CHRISTIANITY:
CHRISTIAN
BELIEFS
Useful terms
Holy Spirit The Spirit of God, which gives the power to understand and worship.
Jesus Christ The son of God who came into the world as a human being.
Trinity God as one being, in three persons.
Charismatic A power given by God. i.e. inspired teaching.
Humanity All human beings.
Spiritual Gifts Gifts given to God to believers. i.e. speaking in tongues, a special
language.
Creationism The belief that the world was created in a literal six days and that
Genesis is a scientific/historical account of the beginning of the
world.
Conservation Protecting something from being destroyed.
Environment The surroundings in which plants and animals live and of which they
depend for life.
Free Will Having the freedom to choose what to do.
Stewardship Looking after something so that it can be passed on to the next
generation.
Incarnation To take on flesh; God becomes a human being.
Crucifixion Being nailed to a cross and left to die.
Sin Anything that prevents a relationship with God, either
because the person does something they shouldn’t,
or neglects to do something they should.
Ascension Going up into Heaven.
Resurrection Rising from the dead.
Atonement The action of restoring a relationship; in Christianity,
Jesus’ death and resurrection restores the
relationship between God and human beings.
Grace Undeserved love.
Law Guidelines as to how people should behave.
Repentance To say sorry for, and turn away from, any wrongdoing.
Useful terms
Holy Spirit The Spirit of God, which gives the power to understand and worship.
Jesus Christ The son of God who came into the world as a human being.
Trinity God as one being, in three persons.
Charismatic A power given by God. i.e. inspired teaching.
Humanity All human beings.
Salvation Being saved from sin, and the consequences of sin;
going to Heaven
Eschatology An area of Christian theology which is concerned with
life after death.
Heaven Place of eternal paradise where Christians believe
they will spend the afterlife.
Hell Place of punishment and separation from God.
Immortal Soul A soul that lives on after the death of the body.
Day of God assesses a person’s life and actions.
Judgement
Purgatory A place where the souls of the dead are cleansed and
prepared for heaven.
Universalism The relief that because of the love and mercy of God
everyone will go to Heaven.
Benevolence All-good.
Moral Evil Suffering caused by humans, such as war.
Natural Evil Suffering caused by natural events, such as
earthquakes.
Omnipotence All-powerful.
Satan ‘The adversary’; one of God’s angels who rebelled
against the rule of God.
Intercession Prayers for those who are suffering.
Vale of An environment in which human beings can
soul-making overcome evil by making good choices.
Trinity
Useful terms
Holy Spirit The Spirit of God, which gives the power to understand and worship.
Jesus Christ The son of God who came into the world as a human being.
Trinity God as one being, in three persons.
Charismatic A power given by God. i.e. inspired teaching.
Humanity All human beings.
Spiritual Gifts Gifts given to God to believers. i.e. speaking in tongues, a special
language.
The Nature of the Trinity
Christians believe that there are three equal, yet distinct, persons in
One God – The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Christians believe that each part of the Trinity is equally important.
The Trinity in Worship and Belief
● Christian bless themselves by making the sign of the cross
and offer prayers ‘in the name of the Father, Son, and of
the Holy Spirit.’
● Prayers, such as the Lord’s Prayer, Nicene Creed, and
Apostles’ Creed refer to the Trinity.
● Some church hymns refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
● The belief in the Trinity is intended to be at the centre of each
Christian’s individual daily relationship with God.
The Importance of The Trinity
The Trinity helps Christians to understand the three ways that God
can be understood – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christians can
understand God better by relating to these three aspects.
“As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At
that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from
heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
pleased.”
(Matthew 3: 16)
The Trinity and the Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is an important statement or belief about the
Trinity and the different characteristics of each role. It states that:
Its role and Source of Authority (from
Characteristic the creed)
The Is the powerful creator “Maker of Heaven and Earth,
Father of everything of all that is, seen and
unseen’
The son Is Jesus Christ, who “For us and for our salvation
came to Earth as god he came down from heaven.”
in human form
(incarnation) and was
crucified to redeem
humanity’s sins.
