christian beliefs Flashcards
what are the main christian beliefs about the afterlife?
- the afterlife begins upon death, where the soul ascends to Heaven
- the afterlife begins upon the day of judgement, when Jesus will come down to judge the living and the dead
- this means that Christians will avoid sin and be more forgiving, so that on Judgement Day, they are deemed worthy of Heaven
what do different Christians believe happens to the body during resurrection?
- Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe in bodily resurrection. this means resurrection is both spiritual and physical: the physical body lost at death is restored and transformed into a new, spiritual body
- other Christians believe resurrection will just be spiritual, not physical
what was said in the apostles creed?
- Jesus will come back and ‘judge the living and the dead’
- this will occur on Judgement Day
- life is everlasting
- everyone will be resurrected - some will be deemed blessed, some will be cursed
what is the belief about life after death?
- they will be resurrected and receive eternal life after they die
- this is a gift from God and dependent on faith in God
- they will be judged by God at some point after they die and either rewarded by being sent to Heaven or punished by being sent to Hell
- this judgement will happen either very soon after death or on Judgement Day (when the world ends, Christ comes back to judge the living and the dead)
what do Christians believe they’ll be judged on in the afterlife?
- God will judge them on their behaviour and actions during their lifetime, as well as their faith in Jesus as God’s son
- Jesus, before he died, told his disciples he’d prepare a place for them in Heaven with God. made it clear that having faith in him and following his teachings is essential for being able to enter Heaven
- ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.’
describe the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats:
- describes how God will judge people
- teaches Christians that in serving others, they are serving Jesus, so this is the way they should live their lives: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, for I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink’
what is purgatory?
if a Catholic has unrepented sins when they die, they can either:
- wait until Judgement Day to try and convince God to let them into Heaven
- while your soul waits in Purgatory, the Communion of Saints prays for your sins to be forgiven and your soul to be cleansed and for you to be let into Heaven
what is the difference between exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism?
exclusivism: only Christians who fully believe and devote their life to Jesus will get to Heaven, or baptised Christians, regardless of how they live their life
inclusivism: Christians are guaranteed, and other people (e.g. Jews) can if they’ve repented all of their sins and pleased God by living a good life
pluralism: everyone’s able to get to Heaven, all that’s needed is a good life
how does sin and salvation link together?
every time you sin, you open the gap between humanity and God. the gap is hell. God realised this, and so sent Jesus to be our salvation, bridging the gap between humans and God. therefore, now all humans have to do to get to God is to be a good person, follow Jesus’s teachings, and avoid sin.
describe the relationship between the ideas of salvation and atonement:
atonement is the idea of the relationship between God and humans being healed, through humans’ acts of good, therefore God and humanity become united.
- Christians believe that Jesus’s death and therefore his salvation allowed humans to begin the process of atonement.
what is said in the Sermon on the Mount?
- reinterprets 10 commandments - sins aren’t simply bad actions, they’re also bad thoughts. ‘you shall not commit adultery. but anyone who has looked at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’
- beatitudes - anyone who has wrongfully suffered their entire lives are immediately worthy of Heaven
- introduces Lord’s Prayer
what is original sin?
the mainly Catholic belief that the sin that we are all born with that tempts us to disobey God. this sin stems from the wrongdoings of Adam and Eve, as they chose to disobey God when they ate the fruit off of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, despite having been given paradise.
- this resulted in separation from God and the introduction of death into the world
what are the main Christian beliefs about God?
- only one God
- God is the creator and sustainer of everything that exists
- Jesus is God’s son, the true representation of God on Earth
- people can have a relationship with God through prayer
- God is holy
- God is neither male nor female, but can have qualities of both
say a quote from the Nicene Creed:
‘We believe in one God’
describe Heaven:
- either physical place or spiritual state of peace, joy, freedom from pain and a chance to be with loved ones
- many Christians believe Heaven is a reward for both faith and actions, not just one, e.g. in the parable of the sheep and the goats
- place of eternal happiness in the presence of God
describe Hell:
- opposite of Heaven - state of existence without God
- place of eternal torment in a fiery pit ruled by Satan who is the power and source of evil
- however, many people question whether an omnibenevolent God would condemn people to eternal torment and pain in Hell. they therefore just see Hell as an eternal state of mind of being cut off from the possibility of God
- Hell is what awaits someone who did not acknowledge God or follow his teachings during their life
are all sins illegal?
- a sin is a thought or action that separates humans from God. sinful thoughts (e.g. anger) can lead to sinful actions (e.g. murder)
- some sins, like murder/assault, are illegal
- other sins, like adultery, are legal but against the laws of God
describe the idea of free will:
- Christians believe God gave people free will, but they should use their freedom to make choices God would approve of, otherwise they separate themselves from God
- God provides people with the guidance to make good choices in his law, e.g. 10 commandments, beatitudes
what do Christians believe are the two main places salvation comes from?
- through doing good works - the Old Testament makes it clear that salvation comes through faith in God and obeying God’s law, ‘Faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead’
- through grace - salvation is given freely by God through faith in Jesus. it is not deserved or earned, but is a free gift of God’s love, ‘For it is by grace you have been saved’
lay out, step by step, the role of Jesus in salvation:
- Jesus’ crucifixion made up for the original sin of Adam and Eve
- the death of Jesus, as an innocent man, was necessary to restore the relationship between God and believers, as humans can now receive forgiveness for their sins, to bring them salvation. therefore they can gain eternal life
- Jesus’ resurrection shows the goodness of Jesus defeated the evil of sin. it was proof that God had accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of humankind
describe atonement:
- removes the effects of sin, allows people to restore their relationship with God
- many Christians believe that through the sacrifice of his death, Jesus took the sins of all humanity on himself and paid the debt for them all. he atoned for the sins of humanity
- this sacrifice makes it possible for all who follow Jesus’ teachings to receive eternal life with God
