CHRISTIANITY BELIEFS
AQA GCSE SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST: Christianity beliefs
The nature of God: God as omnipotent, loving and just, and the problem of evil and suffering
The oneness of God and the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Creation - different Christian beliefs about creation + role of Word + Spirit (John 1:1-3 + Genesis 1:1-3)
The incarnation of Jesus and Jesus as the Son of God
The crucifixion, sin (original sin) and the means of salvation: law, grace, Christ, atonement and Spirit
The Resurrection and Ascension
Christians beliefs about the afterlife: resurrection, life after death, judgement, heaven and hell
KEY TERMS GLOSSARY
Atonement The belief that Jesus dying on the cross was the sacrifice necessary to redeem the sins of humankind.
Benevolent All-loving, all-good; a quality of God.
Crucifixion Roman method of execution by which criminals were fixed to a cross; Jesus’ execution on Good Friday.
Creation The act by which God brought the universe into being.
Creed System of religious belief, formal summary of Christian doctrine.
Day of Judgement The time when the world will end and every soul will be judged by God and either awarded or punished.
Evil The opposite of good, a force of negative power seen in many traditions as destructive and against God.
Evolution The process by which living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms
of life during the history of the earth.
Free Will Christian belief that God gives the people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.
Grace A quality of God, by which God loves and supports humans, which they don’t need to earn.
Holy Spirit The 3rd person of the Trinity whom Christians believe is the inspiring presence of God in the world.
Immanent The idea that God is present in and involved with life on earth and in the universe; a quality of God.
Incarnation Becoming flesh; taking a human form.
Omnipotent Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God.
Omniscient Knowing everything; a quality of God.
Purgatory The intermediate state where souls are cleansed in order to enter heaven.
Resurrection Rising from the dead; Jesus rising from the dead on Easter day - an event recorded in all 4 gospels.
Son of God A title used for Jesus = 2nd person in Trinity; denotes special relationship between Jesus and the Father.
Salvation Saving the soul, deliverance from sin and admission to heaven brought about by Jesus.
Sin Any action or thought that separates humans from God; behaviour against God’s laws/wishes/morality.
Transcendent The idea that God is beyond and outside life on earth and the universe; a quality of God.
Trinity The belief that 3 persons coexist in 1 God: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit = separate but 1.
The Word Term used at the beginning of John’s Gospel to refer to God The Son.
© 2024 Grades Express
AQA GCSE SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST: Christianity beliefs
The nature of God: God as omnipotent, loving and just, and the problem of evil and suffering
The oneness of God and the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Creation - different Christian beliefs about creation + role of Word + Spirit (John 1:1-3 + Genesis 1:1-3)
The incarnation of Jesus and Jesus as the Son of God
The crucifixion, sin (original sin) and the means of salvation: law, grace, Christ, atonement and Spirit
The Resurrection and Ascension
Christians beliefs about the afterlife: resurrection, life after death, judgement, heaven and hell
KEY TERMS GLOSSARY
Atonement The belief that Jesus dying on the cross was the sacrifice necessary to redeem the sins of humankind.
Benevolent All-loving, all-good; a quality of God.
Crucifixion Roman method of execution by which criminals were fixed to a cross; Jesus’ execution on Good Friday.
Creation The act by which God brought the universe into being.
Creed System of religious belief, formal summary of Christian doctrine.
Day of Judgement The time when the world will end and every soul will be judged by God and either awarded or punished.
Evil The opposite of good, a force of negative power seen in many traditions as destructive and against God.
Evolution The process by which living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms
of life during the history of the earth.
Free Will Christian belief that God gives the people the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.
Grace A quality of God, by which God loves and supports humans, which they don’t need to earn.
Holy Spirit The 3rd person of the Trinity whom Christians believe is the inspiring presence of God in the world.
Immanent The idea that God is present in and involved with life on earth and in the universe; a quality of God.
Incarnation Becoming flesh; taking a human form.
Omnipotent Almighty, having unlimited power; a quality of God.
Omniscient Knowing everything; a quality of God.
Purgatory The intermediate state where souls are cleansed in order to enter heaven.
Resurrection Rising from the dead; Jesus rising from the dead on Easter day - an event recorded in all 4 gospels.
Son of God A title used for Jesus = 2nd person in Trinity; denotes special relationship between Jesus and the Father.
Salvation Saving the soul, deliverance from sin and admission to heaven brought about by Jesus.
Sin Any action or thought that separates humans from God; behaviour against God’s laws/wishes/morality.
Transcendent The idea that God is beyond and outside life on earth and the universe; a quality of God.
Trinity The belief that 3 persons coexist in 1 God: The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit = separate but 1.
The Word Term used at the beginning of John’s Gospel to refer to God The Son.
© 2024 Grades Express
