CHRISTIANITY - AQA
The Trinity
Christian belief in one God understood as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Unique monotheistic view of Christianity.
Key Points:
Father: omnipotent Creator, transcendent.
Son (Jesus): human incarnation, saviour, teaches and heals.
Holy Spirit: active presence of God today.
Importance: baptism signifies entry into faith.
Quotes:
"The Father and I are one."
Influence: inspires worship, learning about the Trinity, attendance at church.
Nature of God
Attributes of God:
Transcendence: God is beyond space and time.
Imminence: God is involved in the world through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Eternal: Always existed and will always exist.
Omnipotence: All-powerful.
Quote: "With God, all things are possible."
Omniscience: All-knowing.
Related to judgment day, where all actions will be known.
Omnibenevolence: All-loving.
Quote: "God is love."
Justice: God is a fair judge, rewarding good deeds and punishing wrongdoing.
The Problem of Evil and Suffering
Challenges to God's attributes (omnipotent and omnibenevolent) due to the existence of evil.
Theodicies:
Augustine’s explanation: All evil originates from Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
John Hick’s theory: Evil is necessary for spiritual growth ("soul-making").
Creation
Two views on Genesis:
Literalist: Creation occurred in six literal days, as described in Genesis 1.
Non-literalist: Genesis recounts spiritual truths; science explains the how.
Concepts:
Creation ex nihilo: God created everything from nothing.
Imago Dei: Humans are made in God's image.
Involvement of the Trinity in creation:
Father: initiates creation.
Son: through whom all things were made.
Holy Spirit: present during creation.
Life After Death
Fundamental belief based on Jesus’s resurrection.
Concepts include:
Resurrection: Victory over death ("He has risen").
Judgment Day: Determines entry into heaven or hell based on one's life actions.
Heaven: Eternal life with God, potentially seen as spiritual or physical.
Hell: Place of eternal separation from God; raises questions about God's love.
Key biblical stories:
Parable of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25).
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40
Jesus Christ: Central Figure of Christianity
Incarnation: Jesus’s birth as God becoming flesh.
Importance:
shows that Jesus was fully God and fully human
means that Jesus can teach and heal people
Influences:
To celebrate Christmas
To feel gratitude that God sent his son to the world.
Quote: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." - John 1:14
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
Salvation: The belief that through Jesus's death and resurrection, humanity can be saved from sin and granted eternal life.
Importance: universalism= everyone can go to heaven
Proved God’s unconditional love.
Quotes:“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
Influence: To be baptised
To ask for forgiveness
Put faith into action
Crucifixion: The death of Jesus.
Importance: Everyone can talk and pray to God. If God did not suffer form crucifixion, then the curtain in the temple will not be torn in two and not everyone can be close to God.
Shows God’s omnibenelovence as Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice
Quote: "Christ died for our sins." - Paul
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“Father forgive them”- Jesus
Influence: To pray for forgiveness because Jesus sacrificed for us so that we could go to heaven
To show love to others as Xians would want to spread love to thank God.
Resurrection: Raised from the dead.
Importance: Proves that Jesus is divine.
Opens the door for eternal life=
Quote: "Christ died for our sins." - Paul
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” -John 3:16
“Father forgive them”- Jesus
Influence: To pray for forgiveness because Jesus sacrificed for us so that we could go to heaven
To show love to others as Xians would want to spread love to thank God.
Feel comforted that death is not the end
Ascension: Rise of Jesus to heaven (post-40 days)
Importance: Shows that Jesus is the son of God
Influence: To go to church
Ask for forgiveness
Quote: "I am ascending."
Sin
Original Sin: All humans inherit sin from Adam and Eve; necessitates salvation.
Personal Sin: Individual actions against God’s laws; people are accountable for these actions.
Influences on believers: avoid sin, follow God’s laws, seek forgiveness, faith in Jesus.
Influences: Pray for forgiveness
Avoid committing sins
Salvation
Concept: Being saved from sin through faith and grace.
Three Means of Salvation:
Law: Following God’s commands. “10 commandments e.g. Do not Kill”
Grace: Salvation is a gift from God through Jesus's sacrifice. “Christ died for our sins”- Paul
Spirit: Holy Spirit guides believers towards salvation.
Christ’s role in salvation:
Quote: “Christ died for our sins”- Paul Jesus died on the cross to save humans from sin.
“The lamb of God who take away the sins in the world”- John Jesus’ life has been sacrificed to pay the price for human sinfulness= human sin cna now be forgiven
Influence: To follow God’s laws in order to achieve salvation.
To faith in Jesus because he died on the cross to save us.