christian beliefs

• 5 characteristics of God

  • Eternal
  • Omnipresent
  • Omnipotent
  • Omniscient
  • Benevolent
• Eternal


  God is outside space and time and exists in the past, present and future. There was no time when God did not exist nor will there be a time when he no longer exists.
• Omnipresent


  God is present everywhere at all times.
• Omnipotent


  God is all-powerful, nothing is beyond God's power. He created the universe just by saying "Let there be light"
• "I am the Lord, the God of mankind, nothing is too hard for me": 'Teaches that God is omnipotent'
• Omniscient


  God is all-knowing, he knows everything that can be known. God is wise and always knows the best thing to do.
• "For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens": 'Teaches that God is omniscient'
• Benevolent


  God is "all loving" or "all good". He has perfect love for his creation. Everything God does is good, even if people cannot always understand it.
• "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: 'Teaches that God is benevolent'
• Trinity

  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
• God as the Father

  God cares for his creation in the way that a loving father cares for his children, protecting them, making sacrifices for them and forgiving them when they do wrong.
• "The Lord..is he not your Father, your Creator who made and formed you": 'Teaches that God is the Father'
• God as the Holy Spirit

  Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples that his presence would always be with them to comfort, inspire and guide them.
• "the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name will teach you all things": 'Teaches that God is the Holy Spirit'
• God as the Son

  He is Jesus
• God created the universe in 6 days and rested on the 7th
• Creation on Day 1

  God created light and called the light day and the darkness night
• Creation on Day 2

  God created sky and separated earth from heaven
• Creation on Day 3

  God created land and sea
• Creation on Day 4

  God created the sun, moon and stars
• Creation on Day 5

  God created sea creatures and birds
• Creation on Day 6

  God created land animals and humans
• Fundamentalist interpretation of creation

  Take the biblical accounts of creation literally, believing them to be historically and scientifically true, describing exactly how the universe and human beings were created. To them, if it says God created the Bible in 6 days, then he did. God is omnipotent.
• Liberal interpretation of creation

  Regard these accounts as more like metaphors that tell important truths about God; that he brought the universe and all in it into being, he sustains his creation; that the world is special to him.
• The creation story is important to Christians because it shows that God is omnipotent and his creation is good
• The creation story is important to Christians because it shows humans were given stewardship of the earth and occupy a place in creation
• Incarnation


  God becoming flesh in the person of Jesus
• The Incarnation shows God's benevolence, cares so much about the world that he sent his son so that he could die to save people from their sins (John 3:16)
• Through the person of Jesus, Christians know what God is like
• The Incarnation is the basis of the Christian faith. If Jesus was not the Son of God there would be no Christianity
• Jesus' birth


  Born without sin and was conceived by the power of the holy spirit
• Jesus' baptism


  Baptised in river Jordan by John the Baptist. It is when Jesus' receives the Holy Spirit. It is after only his baptism that Jesus starts preaching to people and is able to perform miracles and heal people. It is one of the few times in the Bible when the Trinity is referred to.
• Jesus' last supper


  Jesus' last meal with his disciples, where he blesses the bread and wine and makes them symbols of the sacrifice his about to make by dying on the cross.
• "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.": 'SOWA for the Last Supper'
• Jesus' trial


  After he was arrested, Jesus was taken for trial and they condemned him for claiming to be "the Christ, the Son of God", which for them was blasphemy
• Jesus' crucifixion


  A crown of thorns was placed on his head and a sign placed above his head which said he was the King of the Jews. Through Jesus' death on the cross God forgives people for their sin. Without the cross there would be no forgiveness so people would go to hell.
• "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us": 'SOWA for the crucifixion'
• Jesus' resurrection

  Early on the Sunday morning Jesus' women followers went to anoint his body with spices. However, they found the tomb empty. He then appeared to them.
• The resurrection shows that Jesus has defeated sin and death. It is evidence that there is life after death as Jesus appears to his disciples.
• "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ": 'SOWA for the resurrection'