Christian Fundamentals

Question 1

What gives the Bible authority for Christians?

Answer 1

• It is the true word of God as he is revealing himself so is therefore inerrant
• To follow the Christian faith, you need to follow the teachings of the Bible
• It offers guidance and teachings for many Christians who use it in times of hard decision making

Question 2

What are the three ways of interpreting the Bible and what do they entail?

Answer 2

• Fundamental - Everything is taken literally, as the Author was commanded by God to write it all out word for word
• Conservative - Authors were inspired by the God, so they do not take it to be truthful word for word but know that the stories are mostly grounded in reality
• Liberal - The Bible was written about God, perhaps divinely inspired, they believe it is spreading the word and teachings of Christ but should not be taken literally due to human error and bias so it is only a guide

Question 3

What are the different ways the Bible is used in worship?

Answer 3

• In church - It is read out in congregations, verses are sung in hymns and a verse may be the topic of the sermon, this allows those attending to know the Bible better
• In small groups - People will read and study it, discussing it and its meaning for them, this helps people understanding the Bible better
• Personal - Some may read it everyday, in order or randomly, it can bring comfort to people who believe it is the voice of God and familiarise people with the teachings
• Meditation - Meditate on verses, thought that through repetition they will ingraine the verse and its teachings into their head

Question 4

What is the belief of apostolic succession?

Answer 4

• The idea that the ordained clergy are there by right due to their succession from Jesus’s apostles and therefore have religious authority
• Evidence from the Bible in how after Judas’s suicide and Jesus’s ascension, the apostles sought God’s guidance on who they should replace him with

Question 5

Which sources of authority does the Roman Catholic church follow and in what order?

This is the same for other high churches

Answer 5

• The church/clergy
• Individual conscience
• The Bible

Question 6

Why do Roman Catholics adhere to different sources of authority in the way that they do?

Answer 6

• They believe in apostolic succession which gives the clergy authority, for example the Pope is the head of the ministry and the church and is part of the ordained clergy
• As a result of this, the magisterium (church teachings) are the most important
• They believe that it is sometimes correct to use your conscience as it is the voice of God and his teachings guiding you: ‘the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness’
• They believe the Bible is important, but the interpretation which comes first from the clergy and second from your conscience is more important
• This means that the church and clergy can advise you on issues which are not covered or outdated in the Bible

• The Pope is considered God’s representative on earth
• The laity hold little authority as they have not come from apostolic succession

Question 7

Which sources of authority does the Baptist church follow and in what order?

This is the same for other low churches

Answer 7

• The Bible
• Individual consicence
• The church/clergy

Question 8

Why do members of the Baptist church adhere to different sources of authority in the way that they do?

Answer 8

• They believe in Biblical inerrancy and that it is the word of God
• Your individual understanding of the Bible is much more important than other people’s
• Your conscience remains important as the voice of God (though is unlikely to override the Bible)
• They do not believe in apostolic succession so clergy have similar religious authority to the laity

Question 9

What are reasons why the Bible should still be followed in modern society?

Answer 9

• Biblical inerrancy - It is the word of God and should be fundamentally followed
• It is of upmost relevance for Christians as following it will set them on the path to heaven by teaching them how best to live in God’s image to achieve their ultimate purpose
• People interpret the Bible differently, so your personal understanding of it can bring relevancy
• It provides many very important teachings on how we should live our life and which aid our understanding of the universe

Question 10

What are reasons why the Bible should not be followed in modern society?

Answer 10

• There are now scientific theories which evidence which counter stories in the Bible (Genesis 1 vs Big Bang)
• There are other sources of authority which should hold more weight for Christians, such as our conscience and teachings of the church as these are adaptable to modern situations and can mention things the Bible does not such as contraception
• There are stories within the Bible which fundamentally contradict eachother

Question 11

What are some reasons why conscience is not the voice of God/should not always be followed?

Answer 11

• Non-religious people/physicalists believe it is simply your brain activity and is determined by your upbringing which may be moral or immoral
• Since we commit wrongdoings, it cannot be the voice of God
• Since we have original sin and have a predilection to sin, our conscious is stained and cannot be the voice of God

Question 12

What was the decalogue?

