Christian Beliefs

• Beliefs about the Holy Trinity stated in the Nicene Creed

  • There is one being - God
  • This one God is experienced as three persons (ways of being) - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
  • Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all equal and all eternal
• The account of Creation in Genesis 2

  1. First: heavens and earth

  2. Second: man formed from the dust of the earth; God breathed life into him

  3. Third: Trees - the formation of the Garden of Eden

  4. Fourth: God placed Adam in the Garden

  5. Fifth: God saw that Adam was lonely - God created the birds and animals which Adam named

  6. Sixth: Adam needed a helper, so God created Eve from Adam
• Divergent Christian interpretations of Genesis CreationFundamentalists / literalists

  • Conservatives
  • Liberals
• Liberals

  • The Bible contains words about God, it is not the actual words of God
  • The writers had special insights and or experiences of God which they wrote about in their own way
  • The text includes mistakes and contradictions
  • What matters are the great truths expressed about God, albeit in imperfect ways
  • Genesis 1-3 is a metaphor about Creation
• Groups that reject scientific theories

  • Conservatives
• Genesis 2 and 3 are poetic explanations

  Of how evil and suffering entered the world
• Truths expressed in Genesis 1-3

  • God created it good
  • Genesis 2 and 3 were written by a different author. Expressing the truth about the entry of evil and suffering into the world
  • Humans have free will
• Humans are unique in Creation because

  • They can know and love their creator
  • They have dignity (Catholic Catechism)
  • They are capable of self-knowledge: who they are and why they are here
  • They have free will – to choose between good and evil
• How humans should care for Creation

  • Make it better for those coming after them (The Parable of the Talents)
  • Share the earth's resources fairly
  • This will be the basis of their Judgement before God (Parable of the Sheep and the Goats)
• Sin

  Symbolised by Adam and Eve's disobedience – which damaged the previously perfect relationship between God and humankind
• Jesus had two natures

  • Human
  • Divine
  • Jesus was fully human and fully divine at the same time
• Son of God

  Means God in human form
• The Virgin birth

  • Shows Jesus as the Son of God
  • Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit so Joseph was not his father. If this was not true; then Jesus would not be the "Son of God"
• Biblical basis for the Incarnation in Matthew's Gospel

  • Focus on Joseph
  • Mary's pregnancy was the result of the Holy Spirit and not Joseph
  • Joseph was told by and angel to call the child Jesus – because he would save his people from sin
  • Birth in Bethlehem: at the time of King Herod, visit of the Magi (wise men) from the East
  • Herod heard from the Magi of the birth of a king, he was jealous and planned to kill all children under the age of two
  • The slaughter of the innocents
  • Joseph, Mary and Jesus – escaped to Egypt
  • After Herod's death – they returned to Nazareth
• Biblical basis for the Incarnation in Luke's Gospel

  • Focus on Mary
  • Begins with the miraculous birth of Jesus
  • The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary: tells her that her pregnancy would be the result of the Holy Spirit, child will be called '… the son of the most high God …'
  • Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem because of a Roman census
  • Angel appears to shepherds
  • The dedication of Jesus in the Temple – The Purification: Anna, Simeon (Nunc Dimmitis)
  • Return to Nazareth
• Biblical basis for the Incarnation in John's Gospel

  • Uses theological language – not historical events
  • Identified Jesus as '… the Word of God …'
  • Begins at the beginning of the universe '… in the beginning …': The Word made everything that is, The Word is the light and life of the world, The Word '… became flesh and dwelt among us …'
  • Identifies Jesus of Nazareth as 'the Word' and so 'the Messiah (Christ)', the Incarnation of God
• The Incarnation


  • It shows that God cares so much for the world that he sent his Son to show humans what God is like and teach humans how to live
  • It is at the very basis of the Christian faith
  • It marks the beginning of the process of salvation: making a full relationship with God possible, confirms that eternal life is real after death
• The events leading to the death of Jesus form the basis of the Christian faith
• Events at the Last Supper

