Basic Christian Beliefs v v v Most Christians

Basic Christian Beliefs v v v Most Christians share some of the basic beliefs, no matter how their doctrines may seem to be different: They believe: one God, who created the universe almighty in ruling over all that are in heaven and on earth morally fair in judgment over good and evil loves mankind and is merciful to them.

Trinity (三位一体) v v Trinity：in one God there are three Persons — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). They believe that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world as the Savior of mankind, and that after Jesus' earthly life, God remained present on earth in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Trinity v v v Christians believe that God is made up of three aspects: God the Father - who made the world, God the Son - Jesus Christ and a part called the Holy Spirit. These three parts make up the one true God.

Basic Christian Beliefs v v They regard Jesus as God who took on the human appearance and characteristics of a man. They believe that Jesus is the Savior who died to save humanity from sin, making their salvation and eternal life possible.

Basic Christian Beliefs v v They believe that God intended them to worship together in groups, that is, in churches, so that they can encourage one another to lead upright lives according to God's moral law. when people become members of a church, a ceremony called baptism(洗礼) should be held for them, in which they are sprinkled or covered with water as a symbol that sin is washed away.

Basic Christian Beliefs v They also accept the Eucharist（圣餐）, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, as an important ceremony, in which Christians share bread and wine as a sign of their unity with each other and with Jesus.

v Luk 22: 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. " v Luk 22: 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Basic Christian Beliefs v v They hold the Bible as sacred writings and inspired by God. They base many of their beliefs and customs on the teachings found in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, a collection of Christian writings added to the Jewish holy books known as the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible.

Heaven v v Heaven: the place or state of perfect supernatural happiness in which God, angels and other spiritual beings live. The souls of people who have been faithful to God go to Heaven as a reward.

v v Christians generally believe: since the resurrection of Christ, the souls of the just who are free from sin are admitted immediately after death into Heaven, where they can see God. At the general resurrection their souls are to be reunited to their perfected, or glorified, bodies.

Hell v v a place or state where devils live, and where wicked people are punished after death. a place of endless suffering caused by the loss of happiness and separation from God.

Hell v v However, some Christian theologians have questioned whether a just and loving God would have created such a place. According to these scholars, Hell is not a place but a symbol of the anguish caused by the loss of God or goodness.

For how long are wicked people punished in Hell? v v v a subject of controversy since early Christian times. Both the Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church have believed that the punishments in Hell are eternal. The Protestant churches during the Reformation didn't question the doctrine of Hell and the eternal suffering in it, but many of the more radical thinkers of the Renaissance rejected the belief.

Where are the heaven and hell? v v v The Christian religion never says that Heaven is in the sky, and Hell under the earth, but people commonly suppose so. 2 Ki 2: 11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. according to the New Testament, Jesus was "taken up to Heaven".

Where are the heaven and hell? v The idea that Hell is 'beneath' the earth's surface may come from old religions, such as the ancient Jewish idea of "sheol“ (an underground dwelling place of the dead) or the Greek idea of Hades (希腊神话中的冥 府, 阴间. ).

Purgatory v According to Catholic belief, Purgatory is a state in which the souls of the people who have died suffer for their sins they committed on earth until they are pure enough to enter Heaven.

Purgatory v But these sins must not be so serious as to cause the soul to be sent to Hell, yet too serious for the soul to enjoy the eternal happiness of Heaven.

Purgatory v It is believed that people can reduce their future suffering by doing various religious or pious acts before death, and the prayers of the living on earth can help those who are already in Purgatory shorten their suffering.

This picture demonstrates the medieval Church teaching on purgatory. 4. Then, people can end up in Heaven with God. 3. This shows the role of the Church. People can & must go through the Church to get out of purgatory. 1. Here are common people in normal life. 2. Here are the people in purgatory once they die.

Sins v v Original sin, sometimes called ancestral sin, is, according to a doctrine proposed in Christian theology, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. Original sin is hereditary. It did not remain only Adam and Eve's. As life passes from them to all of their descendants, so does original sin. We all of us participate in original sin because we are all descended from the same forefather, Adam.

v v Sins The Catholic Church divided sin into two principal categories: "venial sins", which are relatively minor and could be forgiven through any sacramentals or sacraments of the church, and the more severe "capital" or mortal sins. The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins

What are the Seven Deadly Sins? v v v v The final version of the list consists of: Wrath 愤怒 Greed 贪婪 Sloth 懒惰 Pride 傲慢 Lust 色欲 Envy 妒忌 Gluttony 贪食

Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Heavenly Virtues v The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes Seven Heavenly Virtues, which correspond inversely to each of the seven deadly sins. 色慾（Lust） 贞洁（Chastity） 贪食（Gluttony） 节制（Temperance） 贪婪（Greed） 慷慨（Charity） 懒惰（Sloth） 勤奋（Diligence） 愤怒（Wrath） 耐心（Patience） 妒忌（Envy） 宽容（Kindness） 傲慢（Pride） 谦逊（Humility）

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 1 Christians belive that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 2 Christians think that when you die you got heven and live with god forver.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 3 Not all Christians think the same thing about life after death. Most Christians believe that there is and place called heaven where people live forever in the presence of God. Some believe that all people go their because god forgives everyone, others believe that the only people who go to heaven are people who are committed Christians. Some Christians believe that those who don’t go to heaven will go to Hell, and be tortured for eternity, others argue that if God truly loves mankind he would not do this. Roman Catholics believe that there is a middle place called Purgatory, in this place you work off your sins until you are fit for heaven.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 4 I think that when you are dead that’s it and the worms eat your flesh until you are just a skeliton.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 6 Some Christians believe in hell for bad people where they will be punished forever. Others think that there is no hell because god isn’t cruel. Christians also say that if you are good you will go to heaven. Some Christians (Roman Catholics I think!) think that there is a place called purjerry where you do a penance until saint Peter lets you through the pearly gates.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 7 Christians go to heaven, to live in the presence of god for ever, the rest burn in hell forever.

