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SavannahYear 8
← Religion & Worldviews
Religion & WorldviewsChristianity in Britain25 min★★ difficulty

Christian beliefs about God and Jesus

Christianity is the largest religion in the world and the tradition that shaped much of British law, art and calendar. Studying it means understanding what Christians say they believe, and why.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Describe core Christian beliefs about God, Jesus and human purpose

Key learning points

  • • One God, described in three ways
  • • Jesus
  • • Human purpose

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

christianbeliefspurposedescribed

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
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Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Christian beliefs about God and Jesus

An English teaching video on this topic from Aeternum Legatum. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Describe core Christian beliefs about God, Jesus and human purpose

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Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · One God, described in three ways

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

One God, described in three ways

Christians believe in one God understood as Father, Son and Holy Spirit — the Trinity. This is not three gods but one God experienced in three persons: creator, the incarnate Jesus, and the presence at work in the world.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Jesus

Christians believe Jesus was born in first-century Judea, taught about the kingdom of God, was crucified under Roman authority and was raised from the dead. Belief in the resurrection is the claim on which the tradition rests; without it, Christians say, the rest would not follow.

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Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What does the term Trinity describe?

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Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

Which belief do Christians describe as central to their faith?

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Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Human purpose

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

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Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Human purpose

Most Christians teach that humans are made in the image of God, are capable of wrong choices, and are offered forgiveness. Purpose is usually described as loving God and loving your neighbour — a phrase that turns belief into a way of treating people.

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Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

What phrase sums up Christian teaching about purpose?

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Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

How should the Golden Rule verse be read as a source?

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Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Source study: the Golden Rule

'So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you' (Matthew 7:12). Reading it as a historian: it is instruction, not description, and it appears in a collection of teaching, so it tells us what Christians were taught to aim at rather than how any individual behaved.

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Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

____ is usually described as loving God and loving your neighbour — a phrase that turns belief into a way of treating people.

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Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Christian beliefs about God and Jesus

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. What does the term Trinity describe?

  2. 2. Which belief do Christians describe as central to their faith?

  3. 3. What phrase sums up Christian teaching about purpose?

  4. 4. How should the Golden Rule verse be read as a source?

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Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

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Points this lesson

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Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

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Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
  2. Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
  3. "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.

    250–350 words

  • Belief in your own words

    Writing

    Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.

    8–10 sentences

  • Different views

    Writing

    Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.

    2 paragraphs

  • Symbol or belief diagram

    Diagram

    Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.

    1 labelled drawing

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Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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