Christian Beliefs and Teachings Flashcards
What is omnipotent?
All powerful
What is omniscient?
All seeing
What is omnibenevolent?
All loving
What is omnipresent?
Everywhere
What is transcendent?
Beyond everything
What is immanent?
Involved with humans
What is the Apocalypse?
The idea that Jesus’ second coming will destroy the current sinful world
What is the Parousia?
The idea that Jesus’ second coming will be him appearing in the sky bringing power and strength
What is the Rapture?
The idea that Jesus’ second coming will be him gathering up everyone on Earth to be judged
What is the ‘Word’?
The Word is the son of God.
The Word was present with God before creation.
The Word is God.
The Word incarnate is Jesus.
Name 4 ideas about the Trinity
It is composed of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Each person is God, yet they are all distinct.
Each is perfect, forming a complete relationship.
Each has a different role.
What is Genesis 1?
God, a spirit hovering over an empty void, creates the world by speaking into the darkness and calling into being light, sky, land, vegetation, and living creatures over the course of six days.
What is Genesis 2?
God formed a man and gave him all of the garden of Eden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam was alone so God made a woman as his ‘helper’
What is the Fall?
A term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience.
It is the breaking of the perfect relationship with God.
What is the original sin?
The first occasion where mankind disobeyed God
What does Jesus’ resurrection show?
His power over death
What are the 2 interpretations of Genesis?
Literal and as a myth
Explain the belief of Genesis taken literally
- They believe that Genesis is an accurate account of how the world was created and the Fall
- They think this as they believe that God’s word is infallible, therefore should be taken as the absolute truth
- They reject any science disproving that the world was created in 6 days
What are people who take Genesis literally know as?
Creationists
Explain the belief of Genesis taken as a myth
- They believe that the world was not actually created in 6 days, but rather that is to be taken figuratively, representing the power of God, and how God was responsible for the creation of everything
- They believe in evolution, however believe it was a process started and managed by God
- This interpretation of Genesis corroborates with scientific knowledge of the evolution of the world
What is the Christian belief in evolution known as?
Theistic Evolution
What is moral evil?
Evil caused by humans e.g. war, murder etc
What is natural evil?
Evil not caused by humans e.g. natural disasters, cancer, birth defects
What is the problem of evil?
If we know that God is all powerful and loving, so suffering and God cannot co-exist, and we know that suffering exist therefore God can’t exist
Give 2 Christian explanations of suffering (including natural evil)
- Suffering as a test of faith
- God has a purpose which humans do not fully understand yet, therefore the purpose of suffering is not yet known to us
Explain Jesus as the Son of God
- Jesus was God incarnate
- He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
- The Holy Spirit caused Mary to become pregnant with the need of a human father
- Jesus’ birth was a miracle
What does “the Messiah” mean?
The annointed one
Explain Jesus as Lord and Savior
- Jesus was sent after the Fall, to repair the broken relationship between God and humans, by taking the punishment for all human sin
- Jesus acts as a symbol for eternal life after death, as he was able to ascend and be resurrected after his demise
Why was Jesus’ death alone sufficient to repent for all human sin?
Because he himself was sinless
What can we learn from the story of ‘The Good Samaritan’?
That no matter who it is in need, you should help them
What is Sacrificial Love and who is a prime example of someone who demonstrated it?
It is the action that places God and those around you above yourself. It was performed by Jesus throughout his life
What does practising Agape Love as a Christian require?
- Forgiving one and other
- Helping other when they are in need
- Working to achieve peace for everyone
What do most Liberal Christians believe towards Jesus’ miracles?
That they are not to be taken literally, but rather are stories with meanings
What do most Conservative Christians believe towards Jesus’ miracles?
They are true and actually occurred; as God is omnipotent, this allows him to defy the laws of nature
What are the Beatitudes?
The attributes that Jesus wants his followers to develop. These include humbleness, mercy and peacemaking
What was Jesus’ attitude towards worship, expressed during the Sermon on the Mount?
Good deeds and prayer should be done privately, as there is no need to flaunt it, as it is simply between them and God.
What was Jesus’ attitude towards money?
That is should not be worshiped, and the true treasures are spiritual. Money should be shared and not be attached to
What was Jesus’ attitude towards judging others?
No one is perfect, therefore no one is in a position to judge others
What is the Narrow Gateway?
An analogy expressed by Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, which means although being a Christian may be more difficult (the Narrow Gateway compared to a wide open path), it will ultimately lead to God’s blessing, whereas living life the easy way will not.
What is Building on solid foundations?
An analogy expressed by Jesus, which portrays how a life built on faith and trust in God, will be able to endure even the toughest of environments
Explain the Christian belief towards the incarnation
- Jesus was God incarnate
- Jesus was not affected by the original sin
- Jesus’ life provides a perfect example for Christians to follow
- Jesus was able to perform miracles in his life, demonstrating that he was indeed God, and the power of God over everything
Explain the Christian belief towards the crucifixion
- Jesus when he was crucified experienced the full pain of a human death
- God can understand human suffering as a result of it
- It was as a result of that crucifixion that the God-human relationship was repaired
Explain the Christian belief towards the resurrection
- Jesus did not remain dead, showing his power over death, and again that he was God incarnate
- It showed that after death, Christians too will be resurrected spiritually, living an eternal life in heaven
Explain the Christian belief towards the ascention
- Some Christians believe that it is literally Jesus going back to heaven
- Other Christians believe that it represents Jesus’ success over evil
What our souls?
Something immortal that is distinct from our human body
What is hell?
- Some Christians believe that hell is the place after death, in which those who haven’t repented during their lives experience eternal pain and suffering
- Other Christians believe that hell is a way of expressing a permanent existence without God’s presence and blessing. Hell is symbolic, a way of describing what life would be like without God present in our lives
What is heaven?
- Some Christians believe that heaven is the place that good Christians go to after death to experience eternal bliss and peace
- Other Christians believe that heaven is not place but a state of mind, one in which God is constantly present, and evil does not exist
What is the Parousia?
The second coming of Jesus
What Christian denomination believes in purgatory?
Roman Catholic
What is purgatory?
The place those who aren’t yet pure enough to go to heaven go, to undergo purification