Answer 12

• The Ten Commandments revealed to Moses on Mt Sinai and were what the Israelites promised to do in exchange for his protection
• They include worshipping only God, respecting his name, not stealing, lying, murdering or commiting adultery
• They form the backbone of Christian teachings, and Jesus reaffirms many of them in the Sermon on the Mount

Question 13

What were the main teachings in The Sermon on the Mount?

This was Jesus’s first major ministry and is where he ‘fulfilled’ the laws of the prophets (not necessarily changed), including the Decalogue where he reaffirms many of the commandments

Answer 13

• ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’
• ‘You cannot serve both God and money’
• Adultery is always wrong
• Your faith needs to be very strong (tale of two builders)
• ‘When you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it’
• ‘Go and make peace with your brother’ - Show no anger
• ‘Be on your guard against false prophets’

Question 14

What were the events of the Baptism of Jesus?

Answer 14

• Jesus approached John the Baptist, and asked him if he could be baptised
• John protested as Jesus was the son of God, but Jesus said ‘In this way we will do all that God requires’
• When Jesus came out of the water after being baptised, heaven opened, and the spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove saying ‘This is my own dear son with whom I am pleased’

Question 15

What was the significance of the Baptism of Jesus?

Answer 15

• Heaven opening and God telling him that he is his son confirms his identity and divinity as the son of God - this signifies Jesus being on earth and is significant as it is when he was on earth that he died on the cross and atoned everybody’s sins
• It also shows his humanity, because, as the son of God, Jesus is sinless, and yet he felt like he should be baptised by a mortal human, also showing his humbleness and how God rewards this
• It provides a reason for people to become baptised and an example to follow

Question 16

What are the events of the Temptations of Jesus?

Answer 16

• Jesus is led into the desert by the Devil, after not having eaten for 40 days and nights and is very hungry
• The Devil tries to tempt him with bread, but Jesus responds ‘A man cannot live on bread alone, but needs every word God speaks’
• The Devil tries to tempt him to test his divinity by jumping off a building, but Jesus responds ‘Do Not put your Lord God to the test’
• The Devil tried to tempt him with ultimate power over all kingdoms in return for worshipping the Devil, but Jesus responds with ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him
• The Devil then leaves

Question 17

What is the significance of the Temptations of Jesus?

Answer 17

Highlights many of the teachings such as:
* Do not provide only for your material needs but your spiritual also
* Do not use power or rely on God to win popularity
* Do not give into evil for the gain of power and instead stay obedient to God

• It also shows his humanity because he exhibits hunger and does not see God as himself, but his divinity in his resistance to the temptations

Question 18

What were the events of the Last Supper?

Answer 18

• Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples where he inists that he washes their feet while providing moral teachings. Here he knew he was going to die and predicted that one of them would betray him
• Jesus took a piece of bread, shared it out, and said it was his body, then shared out wine, and said it was his blood

Question 19

What is the significance of the Last Supper?

Answer 19

• Jesus’s divinity is shown in how he knows that he will be betrayed and die and that ‘he had come from God and was returning to God’
• His washing of their feet show his humanity and humility - ‘no servant is greater than his master’
• He also made a new commandment, where he said ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ - he engraves this teaching in their memory and creates the example of his love to them by washing his feet
• It represents his moral teachings of not resenting those who betray you
• The bread and wine is now consumed in Communion services in order to become closer with Jesus (the eucharist is introduced)
• It is symbolic of the sacrificing of the lamb for the people of Israel to be free in the Old Testament - here he wanted to celebrate his last passover meal before he takes on the role of the lamb and is sacrificed for the good of people

This occurred on Maundy Thursday

Question 20

What were the events of Jesus’s crucifixtion?

Answer 20

• After being interrogated, reprimanded and sentenced to the death by crucifixion by Pontius Pilate, he was nailed to the cross and murdered
• When he died, ‘the curtain in the temple split, the dead rose from their graves, the earth shook’ and he called out ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me’

Question 21

What was the significance of Jesus’s crucifixion?

