christian beliefs

• Trinity


  One God shown in three equal ways, or three Persons
• Persons of the Trinity

  • God the Father
  • God the Son
  • God the Holy Spirit
• God the Father

  • Almighty, Maker of everything, including the universe, heaven and earth
  • Roman Catholics believe the Father is outside of time - eternal
  • Protestants believe God is everlasting inside of time
  • Combines the idea of authority and care
• God the Son (Jesus)

  • Eternally begotten, meaning Jesus has always existed and is unique
  • Both Divine (God) and human
  • Lived on earth and showed people how God wants them to live
  • Suffered and died to forgive sins
  • Was resurrected to show God has the power to rise from the dead
  • Christians will often joyfully express their thanks to Jesus for being willing to suffer and give his life to save them and enable them to be forgiven
• God the Holy Spirit

  • Came after Jesus rose from the dead to give people guidance and live with them as God's continuing presence on earth
  • The Lord and Giver of Life
  • Gives comfort, peace and help, and inspires and guides Christians as they try to put beliefs into action
  • Omnipresent, enabling people to have a relationship with God
• The Trinity is very important in Christian worship
• The word Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible, but the Trinity working as the Persons in Unity can be seen in the New Testament passages such as Matthew 3:13-17
• Christians believe God created the entire universe
• Genesis

  Means BEGINNINGS
• Many Christians believe God created the universe "out of nothing" (EX NIHILO)
• Creation over 6 days

  1. Heavens, earth, light and darkness (day 1)

  2. Sky and water (day 2)

  3. Land, seas and vegetation (day 3)

  4. Sun, moon and stars (day 4)

  5. Fish and birds (day 5)

  6. Land animals and humans (day 6)
• Humans

  • Created in the image of God, making them capable of having a relationship with God
  • Given responsibility to "rule over" the earth
• Views on creation

  • Creationism - God created the world in six 24-hour days
  • Big Bang - God created the earth, but through the Big Bang and evolution
• The Trinity existed before the universe and was involved in its creation
• In Genesis 1, the Holy Spirit is described as present and "hovering over the waters"
• Genesis 3 describes how after the earth and humans were formed, God and Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship until Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, introducing sin into the world (The Fall)
• Importance of the Creation story to Christians

  • Says God is Omnipotent and the world was planned by and is important to God
  • The world has a purpose and nature and all life should be respected and cared for
  • Humans are unique as they were "breathed into" by God, giving them a soul and a vital role to fulfil their responsibilities as stewards of the world on God's behalf
  • Humanity can have a relationship with God
• Incarnation


  A person who embodies a God or Deity
• Christians believe Jesus is God in human form, fully God and fully human at the same time
• The Old Testament says a Messiah or deliverer would come to save or "rescue" humanity, and Jesus is believed to be that Messiah
• Jesus was born to Mary after she was made pregnant through the Holy Spirit, and he lived a fully human life
• John 1:14: '"The Word became flesh and made his home among us."'
• Significance of the incarnation

  • Shows God loves the world so much he would come to earth and live a fully human life to show humanity how to live
  • Shows God understands what it is like to live as a human, experiencing the joys and pains of human existence
  • Shows God was willing to do something about the broken relationship between Him and humanity
  • Shows God "loved the world so much that He gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16) so that humanity could be forgiven and redeemed
• 1 Timothy 3:16: '"This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough, Jesus appeared in a human body, was proved right by the invisible Spirit, was seen by angels. He was proclaimed by all kinds of peoples, believed in all over the world, taken up into heavenly glory".'
• Passion of Christ


  The last days of Christ on earth, covering the events of the Last Supper, betrayal, arrest, trial, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension
• Events of the Passion

  1. Last Supper

  2. Betrayal by Judas

  3. Arrest

  4. Trial and sentencing by Pontius Pilate

  5. Crucifixion on Good Friday

  6. Resurrection on Easter Sunday

  7. Ascension 40 days later
• Eucharist/Holy Communion


  A sacrament where Christians receive the bread and wine to remember the death of Christ and the sacrificing of his body and blood to save humanity from sin
• The death of Jesus on the cross was part of God's plan to bring salvation from sin
• The resurrection of Jesus demonstrates that he is part of the Trinity as only God has the power to rise from the dead
• Atonement

  The belief that through Jesus' death and resurrection, people can be brought back to God
• After Jesus' ascension, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples to enable them to spread the news of Jesus and live as Christians
• Original Sin

  The story in Genesis 2-3 of how the first humans, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and broke their perfect relationship with Him, introducing sin into the world
• Ascension

  40 days after Jesus was resurrected, he ascended or went up to heaven
• Holy Spirit

  Came upon the disciples to enable them to spread the news of Jesus and live as Christians, putting their beliefs into action
• Original sin

  The first humans committed the original sin or act of disobedience to God and evil and suffering came into God's perfect world as a result of their actions
• Salvation

  The forgiveness of sins, and eternal life
• Atonement

  Jesus sacrificed his life to pay the price for humans getting it wrong, and to redeem them
• Redemption

  Making something new again, or restoring it to the way it was
• Grace

  Where we are given something which we don't deserve or cannot get however much we try
• Eschatology

  The study of the END TIMES or what might happen at the end of the world