Christian Beliefs Flashcards
The 4 Beliefs About the Nature of God
-Omnipotent
-Omnibenevolent
-Omniscient
-Just
Which quote shows that God is omnipotent?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.”
Example of God’s omnipotence
He created the Universe and everything in it
What does omnipotent mean?
All powerful
What does omnibenevolent mean?
All loving
What does omniscient mean?
Knows everything
What does just mean?
Treats all humans fairly
Quote which proves God’s omnibenevolence
“For God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son”
Example of God’s omnibenevolence
He sacrificed Jesus to enable humans to achieve salvation
Example of God being just
He will judge people fairly on Judgement Day
Quotation about God being just
“For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice.”
Why might an atheist be an atheist
They believe that God cannot exist because evil and suffering exists
Atheist belief on the problem of evil (omnipotence)
If God was all-powerful, he would be powerful enough to stop evil and suffering
Atheist belief on the problem of evil (omnibenevolence)
If God was all-loving, he would not want humans to suffer
Atheist belief on the problem of evil (just)
If God is just, he wouldn’t allow innocent people to suffer
Atheist belief on the problem of evil (omniscience)
If God is all-knowing, he would know that the suffering is happening and want to stop it
Christian belief on the problem of evil (free will)
Evil and suffering is caused by humans and not God, so God won’t interfere
Christian belief on the problem of evil (test)
-Suffering can be a test and we should follow the teachings of Christianity to pass the test
-The ways humans respond to suffering develop moral character (showing kindness to someone therefore growing close with God)
Christian belief on the problem of evil (purpose)
We don’t know why God allows evil and suffering. We should help those who suffer, and we will only find out why he allows it at the end of time.
Name the Trinity
-The Father
-The Son
-The Holy Spirit
The Trinity:
-There is only one God
-Each person of the Trinity if fully God
-The persons of the Trinity are experienced in different ways
-All Present at Jesus’ baptism
The Father (the trinity)
The omnipotent creator who is omnipresent, omniscient and omnibenevolent
Omnipresent
Everywhere
The Son (the trinity)
The human incarnation of God sent to Earth to save humans from their sins. He is fully God and fully human.
The Holy Spirit (the trinity)
Present on Earth today, guides and supports Christians
Day 1
Light and darkness
Day 2
The sky
Day 3
Land, sea and plants
Day 4
The sun, moon and stars
Day 5
Fish, sea creatures and birds
Day 6
Animals and humans
Day 7
God was pleased and rested
Literal Creation
-The Universe was made in six days by God
-On each day God created something different
-Happened 6000 years ago
Theistic Evolution
-Creation started with a Big Bang
-Uses evidence from the Bible and science
-The Unuverse was formed over a long period of time
-God started it
-Happened 13.8 billion years ago
The Word
Jesus the Son
Who was present at creation
The entire trinity
Differing Christian beliefs about the body after life
-Full body ressurection
-Only the soul will live on
Ressurection
Humans will be ressurected from death and then have a life after death
What does the Parable of the Sheep and Goats show
All Christians will be judged on how they treated other people
The Parable of Sheep and Goats
-Those who haven’t helped others on God’s left hand side (goats) and will “go away to eternal punishment”
-Those who have helped other people will be on God’s right hand side (sheep) and will have right to eternal life
Christian belief on why hell exists
To ensure all humans behave as God wants them to
Heaven
-There will be no sadness or unhappiness.