The Holy The invisible power of “The giver of life, who
Spirit God that works within proceeds from the Father
the world today to and the Son.”
guide and inspire us.
Creation
Useful terms
Creationism The belief that the world was created in a literal six days and that
Genesis is a scientific/historical account of the beginning of the
world.
Conservation Protecting something from being destroyed.
Environment The surroundings in which plants and animals live and of which they
depend for life.
Free Will Having the freedom to choose what to do.
Stewardship Looking after something so that it can be passed on to the next
generation.
Interpretations of Creation
Christians may hold different understandings of the Creation story.
For example, Christians may interpret the story of Creation in a
literal or a non-literal way.
Literalists (Creationists) Non-Literalists
● The Creation story as it is ● God created the world but
told in the bible is literally not exactly how the story
true because the Bible is in the Bible says (the story
the literal ‘Word of God’ is metaphorical). The
● God created the world in Genesis story of creation
six 24-hour days. is more myth than fact,
They do not accept scientific e.g. the word ‘day’ is a
explanations about the world metaphor for a much
such as the Big Bang theory or longer period/no period
the theory of evolution. They Science and religion together
think these scientific explain the Creation. There is
explanations are wrong. no conflict between religious
and scientific explanations –
The Bible explains why
Creation happened, and
science explains how.
Word of God Spirit of God
“In the beginning was the “In the beginning God
Word, and the Word was with created the heavens and the
God, and the Word was God.” earth. Now the earth was
(John 1:1) formless and empty, darkness
was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God
was hovering over the
waters.2
(Genesis 1:1–2)
This Bible passage introduces This Biblical quote shows the
the idea that the universe was power of God in creating the
created at a command from universe and the role of the
God – at his ‘Word’. Spirit of God.
The ‘Word’ can also symbolise
Jesus, showing how he was
always with God (The Father)
from the beginning, and is God
(The Son).
Incarnation
Useful terms
Incarnation To take on flesh; God becomes a human being.
The Importance of Jesus
Jesus is seen by Christians as the incarnate Son of God and is
given great importance within Christianity.
● His birth fulfilled the prophecy of Christ coming to Earth as the
saviour who was promised by God – so God took human
form to be present within the world.
● Jesus is the ‘Son’ part of the three ideas (the Trinity) that
make us the Christian understanding of God.
Jesus in the New Testament
● Information about the life of Jesus is found in the Bible in the
first four books of the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John. These books are known as the Gospels.
● Accounts in the New Testament describe Jesus’ birth, life, and
death.
“... the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us…”
(John 1: 14)
“...He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was
seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed
in the world, and was taken up in glory.”
(1 Timothy 3: 16)
Jesus as Divine
Though Jesus was human, he was Divine, which means he was
God.
Jesus was both fully human and fully God.
Christians believe the Bible shows us examples of how Jesus is
Divine.
Jesus is omnipotent and omniscient Matthew 28:18
Jesus forgave sins Mark 2: 5–7
Jesus performed miracles E.g. John 21:25
People worshipped and prayed to Jesus Matthew 2:11
Jesus was resurrected after death Mark 16: 1–20
Jesus as Human
It is easier for Christians to understand and relate to Jesus, as he
was human and experienced the same problems we do.
He was born to a human mother – Mary – as a Luke 2: 7
‘normal’ baby
He had a human body Luke 24: 39
Jesus got tired, thirsty, and hungry John 4: 6
He showed human emotions such as Matthew 8: 10
amazement and sorrow
He prayed to God John 17
He died Romans 5: 8
Last Days of Jesus’ Life
Useful terms
Crucifixion Being nailed to a cross and left to die.
Sin Anything that prevents a relationship with God, either
because the person does something they shouldn’t,
or neglects to do something they should.
Ascension Going up into Heaven.
Resurrection Rising from the dead.
