christian beliefs Flashcards
what does transcendent mean?
existing outside of time and space
what does immanent mean?
present with people
what does monotheistic mean?
belief in one god
describe what it is that Christians believe about God’s nature that makes him a fair judge
His omniscience and perfect nature make him a fair judge
How do Christians believe God has provided a perfect example of godly living?
jesus was god’s incarnate, he lived a perfect life on earth and provides an example of godly living
quote that summarises the ‘monotheistic’ religion
’ you shall have no other gods before me’- exodus (2nd commandment)
which Christian denomination focuses on god’s purity and oneness?
plymouth brethren:
- they believe those that are part of that community can truly understand the oneness of God. They live as far away as possible and lives separate lives from the rest of the world to remove themselves from the evil
state God Christians beliefs about the Trinity
each of the three trinities is equal
they all fulfil a different role
they have a perfect relationship
state Christian denominations that do not believe in the Trinity
unitarianism
what reasons do some Christian have for not believing in the Trinity
the belief in the Trinity leads to the idea that there is more than one god and puts the monotheism of Christianity in dangere
it goes against the second of the ten commandments
Which two parts of the Holy Trinity are unseen?
- father
- holy spirit
why did God reveal himself in the form of Jesus on earth?
- to reveal himself to people
- to rise from the dead to show he is eternal
- to sacrifice himself on the cross to receive gods punishment for human sin in order for salvation
Why did God rise from the dead?
1) to show that God has power over death
2) to show that He is eternal
3) to show that Christians may have everlasting life in heaven after death
what does the holy spirit do
1) helps Christians to live in the way that God requires
2) helps Christians to understand God’s teaching
3) promises life with God in heaven after death
describe the way in which God creates in Genesis 1
by speaking aloud
how is the creation of humans different from the way God creates the rest of the world
- god created humans in the image of Him.
- he breathed life into Adam’s nostrils
- he created the rest by speaking aloud
what was the role of the spirit in the Creation
- hovers over the waters and waits to bring life into the world.
- when God breathed life into Adam’s nostrils it was also the spirit bringing life
state why the role of the father, spirit and the word in creation is God to Christians
- it shows the Trinity was involved in creations
- strengthens the monotheistic understanding of god
what is the original sin?
the sin that first entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience
what causes eve to disobey from?
she liked the look of the fruit and she wanted to gain knowledge as the ‘crafty’ serpent had told her
in what order to god create the world
1) the heavens and the earth
2) light
3) sky
4) land
5) vegetation
6) the sun and the moon
7) animals (water)
8) animals (land)
9) man
describe the effect of the fall
- The Fall caused humans to no longer be in a relationship with God.
- Human sin is a barrier to this relationship. As a result, humans require salvation, which is provided through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
- lose immortality
when considering the accounts of creation, what 3 things do all Christians agree on?
- god created the universe
- God acted out of love and goodness- he cares for his creation even in its broken sinful state
- Humans are made in his image but are sinful and lack perfection
what is the creationist approach?
-they reject any science that suggests that the world was not made in 6 days. the bible is an accurate representation of God’s word and should be taken as the absolute truth
why do some Christians believe that the most appropriate way to understand genesis is as a myth?
- differences in writing style and accounts between Genesis 1 and 2
- scientific research to show it was created over a billion years ago and not 5,700
what is Theistic evolution
belief in life was developed through evolution but it was started by God and is the mechanism by which God brings about life
why is it impossible to hold on to a belief in an omnipotent and omnibenevolent god?
- if God is omnibenevolent he can use his power to stop suffering but he hasn’t which could mean he isn’t all powerful.