Answer 21

• His innocence and sacrifice removed all sins for people (grants people atonement) as he took away the sins of the world
• He represents the ‘lamb of God’, symbolic of how Jews would put their sins on a lamb and sacrifice it, he died with humanity’s sins
• It showed his humanity in how he died, and shouted out for God to help him
• His divinity in how the world reacted to his death (the earth shook etc.)

Question 22

What were the events of Jesus’ resurrection?

Answer 22

• On the Sunday after his crucifixion, Mary Magdalene approached Jesus’s tomb to anoint him with oil
• She found that the tomb-stone had been rolled away. Surprised, she turned around and saw a man dressed in white
• He told her that Jesus had risen, ‘he is not dead, he has risen, as he said’ and that she should tell the disciples, but she ran away without telling anyone
• The skies then opened and Jesus then ascended into heaven

Question 23

What is the significance of Jesus’ resurrection?

Answer 23

• It proved that God was almighty and that Jesus himself was divine and the son of God because ‘his appearance was like lightning’ and his body could be seen ascending, not just his soul, making his teachings more significant
• It opened the possibility for eternal life in all humans after the Fall, meaning humans could now go to heaven - this means that salvation could be achieved: ‘If Christ had not been raised, then all our preaching is vain’
• People believe that when they are baptised they share in Jesus’s resurrection, and are brought into a new relationship with God as his resurrection brought us closer to him
• It gives all Christians hope that they can achieve forgiveness or reconcile what was lost just as Jesus did after his cruxifixion

The cruxifixion destroyed our sin, making us eligible for heaven, but the resurrection restored our life and actually made it possible for us to live eternally in heaven

Question 24

What were the events of Jesus healing a paralyzed man?

Answer 24

• Jesus, being known far and wide, visited a town and was flooded by people wishing they could be healed
• Since they were a long queue, a group of people carried a paralyzed man through a hole in the roof to get to Jesus
• Jesus saw their faith, so said so the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’
• Many people doubted Jesus here, because they knew only God alone could forgive sins, but he proved his divinity by simply telling the man to ‘take his mat and walk out’ and he did so
• It also proves his compassion and how this is the Christian way, validated by the proof that he is the son of God

Question 25

What were the events of Jesus healing the man with the shriveled hand?

Answer 25

• Jesus walked into a synagogue on the Sabbath, where there was a man with a shrivelled hand, and many people wanted to accuse Jesus of not being the son of God so watched him closely
• He asked them whether it was right to do good or evil on the sabbath
• Distressed at their stubbornness, he asked the man to stretch out his hand and it was completely healed
• This proves Jesus’s divinity
• It also proves his compassion and how this is the Christian way, validated by the proof that he is the son of God

Question 26

What did Jesus teach about discipleship and how did he demonstrate it?

Answer 26

• During the last supper, Jesus tried to wash his disciples feet, many protested, but he did it anyway
• He did this to teach that, while he is their lord and teacher, it is his job to set an example to his disciples, therefore if he washes his disciples feet, he hopes this will prompt them to wash others’ feet
• He endeavours to teach that no servant is greater than his master, but no master is greater than his servant
• ‘If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples.’ - You must have unwavering commitment to your faith to be a disciple

Question 27

Why is Jesus significant for Christians today?

Answer 27

• Jesus was the son of God on earth (holy trinity)
• Jesus was a teacher who taught many moral teachings
• Jesus’s innocence and his choice to die allows humans to achieve atonement, which means they can be forgiven by God and go to heaven. This is because he has taken our sin away from us
• Jesus’s resurrection shows that Jesus has saved us from sin and we can now go to heaven and achieve eternal life (salvation)

Question 28

What were some of the main achievements of Martin Luther King and how do they relate to Christian teachings?

Answer 28

• He campaigned to end segregation in the USA and reach equality- The Bible taught that ‘we are all one in Jesus Christ’
• He led non violent protests - The Bible taught to ‘love thy enemy and pray for those that persecute you’
• He campaigned against injustices for black people - ‘Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression’ - Isaiah 1:17