RE SAH3 Year 9 Revision - Christian Beliefs

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The Bible

^^The Bible is the source of authority for Christian beliefs and teachings.^^

How does the Bible influence Christians?
  • Bible can be translated so it is available to everyone.
  • It is read in groups and its relevance to today is explained.
  • The physical Bible isn’t important but the meaning and understanding is.

God and the Trinity

God is:
  • Omnipotent - all powerful
  • Omniscient - all knowing
  • Omnibenevolent - all loving
  • Transcendent - above the range of human experience
  • Immanent - existing within God’s creation
  • Eternal - no beginning or end
Quotes from the Bible to support this ^:
  • ^^“God is love” - omnibenevolent^^
  • ^^“Nothing is impossible for God” - transcendent and omnipotent^^
  • ^^“Good and upright is the Lord” - just and omnibenevolent^^
  • ^^“He knows everything” - omniscient^^
Trinity:
  • Father - Creator
  • Son - Saviour
  • Holy Spirit - Animating Principle
  • The parts of the trinity ARE God but are NOT each other

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^^“There are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” - Bible^^

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  • Explain 2 ways in which the belief that God is just, influences Christians today (4)
  • God can’t be all loving because of the existence of evil and suffering (12)

The Creation

God created the world in 7 days with the seventh being the day of rest.

Liberalists believe that the Creation story symbolises God’s transcendent being but also accept scientific theories such as the Big Bang Theory.

Literalists believe that the Creation happened exactly as it says in the Bible and that scientific theories are a test of faith.

^^“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Eath” - the Bible^^

The Problem of Evil

What is Evil?
  • Evil is the opposite of good, seen as destructive and against God
  • Natural evil is something that happens naturally without a human action or choice. eg the grief after someone dying naturally
  • Moral evil is when there is a human action or choice made. eg murder
What is the Problem of Evil?
  1. If God is omnibenevolent, he must want to stop evil.
  2. If God is omnipotent, he must be able to stop evil.
  3. So why is there evil?
  4. Therefore God doesn’t exist.
Christian Responses to the Problem of Evil:
  • God doesn’t cause evil → Adam and Eve committed the Original Sin and thus evil is caused by them.
  • Evil is a privation of good / an absence of good.
  • Evil is a test of faith / free will   * Allows God’s judgement to be fair after death.

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  • God can’t be all loving because of the existence of evil and suffering (12)

Incarnation

The Birth of Jesus
  • Jesus’ birth was a miracle.
  • He is both fully human and fully God.
  • Mary was ^^“found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit”^^
Teachings and Miracles
  • Jesus performed miracles that proved his omnipotence and his being God.   * Shows how he is God in human form and is therefore omnipotent.   * ^^He fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.^^
The Word
  • The Word is Jesus before the incarnation which suggests Jesus was there from the beginning.   * ^^“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”^^
  • “^^The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” - the Bible^^
How the incarnation influences Christians today
  • Celebrate Christmas to remember the incarnation.
  • Live ‘like Jesus’ so that they are reflecting the character of God.
  • They believe that the incarnation is the most important event in history because Christianity would not exist otherwise.

Crucifixion

  • Crucifixion is a Roman method of execution where criminals were nailed to a cross.   * Jesus was crucified on Good Friday.
  • Grace is the unconditional and generous love that God gives to humans even if it isn’t deserved.

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“The curtain of the temple was torn in two. The Earth shoke, the rocks split and the tombs broke open” - the Bible

Atonement

<<Atonement refers to the reconciliation between God and humanity that was sealed by the sacrifice of Jesus.<<

Judgment is when God decides whether each person should receive eternal life or punishment.

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” - Lord’s Prayer

The Resurrection

Why is the resurrection important?
  • Believing without seeing - Doubting Thomas
  • Proves Christianity to be true
  • Death isn’t the end because it was ‘beaten’ 3 days after the crucifixion
  • God (and therefore Jesus) is omnipotent
What does this influence Christians to do?
  • Celebrate Easter   * Eat lamb because it symbolises new life
  • Believe without seeing
  • Believe that God is omnipotent and therefore believe in Christianity and Jesus’ teachings and miracles because Jesus is God in human form
  • Jesus is one of the only resurrections in the Bible so it shows that God is omnipotent because Jesus is part of God

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^^“He is not here, he has risen” - Bible^^

Salvation

Salvation is saving the soul and deliverance from sin and admission to heaven brought about by Jesus.

^^“Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies” - Jesus^^

Ascension

Ascension is the act of rising; the rise of Christ into heaven on the 40th day after the resurrection.

What does the ascension show?
  • Jesus will come back to Earth   * Christians prepare for his return so that they can join him in heaven.
  • Jesus rising up to heaven to be with God   * Proves Jesus was God through his omnipotence
  • Jesus is always there (omnipresent) through the Holy Spirit

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^^“He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from sight” - the Bible^^

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