  • Jesus prophesied his betrayal by Judas Iscariot
  • Jesus took bread and wine, gave thanks and blessed them: This is my body (referring to the bread), This is my blood (referring to the wine), Said the bread and wine represented his body and blood, They should do this often in remembrance of him
  • There was a discussion about 'greatness': The truly great should be the servant of others
  • Jesus prophesied Peter's betrayal
• The betrayal and arrest

  1. They went to the Mount of Olives

  2. Jesus left his disciples and went to pray by himself: He asked the Father to spare him his suffering, Then was resigned to be obedient to the Father's will

  3. Jesus returned to his disciples whom he found asleep

  4. Judas Iscariot arrived with the Chief Priests and the Temple Guards, The disciples wanted to fight them off: But Jesus stopped them, One disciple cut off the ear of one of the guards, Jesus healed the guard and ordered that there should be no violence

  5. Jesus was taken to the house of the High Priest, Peter followed and denied Jesus three times
• The trial

  1. Jesus was tried by the Jewish Sanhedrin

  2. Jesus was condemned for claiming to be: The Messiah ('Christ' in Greek), The Son of God, This is blasphemy – because Jesus was claiming equality with God

  3. Early the next morning, Jesus was brought before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate: He was accused by the Sanhedrin of claiming to be the 'King of the Jews', Pilate could not find any evidence to condemn Jesus. He offered to free either Jesus or Barabbas. The crowds called for Barabbas, Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion

  4. The soldiers put a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him as a pretended king
• Events of the Crucifixion

  • Friday
  • Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus' cross
  • A robber was crucified on either side of Jesus
  • A sign was placed above Jesus saying: King of the Jews
  • Bystanders mocked Jesus and challenged him to come down from the cross
  • Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of his executors
  • One of the criminals asked Jesus to save himself and them – if he really was the Christ, The other criminal said that they deserved their fate and that Jesus was innocent as he had done nothing wrong. He asked Jesus to remember him, when Jesus came into his kingdom. Jesus replied: "… today, you will be with me in paradise …"
  • It lasted just over three hours
  • Jesus gave up his spirit and died in agony
  • The Centurion in charge said: "Surely this was a righteous man"
• The Resurrection

  1. A member of the Sanhedrin – Joseph of Arimathea – asked Pilate permission to bury Jesus in his private tomb. Pilate agreed

  2. Early Sunday morning: Women followers of Jesus went to the tomb to anoint the body with spices, When they entered the tomb, they found it empty, Two men appeared in gleaming clothes and announced that Jesus had risen, The women told the disciples who then went to see for themselves

  3. The Road to Emmaus: Two other disciples (not of the 11) travelled from Jerusalem to Emmaus, Jesus appeared to them, but they did not recognise him until he broke bread with them – and then he disappeared, The disciples returned to Jerusalem and told the other disciples, As they were talking, Jesus appeared to them and showed them his hands and feet, and let them touch him
• The Ascension

  1. Recorded in Luke's Gospel and Acts

  2. 40 days after the resurrection

  3. Jesus told his disciples to remain in Jerusalem where they would receive the Holy Spirit

  4. Jesus was taken from them in a cloud

  5. Two men in white appeared and explained that Jesus had been taken into heaven (Acts 1:4-11). This is known as the Ascension

  6. Christians believe that it is the Ascension that makes it possible for Jesus to be wherever they are (he is no longer bound by time and space)
• Evangelical Protestant understanding of the atonement

  • Penal substitution theory: God's justice meant that God needed to punish human sin, rather than punish humans, God took the punishment upon himself through Jesus' death upon the Cross
  • Jesus acted as a substitute and took upon himself the punishment for all human beings
  • Salvation comes through faith in the atoning death of Christ by accepting the gift offered by Jesus (grace) and allowing Jesus to be Lord and Saviour in one's life (following his ways)