Christianity

Nature of God in Christianity

Christians believe in the Trinity - one God, all-loving and all-powerful, in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All were present at the creation of the world and they each fulfil different roles.

The nature of God

Christians believe that there is one God, who created the world and everything in it.

A young actor, Kezia, describes her daily life as a Christian

According to Christian teaching, God continues to be involved in the world as its sustainer.

The characteristics of God

Christians believe in one God who has a number of important characteristics.

God is one

Christians believe that there is only one God, as explained in the Ten Commandments: You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3)

The majority of Christians believe that God is one but has three distinct persons, collectively called the Trinity. These are:

God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit

Unitarian Christians, however, do not believe in the Trinity. Unitarians think of God as either a parent-like being or the Holy Spirit, and they reject the idea that Jesus was God. Instead, they believe that Jesus was a model example of a human being, who was sent as an expression of God’s love for humanity.

God is all-loving

Omnibenevolent means all-loving. According to Christian teaching, God proved his all-loving nature by sacrificing his only son, Jesus, to make up for humankind’s sins. This sacrifice allowed humans the opportunity to have eternal life with God in Heaven.

In his gospel in the Bible, John explains: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)

God is all-powerful

Omnipotent means all-powerful. In the Bible, God shows his power and involvement in the world to human beings many times.

God is all-knowing

Omniscient means all-knowing. God knows everything that happens in the world.

God is forgiving

God pardons people who are sorry for doing wrong. This is shown in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32), where a son who has foolishly spent his father’s wealth is welcomed back home with open arms. Christians believe that God welcomes back people who have committed sins but ask for forgiveness.

Different denominations of Christians have different ideas about God’s forgiving nature. For example, many Quaker Christians do not accept the idea of Hell because they do not believe an omnibenevolent God would send anyone to a place of eternal punishment. Some Christians believe that Hell will be temporary, while others who read the Bible literally, such as Baptists, believe that Hell is permanent and agonising with no second chances, as Jesus describes in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31).

Other characteristics of God

Judge – Many Christians believe that after a person dies, God will judge them to decide whether they deserve eternal life in Heaven or punishment in Hell. The Parable of the Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25:31–46) explains this. The sheep represent good people who in life helped others – after death, they will go to Heaven. The goats represent selfish people – they must go to Hell

Eternal – God has no beginning or end: The everlasting God … will not grow tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28)

Transcendent – God is above and beyond creation. Humans can never fully understand the ways of God: As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8–9)

Immanent – God has always been in the world and he continues to be. Christians believe that God is concerned with the lives of people, working miracles and answering their prayers. In this way, Christians believe that God is a ‘personal’ God, meaning a being they can develop a relationship with. Some Christians believe that God expresses his immanent nature through the actions of the Holy Spirit.

Question

What do Christians mean when they describe God as omnipotent?

The nature of God

There are a number of ways to describe the nature of God from a Christian perspective.

Monotheism - Christians believe that there is only one God. They are monotheists.
Trinity - most Christians believe that there are three distinct parts (usually referred to as Persons) to this one God and that these three aspects form a unity. This belief is called the doctrine of the Trinity:
- God the Father - the creator and sustainer of all things.
- God the Son - the incarnation of God as a human being, Jesus Christ, on Earth.
- God theHoly Spirit - the aspect of God which is active in the world, drawing people towards God.
Holy - God is 'other', different from anything else - separate and sacred.
Omnipotent - God is all-powerful. Everything consistent with God's nature is possible.
Omniscient - God is all-knowing, of past, present and future.
Omnibenevolent - God is all-good.
Omnipresent - God is present everywhere.
Immanent - God is active and 'in the world' today.
Transcendent - God is also 'outside the world'. God is not active in human affairs. It is up to humans to act in the world on God's behalf.
Personal - individuals can have a personal relationship with God. The Bible often talks of God in human terms, eg as friend, king, parent, and judge.
Impersonal - many Christians think of God in impersonal terms. The Bible sometimes talks of God in this way, eg as a power, goodness, truth, justice and love.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer is the most widely known prayer in Christianity and is said across most Christian denominations.

Jesus often spoke about the importance of prayer for developing a relationship with God. When asked by his followers how they should pray, he taught them the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13).

Some of the characteristics of God are shown in the Lord’s Prayer, for example:

God has the power to provide what humans need to survive: Give us this day our daily bread.
God is forgiving; forgive us our trespasses

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer is the most widely known example of a set prayer. Set prayers are formal, written prayers that are often memorized so that they can be recited both publicly and privately. As well as using set prayers, Christians may use their own informal prayers, which are more like individual conversations with God. Like set prayers, informal prayers may be said in private or publicly.

Question

Why is the Lord’s Prayer of great importance to Christians?

Expressing beliefs about the nature of God

The Bible

The Bible expresses fundamental ideas and beliefs about the nature of God.

Most Christians regard the Bible as an important or even unique source of authority. In different traditions there are a variety of ways in which it is read, understood and followed.

Creeds

Creeds express and make clear the most important Christian beliefs, including about the nature of God. The congregation often recites them during acts of worship, usually standing.

There are three main Christian creeds: the Nicene Creed; Apostles' Creed; Athanasian Creed.

Apostles' Creed

This is based on the teaching of the Apostles. It was written in the 4th century CE and is used by churches in the West. It represents a summary of Christian belief about the following:

the oneness of God and the Trinity
the incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God
the meaning of the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus
the person and work of the Holy Spirit
the Church as the Body of Christ
the Communion of Saints
sin and the means of salvation
judgement and the world to come

Worship

Christians worship God both in private and in public, eg through personal prayer and attending church services.

Action for justice

Many Christians believe that they should follow the example of Jesus to work for justice for all. They therefore donate to and may volunteer for charities, eg Christian Aid, CAFOD and Tearfund.

Many Christians consider issues of justice, locally, nationally and internationally, eg when considering who to vote for in an election.

The Ten Commandments

Christians believe that because of his omnibenevolent nature, God gives human beings instructions on how to live a good life and get to Heaven after they die.

According to Christian belief, the Ten Commandments are important rules from God that tell Christians how to live.

The first four commandments are instructions about how humans should relate to God:

Do not worship any other gods – Many Christians believe the first commandment is the most important. Christians believe that there is only one God who is worthy of worship.
Do not make any idols – The Bible actually says not to make any images of things from Heaven or Earth.
Do not misuse the name of God – God’s name should be honoured and respected.
Keep the Sabbath day holy – One day a week, known as the Sabbath, should be set aside for God. The Christian Sabbath is Sunday, and on this day many people go to church and spend time with their families.

The last six commandments are about how people should treat each other:

Honour your father and mother – Christians should love and respect their parents.
Do not commit murder – For Christians, human life has a special status, and many believe that only God should have the power to end a human life.
Do not commit adultery – A married person should not have a sexual relationship with anyone except the person to whom they are married.
Do not steal – A person should not take things that do not belong to them without permission.
Do not lie – A person should be truthful and not tell lies.
Do not covet – To covet means to be jealous of what someone else has. Christians should be content with what God has given them and not focus on wealth and possessions.

Question

What are the first four of the Ten Commands concerned with?