illustrate how believers will be judged and separated based on their compassionate actions toward those in need, reflecting their faith in Christ.

What did Karl Marx say about heaven?

He believed that religion is the "opium of the people" (exploitative of all the distress in the world)

What did Sigmund Freud say about heaven?

He believed that Heaven is a projection of our inner fears and is wish-fulfilment

What does incarnation mean?

God being made flesh in the form of Jesus. Literally means 'embodiment'.

What Bible verse refers to the incarnation?

"The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us"

John 1:14

What are some examples of Jesus' human nature? (4)

1) Grew in wisdom and stature

2) He felt tired

3) He felt angry

4) He felt upset ("He wept")

What are some examples of Jesus' divine nature? (4)

1) Being born to a virgin|

2) Healing people

3) The Resurrection

4) Conquering nature (calming the storm)

What is kenosis?

Kenosis is a theological term to describe the belief that Christ emptied himself of some of his divine attributes in the incarnation based on Paul's words

What Bible verse supports the idea of kenosis?

"He emptied himself... being made in human likeness"

Philippians 2:17

What are some of the reasons as to why the incarnation was needed? (4)

1) Jesus needed to pay for our sins so we could enter Heaven (Ephesians 1:17 - "we have redemption through His [Jesus'] blood")

2) Jesus provided moral guidance

3) God, being omnibenevolent, wanted to be equal with the beloved (story of the king in love with a servant and wearing servant's clothing)

4) Encourages us to be like Jesus

Who arrested Jesus and what was he charged with?

The Roman authorities arrested him for treason

What did Pontius Pilate ask Jesus to do and why did Jesus refuse?

He asked Jesus to admit to his "crime" and Jesus refused because he said it was all a part of God's plan

What were Jesus' last words before the Crucifixion?

"It is finished"

What does atonement mean?

Reconciling with God to make up for one's sins.

What is some evidence for the theory that the Resurrection was how Jesus' body disappeared? (3)

1) Jesus performed many miracles|

2) Jesus is the Son of God so anything is possible

3) Women were regarded as unreliable and not allowed as witnesses so if the story is made up it would be unlikely for women to make the all-important discovery

What is some evidence against the theory that the Resurrection was how Jesus' body disappeared? (2)

1) People do not rise from the dead

2) People who thought they saw Jesus must have been imagining

What is some evidence for the theory that the disciples stole Jesus' body? (1)

1) The disciples would've wanted to make it look like Jesus rose from the dead so more people would believe in him

What is some evidence against the theory that the disciples stole Jesus' body? (2)

1) The Romans started killing people who believed in Jesus so if they did do it then they would have owned up rather than die

2) The disciples did not want to draw attention to themselves as they thought they might be executed

What is some evidence for the theory that the Jews/Romans stole Jesus' body? (2)

1) The Roman/Jewish authorities wanted to make sure there was no fuss about Jesus

2) Rumour that there was a Roman guard on the tomb although the Roman sources do not confirm this

What is some evidence against the theory that the Jews/Romans stole Jesus' body? (1)

1) If the Jews knew where the body was, they would have produced it to stop the spread of Christianity

What is some evidence for the theory that Jesus fainting was how Jesus' body disappeared? (1)

1) If people saw Jesus after he had "died" then he could not have been really dead in the first place

What is some evidence against the theory that Jesus fainting was how Jesus' body disappeared? (2)

1) The Roman soldiers executed many people by crucifixion: a mistake is most unlikely

2) If Jesus fainted on the cross he would've been very weak; it is unlikely that he would've been able to lift himself

What is some evidence for the theory that the Resurrection was a myth and that is how Jesus' body disappeared? (3)

1) Most crucified corpses were burned; if this happened to Jesus then all the stories about a tomb were made up

2) A myth is "true" and the beliefs expressed are true even if it factually incorrect

3) People often made up stories to express their beliefs in those days

What is some evidence against the theory that the Resurrection was a myth and that is how Jesus' body disappeared? (1)

1) If it was a myth, why did some people start believing it was factually true?

What consequences did Paul give in 1 Corinthians 15 as to what would happen if the resurrection was not true? (5)

1) Preaching Christ as well as faith in him would be senseless/"faith has been in vain"- V14

2) All the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars - V15

3) No one would be redeemed from sin - V17

4) All former believers would have perished - V18

5) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth - V19

What is the Ascension?

40 days after Jesus died, he rose to heaven to join God in front of a crowd.

What is the 'Great Commission'?

Jesus telling his disciples to disperse and spread the word ("make disciples of all the nations")

Why is the Ascension so important to Christians? (2)

1) Witnessing the immense power of God making him worthy of our worship and faith

2) Proves there is life after death to all that believe in Him

What is a verse that talks about the role of Christ in salvation?

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord" - Romans 6:23

What is the definition of sin?

A word, thought, or action that is contrary to what God would want

What are the 3 ways to overcome sin?

Salvation through Works, Grace, and the Spirit

What is salvation through Works?

We can earn salvation by following God's rules, therefore doing good works in order to gain entry to heaven (e.g., Methodists do a lot of volunteer work)

What is salvation through Grace?

salvation through faith in Jesus - not earned, but free gift of God's love as long as we ask for forgiveness

How does St Augustine think we receive salvation?

Man inherited sin from Adam. Consequence of original sin was that God's redeeming grace is needed to bring about salvation as humanity is too sinful to do so. Faith is required and good works should follow but those works are not what got us into Heaven

How does Pelagius think we receive salvation?

Since God made us in His image, then He would not create humans with sin so we could not have been born with it. To avoid sinning you follow the commandments and do good works and this will allow you to enter heaven