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Christianity

Christianity. God in the Apostles’ Creed. Contents. One God The Trinity The Father The Son: Jesus’ death, resurrection and Ascension The Holy Spirit Judgement and the world to come Summary. One God.

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Christianity

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  1. Christianity God in the Apostles’ Creed

  2. Contents • One God • The Trinity • The Father • The Son: Jesus’ death, resurrection and Ascension • The Holy Spirit • Judgement and the world to come • Summary

  3. One God • Beliefs in God are expressed in ‘creeds’ – statements of belief. The two traditional forms of the creed are called the ‘Nicene creed’ and the ‘Apostles’ Creed’. • Christians believe that there is one God. Belief in one God is called ‘monotheism’. • God is a mystery – humans cannot understand Him. • They refer to God as ‘Him’ because our language cannot describe Him. He is not male – or female – he is beyond gender. • God is infinite (without any limits) and eternal (no beginning or end)

  4. God Father Son Holy Spirit The Trinity • Christians believe that God is involved in the world and has shown himself to the world in three different ways or natures – as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. • This is called the Trinity (three-in-one). The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are the three persons of the Trinity – so we can have a personal relationship with them. • Think of a triangle – it has three sides but is just one shape.

  5. The Father • God the Father created everything and keeps everything in the universe going (he is the sustainer). • Thinking of God as the Father helps Christians to remember that God loves them and looks after them.

  6. The Son • God the Son is God, come down to the world as a human. • Jesus was part of a human family while he was on earth but already existed as a part of the Trinity. • The birth of God as a human is called the ‘Incarnation’. Jesus was both fully God and fully human – how this happened is a mystery we humans cannot understand. • Belief in God the Son helps Christians to remember that God knows what it is like to be human and so we can turn to Him as a friend.

  7. The Son • Jesus lived a life on earth, teaching and preaching and performing miracles to help those in need. • Jesus was killed on a cross – crucifixion. • Three days later Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead – the resurrection. • Christians believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection saved the world from sin (salvation).

  8. Jesus’ death and resurrection • Christians believe Jesus’ death and resurrection did many things, for example: • It restored the relationship between God and humans that had been lost because we sin (this is called atonement – ‘at-one-ment’) • Jesus’ death was a way of paying for the sins of the world (it was a ransom). • Jesus’ suffering shows how much God loves humans. • The resurrection is a sign of God’s victory over the Devil. • It gives Christians hope of going to heaven.

  9. After the resurrection • Jesus appeared to his followers for forty days. • After this time, he took his closest disciples to a place near Bethany and he ‘ascended’ into heaven. • Some people think the Ascension story is symbolic – that Jesus disappeared from his disciples without actually going up. • Christians believe that Jesus is still present spiritually in the world as the ‘risen Lord’.

  10. The Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit was present at the creation of the world. • He entered the life of the Church at Pentecost, nine days after Jesus’ Ascension. • The Holy Spirit is symbolised as many things, such as a dove (peace), wind (power), fire (purification) and water (life-giving). Each of these symbols teaches us something about what the Holy Spirit is like.

  11. The Holy Spirit • Christians believe the Holy Spirit is present in the world. • They pray that the Holy Spirit will help and inspire them. • In John’s Gospel Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the ‘Paraclete’ – which means ‘guide and comforter’.

  12. Judgement and the world to come • Sin is any action that breaks the relationship with God or other people. Sometimes a sin is an action that we have not done. • Christians believe that after we die we will be judged on our actions. Because we sin we all deserve to be punished. • If we have been good then we are able to go to heaven. • No one knows what heaven will be like but we will be in the presence of God in eternal happiness.

  13. Judgement and the world to come • Roman Catholics believe that if we are able to go to heaven we will still need to be purified or cleansed and this takes place in purgatory. • If we have lived our lives turned away from God then we will go to hell. • Hell is the opposite of heaven – the absence of all good things. • The Bible describes hell as a place of eternal punishment. • Some Christians believe that we are judged as soon as we die. Other Christians believe in a ‘Day of Judgement’ when the world ends.

  14. Summary • Christians are monotheists – they believe in one God. • God has shown Himself to the world in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. • The Father created the world and sustains it. • The Son came to earth through His Incarnation as Jesus. • Jesus died and rose from the dead to save us from sin. He ascended into heaven but is still with us as the ‘risen Lord’. • Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to inspire us. • We will be judged on our actions and go to heaven, purgatory or hell.

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