Christianity
Lecture 13

World Religions

Christianity’s Origins
•	It arose from 1st century ______________.  If is founded upon the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who is known to Christians as Jesus Christ.  It has a holy book that is known as the Bible. Most use the Jewish OT and the Christian NT.  
Christians Believe
•	That Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of humankind, and the Lord of the world.  They follow the teachings of Jesus as recorded in the NT and other letters.  Christian worship is varied. It often includes ______________, singing, praying, meditation, ______________ and communion.  
Three Major Groups of churches
•	Compose Christianity:
1.The Roman Catholic Church
•	 under the leadership of the ______________ in Rome, comprises over 600 million members. 
2. Eastern Orthodox Church
•	With its several patriarchs in ______________ has the greatest strength in the Middle East. It has some 125 million followers.
3. Protestant Church
•	Represent several denominations: Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist.  Their membership is ______________ million.  The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest protestant group with over ______________ million.  
Christianity
•	Emerged from Judaism.
Christianity
•	Like ______________ and ______________ before it, has had a diversity of philosophers and theologians. There are various interpretations about JC.  Controversies have occurred in the church about the work and nature of JC. The church has produced creeds that affirm the divinity and humanity of JC.  Some churches use images or icons of Jesus and others reject them.  
The Book of the Christian
•	Christians use both the Jewish OT and the Christian NT.  The NT contains the 4 Gospels about Jesus’ ministry.  It has one book on history (Acts) and 22 other books that are probably more correct to call them “______________”.  
Over the Last 2000 years
•	Christianity has diversified and developed many______________ and ______________ 
The Bible: The Revelation and Word of God
•	The Christian sacred writings are found in the ______________. Christianity began from a background in Judaism with the life and teachings of Jesus. Jesus was not only familiar with the Torah but taught and expanded its meanings.  Thus Christianity considers the ______________ OT books and ______________ NT books as authoritative.
Fundamentals of the Christian Faith
•	Jesus of Nazareth 
became the crucified and resurrected ______________.
2. Jesus’ teachings
Centered on the ______________of God.
3. The Christian Church
Was founded upon the teachings of ______________.
4. The Christian Bible
Includes the ______________ books of the Jewish scriptures and the ______________ books of the NT, such as the gospels, the letters of Paul and the other General Epistles.
5. An Important Doctrine
Is the trinity: God as ______________, Jesus as ______________, and God as the ______________.
6. Christian Worship
Is of great variety and richness including emphasis on preaching, praying, singing, meditation, baptism and Lord’s Supper.
7. Christian Life 
Is to  live by the ______________ of the ______________in the world, sustained by the help of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Beliefs of Christianity
•	Doctrine of Authority
Protestants normally agree that the first standard of authority is the ______________ and ______________.  Other Christian churches utilize Church traditions, creeds and Church councils along with the scriptures.
•	Roman Catholic
Uses the Apocrypha and sees it as inspired of God. They consider Church ______________ as authoritative.  
B. Eastern Orthodox
Also accepts the ______________ books as authoritative. They also hold that church tradition can be as authoritative.
C. Protestant Church
Hold that it is ______________ alone that is its final authority.  
D. The Doctrine of God
It is the same in all three major branches of Christianity. It is mostly agreed that there are three persons in the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance, equal in ______________and ______________. 
The Trinity
Does not mean that there are three ______________ Neither does it teach that God wears three different masks while acting out the drama of history. What the Bible does teach is stated in the Bible that the one God has revealed Himself in three persons, Father, Son and HS, and these three persons are one ______________ 
2. The Person of Jesus
2000 years ago ______________asked His ______________, “Who do you say that I am?”  This is one of the central issues of Christianity.  Who is Jesus according to the Christian faith?
•	Jesus is Human
The Church has always affirmed that, although He was supernaturally conceived by the HS, God in human ______________, Jesus Christ was also fully ______________ 
Luke 2:52; MT 4:2; Jn 4:6, Mt 8:24 etc.
B. Jesus Is God
•	 Jesus of Nazareth was a man, but He was more than just a man. He was God in human flesh. While the Scriptures clearly teach He was a ______________, they likewise make it clear that he was ______________Jesus Made Divine Claims
Jn 1:1
Jn 14:9
Jn 13:19
Jesus Exercised Divine Works
Jesus friends and enemies were constantly amazed at the works He performed. In Jn 10, Jesus claims “I and the Father are One.” His ______________wanted to ______________ him and he reminded them of his goods works. Some of the works attributed to Jesus include:
Works:
______________ of all things (Jn 1:3, Col 1:6; Heb 1:10)
Sustainer of all things (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3)
Director and guide of history (1 Cor 10:1-11)
Forgives sin (Mk 2:5-12; Col 3:13)
Give eternal ______________ (Jn 10:28; 1 Jn 5:10)
Raises the dead (Jn 11:25; Jn 5:21, 28, 29).
Be judge of all men in final ______________ ( Mt 25:21-46, 2 Cor 5:10).
b. Jesus Possessed Divine Attributes
By demonstration:
Over ______________—storms, healings of people near and far; lepers and blind etc.
Over ______________ and ______________Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter and widow of Nain’s son.
Knows the thoughts of people
Lk 6:8
c. By Association
Not only did Jesus do what only God can do, he even has the attributes of that only God has. 
Self existence..not dependent on anyone else (Jn 1:4). Jn 14:6.
Eternal… used of created things without an end. Use of God it means without a ______________ or an______________.  John 8:35
All Knowing
This is known as omniscience, is the quality of all ______________. Biblical evidence is found in three areas:
Opinion of disciples…Jn 16:30
Testimony of Bible…Jn 2:23-25
Examples from Bible…Jn 4:16-19; Jn 21: 6.
All Powerful
This means that God do anything that is not forbidden by his nature. He cannot______________, for He is holy and righteous.
Possesses the Moral Attributes of God
______________…pure and cannot sin and unspoiled by evil.  Luke 1:35
______________…being consistent with your words and actions and having them correspond to the real world. Rev 3:7
Love
Unconditional in nature.  Jn 3:16
Jn 13:34-35
4. Righteousness
Means a ______________. God’s standard is love, justice, holiness. This is what God expects from all men.
Rom 5:9
1 Jn 2:1
Jesus is Worthy of Worship
Jesus allowed Himself to be worshipped.
Mt 2:2, 11.  
Jn 9:38
Angels are not to receive worship…Rev 22:8-9, Acts 14:11-15..Paul and Silas say no…
Jesus is God
The same terms used to describe God in OT are used in NT for Jesus