- if God is omnipotent and has the power to stop suffering maybe he isn’t benevolent
what is a moral evil
suffering caused by the direct fault of human sinful actions
what is natural evil
suffering created through no direct fault of humans
what is the justification of natural disasters according to some Christians
- they see the world as a test
- without it, there would be no opportunity for people to show their love for one another
- opportunity to share in the suffering which Jesus himself experienced
in what way does the Lord’s prayer help believers to depend on God and trust him even in times of suffering?
in the Lord’s prayer, believers trust God’s will in their lives. They depend on him for needs and ask that he ‘delivers us from evil’.
what is the proposed solution to the impossible belief in an omnipotent and omnibenevolent god called?
theodicies
what is the Irenaean theodicy
- argues that God allows evil and suffering to exist
- deliberately created the world with both good and evil to allow us to choose between good and bad
- he allows suffering as he wants our souls to develop
- through suffering, we learn and develop spiritually
what did irenaean believe about the Fall
- just a stage in the human learning process.
- as long as humans are open to learning from their actions they can go to heaven
what is the Augustinian theory
- god made a perfect creation as recorded in Genesis
- evil is when something good becomes corrupted and lacks its intended perfection
- when Adam and even ate the fruit, evil entered the perfect universe
why is Jesus important
- it gives Christians an example for their lives
- as the son of God, his death is the sacrifice that provides the restoration of a perfect relationship between humans and god.
which quote reinforces Jesus resurrection as forgiveness of human sin
‘without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins’
how do Christians believe that Jesus is the saviour?
-his death on the cross, taking the punishment for sin allowing the relationship to restored between humans and god
in what way does the belief in different titles of Jesus affect the way a Christian may choose to live?
- christians worship god
- follow Jesus’ example of holy living
- confess sins when they make mistakes
who did Jesus spend the most time with
- whom society rejected because he believes god values all and so anyone can have a relationship with him
what did Jesus say in Matthew are the two most important commandments
- love god
- love thy neighbour
why does Jesus tell us the story of the good samaritan
to show how they should give love to all people, not just their friends but also their enemies. samaritans and jews (the person mugged and left for dead) were enemies
what is sacrificial love (agape)
a love that places God and other people above yourself
-voluntarily suffer discomfort and even death for the benefit of other people without expecting anything in return
practising agape love means that Jesus requires Christians to:
- forgive each other
- work to achieve peace
- help those in need
how does Jesus demonstrate compassion in the Bible
when Jesus cleaned the man of leprosy
what is evangelism and why does this occur
evangelism- sharing the message of god and persuading others to become believers
this happens as they want to see people become believers and part of God’s kingdom
what do all Christians believe about Jesus
both man and god
what makes it hard for some Christians to accept the claims about Jesus occurring as a result of virgin birth or healing miracles
goes against scientific evidence and laws of nature
what do conservative Christians believe about God’s power to do miracles
he is omnipotent and omniscient so has the knowledge and power to do anything.
and take literally the word of the bible and so believes in virgin birth and miracles
what does the sermon of the mount contain?
contains many of Jesus teachings about how Christians should live in order to please god
what are the 6 sections the sermon (on the mount)?
- beatitudes
- jesus and the law
- true discipleship
- true righteousness
- the narrow gateway
- building on solid foundations
what do beatitudes mean
blessing
what does the beatitude describe?
Describes the attitudes and qualities that God wants all his followers to develop and which he can bless.
qualities include: -meekness, mercy and peace
what do the ‘Jesus and the law’ describe
-moses originally brought the law of God to the Israelites. Jesus’ teaching does not get rid of this law but changes the way that believers understand it
what makes Jesus’ teachings on the law so challenging?
- obedience to the law must come from the person’s heart
- the law of Moses is based on love. but Jesus teaches not to just love their neighbours- whom they are on good terms with) but enemies too
describe what Jesus says makes a true disciple?
to make a true follower you need to :
- be sincere in all you do
- keep fasting and charity private
- wants people’s prayers straight to the point and not complicated as this will not make anyone more spiritual
what prayer did Jesus give as an example
lord’s prayer
what does Jesus teach in true righteousness (wealth)
not one person can worship both god and money. love for money can lead to selfishness and greed
in what way does Jesus warn people to not judge others
he says that if people judge others then God will judge them with the same standards.
nobody is perfect and so nobody is in a position where they can judge others
what does Jesus warn in ‘the narrow gateway’
difficulties of being a Christian there may be: prosecution god laws love enemies
describe the two pathways described by god
broad pathway: leads to destruction. this is life without following God’s laws. as this may be an easy way to live life this will not lead to God’s blessing.