The Passion
‘The Passion’ is the phrase Christians use to describe the last few
days of Jesus’ life. It is made up of a number of key events:
Event Description Source of
Authority
The Last Jesus shared his last meal “... I will not eat
Supper with his disciples, where again until it finds
bread was broken and fulfillment in the
wine drunk, Jesus kingdom of God.”
predicted that one disciple (Luke 22: 14–16)
would betray him.
Betrayal and Soldiers came for Jesys “Then Jesus went
Arrest while he was in the Garden with his disciples to
of Gethsemane. Judas has a place called
betrayed him by telling the Gethsemane”
soldiers where he could be (Matthew 26: 47)
found.
Crucifixion Jesus was sentenced to “Carrying his own
death on a cross as he was cross, he went out
accused of blasphemy, to the place of the
tried and found guilty. skull,” (which in
Aramic is called
Golgotha).
(John 19: 17)
Resurrection Jesus was brought back to “The men said to
life three days after his them “Why do you
crucifixion. look for the living
among the dead?
He is not here; he
has risen!””
(Luke 24: 5–6)
Ascension The resurrected Jesus “After the Lord
ascended to heaven, 40 Jesus had spoken
days after his resurrection. to them, he was
taken up into
heaven and he sat
at the right hand of
God.”
(Mark 16: 19)
The importance of the Passion
● The events of the passion provide evidence that Jesys was
the Son of God and came to Earth in human form. They show
that Jesus was special and is worthy of respect and
obedience.
● They demonstrate the Christian belief in life after death,
which offers hope to Christians.
● They show the relationship between God and Jesus.
Christians believe that through the death of Jesus, God saved
or redeemed humanity, as it is through following Jesus’
example that God can forgive them.
● They help Christians to understand the sacrifice Jesus made
and reinforce the importance of Jesus within Christianity.
● The Eucharist (bread and wine) is taken from the Last Supper
– a tradition at the centre of Christianity today.
Salvation
Useful terms
Atonement The action of restoring a relationship; in Christianity,
Jesus’ death and resurrection restores the
relationship between God and human beings.
Grace Undeserved love.
Law Guidelines as to how people should behave.
Repentance To say sorry for, and turn away from, any wrongdoing.
Salvation Being saved from sin, and the consequences of sin;
going to Heaven
Salvation for Christians refers to being saved from sin through belief in
Jesus.
Atonement is the mending of the relationship between God and
humanity. (which was broken when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the
Garden of Eden.)
Redemption is how Christians believe this can be achieved.
The role of Christ in Salvation
“Jesus is “the stone you builders
reject, which has become the
cornerstone.” salvation is found
Christians believe that through in no one else, for there is no
God sending Jesus to Earth, the other name under heaven given to
sins of humanity are forgiven. mankind by which we must be
Jesus, who was perfect and saved.”
without sin, offered redemption for (Acts 4: 11–12)
humans through sacrificing his “For God so loved the world
life. that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
(John 3: 16)
Divergent understandings of Atonement
● Jesus’ death as a divine sacrifice represents God’s love for
humanity.
● Jesus’ death was a sacrifice – an offering to God to mend the
broken relationship.
● Jesus’ death is the victory of good over evil, as Jesus was used as
ransom to stop the devil having any hold over humanity.
● Jesus’ death represents the price being paid for the forgiveness of
humanity.
Significance of Atonements and Salvation for Christians today
Atonement and Salvation are important because they:
● Restore the relationship between God and humanity.
● Confirm belief in an all-powerful and loving God.
● Allow humans to understand the importance of being reconciled
with other humans.
● Give humans hope that they can follow the example of Jesus, to
be rewarded in the eternal afterlife.
Christian Escatology
Useful terms
Eschatology An area of Christian theology which is concerned with life after
death.
Heaven Place of eternal paradise where Christians believe they will
spend the afterlife.
Hell Place of punishment and separation from God.
Immortal Soul A soul that lives on after the death of the body.
Day of God assesses a person’s life and actions.
Judgement
Purgatory A place where the souls of the dead are cleansed and
prepared for heaven.