-Most Christians believe heaven is being with God for eternity and not a literal place
Hell
-Some believe it will be painful and unhappy all the time
-Others believe it is a symbolic description of being without God
How does afterlife influence Christians
-Human life isn’t as valuable as there is a life after this
-We should think carefully about our how we behave in this life because we will be judged on it
-They will follow Jesus’ teachings so that they go to heaven
Incarnation
Jesus’ birth
Describe the incarnation
-Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary whilst his parents were visiting Bethlehem
-Jesus was God in human form and was on Earth
Why is the incarnation important to Christians
-Proves the Old Testament prophet’ prophecies to be true
-It shows that Jesus is part of the Trinity
The Baptism of Jesus
30 years after his birth, Jesus was baptised by John in the River Jordan
Why is the baptism of Jesus important to Christians
Shows that Jesus is the Son of God and although he was without sin, he provided an example of how to remove sin
Miracles and parables of Jesus
-Performed many miracles including bringing people back to life and healing people
-Told parables (Parable of the Good Samaritan, Parable of the Sheep and Goats)
Parable
Story with a meaning
Why were the miracles and parables important to Christians
-The miracles prove that Jesus is God
-Jesus’ parables and teachings show what they should believe in and how they should act as good Christians
Holy Week
-Palm Sunday
-Maundy Thursday
-Good Friday
Palm Sunday
Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey
Maundy Thursday
-Jesus has the Last Supper with his disciples. Remember his body with bread and his blood with wine
-He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane
Good Friday
-Jesus is sentenced to death by crucifixion
-He is killed on the cross outside the city of Jerusalem, alongside two criminals
Why is the Last Supper important to Christians
Remembered and re-enacted at the Eucharist, reminding Christians of God’s sacrifice
Why is the crucifixion important to Christians
Shows that God was prepared to sacrifice his son for the sins of humans. It enabled humans to achieve salvation
The ressurection
On the third day after the crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead
Why was the resurrection important to Christians
-The resurrection proves that Jesus was the son of God
-It shows Christians that there is life after death and they will also be resurrected
The Great Comission
When Jesus spoke with his disciples the final time, 40 days after his resurrection
Ascension
Jesus ascended to heaven to be with God. Christians are waiting for him to return to Earth at the end of time.
Why is the Great Comission/Ascension important to Christians?
-Gave the disciples clear instructions on how to spread the gospel and this has continued today
-The ascension tells Christians that Jesus was fully God and returned to God in Heaven. There is no body or grave of Jesus left on Earth as he is alive in Heaven, waiting to return one day
Sin
Deliberately going against what God wants
Why do Christians believe people sin
God gave us free will
An example of God’s rules
The Ten Commandments
Original Sin
-We are all born with sin due to the Fall
-Baptism washes away original sin
The Fall
Adam and Eve failed to follow God’s instruction not to eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden. God punished them to ensure suffering in life.
Personal sin
When humans use their free will to behave in a way that goes against God’s wishes
Salvation
Being saved from sin and restoring our relationship with God
Why have humans lost their relationship with God
Sin
How to get rid of sin
-Prayer and repentance
-Confession
Repentance
Realising your actions were wrong
Prayer
Christians pray to God to ask for forgiveness. He is all loving so this act of repentance means he will forgive them
Confession
They confess their sins to a priest and God will forgive them through the actions of the priest
Means of salvation
The ways God helps humans to achieve salvation
Name the means of salvation
-Salvation by law
-Salvation by grace
-Salvation by spirit
Salvation by law
The Pharisees put together a list of 613 laws that need to be kept to gain salvation
The Pharisees
Religious leaders
Salvation by grace
If someone believes in Jesus and asks for forgiveness of their sins, their faith will save them
Why do Christians obey the law if they can be saved by grace?
Christians do good work because they have salvation and not to earn salvation
Salvation by spirit
-The Holy Spirit guides people through their conscience to make the right decisions about how they behave
-It can help Christians to understand God, including when they are reading the Bible
How was the separation from God caused
The Fall
How was the separation from God fixed
Jesus sacrificed himself for humanity
Reconciliation
Restoring a relationship after conflict
Atonement
Restoring the relationship between the people and God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
What does atonement mean for humans
All humans can access heaven and be with God
Genesis 1:1
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:2
“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”
Genesis 1:3
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
The Word creation quotation
“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
Eternal life quotation
“For God so loved the world he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Quotation that proves we will be resurrected
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
Heaven quotation
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Hell quotation
“And throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Incarnation quotation
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Baptism of Jesus quotation
“You are my Son.” (Said a voice from heaven looking down on him)
Crucifixion quotation
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Resurrection Quotation
“They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
Ascension quotation
“Go make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Salvation by law quotation
“If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea.”
Salvation by grace quotation
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-“
Salvation by Spirit quotation
“the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
Reconciliation quotation
“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having being reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
