Christianity Beliefs & Teachings - Sermon on the mount, incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension Flashcards
What are the 6 sections of the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 5-7
1) The Beatitutdes
2) Jesus and the law
3) True discipleship
4) True righteousness
5) The narrow gateway
6) Building on solid foundations
Summarise the Beatitudes.
Beatitudes means blessings, this passage outlines the actions Christians can take to be blessed by Jesus, these qualities include being meek, merciful and peaceful.
- The first 3 beatitudes focus on Christians knowing their needs to be better truer people in order to share God’s love, through their actions as they care for others.
- Beatitudes 4-6 focus on searching for God, the truth and righteousness.
- The last Beatitudes concentrate on Christians suffering in the way of God to get heaven, living with grit and integrity to please God.
Summarise Jesus and the law.
- Moses brought the law of God to the Israelites, Jesus has changed the laws (not their content) in a way that believers can understand them, they are centred around love.
- Jesus teaches that obeying the law must come from ones heart.
- What someone is thinking, is the same as the action due to the influence a thought has on actions, as God can see your thoughts. E.g. lustful thought can result in adultery, so try not to think like that.
- Jesus says to love your neighbours and your enemies.
Summarise true discipleship.
- Jesus dismisses outward acts of religion that are done for show
- He says to do charity and fasting in private, and for it to be kept between you and God. So they don’t receive praise from humans
- Jesus wanted prayer to be simple, so he provided the Lords prayer.
Summarise true righteousness regarding wealth.
- A person canon not worship God and money
- True riches are spiritual treasures that are only for you within you, cannot be stolen or destroyed.
- Jesus wants people to have serious commitment to their faith.
Summarise true righteousness regarding judging others.
- No one is perfect, no one is in any position to judge anyone
- If people judge others, God will use the same standards to judge them.
- Divert that energy and focus on you can be a better Christian and get closer to God.
Summarise the narrow gateway.
- About the difficulties of being Christian.
- He uses the analogy of a narrow pathway and a wide one
- The wide one symbolises easy living, free life, without Gods’ laws.
- The narrow ones represent suffering in the way of God. e.g. loving enemies, there will be persecution and obeying God’s law
- At the end the great reward is God’s eternal heaven.
Summarise building on solid foundations.
- Analogy of a house with sand foundations, and one with rocks.
- Storms represent difficulties and difficult times.
- Those with faith and belief in God even when times are difficult will enable them to get through life (stone foundations)
- Those with sand will be blown away.
What was the purpose of Jesus’s incarnation and how was he different to other humans?
- He was exempt from the original sin
- He was able to carry out miracles
- He provided Christians with a glimpse of heaven, somewhere where there is no pain, suffering or physical harm.
- His purpose was to die to take punishment from human sin (salvation) and restore the relationship between man and God.
What did the crucifixion tell Christians about God?
That God understands human suffering because he suffered a human death with full pain.
What does the resurrection tell Christians about God?
- That Jesus was God because he had power over death
- Approved the sacrifice Jesus made meaning the sin was forgiven for.
- Christians hope they will be raised to heaven as well to have eternity in heaven with Jesus.
What is the significance of the ascension?
- Jesus rose to heaven
- Some believe this literally
- Some say it was symbolic - rising of Jesus symbolised the success of good over evil
- Now God and Jesus reign over the world
- Ascension signified the end of Jesus’s work on Earth
- His work in heaven continues and their is a place for believers in the afterlife.
Outline different views about incarnations, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.
- Some conservative Christians argue events actually took place as describes.
- Others say it was metaphorical
- Some say some events are more important than others.
- E.g. use of crucifix in worship allows Christians to focus on Jesus’s sacrifice and suffering
- Empty cross in Protestant churches show that Jesus hasn’t ended, merely risen to heaven to continue the work.
