What does CCEA Unit 3 the Revelation of God and the Christian Church cover?

Unit 3 studies the life of Jesus as the revelation of God, and the worship of the Christian Church. It covers the identity of Jesus through his baptism, temptations, titles, Peter's confession and the Transfiguration; his teaching on the Kingdom of God and forgiveness through parables; his encounters with people such as Jairus, the rich young man and Zacchaeus; his death from the Last Supper to the crucifixion; his resurrection and ascension; and Christian worship, festivals and the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion.

How do the gospels reveal the identity of Jesus in Unit 3?

Through key events. At the baptism the Father's voice declares Jesus his Son and the Spirit descends like a dove; the temptations show Jesus is human yet sinless; the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah reveal him as divine, human and the promised saviour; Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah at Caesarea Philippi; and at the Transfiguration Jesus shines with glory while the Father again declares him his Son.

What did Jesus teach about the Kingdom of God and forgiveness?

Jesus taught in parables. The Sower shows how people receive the message of the Kingdom, and the Mustard Seed shows it starts small but grows great. On forgiveness, the Lost Son shows God's generous welcome of the repentant, and the Unforgiving Servant teaches that those forgiven by God must forgive others. Jesus told Peter to forgive seventy-seven times, meaning without limit.

Why are the death and resurrection of Jesus central to Unit 3?

Christians believe the death of Jesus, foreshadowed at the Last Supper and accepted in Gethsemane, was a sacrifice for sin that brings salvation, even though he was condemned unjustly by the Sanhedrin and Pilate. The resurrection, shown by the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Jesus, proves he defeated death, confirms he is the Son of God, and gives Christians the hope of eternal life. The ascension marks his return to the Father.

What worship, festivals and sacraments does Unit 3 study?

It studies liturgical and non-liturgical worship and prayer, including the Lord's Prayer; the festivals of Christmas (the birth of Jesus), Easter (his resurrection) and Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit); and the sacraments of baptism, where water symbolises cleansing and new life, and Holy Communion, where bread and wine recall the Last Supper and the death of Jesus.

Northern IrelandReligious Studies

CCEA GCSE Religious Studies Unit 3 The Revelation of God and the Christian Church: a complete overview

A complete overview of CCEA GCSE Religious Studies Unit 3, the Revelation of God and the Christian Church. Covers the identity, teaching, encounters, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the worship, festivals and sacraments of the Christian Church.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.815 min readCCEAUpdated 2026-06-14

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What this unit demands
The identity of Jesus
The teaching of Jesus
The encounters of Jesus
The death and resurrection of Jesus
Worship, festivals and sacraments
Check your knowledge

What this unit demands

The Revelation of God and the Christian Church is one of CCEA's Christianity units. It studies the life of Jesus as the way God is revealed, alongside the worship of the Christian Church. The exam rewards precise knowledge of gospel events, an understanding of what each one means for Christian belief, and balanced evaluation. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

The identity of Jesus

The gospels reveal Jesus as both human and divine through his baptism, where the Father's voice and the dove mark him as the Son of God; the temptations, which show him human yet sinless; the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah; Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi; and the Transfiguration, where Jesus shines with glory.

The teaching of Jesus

Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God in the parables of the Sower and the Mustard Seed, and about forgiveness in the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant, revealing God's rule and mercy and the duty to forgive without limit.

The encounters of Jesus

His meetings with Jairus and the woman with the haemorrhage, the rich young man, and Zacchaeus reveal the importance of faith, the danger of wealth, and the power of repentance, and his mission "to seek and to save the lost".

The death and resurrection of Jesus

From the Last Supper and Gethsemane, through the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, to the crucifixion, Christians see a willing sacrifice for sin that brings salvation. The empty tomb, the appearances of the risen Jesus and the ascension show that Jesus defeated death and give the hope of eternal life.

Worship, festivals and sacraments

The Church worships in liturgical and non-liturgical ways, marks Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and uses the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, linking believers to the life and death of Jesus.

CCEA's Revelation of God and the Christian Church unit studies the life of Jesus and the worship of the Church. The identity of Jesus is revealed at his baptism, in the temptations, through the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah, at Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi, and at the Transfiguration. His teaching on the Kingdom of God comes in the Sower and the Mustard Seed, and on forgiveness in the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant. His encounters with Jairus and the woman with the haemorrhage, the rich young man, and Zacchaeus reveal faith, the danger of wealth, and repentance. From the Last Supper and Gethsemane through the trials to the crucifixion, Christians see a sacrifice for sin that brings salvation, while the empty tomb, the appearances and the ascension show Jesus defeated death and give the hope of eternal life. The Church worships in liturgical and non-liturgical ways, keeps Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and uses baptism and Holy Communion. The exam rewards explaining meaning and evaluating with balance.

Check your knowledge

A mix of recall questions covering the whole unit. Attempt them, then check the solutions.

What happened at the baptism of Jesus? (2 marks)
What do the titles Son of God and Son of Man each stress about Jesus? (2 marks)
What does the parable of the Sower teach? (2 marks)
How did Zacchaeus show his repentance? (2 marks)
What did Jesus say over the bread and wine at the Last Supper? (2 marks)
What did the women find at the tomb on the third day? (1 mark)
Name the three festivals studied in this unit. (3 marks)
What does the water symbolise in baptism? (1 mark)

Sources & how we know this

CCEA GCSE Religious Studies specification — CCEA (2017)