Creator
______________is Creator – Gen 1:1; Job 33:4
______________ is Creator – Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:12-17
First and Last
God – Isa 41:4, 44: 6
Christ – Rev 1:17; Rev 2:8
Judge
God -- Psalm 18:25
Christ – 2 Cor 5:10
Savior
God – Psalm 106:21; Isa 43:3, 11
Christ – Jn 4:42; Acts 4:10-12
The Teaching of the Bible
Concerning the person of Jesus Christ is that He was fully God and at the same time fully man. Any deviation from this position is not only unscriptural, it is also heretical.  
The Church Believes in the Atonement
Through JC.  He was the perfect satisfaction to God as just and substitutionary punishment for the sins of the ______________The Doctrine of Salvation
Is linked to the atoning work of Christ on the ______________  While all major branches agree that Christ’s death was satisfactory to God as a sacrifice for the world’s sins, there is a disagreement on how that sacrifice is appropriated. 
The Doctrine of Man
Is usually expressed by the Westminister Shorter confession of faith that “God ______________ man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and with dominion over the creatures.” 
Doctrine of Holy Spirit
The HS is personal and is God, the ______________ person of the Holy Trinity.  He is spoken of in the NT as  person. He has the attributes of God, for He is all knowing, and all powerful (Lk 1:35-37).  
He was involved in creation (Gen 1:2, Job 33:4). The new birth (Jn 3:5) the inspiration of the bible (2 Ptr 1:20-21).