Christian Beliefs about Jesus (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

The Gospel accounts of Jesus’s life

• The accounts of Jesus’s life on earth are found in the four gospels

• Gospel means good news

  • Christians believe that Jesus, the son of God, brought the “good news” through his life, teachings and sacrificial death

• The gospels are the first four books in the New Testament of the Bible

  • They are written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

  • They are known as the four evangelists, which means “bringers of good news” 

• The gospel accounts of Jesus’s life cover his:

  • Birth

  • Life and teachings

  • Suffering, death and resurrection

  • Ascension to heaven

  • The promise of the Holy Spirit

• Most of the gospel accounts focus on the last three years of Jesus’s life

  • This is the time when he was publicly teaching

  • Much space is devoted to Jesus’s arrest, trial, crucifixion and death, showing the importance of these events

The role of Jesus in salvation

• Christians believe that when Jesus died on the cross, he sacrificed himself for the sins of humankind

  • This allows humans to be reunited with God after death in Heaven, which is known as salvation

• Christians believe that when God sent Jesus to earth, the sins of humans were forgiven

• Jesus, who is believed to be “without sin”, offered redemption to humans by sacrificing his own life

• The crucifixion, resurrection and ascension are central to Christians’ belief in salvation

• Christians refer to this as “salvation through grace and spirit”, which was made possible through the death of Jesus

  • Christians believe that God shows grace to everyone

• The Holy Spirit helps Christians follow God’s teachings and keep faith to find salvation

  • An example of this is shown in Jesus’s parable of the Prodigal Son

How Christians can achieve salvation

• Salvation means being accepted by God and, therefore, being assured of eternal life (heaven)

• Christians believe that salvation can be achieved in different ways

  • Salvation by work is the belief that to be accepted by God, you must obey the law, which means following the commandments laid down in the scriptures

• Salvation by faith is the belief that salvation is achieved through faith or actively believing in God

• To achieve salvation, Christians must have faith in Christ and live a Christian life

The role of Jesus in salvation

• Although Christians believe that Jesus was the perfect human, God placed all sins on him at crucifixion

• The sacrifice of Jesus paid for the sins of humans, provided they have faith in him

• Following the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, humans were forgiven for the sins of the past and have the opportunity to be rewarded in heaven

• This process brought about the reconciliation of man and God, known as atonement

Christ as Messiah

• Jesus Christ is seen by Christians as the Messiah, the Chosen One 

  • The Jewish people believed a Messiah would come to restore the nation of Israel and bring about an era of peace

  • Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled this promise through his life, death, resurrection and ascension to heaven

• The Jewish people believed that they had entered into a covenant with God

  • A covenant is an agreement, and the Jewish people believe that God had made an agreement with them through the prophets Abraham and Moses

  • God would look after them, and they were to be his chosen people

  • In return, they would remain faithful to him and live in a way that reflected this by following his laws and commandments 

• Christians believe that Jesus as the Messiah brought about a New Covenant — a new agreement between God and his people

  • The old covenant was based on following the laws

  • The new covenant is based on following the teachings of Jesus

What is atonement?

• Atonement within Christianity relates to the return to a state of harmony between God and human beings through the death of Jesus Christ

• Atonement is important because the atoning death of God’s Son was the only way to bring salvation to humanity (the forgiveness of all human sin)

  • Jesus’s actions made forgiveness for the sins of the world and reconciliation possible

• Christians can atone for their sins by showing their commitment to Christianity in several ways

  • Through repentance (showing regret for sins)

  • Through the grace of God (God showing favour to mankind)

  • By God forgiving mankind, and mankind forgiving each other

The significance of atonement

• Christians believe that redemption can occur through atonement for the sacrifice that Jesus made for mankind

• Christians believe that Jesus’s death and resurrection restored the relationship between God and humankind, which had been broken by original sin

• Christians remember this when they repeat the words of the Nicene Creed

• For Christians, the fact that God sacrificed his only son is clear proof of his omnibenevolent nature

• The Apostles’ Creed states that Christians believe in a God who forgives sins and makes eternal life possible:

• The belief in atonement is central to the Christian belief about the relationship between God and mankind

The Passion

• “The Passion” is the phrase used by Christians to describe the last few days of Jesus’s life

  • The Passion is made up of a number of key events, including the:

    • Last Supper

    • Betrayal and arrest of Jesus

    • Crucifixion

    • Resurrection 

    • Ascension

The Last Supper

• The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples, the night before his crucifixion

  • During the meal, Jesus predicted that one of his disciples would betray him

  • At the end of the meal, Jesus broke bread and shared it with his disciples, telling them to:

• Jesus offered wine to his disciples, saying to them:

• This quote shows that the sacrifice Jesus was about to make would establish a new relationship (covenant) between God and humanity

• The Last Supper holds a special significance for Christians, as it forms the basis of the Eucharist, a key Christian church service

The events in Gethsemane

• After the Last Supper, the Bible says that Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples

  Jesus was talking to some of his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane:

• Judas (one of Jesus’s disciples) arrived, leading the chief priests and their guards to Jesus

• Jesus’s disciples wanted to defend their leader, but Jesus told them to put their swords away

• Peter, Jesus’s closest disciple, cut off the ear of one of the High Priest’s servants

• Jesus healed it and ordered that there should be no violence

  • The servant was then led away to the house of the High Priest

The trial of Jesus

• Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin, who considered Jesus’s claim that he was the son of God blasphemy and found him guilty of this charge

• The next morning, Jesus was taken to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor

  • Pilate did not think that Jesus was guilty, so he gave the assembled crowd a choice

  • He would release either Jesus or a Jewish freedom fighter named Barabbas

  • The crowd chose Barabbas to be released, which meant that Jesus was to be crucified

The crucifixion of Jesus

• The crucifixion of Jesus is an important event for all Christians and is remembered during the festival of Easter

• The Bible describes the events leading up to the crucifixion, starting with Jesus carrying the cross to the place of his crucifixion 

• The soldiers mocked Jesus and placed a crown of thorns on his head

  • The crown of thorns represents both Jesus’s suffering and the fact that he was mocked by his persecutors

• Jesus was crucified on a Friday alongside two robbers, one on each side of him

  • A sign above his head read “King of the Jews”

  • As he was being crucified, Jesus cried out: 

• One of the robbers confessed to Jesus that he had sinned and that he and the other robber deserved to die for their crimes

  • The robber also acknowledged that Jesus was innocent

  • Jesus told this robber that they would meet again in Paradise

• Christians believe that Jesus’s crucifixion was a crucial moment in his life, as this act brought humans salvation from sin

The resurrection of Jesus

• The events following the crucifixion of Jesus are central to Christian belief

  • After the crucifixion, Jesus’s body was buried in a tomb guarded by Roman soldiers

  • Early on the Sunday morning, three days after the crucifixion, some of Jesus’s female followers went to anoint his body with spices, but the tomb was empty

  • Two men in gleaming white clothes appeared and told the women that Jesus had risen from the dead

• The women informed Jesus’s disciples that the tomb was empty

• For most Christians, the resurrection is the most significant event

• It is the ultimate miracle that proves the divinity of Jesus while also indicating that death is not the end

The ascension of Jesus

• Following the resurrection of Jesus, Christians believe that Jesus was in contact with his followers

  • The Gospel of Luke states that 40 days after his resurrection, Jesus told his disciples that they must stay in Jerusalem and that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit

  • Then, Jesus was taken up into a cloud

• Two men in white appeared and told the disciples that Jesus had gone to heaven

• The ascension reminds Christians that Jesus has gone to heaven to prepare a place for them, so they do not need to fear death

• As Jesus is no longer restricted by time, he is always with them

• Christians also believe that because Jesus did not die again before ascending to heaven, the Ascension shows Jesus’s divinity

The significance of Mary

• Mary is the mother of Jesus and a significant figure to Christians

• The gospels tell the story that Mary did not conceive her son in the usual way:

  • Mary was a virgin, engaged to a man called Joseph

  • The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her that she would conceive and give birth to a child who would be the Son of God (Luke 1:35)

  • This conception would happen even though she was a virgin

  • Mary accepted this news and gave birth to Jesus. Joseph, too, raised the child as his own

• The gospels of Matthew and Luke recount these events in detail. The story of the birth of Jesus is known as the Nativity

• Mary is seen as a significant figure because she:

  • Was free from sin, enabling her to give birth to the Son of God. This belief is known as the Immaculate Conception

  • Agreed to God’s wishes, which made the incarnation possible

  • Became the mother of Jesus, God on Earth

  • Is known as the mother of God

  • Remained faithful to Jesus and supported his ministry

  • Was there at the time of Jesus’s death and his resurrection

• Today, Mary is considered a role model and an example of motherhood for everyone

• Roman Catholics have a special respect and reverence for Mary; they:

  • Call her Our Lady

  • Ask Mary to intercede for them because of her special relationship with God

  • Use prayers such as the Hail Mary to show this respect

  • Believe that Mary has appeared at certain times and places to give special messages to humanity

    • Catholics may go on a pilgrimage to these locations, such as Lourdes in France