Christianity #3: Beliefs About Jesus

Question 1

Arguments for the resurrection (4)

Answer 1

• Jesus is divine, therefore the resurrection is quite possible
• Evidence in the Gospels that Jesus rose from the dead
• Jesus foretold that he would rise from the dead
• It was a consistent teaching from the earliest days of the Christian community

Question 2

Arguments against resurrection (4)

Answer 2

• It’s scientifically impossible to rise from the dead
• The only evidence comes from witnesses who might not be reliable
• Gospel accounts of it may be contradicting, so you cannot rely on evidence from the Bible
• His body could’ve been stolen from the tomb

Question 3

Key facts about Jesus as incarnation of God (4)

Answer 3

• Incarnation means in a flesh and blood form. The idea that God enters the human realm in the form of Jesus. He has a miraculous virgin birth, confirming his divine nature.
• Jesus was truly human and truly God at the same time — a paradox. Jesus is part of the Trinity — God the Son. God had sent prophets that no one listened to , so now he was sending his Son.
• The Incarnation means that God has experienced everything about being a human being, apart from sin.
• Jesus is ‘the Word’ — how God communicates his nature and his will to the world — if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God.

Question 4

Why is the incarnation is important for Christians? (4)

Answer 4

• It helps us to understand that Jesus wasn’t just a human being but is actually God the Son. This helps us to understand the nature of God better. By knowing Jesus, we know God.
• The incarnation helps us to see Jesus as the perfect example of a human being. If we following Jesus’ words and actions, then we can be the best people we can possibly be.
• The incarnation gives us hope because God loves humanity so much that he is willing to become one of us to show the depth of that love.
• The incarnation is important because it shows us the way to overcome sin. Jesus lives a perfect life. This gives us hope that sin and death aren’t the end and that we too can share in eternal life through God.

Question 5

Describe what Christians believe about the death of Jesus (4)

Answer 5

• Jesus was crucified at Golgotha (meaning “place of the skull”) between 2 theives at 9am
• Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall but said no
• Jesus cries out, ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me’
• He dies at 3pm

Question 6

Describe what Christians believe about the Ressurection (4)

Answer 6

• on the Sunday morning there was a violent earthquake and an angel descended and rolled the stone from the entrance to the tomb
• the soldiers fainted when they saw the angel
• some of the women/Mary went to the tomb to anoint the body
• they found the stone rolled away from the entrance and the body of Jesus was gone. In John’s account, the grave clothes were folded up and left behind
• the angel told them Jesus had risen and that they should go and tell the disciples

Question 7

How might beliefs about the incarnation affect Christians? (4)

Answer 7

• They would worship Jesus as God, asking for his help and guidance in their lives.
• Some Christians use images of Jesus as a focus for prayer and devotion.
• In communion, they would remember how Jesus died for their sins.
• They celebrate Christmas, God coming into the world

Question 8

Some believe the resurrection was essential because…(4)

Answer 8

• It demonstrates God’s awesome power. If you say it didn’t happen, you’re limiting God
• It removes the ‘sting of death’ which is its finality
• It shows that Jesus was able to beat death and that good truly won over evil
• If we take the Bible literally and see it as God’s word, it must be true, because God’s word can be trusted completely

Question 9

Some believe the resurrection was not essential because… (4)

Answer 9

• May be metaphor / myth showing that Jesus’ power lived on after his death, but through his teachings and the lives of his followers
• Jesus didn’t talk much about death, he mostly taught people to bring about God’s Kingdom in this world while they were alive, so believing in His resurrection isn’t essential
• It’s hard to accept the supernatural elements of the story because it doesn’t fit with how science understands what a human being is , but it’s still possible to be a true follower of Jesus if you live by his teachings
• The resurrection appearances were spiritual experiences rather than physical experiences, which would explain why Jesus was able to appear in a locked room and wasn’t always recognised by his followers

Question 10

Why is the Death and Resurrection important today (4)

Answer 10

• It proved that Jesus was who he said he was – the Messiah and the Son of God – and that what he had said was true.
• The Resurrection of Jesus is at the heart of the Christian faith. It is important because it showed God the Father’s approval of Jesus.
• As God raised Jesus to life, so too he would raise his people to life. Jesus’ resurrection shows that there is life after death. Death is not the end.
• Christian martyrs today are people who are willing to die for their faith, following the example of Christ and bearing witness to the Truth, even at the price of life itself.