Christianity Beliefs and Teachings Flashcards
Qualities of God
Omnipotent - All powerful (this is shown in Genesis) (Miracles of Jesus)
Omnibenevolent - All loving (Shown through God sacrificing only son Jesus to restore the connection with humans) (Parable of the Prodigal son)
Omniscient - All knowing (God is the supreme being so must be all knowing)
Just - God is fair (Psalm 25:8 - “God is fair and just”)
The Trinity
Christians believe in one God however, they believe that God is revealed in three different ways
Father (God)
Son (Jesus)
Holy Spirit
The three parts of the trinity are all God but are not the same
Helps Christians gain some understanding of God
Problem of evil
If God exists why does he allow humans to suffer he must either be not omnipotent because he can’t stop suffering or he is not benevolent because he allows suffering
God may be allowing suffering to test humans to see if they still resort to God
God gave humans free will
God may be allowing suffering as a punishment
Creation
Christians believe that God created the world
God existed before the world
this is shown in Genesis 1;1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth”
In Genesis, God created the world in 6 days with 1 rest day
Christians believe that the world was planned by God and that since everything is created by God all life is of value
Some Christians believe God started the big bang
Some Christians believe that the bible is literal and that is what happened
Some Christians believe that Genesis contains the truth but it was not dictated and that God inspired the humans to write it so any errors are human errors
Crucifixion
Jesus’s work on Earth lasted about 3 years then he was arrested, tried and crucified
He was crucified in Golgotha where it took 6 hours for him to die
Mark records that for 3 hours the Earth was dark
(Psalm 22:1) “God, why have you forsaken me?”
when Jesus died the temple curtain tore into 2 showing how Jesus destroyed the barrier of sin between God and humans therefore making it possible to access God
Why did Jesus have to die
At the time, Jesus’s teachings gave a new understanding of the Torah which was in conflict with Jewish leaders
The Roman governor was under pressure to keep peace so acted a harsh on any religious rebellion
Incarnation
Jesus is the incarnation of God and son of God
Christians believe he was fully God and fully Human
He was born through the virgin Mary
Belief in the incarnation helps Christians understand God’s love for humanity as Jesus had to become human to make reconciliation with God
It shows how Christians should live (John 4:1) “God loved us so we should love one another”
Crucifixion
Jesus worked on earth for about 3 years spreading the word of God and performing miracles, then he was arrested tried and crucified
He was crucified at Golgotha which took 6 hours for him to die. Mark recorded that the Earth was dark for 3 hours
(Psalm 22:1) “God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark says that when Jesus died the temple curtain tore in two which could show that the barrier of sin between humans and God had been separated allowing humans to access God
Salvation and reconciliation
The crucifixion of Jesus shows God is benevolent because God gave his only son so humans could be saved in eternal life (salvation)
Jesus’s death atoned for human sin by bearing its penalty on the cross
By doing this, God reconciled with humans
This makes humans work for reconciliation with other people
There is salvation through law (obeying the laws of God)
There is salvation through grace (Jesus dying for our sins so we could live eternally with God)
Resurrection and Ascension
Three days after the crucifixion, Jesus was no longer where he was buried in the rock tomb
Jesus had resurrected for and appeared for the next 40 days
The resurrection of Jesus shows God is omnipotent
the disciples went out spreading Jesus’s message
on the 40th day after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven showing his mission was successful and he was returning to God
This brings hope to Christians as they know one day they will ascend like Jesus did and be with God eternally
