2. Christians believe in the trinity.
This means that they believe there are three persons in
the one God.
1.1 God as unity and trinity
Christians believe in one God.
This is called monotheism.
3. God is the creator and
therefore the father of
everything that exists.
Jesus, who came down to
earth and died on the cross
to save people from sin, is
the Son of God..
The Holy Spirit is the
presence of God on earth.
4. Meaning and importance of
God as trinity.
• Christians believe that the trinity is a way
of describing what God is like and the
different powers he has. If you take away
one of the three parts, then some of the
essential part of God would be missing.
• For example, without “the son” Christians
would have no means to have their sins
forgiven. Without the Holy Spirit, God’s
presence couldn’t be felt.
5. Why do Christians believe in the
trinity?
There is
evidence
of the
trinity at
work in
the Old
Testament
.
When Jesus was
baptised, God
the Father and
the Holy spirit
were present.
When Jesus
commissioned the
disciples he told
them to go and
baptise in the
name of the
Father, Son and
the Holy Spirit.
Official Teaching
The Trinity is the
key teaching of
the Church. All
the creeds and
the Catechism
speak of one God
in three persons.
Old Testament
Jesus’ Baptism
Disciples Job
description
6. EXAM QUESTION
TIME!!!
Explain why Christians believe in
the trinity. (8 marks)
Include:
•Old Testament
•Baptism of Jesus
•Catechism of the Church
•Creeds
•Jesus
7. 1.2 God the Father
Jesus wanted his followers to see God as their Father, as someone
who will always look after them. He taught them to pray to God using
these words....”Our Father, who art in heaven.....”.
“Right, let’s go from
the top, all together
now... Our
Father, who art in
heaven.....”
Our
father..
Our
father..
Our
father.. Our
father..
8. Why God is important for
Christians
Christians see
God as their
Father because
he created
everyone.
Jesus said we
should pray
to God as
“Our Father.”
Christians also call God their
Father because he treats people
the way a Father treats his
children: caring, forgiving, rules
to guide us
Christians believe we are
all brothers and sisters
and members of God’s
family.
9. 1.3 God the creator
• Creationists think that the
story of creation in the Bible is
literally true and that the
world was created in 6 days
less that 10,000 years ago.
• Most Catholics accept that the
universe came into existence
about 10 billion years ago but
many think it came about as a
result of a “big bang”. They
still believe that God is the
creator by setting off the “big
bang”.
10. Did God create the world?
Give two reasons for your
answer.
I think the universe was created by God because...
• Cause and effect argument:
Everything that exists has been caused by something else
• Design argument:
The world is so well designed and so beautiful. It must have been
designed by someone with great intelligence.
11. Why is God as creator
important for Christians
Creation shows that
God is all-powerful
(omnipotent)
He created people to
be “stewards” of the
earth, therefore we
should care for God’s
creation.
God created everything and
everyone for a special
purpose so therefore we
should trust in God.
God created all life, it’s
sacred and should be
respected.
God created humans
in his image so they
are a particularly
important part of
creation.
It states in the
Apostles Creed that
God is the creator of
Heaven and earth.
12. 1.4 & 1.5 Jesus, the Son of
God
Jesus is God because his father is God. At the same time, he is human
because his mother, Mary was human and she gave birth to Jesus in a
physical sense.
This is known as the incarnation.
It is essential
for Christians
that Jesus was
the Son of God
because....
• It meant that when Jesus told people that their sins were forgiven, he had
the authority to do that.
• It meant that Jesus’ teachings about how to live a good life came from God.
• It gives meaning to Jesus’ death and resurrection. He had the power to
come back from the dead, therefore it proved he was God’s son.
• It also means Jesus lives with us now and for eternity.
13. God showed love for
the world, by allowing
His son to die.
Jesus died to save
everyone from sin so
all people have been
given salvation.
God alone has the
power to rise from the
dead, so Jesus’
resurrection proves
Jesus is God’s son..
Jesus rose from the
dead therefore
Christians are given
hope of life after death.
Jesus is present in the
world today when
Christians celebrate the
Eucharist.
14. 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection, he took his
apostles up onto a mountain and they watched as he
ascended to heaven. They were frightened at
first, but Jesus promised that he would send the Holy
Spirit to guide them and give them courage.
It is part of Christian belief that he now sits at the
right hand of the Father and at the end of time, he
will come again to judge the living and the dead.
15. Christians
believe
the Holy
Spirit is
God
acting in
the world
today.
The Holy
Spirit helps
make us
better
people. We
develop
qualities like
love and
kindness
Christians
believe that
they can call
upon the
Holy Spirit
for guidance
and
courage.
Catholics
believe the Holy
Spirit guides
the leaders of
the Church, so
they can look to
the Church
when they want
to know what
God wants them
to do .
16. 1.7 Salvation from sin
Sin is an action which is going
against God’s rules. Catholics
believe that if we die without our
sins being forgiven, we may go to
purgatory or even hell.
Purgatory is a temporary place of
purification to which people with
unforgiven sins go to.
Hell is a place of eternal
punishment reserved for those
who die having committed
serious sins for which they have
not shown repentance.
Salvation means being saved from
sins. Jesus brought the possibility of
salvation to humans by dying on the
cross. We can now put things right
and ask God for forgiveness through
the act of confession.
Salvation is important to Christians
because...
• they will have eternal life in
heaven.
• It must be what God has planned
for the world because He had his
own son suffer so that salvation
was possible.
• It encourages Christians to live
good lives and behave in a loving
way.
17. Why is loving God so important
for Christians.Jesus taught
that loving God
was the most
important
commandment.
Through the love of
God, Christians can hope
for eternal life.
Through the love of
God, Christians can find
inspiration and strength to
help others to make the
world a better place.
1.8 The importance of
loving God
All the Christian Churches
teach that love of God is
fundamental to the
Christian faith
18. Through talking to him regularly
through prayer
Through learning more about
him by reading the Bible and
attending Church.
Through following the teachings of
the Bible and the Church.
Through living their lives as
God wants them to.
19. 1.9 Christian teaching on
loving others.
• Christians put loving others alongside loving God
as the greatest of all the commandments.
• Jesus taught what “loving others” means using
examples such as The Good Samaritan and The
sheep and the Goats.
• Jesus demanded that his followers always think of
others and help others.
• Christians who show love for others will be
rewarded by going to heaven.
• Loving others is a way in which we can show love
for God.
20. 1.10 How religious
communities express their love
of God.
Taize is a village in central France that is home
to a community of monks. It began with
Brother Roger in 1940. He helped many
refugees during and after the 2nd world war.
The rules for
the community
included:
1. Celibacy
2. Sharing of
material
goods
3. Obedience
4. Silence at
meals.
Each year tens of
thousands of young
people, aged 17-30
go there to share
in their way of life.
Worship, prayer
and reflection are
at the heart of the
Taize community.
22. SAMPLE EXAM PAPER:
(a) What is monotheism? (2 marks)
(b) Should God be described as father?
(4 marks) Give two reasons for your answer.
(c) Explain why Christians believe in the trinity. (8 marks)
(d) “God created the world in six days”.
In your answer you should refer to Catholic Christianity.
(i) Do you agree? Give reasons for your opinion
(3 marks)
(ii) Give reasons why some people may disagree with you.
(3 marks)
