Christians believe in one God who exists in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They believe God is eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. Christians believe in God for reasons such as ontological, cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments as well as religious experiences, miracles, and their upbringing. They believe Jesus was the Son of God and performed miracles such as calming storms, healing people, and resurrecting Lazarus to show he had power over nature, could heal people, and overcome death himself through his own resurrection.

1. Belief about Deity
In this topic you will be addressing Christian beliefs
and Teaching about
 The Nature of God
 Reasons for Belief in God
 The Concept of Miracles
 The ways in which theses beliefs affect the life
and outlook of Christians in the world today

2. One God
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Eternal
Omnipotent
Omniscient
Omnipresent
Perfect
Judge
What do Christians believe about God?

3. Jesus
SpiritFather
God
IS
IS
IS
IS
NOT
IS
NOT
IS
NOT
Father:
He is transcendent (outside
the world ) and impersonal
(we don’t know Him).
Above everything, He is the
Creator who is behind the
universe.
Son:
He is immanent (in the world)
and personal (we knew him).
He came to earth and lived as
a person. He is the redeemer
(saviour) of humanity.
Holy Spirit:
Immanent (in the world) and
impersonal.
God around us.
Described as the comforter,
inspiring and helping people.
What is
the
Trinity?

4. Why do Christians believe in God?
Ontological Argument
One Christian thinker
Anselm said hat God
should be described as
‘that which nothing
greater can be
conceived’. This means
that God must exist
otherwise we could
not produce this
description.

5. Why do Christians believe in God?
Causation or Cosmological argument
Think of it like a set of dominos
Without somebody making that first push
they would stay up
Aquinas says the same of the world.
Even if you believe in the Big Bang –
God must have caused it
• Thomas Aquinas came up with
this idea
• He said the Universe could not
just have happened on its own
• Something must have caused
it.
• Science can not place the first
cause.
• Only an omnipotent god could
cause the universe.
• Therefore god must exist

6. Why do Christians believe in God?
Design or Teleological Argument.
• Often known as the ‘watch analogy’
• The world is so perfect somebody must
have designed it.
• Only God could design something as
complex as the universe.
• Therefore God must exist.
Paley argues that if you found a watch the parts
work so perfectly together that somebody MUST
have designed it. He applies these ideas to the
Universe. An example he uses is the eye. It is
made of MANY parts but even if one part was
missing we could not see. He argues this is too
difficult to be chance and therefore can only be
explained by God

7. Why do Christians believe in God? –
Religious Experience
Miracles
Near Death Experiences
Prayer

8. Why do Christians believe in God?
Moral Argument
All people have a basic understanding of what is
right or wrong. Where did this come from?
It must have been God

9. Why do Christians believe in God?
Background and Upbringing
Christening
Sunday School
Going to
Church
Bible
Following the 10
commandments
Celebrate Christmas

10. What is a Miracle?
• An extraordinary event attributed to some
supreme agency
• Any remarkable occurrence
Examples of Miracles
in the Old Testament
Moses parting the Red
Sea
10 Plagues

11. Miracles in the New Testament
Control over Nature (natural world)
• Calming the storm
• Walking on water
• Feeding of 5,000
• Turning water into wine
Healing
• Allowing the blind to see
• Making lame man walk
• Casting out evil spirits
Resurrection
• Jesus’ resurrection
• Lazarus is raised from the dead
• Jairus’ daughter overcomes death
THREE
types of
Miracles
that Jesus
performed

12. Examples of Modern Miracles
Lourdes France – in 1858 Bernadette
Soubirous saw a vision of the Virgin Mary
– people didn’t believe her but over the
course of the next 5 moths she appeared
18 times. She was told to drink from the
fountain – there was no water so she
decided to drink – and she found an
underground well. Now people come from
miles around to become healed.
Knock, Ireland – in 1879 an image of
the Virgin Mary appeared in the wall of
a Catholic Church – more than a dozen
people saw it – there was no logical
explanation!