Christian Beliefs

• What are 4 beliefs about God?


  . There is only one God

  . God is the creator of all that exists

  . People can have a relationship with God through prayer

  . Jesus is the son of God
• What scriptural evidence indicates there is one God?


  'We believe in One God.' - the Nicene Creed
• What are three beliefs about the nature of God?

  . God is omnipotent

  . God is omnibenevolent

  . God is just
• What scriptural evidence indicates that God is omnipotent?


  . 'Nothing will be impossible with God' - Luke

  . Can be seen through the miracles performed by Jesus
• Quote for a just God + Parable


  . 'Let justice roll like a river' - said by God in the bible

  . Parable of the sheep and the goats - people will be judged according to how they cared for others
• Scriptural evidence for God's omnibenevolence


  . God creates humans in his image (imago dei) - Genesis, highlighting his love in his creation

  . God gave his only son to save us

  . 'Love your neighbour' - Matthew
• How does God's omnipotence influence believers?

  . Christians will show determination and resilience in the face of adversity

  . God has a plan for everyone - believers will feel guided by God
• How does God's justice influence believers?

  . Christians work for justice in society to demonstrate God's justice

  . Christians will think about the consequences of their actions in order to be rewarded by God on the Day of Judgement
• How does God's omnibenevolence influence believers?


  . Christians will try to love each other in their daily lives by following the Golden Rule ('do unto others as you would have them do to you' - Gospel)

  . Christians will love their enemies to demonstrate agape (sacrificial love)
• What is the problem of evil?

  . Christians believe God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, so evil should not exist, but it does

  . This leads some to question God's existence

  . Natural evil occurs without human fault, so surely an omnibenevolent God wouldn't allow this

  . An omnibenevolent God wouldn't allow rape victims to suffer at no fault of their own
• How might Christians argue against the problem of evil?

  . God created people with free will, and some choose to commit evil, which causes suffering

  . Life is a test: the way people react to suffering determines how they are judged. This is demonstrates in his Job responds to suffering in the Boom of Job

  . God works in mysterious ways, and has his reasons, that humans will never fully understand

  . Without the darkness, the light would not seem so good
• How might Christians physically respond to evil and suffering?

  . Prayer - asking God to help those who are suffering (intercession)

  . Service - actively helping those who suffer e.g. in hospitals and hospices, or food banks; the Trussel Trust supports over 1,200 food banks in the UK, which provide emergency food to those in need
• What are some Christian beliefs about the Trinity?

  . God is three in one: God the father, God the son, God the Holy Spirit (Spirit of God throughout world)

  . All are worshipped, part of the same God, and get separate persons, coexisting in perfect harmony
• Scriptural evidence for the Trinity

  Nicene creed: 'We believe in one God, the Father the Almighty ... We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God ... we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life
• How does the belief in the trinity influence Christians?

  . God the father is loving, so Christians may demonstrate love

  . God the son was incarnate, and lived and died amongst humans, so Christians know that God can understand them. He felt pain like us so we can pray to God for help

  . God the Holy Spirit is a sense of spiritual strength, as Christians can feel it at work in their lives

  . The Trinity is a mystery so Christians can accept that there are things that they cannot know about God
• What are some Christian beliefs about the creation of the Universe?

  . Christians believe that God created the earth and all living things on the earth

  . This is written in Genesis Chapter One

  . The bible says it took six days to create the universe and God rested on the seventh

  . Christians believe that God is the sole, omnipotent creator of the universe

  . The bible says that God creates a universe that was ordered, not chaotic

  . Christians believe that all of the beings of the Holy Trinity were involved in the creation

  - God the Father is the creator

  - In the Gospel of John, the Son of God is 'the Word', and 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'

  - The world was created by God acting through the Holy Spirit: 'The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters' - Genesis
• How do different Christians react to the story of creation in the Bible?

  . Creationists believe the biblical account of creation happened exactly as it was written

  . Many Christians believe that it may not be scientifically accurate, but the account contains religious truth, and God caused it to happen by choice
• What are some Christian beliefs about the creation of humans?

  . Humans were created on the sixth day of creation

  . The first two humans were Adam and Eve and they lived in the Garden of Eden

  . 'The Lord God formed a man from the dust' and 'God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man' - Genesis

  . 'God created man in His own image' - Genesis

  . God gave humans dominion over the rest of the created world

  . 'Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground' - Genesis

  . Christians believe that Adam and Eve disobeyed God and this led to evil and suffering entering the world
• How does the Creation Story influence Christians?

  . The universe was not created by chance and therefore human lives have meaning and purpose

  . We were made in God's image and so all human life has potential, so we should follow the Golden rule

  . God created humans, so are important to God, so should be treated with love and kindness

  . Humans have dominion over living creatures so we have a responsibility to treat all created beings with respect - this idea is called stewardship

  . All Christians have been given stewardship so may involve themselves with protecting the planet e.g. by recycling
• What are some Christian beliefs about the afterlife?

  . Christians believe in Life after Death - although the physical body dies, the soul can live on

  . Christians believe in the immortality of the Soul, and that the body will be resurrected on the Day of Judgement

  . Christian's believe that Jesus was resurrected, and that this is an example of what will happen to humans

  . Christians believe that God will judge you to decide if you go to heaven or hell
• Scriptural evidence for the resurrection of Jesus


  'I believe in ... the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen' - Apostle's Creed
• Scriptural evidence for the existence of heaven and hell

  'Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life' - Matthew
• What are some Christian beliefs about heaven and hell?

