Christian beliefs
The nature of God
Christians believe God to be:
Omnipotent – all powerful with unlimited authority.
o He must be omnipotent to be the perfect ‘Supreme being’.
o Although his omnipotence is often depicted in terms of physical power and strength, Christians often
interpret it as also consisting of power and authority to do good – his omnipotence is benevolent.
o Reassures Christians that God is always looking over them.
Loving:
o God loves humans, so always wants what is best for them.
o God created humans because he is all loving and desired to bestow his love upon creatures.
o Encourages Christians to love each other and treat everyone with care and respect.
o God’s greatest act of love was sending Jesus, his son, to earth.
o Reassures Christians that, no matter what, they will always be loved by God.
Just – deciding on right and wrong as well as being the perfect judge of character.
o With unlimited power and authority and total love, God is believed to be the perfect giver of justice.
o As the ultimate source of justice, he will never support injustice, ill-treatment, oppression or
prejudice.
o Christians should do all they can to prevent these wrongs when encountered.
o Christians can take solace in knowing they will be judged fairly after death.
o Those who reject him and live sinful lives will be punished, while those who are sorry for what they
have done and become faithful to him will be forgiven.
Omniscient – God knows everything, in the past, present and the future.
Eternal – God has always existed, and he will exist forever.
Transcendent – God is beyond this world, and he does not depend on it to exist.
Immanent – God is also present in the human world, and takes an active role in humanity.
Personal – God is a ‘person’, albeit a mighty and divine person.
o If God is personal, then a relationship is possible through prayer – it can be a ‘conversation’ with
God.
The problem of evil and suffering:
The existence of evil and suffering can lead some people to question their faith.
Some may say that since suffering exists, God cannot be both omnibenevolent and omnipotent – this may
lead them to believe God does not exist, or that he does not possess these qualities he is believed to have.
Others argue that although God does have these characteristics, he gave people free will, so does not want
to interfere.
Christians react to evil and suffering in a multitude of ways:
o Some see suffering as a test of faith – even if we do not know what they are, God has his reasons.
o Many believe God is with people in their sufferings, and they can be brought closer to him.
o Others say life on heaven is not perfect, and the focus should instead be on reaching heaven.
The Book of Job tells of the suffering Job endures and how he questions God – in the end, Job comes to the
conclusion that God is all-powerful and knows what he is doing, and suffering must be accepted because
humans’ minds are not complex enough to fully understand the world or God’s plan.
Christian believe that they should help those who are suffering – both practically (charity) and by praying.
The Oneness of God and the Trinity:
In 325AD, Church leaders from around the world gathered at the Council of Nicaea, where they produced a creed
describing how Christians see God – this is the Holy Trinity.
Before this, not everyone agreed that the Son of God (Jesus) was one with God, rather than having been made by
God – here they agreed he was equally important.
,However, some groups, such as Christadelphians, still do not believe in the Trinity.
The Trinity explains that there are three ‘persons’, all of whom are God. The idea of the Trinity is a mystery, and
Christians accept it is difficult to explain in words, and any attempt to compare it with something humans can
understand will have limited success.
The three ‘persons’ they believe God is made up of are:
God the Father:
o First person of the Trinity.
o Creator and sustainer of the earth and all living things on it.
o As the creator of the earth, acts as a good father would towards his children – the title ‘Father’ is a
mark of respect.
o Omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient and omnipresent, and might be described as the
transcendent part of God.
God the Son:
o Often referred to as the Son of God and became incarnate on earth and in history through Jesus.
o Jesus was both fully human whilst on earth and fully God at all times.
o He is the immanent and personal part of God, who understands human suffering.
o Jesus provides a role model for Christians in obedience to God the Father – the Gospels contains a
record of his life and teachings, and are a source of guidance for Christians on how they should live
their lives.
God the Holy Spirit:
o The Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the world, that Jesus promised to his disciples before his
death.
o The immanent yet impersonal part of God – it continues the guide the Church.
o Some Christians feel that the Holy Spirit also guides them personally in being good Christians.
God is not a physical being, although one ‘person’ of the Trinity (Jesus, the Son) did have a physical presence in
history. The three ‘persons’ are all non-physical elements, so the belief in the Trinity does not undermine the belief
in the Oneness of God. God can be seen as one in three and three in one, all at once – the Trinity describes all three
things at once:
There is only one God
Each person of the Trinity is God
The persons of the Trinity are not the same
Importance of the Trinity:
It is God – the whole religion is based on that concept.
Helps Christians gain some understanding of God, even though he is really beyond the understanding of
humans.
Holy Spirit is inside Christians from when they are baptised – shows a part of God is always with them.
Jesus (the Son) was human – shows Christians it is possible for humans to be close to God.
Creation
Christians believe God created the earth and all living things on it. Because God created them, human lives have
purpose and meaning, and all humans are of value because they are all made in the image of God.
One story about the creation of the world, which most Christians generally believe (although many have different
interpretations) is that in Genesis:
God pre-existed the world, and started by creating the heavens and earth from nothing.
Earth was made fit for life, and God finally created life, including humans, who were the last of God’s
creation.
This happened over six periods of time (day), and on the seventh, God rested.
, The most important part is the very beginning – how God created the heavens and the earth from nothing
but darkness, and he brought about light, as well as the belief that every was created ‘good’.
The role of the Spirit:
The Spirit of God was said to be hovering over the waters – God created the world by acting through the
Holy Spirit.
Although God the Father is referred to as the creator, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, was
already active in the world, perhaps reinforcing the Oneness of God rather than the three ‘persons’ of the
Trinity.
The role of the Word:
Around 600 years after Genesis was written, in the New Testament, John opened his gospel with ‘In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the
beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.’
He makes it clear that the Word (Jesus) was vital for creation.
This was introduction to John’s account of the life of Jesus, showing he was believed to be no ordinary man –
he has God the Son, and therefore within the Oneness of God.
This shows the whole Trinity was involved and has existed since the beginning, which Christians believe shows that
they all exist alongside each other within the same one God, and always have.
References to the creation in the Bible make it clear the world was made by God, and as humans this is
something we cannot fully understand, and is thus part of the mystery of God.
Christians use the concept of the Trinity to help understand this is a divine mystery.
The creation of humans:
Described in Genesis 1 and 2 – the first two humans were Adam and Eve, who lived in the Garden of Eden.
‘God created mankind in his own image’ – thus, Christians believe humans are special.
o Humans should behave like God in being loving and fair.
o Humans are important to God, so everyone should be treated with respect.
Some believe God gave humans dominion over his creation and they can use it as they like; others believe
they have stewardship of the Earth – God expects them to care for it.
Different interpretations of the creation include:
Everything said is literally true, and so humans did not evolve from apes.
Genesis is a creation myth – it is not literally true, but tells the fundamental truth that God made everything.
God is behind everything that has happened, but scientific explanations are also true – God caused the Big
Bang.
It also helps Christians to further understand God’s nature:
Eternal – he made time, and was present ‘prior’ to it.
Omnipotent – he created the universe through words.
Benevolent – he brought humankind to life and gave them the world.
The afterlife
Resurrection and life after death:
Many Christians believe resurrection is a reality, and everyone who dies will be resurrected at some point like how
Jesus was. However, there are different views on the specifics:
Some believe a person’s soul is resurrected very soon after death.
Other believe it will happen in the future, when Jesus returns to judge.
The Catholic Church and some Orthodox Churches believe resurrection will be a bodily resurrection – people
will receive their old body, but in a glorified state where suffering does not exist.
The importance of a belief in life after death includes:
Christians are encouraged to live good lives so that they can be with God for eternity.
