Christianity & the Nature of God (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

God as omnipotent

What is the nature of God for Christians?

• The nature of God is an important concept within religion, including Christianity

• For Christians, the nature of God relates to the various qualities of God’s character

• Christians believe that the five qualities of God are: 

  • Omnipotence 

  • Justness

  • Omnibenevolence

  • Immanence

  • Transcendence 

• Some of God’s qualities are possible for humans to achieve but others are not

Why is the nature of God important for Christians?

• The Christian understanding about the nature of God can help guide worship and prayer

  • Belief that God is loving and personal encourages prayer

• The belief in the nature of God can also help Christians to make moral decisions

  • The Christian belief in God’s holiness and justice provides a moral standard as described in the Bible

• The nature of God can support Christians by giving them hope in times of need

  • God’s omnipotence and goodness reassure Christians in times of suffering

• God’s nature, as described in the Bible, explains the idea of salvation to Christians

  • God’s love shown through Jesus’s death and resurrection is central to the Christian faith

• The Christian belief in a personal God helps to encourage a relationship with him

  • Belief in a personal God motivates Christians to develop faith and follow his will

• Understanding God’s love can encourage Christians to help others

  • This could be done through missionary work, service to the community or charity

• Belief in the nature of God can affect how Christians live their lives

  • Belief in God as judge means that Christians will look for repentance and seek forgiveness for when the final judgment comes

How does belief in God’s omnipotence affect Christians?

• Christians believe that God is omnipotent, meaning that he is all-powerful

  • This means that God created the universe and everything in it

  • God’s omnipotence is seen through his miracles performed by Jesus

  • The Bible says that, “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37)

• Belief in God’s omnipotence has an impact upon Christian belief and practice

  •  Christians will show determination and resilience when faced with a problem

  •  God has a plan for everyone, so Christians should trust in and be guided by God

God as omnibenevolent

How does belief in God’s omnibenevolence affect Christians?

• Christians believe that God is omnibenevolent, meaning that He is all-loving

  • Christians believe that God created humans in his image (Genesis 1:27), highlighting His love for His creation

  • God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, highlighting God’s willingness for Jesus to be crucified to save humanity

  • In the teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: 

• Belief in God’s omnibenevolence has an impact upon Christian belief and practice

  • Christians will try to love each other in their daily lives by following the Golden Rule

  • Christians will “love their enemies” to demonstrate agape

Evil & suffering

The problem of evil

• Christians believe that God would not want anything within his creation to suffer and that God is fair and just

• Evil and suffering do exist in the world, which leads many Christians to ask questions, including:

  • How can a loving and righteous God allow people to do evil things?

  • Why do good people need to suffer?

  • If God does exist and he is omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then why does he allow evil and suffering to exist?

The inconsistent triad

• The problem of evil can be regarded as an “inconsistent triad” or in other words, three ideas but only two of them can be true

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• As there is clear evidence and experience of evil, either:

  • God is not all-powerful (he cannot stop evil) 

  OR

  • God is not all-loving (he does not love us or care enough to stop evil) or he does not exist at all

• For some people, this is evidence that the God of Christianity does not exist, but there are some Christian responses to this philosophical problem, including:

  • Free will — God has given people free will to make choices, and sometimes they will make the wrong ones

  • Evil and suffering are part of God’s plan 

• The responses to the problem of evil and suffering are illustrated in the story of Job

The story of Job

What is the story of Job?

• The story of Job is important to Christians because it explores the problem of suffering and Christian responses to this

• The story tells of a man called Job who was a wealthy, righteous man who loves and obeys God

• Satan challenges God by telling him that Job is only faithful because he has been blessed

• God decides to test Job by bringing lots of suffering, including Job losing his:

  • Health

  • Wealth 

  • Children

• At first, Job stays faithful to God: 

• Job’s friends say he must have sinned to have received such suffering, but Job insists he is innocent

• Job then questions God; he cries out, asking why the innocent suffer

• God speaks from a storm, reminding Job that His wisdom and plan are beyond human understanding

• In the end, Job’s fortunes are restored; he has more children and lives a long life

Why is the story of Job important for Christians?

• The story of Job explores the problem of suffering for Christians because it:

  • Explains that bad things can happen even to good people

  • Encourages Christians to remain faithful even when they do not understand the reason for the suffering

  • Teaches Christians humility and reminds them that humans cannot always understand God’s plan

  • Teaches Christians to have faith in God’s plan even when it may seem that things do not make sense

  • Encourages compassion for others and challenges Christians not to judge others who are suffering

• To some people, the story offers hope because Job’s blessings are restored, showing that suffering is not the end of the story

• The story can also inspire patience and trust because Job is seen as an example of perseverance (James 5:11)