Universalism The relief that because of the love and mercy of God everyone
will go to Heaven.
Life After Christian Beliefs Source of Authority
Death
Resurrection They believe that death is not the end. “I am the way and the
They believe that the resurrection of life. The one who
Jesus – when he came back to life believes in me will live,
from the dead – proves life after even though they die.”
death. (John 11: 25)
The soul ● Death is only the end of the body; the soul is immortal.
● Souls that have been saved either go to heaven or to
purgatory (which is the Catholic idea of a ‘waiting room’,
where souls go to be cleansed before entering heaven.)
● Souls that have not achieved salvation will go to hell.
Judgement Christians accept that God is just and “For we must all appear
it is God who will decide the before the judgement
destination of every human’s soul after seat of Christ, so that
death. They believe that Jesus is also each of us may receive
involved in judgement and will offer what is due us for the
every human the opportunity of things done while in the
salvation. Those who refuse will face body, whether good or
the ‘Last Judgement’. bad.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 10)
Heaven Heaven is mentioned in the Bible, yet “He will wipe away every
it is rarely described. Some Christians tear from their eyes.
believe heaven is a physical place, but There will be no more
most think it is a spiritual state of death or mourning or
being united with God. The Bible crying or pain.”
teaches there is no sin, sadness, or (Romans 21: 4)
suffering in heaven. “For we know that if the
earthly tent we live in is
destroyed, we have a
building from God, an
eternal house in
heaven, not built by
human hands.”
(2 Corinthians 6: 1)
Hell The Bible teaches that hell is where “Do not be afraid of those
unrepentant sinners go after death if who kill the body but
they have not accepted God’s offer of cannot kill the soul.
forgiveness and salvation through Rather, be afraid of the
Jesus. It is a place of pain and One who can destroy
suffering, without God. both soul and body in
hell.”
(Matthew 10: 28)
Divergent understandings to Life After Death
All Christians accept the belief in life after death, however some Christians:
● Understand heaven and hell as physical places, while others accept them
as spiritual ideas.
● Believe members of all faiths have a place in the ‘Kingdom of God’, while
others believe those without faith who have lived good lives will be
rewarded.
● Believe in the Second Coming or return of Jesus from heaven to Earth.
Some Christians see life as a test for the final judgement, while others see belief in
God as more important.
The 39 Articles of Religion
The 39 Articles of Religion, written in 1563, are statements from the Church of
England to make clear the position of the Church on key teachings:
“Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones,
and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man’s nature; wherewith he
ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last
day.”
(39 Articles of Religion IV)
The Problem of Evil
Useful terms
Benevolence All-good.
Moral Evil Suffering caused by humans, such as war.
Natural Evil Suffering caused by natural events, such as
earthquakes.
Omnipotence All-powerful.
Evil and suffering cause a problem for people who believe in God, as
well as non-believers. It may lead some to question their faith in God or
even reject God’s existence altogether.
Types of Evil and Suffering
There are two main types of evil and suffering:
Moral evil/suffering Natural evil/suffering
Actions carried out by humans Things that cause suffering but
who cause suffering. have nothing to do with humans.
E.g. murder, rape, war, and theft. E.g. famine, disease, and natural
disasters.
Does God exist?
Christians may question:
● How a loving a righteous God would allow people to do evil things?
● Why do people need to suffer?
● Whether, if God does exist, he is all-powerful, as he should stop
evil and suffering.
The Problem of Evil and Suffering
The Bible
The Bible says God is benevolent and cares for his Creation. Christians
believe that God would want to help his Creation if it were suffering.
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in
love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his angel forever.”
(Psalm 103: 8–9)
“And the heavens porcelain his righteousness, for he is a God of
justice.”
(Psalm 50: 6)
“You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our
saviour.”
(Psalm 65: 5)
Divergent Solutions to the Problem of
Evil
Useful terms
Satan ‘The adversary’; one of God’s angels who rebelled
against the rule of God.