narrow pathway: hard when living on earth but it will lead to rewards in heaven which will be eternal
what does Jesus say is the best foundation for people to build their lives on?
jesus teaches that a life built on faith and trust in God will enable a person to get through the toughest times in life, unlike a life without faith
what does His incarnation mean
he was not affected by the original sin when he was born
what does it show when Jesus was able to perform miracles.
it provided a glimpse of heaven where there is no pain, suffering or physical harm
why do Christians believe God can understand human suffering
because he himself as Jesus suffered through crucifixion
his crucifixion was an atonement sacrifice
why is Jesus death considered as an atonement sacrifice
his death had a purpose that benefitted all humans
state why is it important for Jesus to be born without sin
he was able to demonstrate how to live the perfect life and through his death took the sins of all people
how does Jesus’ resurrection provide evidence that he was god’s incarnate
no other human being has the power over life and death in this way
why do Christians find hope in the resurrection
they believe that they too will be raised to life after death to share eternity in heaven with Jesus
what did Jesus say as evidence for being raised to share eternity in heaven with Jesus?
‘he who believes in me will live even if he dies’
what are the two understandings of Jesus’ ascension
- jesus literally rising up to heaven
- represented symbolically: the rising up of Jesus shows his success of good over evil
what does Jesus’ ascension signify?
-end of his life and work
what do Christians believe Jesus returned to heaven to do?
jesus returned to heaven to prepare a place for them to go after death
why do Christians see the ascension, resurrection, crucifixion and incarnation significant?
examples of God working in the world
why do some Christians use a crucifix during worship?
to focus on the meaning of the death of Jesus and on his sacrifice and suffering
why is the empty cross found in protestant churches?
emphasises the idea that the cross was not the end and that Jesus rose from the dead
what is atonement
something which is done to pay for doing something wrong
how is the atonement provided in the old testament
once a year they had to make an offering of the atonement sacrifice on the Day of Atonement
- the priest would enter the innermost part of the temple and sacrifice an animal. The blood of that animal would bring atonement between humans and god
why is Jesus’ sacrifice different to the animal’s sacrifice
jesus’ sacrifice had an eternal effect
as Christians show repentance for their sins, God accepts Jesus’ death as the payment for it
describe ‘the law’ in the concept of salvation
in the past religious law had shown that people were sinful and imperfect. Nobody managed to obey all of the laws or commandments.
-under the new covenant, all people could receive complete forgiveness and have the holy spirit living in them
what is ‘grace’
an unconditional love that God shows to people who do not deserve it
-means if they have faith in Christ, humans have his blessing even if they are imperfect and sinful
what is redemption
- process of buying something back or paying off a debt
- christians believe the salvation that God offers is actually him offering to pay their debt of sin.
state why Christians believe repentance is important
repentance is necessary in order for a person to be forgiven by God and to receive gods grace.
-gods help is brought by the holy spirit which now lives within us
state some different views about how individuals receive salvation
- roman catholics believe they are saved by being baptised. their ongoing participation in the sacrements is key ensuring their salvation
- evangelical christians believe the faith in jesus will alow them to be saved
- doing good deeds might help to get into heaven
what is eschaton
living in the end time, the last days of the world
what is parousia
second coming of Jesus
why is the belief in the resurrection an eschatological belief
because many christians believe that at the end of time all the dead will be raised to be judged by god
what is hell
eternal separation from god after death
outline the different believes that christians have about hell
- the church uses the fear of hell as a way of getting people to follow the religion
- some christians believe hell will be annihilation - soul and body easy to exist
what is heaven
eternal life after death in the presence of god
what does belief in heaven encourage a christian to do
continue to serve god and be obedient to Him
what is purgatory (Roman Catholic belief)
when a person is not pure enough to come into god’s presence immediately, so they will undergo purification to achieve the holiness necessary to be able to go to heaven
how is heaven described in the bible
infant of the throne is ‘a sea of glass, as clear as crystal’
what does Jesus’ teaching show in the parable of the sheep and and the goats
unless they help others, their salvation and eternal life is at risk
