YEAR 10 · UNIT 19: CHRISTIANITY — BELIEFS & TEACHINGS (PART 1) · LESSON 6
What You'll Learn
Consolidate your learning from Unit 19. Assess your understanding of God's nature, the Trinity, problem of evil, creation, and incarnation through recall, review, test, and extended writing.
Answer: The Trinity is God as one divine being existing as three persons: Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit.
What are the two main Christian theodicies (explanations for evil)?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Augustine's free will defence (humans choose evil; God allows this to preserve freedom) and Irenaeus's soul-making theodicy (suffering develops character).
What does "imago Dei" mean?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Imago Dei means "image of God" — the belief that humans are made in God's image, reflecting His rationality, morality, and creativity.
What is the incarnation?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: The incarnation is the belief that God became human in the person of Jesus Christ — fully God and fully human in one person.
Review: Understanding Unit 19
Quote and explain John 1:14.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." This verse directly states the incarnation — God (the Word/Logos) became human (flesh) in Jesus.
Quote and explain 1 John 4:8.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: "God is love." This verse reveals God's fundamental nature as love, supporting the attribute of omnibenevolence.
What are the three persons of the Trinity, and what role does each play in creation and salvation?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Father: creates and sustains. Son: becomes incarnate to redeem. Spirit: sanctifies and guides. All three are involved in God's plan for creation.
Explain the challenge to the problem of evil: How can God be omnipotent and omnibenevolent if evil exists?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: If God is all-powerful, He can stop evil. If He's all-loving, He wants to. Yet evil persists. Christian theodicies attempt to reconcile this paradox through free will and soul-making.
What is the Chalcedonian Definition, and why was it important?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: The Chalcedonian Definition (451 AD) defined Jesus as one person with two complete natures (divine and human). It prevented distortions of Christology and became the church standard.
Test Your Knowledge: Unit 19 Quick Questions
Question 1: God's Attributes (1 mark)
What is meant by "omniscience"?
Write your answer below, then reveal the answer to check.
Your answer:
Model answer: Omniscience means God is all-knowing — God knows everything, past, present, and future.
Question 2: The Trinity (1 mark)
Name the three persons of the Trinity.
Write your answer below, then reveal the answer to check.
Your answer:
Model answer: The three persons are: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
Question 3: Problem of Evil (4 marks)
Explain Augustine's free will defence as a response to the problem of evil.
Write your answer below, then reveal the answer to check.
Your answer:
Model answer: Augustine argues that God gave humans free will — the ability to choose between good and evil. Free will is a great good because genuine love and virtue require choice. However, humans often choose evil, causing suffering. God allows this to preserve human freedom, which is more valuable than a world without suffering but without genuine choice.
Question 4: Creation (4 marks)
Explain why stewardship of creation is important in Christian belief.
Write your answer below, then reveal the answer to check.
Your answer:
Model answer: Stewardship is important because God gave humans dominion over creation but also the responsibility to care for it ("tend and keep" the garden, Genesis 2:15). Humans are not owners but caretakers of creation on God's behalf. This teaches environmental responsibility and respect for God's creation.
Question 5: The Incarnation (4 marks)
Explain what John 1:14 tells us about Jesus and why it is significant.
Write your answer below, then reveal the answer to check.
Your answer:
Model answer: John 1:14 says "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." This teaches that God (the Word/Logos) became human in Jesus. It is significant because it shows God entered human experience directly, reveals God's love through incarnate presence, and bridges the gap between the transcendent God and immanent involvement in the world.
Extended Writing Practice
Choice A: Evaluate a Statement (12-mark practice)
Evaluate this statement: "The most important Christian belief is the incarnation."
Consider: Does incarnation hold central importance? What other beliefs might be equally or more important? How do incarnation and other doctrines (Trinity, creation, salvation) connect? Give a justified conclusion.
Words: 0/500
Choice B: Explain Christian Belief (5-mark practice)
Explain two ways in which belief in God's omniscience and omnipotence affects Christian worship and life.
Structure: Two points, each developed with reasoning and/or biblical reference.
Words: 0/400
Reflection: Your Learning in Unit 19
Words: 0/300
Guidance
Use this space to be honest: What excites you about these ideas? What confuses you? What connections do you see to your own life or other subjects?
Review: Understanding Unit 19
Quote and explain John 1:14.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us." This verse directly states the incarnation — God (the Word/Logos) became human (flesh) in Jesus.
Quote and explain 1 John 4:8.
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: "God is love." This verse reveals God's fundamental nature as love, supporting the attribute of omnibenevolence.
What are the three persons of the Trinity, and what role does each play in creation and salvation?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: Father: creates and sustains. Son: becomes incarnate to redeem. Spirit: sanctifies and guides. All three are involved in God's plan for creation.
Explain the challenge to the problem of evil: How can God be omnipotent and omnibenevolent if evil exists?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: If God is all-powerful, He can stop evil. If He's all-loving, He wants to. Yet evil persists. Christian theodicies attempt to reconcile this paradox through free will and soul-making.
What is the Chalcedonian Definition, and why was it important?
🔒Reveal answer
Answer: The Chalcedonian Definition (451 AD) defined Jesus as one person with two complete natures (divine and human). It prevented distortions of Christology and became the church standard.