Beliefs

• Incarnation


  Christians believe that Jesus is God made human
• Jesus


  • Fully human and fully divine
  • Second part of the Trinity but also born of a human mother
• There are some Christians who argue that the incarnation is a myth (a story that, whilst not literally true, may contain elements of truth)
• Son of God (symbolic)


  The title is symbolic of the importance God attaches to Jesus' teaching
• According to this belief, Jesus is not literally the Son of God but is undertaking God's work
• Jesus

  Second person of the Trinity, God the Son, but born of a human mother, Mary
• How Jesus was conceived

  By the power of the Holy Spirit
• Angel: 'Do not be afraid Mary… you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.'
• Christians believe that Jesus was able to feel what humans feel, including fear and pain
• Son of God


  God the Father is the father of Jesus, and Joseph is looked upon as Jesus' earthly foster father
• Because Jesus is God, his teachings are believed to come from God
• After Jesus' death and resurrection

  Jesus ascended back up to heaven to sit at God the Father's right hand
• The Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus


  Christians believe that after some years of preaching and performing miracles Jesus went to Jerusalem to suffer death
• Atonement


  Jesus' innocent death was able to become an act of atonement, taking away people's sins
• Paul: 'Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.'
• In Jerusalem, Jesus was betrayed to the Jewish authorities who thought he was a revolutionary
• Resurrection


  Christians believe that 3 days after his death, Jesus rose from the dead and visited his disciples before ascending back up to heaven
• Conviction


  Jesus was convicted by the Jewish Council of blasphemy and then taken to the Roman Governor for him to confirm the sentence of death
• Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion
• Crucifixion


  Jesus died by crucifixion and was buried in a nearby tomb
• There are contemporary historical accounts to support the idea that Jesus was executed by the Romans
• Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension

  Christians believe that 3 days after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead and was eventually witnessed ascending back up to heaven
• Resurrection


  The Gospels record that Jesus appeared a number of times to his disciples after the resurrection
• The same historical accounts confirm that the early Christians preached their belief in Jesus' resurrection
• After his resurrection, Jesus appeared in a different form, his resurrected body, and was able to appear and disappear at will
• Ascension


  Eventually, the disciples witnessed Jesus ascending back up to heaven, leaving them to continue his work on earth
• At the ascension, Jesus entrusted the apostles with the tasks of continuing to preach the Gospel and building his Church
• Proof of Jesus' divinity

  The resurrection confirmed for Christians that Jesus was divine, because only God has the power to rise from the dead
• The resurrection also confirmed the possibility of life after death and encourages Christians to live a good life so they can also go to heaven after they die
• Jesus: 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.'
• Some Christians do not accept the bodily resurrection of Jesus and say that the idea of Jesus being alive again is not to be taken literally
• Sin

  Actions that are contrary to the will of God
• Omnibenevolent


  Totally loving and just in all his deeds
• Christians believe there is only one God, but he has revealed himself as three persons (the Trinity)
• It is important for Christians to believe in a powerful and loving God because only such a God is worthy of worship
• A being who is anything less than all-powerful and all-loving is not worthy of worship, and could not be the God Christians believe in
• Jesus: '"With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."'
• Monotheism


  The belief that there is only one God
• The Trinity


  • The Father
  • The Son
  • The Holy Spirit
• The belief that God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent


  Raises problems because of the evil and suffering in the world