Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies Study of Christianity Beliefs and teachings: a complete C120 overview

What this module demands

The Study of Christianity, Beliefs and teachings is the first half of Eduqas Component 2. It asks you to explain the core beliefs of Christianity accurately and to evaluate them, always supported by sources of wisdom and authority (the Bible, the teachings of Jesus and the creeds). The content runs as one connected story: God creates the world, becomes human in Jesus, dies and rises to save humanity from sin, promises judgement and eternal life, and is trusted even in the face of suffering. This overview ties the dot-point pages together.

The nature of God and the Trinity

Christians are monotheists: one God, who is omnipotent (all powerful), omnibenevolent (all loving) and just. This one God exists as a Trinity: three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, distinct but sharing one divine nature. The Trinity is grounded in the baptism of Jesus, the command to baptise "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19), and the Nicene Creed. Holding omnipotence and omnibenevolence together is what creates the problem of evil studied at the end of the module.

Creation and the incarnation

God created the universe out of nothing (creation ex nihilo), deliberately and good (Genesis 1 to 2), with the Word and the Spirit active in creation. Christians read Genesis in different ways: some literally (a six-day creation), many non-literally or as theistic evolution (God creating through the Big Bang and evolution). The incarnation is the belief that this creator God became human in Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human: "the Word became flesh" (John 1:14).

The crucifixion, resurrection and ascension

Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died and was buried, rose on the third day (the resurrection) and ascended to heaven forty days later. The crucifixion is where Christians believe Jesus atoned for sin; the resurrection shows he defeated death and is the Son of God, and gives believers hope of eternal life ("if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile", 1 Corinthians 15:17); the ascension completes his earthly work and leads to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Sin, salvation and the afterlife

Humans are separated from God by sin, traced by many to original sin and the Fall (Genesis 3). Salvation comes through God's grace, faith in Jesus and (for many) good works, made possible by atonement (Jesus' death in our place). Protestants stress salvation by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8 to 9); Catholics stress faith and works ("faith without works is dead", James 2:26). After death Christians believe in judgement, leading to heaven, hell and (for Roman Catholics) purgatory, with judgement tied to action in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25).

The problem of evil and suffering

Holding that God is omnipotent and omnibenevolent raises the problem of evil: a loving God would want to end suffering and an all-powerful God could, yet moral evil (from human choice) and natural evil (from nature) continue. Christians respond with the free will defence, the idea that suffering can build character (Romans 5:3 to 4), the example of Jesus who suffered on the cross, the belief that God brings good out of evil (the resurrection), and the practical response of compassion (the Good Samaritan, Luke 10).

Check your knowledge

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

1. Name the three persons of the Trinity. (2 marks)
2. What does "creation ex nihilo" mean? (2 marks)
3. What is the incarnation? (2 marks)
4. On what day do Christians believe Jesus rose, and what is it now called? (2 marks)
5. What does "atonement" mean? (2 marks)
6. Give the Protestant and the Catholic view of salvation. (2 marks)
7. What is the difference between moral and natural evil? (2 marks)
8. Name one Christian response to the problem of evil and suffering. (2 marks)