  . Some Christians do not see heaven and hell as places but as states of mind - those in heaven know God and are happy, whereas those in hell do not know God and are unhappy

  . Some Christians do not believe in hell as they do not believe that an omnibenevolent God would send people to hell

  . Roman Catholics believe in purgatory - a place where sins are punished and purification takes place before heaven
• What are some Christian beliefs about the day of judgement?

  . Many Christians believe that Jesus will return to earth: the Second Coming

  . Everyone who has died will be resurrected

  . Some believe that all of humanity are judged on this day

  . Roman Catholics believe that judgement will take place as soon as a person dies rather than everyone being judged together

  . Following judgement God will decide if you go to heaven or hell
• Scriptural evidence for the Day of Judgement

  'In Christ all will be made alive' - Corinthians

  'We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ' - Corinthians
• How does a belief in the afterlife influence Christians?

  . Christians are comforted in the knowledge that this life is not the only life

  . An afterlife gives Christians meaning and purpose for this life

  . Belief in judgement means Christians try to live their lives according to the bible to be rewarded in heaven

  . Christians will believe in Jesus and try to live their lives like he did
• Scriptural evidence for judgement based on beliefs/actions


  'The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.' - John

  If you look after others you will be rewarded, ignoring others has consequences - explained in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew
• What are some beliefs about the incarnation of Jesus?

  . Christians believe the Virgin Mary had a miraculous baby

  . The bible says an angel told Mary she would have a son and he would be the son of God

  . Christians refer to Jesus as the Christ, which means the anointed one, or the Messiah

  . Jesus Christ is the son of God and also God incarnate, the second person of the Holy Trinity

  . The incarnation is the act when God became human as Jesus Christ

  . Jesus was both fully man and fully God (divine and human)

  . When God came to the world in human form, he was showing that he loves the world and everyone in it
• What is some scriptural evidence for the incarnation?

  'The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God' - Luke

  'He was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was man made' - Nicene Creed

  'The Word became flesh' - John
• What are some beliefs about the Last Supper?

  . Before his death, Jesus and his disciples had a Passover meal in Jerusalem: the Last Supper

  . During the meal Jesus have bread (his body) and wine (blood) to his disciples
• What scriptural evidence is there for this?

  'Do this in remembrance of me' - Luke
• What are some beliefs about Jesus' crucifixion?

  . Jesus was sentenced to be crucified in Golgotha for blasphemy

  . Jesus declared whilst dying on the cross that he forgave those who had put him there

  . When Jesus was suffering he shouted 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me' - Mark
• What is some scriptural evidence for Jesus forgiving his oppressors?

  'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing' - Luke
• What does the Crucifixion mean to Christians?

  . Christians believe that because of the crucifixion, God understands suffering

  . Jesus forgiving those who were crucifying shows Christians that they should forgive everyone no matter what

  . Without Jesus' death, humans could not be reunited with God and could not enter heaven, as humans had strayed from God, and Jesus' sacrificial death would atone for that separation. Many Christians remember this event through the Eucharist service
• What are some beliefs about Jesus' resurrection?

  . Jesus was put in a tomb, which was then empty because Jesus was resurrected

  . Two women saw Jesus and he told them 'Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, there they will see me' - Matthew

  . When the three women went to visit the tomb, 'they saw the stone already rolled away' - Mark

  . 'Mary Magdalene must have returned to the tomb, because she looked inside and saw two angels, then saw Jesus standing outside next to her' - John

  . During the next 40 days many of Jesus' disciples say they met him alive in Jerusalem

  'It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon' - Luke
• What does the resurrection mean to Christians?

  . Literalist Christians believe the bible account should be taken literally i.e. a physical resurrection

  . Liberal Christians believe that the resurrection was spiritual and not physical

  . The resurrection is important because it shows there is life after death

  . Christians believe that by accepting Jesus, they can also be resurrected in some way, they need not fear death

  . The resurrection shows how powerful God is and gives Christians strength

  . It offers further proof that Jesus is the Son of God and strengthens faith for Christians

  . Christians believe the resurrection shows the power of good over evil
• What are some beliefs about Jesus' ascension?


  . Christians believe that after 40 days Jesus ascended to heaven

  . Jesus tells his disciples that he will 'prepare a place' for them in heaven - John

  . The bible says Jesus was now 'at the right hand of the almighty God' - Luke

  . The Apostles' and Nicene creed both confess that Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the father
• What is some more scriptural evidence for Christ's ascension?

  'While he was blessing them, he left them and ascended into heaven' - Luke
• What does the Ascension mean to Christians?

  . Christians believe that the ascension shows the power of the Son of God as part of the Holy Trinity

  . The ascension is important as it offers proof that Jesus not only overcame death but that he is alive and with God the father in heaven

  . The crucifixion, resurrection and ascension show that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine
• What are some Christian beliefs about mankind in relation to sin?


  . Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command not to eat fruit from the tree of knowledge. This was known as original sin

  . As descendants of Adam and Eve many Christians believe all humans are tainted with original sin and so born with a tendency to disobey God

  . Therefore God as Christ offered salvation, cancelling out original sin and giving promise of eternal life

  . Jesus' death and suffering gained forgiveness for everyone and ensured redemption