Describe Christian beliefs about what happens to people after death. [8 marks] Answer 8 Christians think everyone will go to heaven.

The Story of Cain and Abel v v v According to the story in Genesis, Adam and Eve, had Cain as their first son and Abel as their second son. When they grew up, Cain became a farmer and raised crops, while Abel became a shepherd and looked after the sheep. One day Cain brought some of his harvest as an offering to God, while Abel brought the best of his lambs.

v v v God liked Abel and his offering better. Cain was so angry and jealous of Abel that he killed him. When God asked Cain where Abel was, Cain made the famous remark: “I don’t know: am I my brother's keeper? " To punish Cain, God sent him away to be a wanderer. Cain feared he would be killed, so God placed a mark on him and commanded that no one harm him. Gen 4: 15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so ; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over. " Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

v Why did God prefer Abel’s sacrifice and rejected that of Cain’s? v Why didn’t God kill Cain?

Why Did God Prefer Abel’s Sacrifice and Rejected That of Cain’s? v God doesn’t like vegetables. v God likes meat. v Both are wrong! v By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. (Hebrews 11: 4)

v In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9: 22)

Why didn’t God Kill Cain? v v v God is merciful. There were too few people then. Cain was the son of Adam and Eve. There has been no law given at this time. Cain is a sinner, but he is not a transgressor because there has been no law given about murder. God didn't kill Cain because the Lord wanted Cain to suffer with the guilt of what he had done and in doing so pay penance for his crime and hopefully seek redemption and the Lord’s forgiveness

v It’s a metaphor. Cain symbolizes evil. If there were no evil, there wouldn’t be good. So God let Cain live on.

v v v v v Cain 杀人犯；谋杀兄弟的人, 流离失所者 the curse of Cain 流离漂泊 the mark (or brand) of Cain 该隐的记号/杀人罪。 raise `Cain/`hell/the `roof (infml) be very angry; cause an uproar 大怒; 大吵大闹: He raised Cain when he found he had been cheated.

The Tower of Babel Genesis 11: 1 -9

v. The descendants of Noah all spoke a single language. v. Gen 11: 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. v. Gen 11: 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. v. Gen 11: 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly. " They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. v. Gen 11: 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. " v. Gen 11: 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

v v Gen 11: 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Gen 11: 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. " Gen 11: 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. Gen 11: 9 That is why it was called Babel -because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

What lesson can we learn from the story? v. On the surface, an explanation for the many different languages spoken on earth. v. But there is much more to the story. v. Why did people build the tower? v. In ancient times, people thought the heavens were not far above the earth. If only they could build a tower to the sky, they could climb up and be like gods themselves. v. Mankind had once again lost sight of God and become arrogant and self-sufficient.

v babel n. v 1. A confusion of sounds or voices. v 2. A scene of noise and confusion. v a babel of voices in the busy market 繁忙的 市场上嘈杂的声音. v tower of Babel v 巴别塔, “空想的计划”“未能实现的 程” v They think Mike's plan is the tower of Babel. v 他们认为迈克的计划是空想。

The Story of Abraham

God Calls Abram v Sometime around 2000 B. C. , God spoke to a man named Abram and said, v "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. " (NIV, Genesis 12: 1 -3)

v v So at age 75, Abram left the land of Haran and set out for the land of Canaan. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot, and all their possessions and slaves. But there was a great famine in Canaan, and so Abram went down to Egypt to live.

v On the way there Abram asked his wife Sarai to tell everyone that she was his sister, because Sarai was a very beautiful woman and Abram was afraid that the Egyptians would kill him to get Sarai.

v v When they arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh heard of Sarai's beauty, and gave Abram a lot of gifts, and made Sarai one of his wives. But God at once caused Pharaoh and all his household to fall ill. Pharaoh realized that he was punished by God because he married Sarai.

v So he accused Abram of dishonesty and sent him out of the country, together with his wife and everything he owned.

Ishmael is Born v v Abram: worried, promise, the ancestor of a great nation of people. He and Sarai: childless. Sarai: beyond the age of childbearing. Sarai had an Egyptian slave girl: Hagar. a second wife. Hagar bore Abram his first son, a boy named Ishmael

v v When Abram was 99 years old, God promised him that he would have a son within a year, and his descendents would be as many as the stars in the sky. As a symbol of his promise, God changed Abram's name to Abraham, which means father of many nations, and Sarai's name to Sarah.

Isaac is Born v v v at the entrance of his tent; three men standing there; Sarah would have a son within the next year. almost ninety years old; However, just as promised, Sarah became pregnant and had a son the next year. When Isaac was born, Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90.

Hagar and Ishmael are Driven Away v …out of the family because of Sarah's jealousy. v …Ishmael to get a share of Isaac's inheritance. v Abraham ; distressed by Sarah's demands. v But God assured Abraham that Ishmael would also be the ancestor of a nation of people, so Abraham reluctantly sent Hagar and Ishmael away forever.

The Supreme Test of Faith v v v his faith; worthy to be the ancestor of two great nations of people? to sacrifice his only remaining son; "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you. " (NRSV, Genesis 22: 2)

v v At that moment the angel of the LORD shouted to him from heaven, "Abraham!" "Yes, " he answered. "I'm listening. " "Lay down the knife, " the angel said. "Do not hurt the boy in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld even your beloved son from me. " (NLT, Genesis 22: 11 -12) Abraham had passed the test. He had demonstrated that he was willing to obey God - no matter what!