Topic 23,24 &25 Character of God Flashcards
1
Q
What do Christians believe about God as the father?
A
- Luke 11 Jesus addresses him a ‘father’ in Lord’s Prayer
- paternal figure - more accessible, close + personal relationship with God
- Christians who lack a father figure find comfort + reassurance in this aspect of God
- provider, unconditional love, created us,guidance in form of 10 commandments + disciplines us if we do wrong
2
Q
What are the problems with idea of God as father?
A
- inaccessible to women + promotes masculine bias within Christianity (andocentric tradition + patriarchy)
- for those who have negative experience of father, God is a painful reminder of their suffering
- denies transcendence + holiness of God by reducing him to human idea of father, anthropomorphising him! (BUT THIS IS TO UNDERSTAND GOD!)
3
Q
How belief in God as Father can affect Christians lives?
A
- prayer, speak to God as father (personal, honest + open)
- reassurance that he cares for them + provide for needs
- sinners will be forgiven as long as they repent
4
Q
What are the three parts of the trinity?
A
Father creator
Son redeemer
Spirit sanctifier
5
Q
What do Christians believe about God as the son?
A
- know God has experienced human suffering + temptation eg Jesus’ temptations and crucifixion
- both fully human and divine
- was sacrifice to reconcile God and man’s relationship
- jesus redeems us when we repent for sins, then we are forgiven by God
6
Q
How does God the son help Christians?
A
- relate to God more (experienced real emotions + pain)
- not purely transcendental being
7
Q
What do Christians believe about the Holy Spirit?
A
- guiding part of trinity, sanctifying and is the immanent part of god
- charismatic Christians believe HS actively working in world today
- conservatives believe Holy Spirit enables ppl to be holy in lives + gives them fruit of the spirit (Gal 5) - love joy peace etc
- liberals don’t believe HS acts today - action stopped when last apostle died
- John 14 ‘I will ask the father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever - the spirit of truth”
8
Q
Why do Christians believe in the Trinity?
A
- gen ‘let US make man in OUR own image’
- baptism of Jesus (trinity all present)
- great commission Matt 28 - in name of father son Holy Spirit (called to believe in it)
9
Q
What are the problems with believing in the Trinity?
A
- contradicts monotheistic nature of Christianity
- how could jesus die if he was God who is eternal, praying - to himself??
- contradictions in bible - John 14, going to Father who is greater than him (hierarchy, when all equal)
10
Q
What do Christians believe about God as Judge?
A
- will judge law breakers as seen in Revelation 20 (end time)
- liberals + conservatives: sheep + goats (judged on actions)
- fundamentalists -> judged on rejection/acception of Jesus - John 14 ‘I am the way, the Truth and the Life, no one goes to the Father except by me’
- willing to forgive if u repent (why Catholics believe in confession)
11
Q
Why do Christians believe that God is Judge?
A
- fundamentalists : Bible = word of god, John 14 , only way to heaven thru Jesus - judged on faith
- conservatives + liberals :
God doesn’t judge ppl according to faith - too exclusivist
Instead judged on actions - sheep + goats
12
Q
What are the problems with God as Judge?
A
- fundamentalist Christian idea -> problematic - > exclusive + leads to bigotry + discrimination
- a judging god doesn’t match his omnibenevolence
- sermon on the mount -> jesus : we should not judge others -> so why does god judge?
13
Q
How does the belief in god as judge affect the life of a christian?
A
- ppl live a moral life
- go to confession
- evangelise (stop ppl from going to hell)