Intercession Prayers for those who are suffering.
Vale of An environment in which human beings can
soul-making overcome evil by making good choices.
The existence of evil and suffering challenges the Christian belief in an
all-loving and all-powerful God. christians respond in a number of ways,
with some maintaining that God did not create evil.
What does the Bible say about evil and suffering?
● Genesis says that God created a perfect world.
● The fall: Adam and Eve used their free will in the Garden of Eden
to disobey God (the Fall), which allowed evil and suffering to enter
the world.
● Christians believe God sent Jesus to Earth to overcome the evil in
the world and die for the sins of humanity on the cross.
● Some Christians accept that evil came into the world through the
devil, for example, when the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden.
Christian Responses to the problem of evil and suffering
1. Book of Psalms 3. Free will
This offers reassurance that evil God gave people free will and
and suffering have a purpose in the Christians recognise that humans
world: that they give people the sometimes choose to turn away
opportunity to follow the example from God. This explains the
set by Jesus in order to live as God presence of many acts of moral
intended. evil. Theories such as this are
“God is our refuge and our contained in St Augustine’s
strength” Theodicy.
(Psalm 46: 1)
“Teach me knowledge and good 4. Vale of Soul-Making
judgement, for I trust your This is the idea that evil and
commands. Before I was suffering have a purpose, even if
afflicted I went astray, but now I we do not know what it is.
obey your word.” Suffering can make a person
(Psalm 119: 66–67) stronger and help them to
2. Job appreciate the good things in
their life. So evil may not always
The Bible describes how Job be a bad thing. The philosopher
endured many examples of Jon Hick put forward this theory.
suffering, including losing his family
and physical pain, yet he did not 5. Prayer
lose his faith. He trusted in God Many Christians respond to evil
and believed that suffering was in the world by prayer, so that
part of God’s plan for him. God will give them strength to
Christians believe that they may cope with the problems they are
not understand why they suffer, but facing. Christians believe that
they need to trust in God and will even if their prayers are not
be rewarded for doing so. answered in the way they
“In all this, Job did not sin by wanted/expected, God has a plan
charging God with wrongdoing.” for everyone.
(Job 1: 22)
6. Charity
Many Christians have been inspired by the suffering in their own lives
to try and help others. For example, Chad Varah established the
Samaritans as a result of the suffering he witnessed in his community
as a priest working in London.
Christianity: Christian Beliefs
SoAs:
“As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven
was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on
him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am
well pleased.”
(Matthew 3: 16)
“Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all that is, seen and unseen’
“For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.”
“The giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.”
(John 1:1)
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was
formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God
was hovering over the waters.2
(Genesis 1:1–2)
“... the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…”
(John 1: 14)
“...He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was
preached among the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken up in glory.”
(1 Timothy 3: 16)
“... I will not eat again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 22: 14–16) – the last supper
“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane”
(Matthew 26: 47) – Betrayal and Arrest
“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the skull,” (which in Aramic is
called Golgotha).
(John 19: 17) – Crucifixion
“The men said to them “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not
here; he has risen!””
(Luke 24: 5–6) – Resurrection
“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat
at the right hand of God.”
(Mark 16: 19) – Ascension
“Jesus is “the stone you builders reject, which has become the cornerstone.” salvation is
found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by
which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4: 11–12)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3: 16)
“I am the way and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they
die.”
(John 11: 25)
“For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may
receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 10)
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or
crying or pain.”
(Romans 21: 4)
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from
God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
(2 Corinthians 6: 1)
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of
the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
(Matthew 10: 28)
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not
always accuse, nor will he harbour his angel forever.”
(Psalm 103: 8–9)
“And the heavens porcelain his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.”
(Psalm 50: 6)
“You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our saviour.”
(Psalm 65: 5)
“God is our refuge and our strength”
(Psalm 46: 1)
“Teach me knowledge and good judgement, for I trust your commands. Before I
was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.”
(Psalm 119: 66–67)
“In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
(Job 1: 22)