chrisianity-belieffs and practices

• Just

  Fair – think ‘justice’. Christians believe God is just = God is fair
• Grace


  Unconditional love that God shows to people who do not deserve it
• Messiah


  The anointed one who is seen as the savior by Christians
• Protestant


  A branch of the Christian church that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church
• Omnipotent


  The idea that God is all-powerful
• Resurrection


  The physical return of Jesus on the third day after he died
• Salvation

  The saving of the soul from sin
• Omnibenevolent


  The idea that God is all-loving
• JUST – this means ‘fair’ (think ‘justice’). Christians believe that God does not discriminate, and expects his followers to treat people fairly as well. The Parable of the Sheep and Goats teaches that all people will be judged on how they have lived, and the good will be rewarded, and the wicked will be punished. People who suffer in this life will not always suffer.
• Denomination


  The name for the different branches of the Christian church
• Nicene Creed


  A statement of belief used in Christian services
• Oneness of God


  The idea that God is ‘one’
• Lord’s Prayer


  The prayer Jesus taught his disciples to show them how to pray
• Incarnation


  God in human form
• Omniscient


  The idea that God is all-knowing
• Reconciliation


  The process of making people in conflict friendly again
• Trinity


  The belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
• Roman Catholic


  The largest Christian group, based in Rome with the Pope as its leader
• OMNIPOTENT – this means all-powerful. Nothing is impossible for God. The created universe is evidence of God’s omnipotence – only a powerful God could do that. ‘Nothing is impossible with God.’ (Luke 1:37)
• OMNIBENEVOLENT – this means all-loving. God is the source of goodness and love in the world. John 3:16 – “God so loved the world that He gave His only son”
• Belief in the Trinity influences worship

  Prayers, church services, and hymns contain references to it
• OMNIBENEVOLENT – this means all loving
• Beliefs about the nature of God might influence Christians in the following ways

  The belief that God is all-powerful might lead Christians to believe in miracles, such as miraculous healing. As a result, they may pray for God to help people who are sick or dying. The belief that God is loving might lead Christians to follow his example and treat others according to agape love. This might mean they offer help and support to all people, not just those that they personally know. The belief that God is just means that Christians believe that God will judge them fairly based on how they have lived their lives. They know that they will be punished for their bad deeds, and also rewarded for their good deeds. The belief that God is just, and that God is loving, might mean that Christians volunteer for charitable organizations to help those who are less fortunate.
• During the baptism of Jesus, a voice from Heaven states ‘You are my beloved Son’. During baptism services, Christians are baptized ‘in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’, as Jesus commanded.
• John 3:16: '“God so loved the world that He gave His only son”'
• The Trinity demonstrates unity between the different persons of God. Each is a part of a greater whole. Similarly, Christians believe they should show similar unity in their lives, and be respectful and loving towards others.
• The belief Christianity is monotheistic – this means they worship only one God. God’s nature is understood in three ways: The creator and sustainer of the universe
• Some Christians believe the Trinity does not make sense and that there is only one God – two examples of these are Unitarians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some people think belief in the Trinity is so important that these groups are not denominations of Christianity at all, but a separate religion.
• Symbols of the Trinity show the idea of 'three in one'
• God's nature

  Understood in three ways: The creator and sustainer of the universe (God the Father), The saviour who lived, died, and lived again (God the Son), The unseen power of God, the guide and sustainer (God the Holy Spirit)
• Some people find the Trinity difficult to understand
• The Bible teaches that Jesus' mother Mary was a virgin, and only God could create life this way
• Incarnation means 'in flesh'. It refers to God becoming human and living on Earth in the form of Jesus
• For God to become human and live among us is a demonstration of how much God cares for humanity
• The Gospel of Luke tells that Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, therefore Jesus did not have a human father
• The Bible teaches 'since God so loved us, let us also love one another'. Christians might follow this example in their daily lives of caring for others and showing agape love
• God's true nature is beyond human understanding
• Trinity


  A way of understanding the complex nature of God - God is a Trinity of three 'persons' or aspects
• The Trinity is a key part of the Nicene Creed
• The Gospel of John refers to 'the Word became flesh and lived among us', suggesting that Jesus is God incarnate