What do Christians believe about creation and the incarnation?
Christian beliefs about creation (Genesis, creation ex nihilo, the role of the Word and Spirit, literal and non-literal readings) and the incarnation of Jesus as fully God and fully human.
An Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies (C120) Component 2 answer on Christian beliefs about creation and the incarnation, covering Genesis, creation ex nihilo, the Word and the Spirit, literal and non-literal readings, and the incarnation of Jesus as fully God and fully human, with sources of wisdom and authority.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to explain what Christians believe about creation (how and why God made the world) and the incarnation (God becoming human in Jesus). These two beliefs frame the whole Christian story: the world is God's deliberate, good creation, and God enters that world in person to save it. You need the content, the sources of wisdom and authority (mainly Genesis and John), and an awareness that Christians read the creation accounts in literal and non-literal ways, which is a favourite evaluation topic.
Creation
The Word and the Spirit share in creation, which connects the doctrine to the Trinity. Genesis says "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2), and John's Gospel opens "In the beginning was the Word ... through him all things were made" (John 1:1 to 3), identifying the Word with the Son. So Christians hold that the one God, Father, Son and Spirit, is the source of everything that exists. Humans are made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27), which grounds human dignity and the idea of stewardship over creation.
Literal and non-literal readings
A key divergence concerns how to read Genesis.
- Literal (Young Earth Creationist). Some Christians read Genesis 1 as a factual, six-day account and hold the earth is young. They argue the Bible is God's word and should be trusted as written.
- Non-literal. Many Christians read Genesis as a theological account of who created the world and why (a good God, on purpose), not a scientific account of how or when. The "days" may be symbolic.
- Theistic evolution. Many accept the scientific picture (the Big Bang and evolution) as the means God used, so faith and science agree: God is the ultimate cause, science describes the mechanism.
Eduqas expects you to know that Christianity does not have a single view here, and to be able to argue the issue both ways.
The incarnation
The incarnation matters because it makes salvation possible: only one who is both God and human can reconcile humanity to God. It shows God's love (he does not stay distant but enters human suffering) and his humility ("he made himself nothing", Philippians 2:7). It is why Christians celebrate Christmas, the birth of God-made-human, and why the crucifixion can save: the one who dies is God the Son.
Common and divergent views
The common view across Christianity is that God is the creator of all that exists and that Jesus is God incarnate, fully God and fully human; these are creedal beliefs held by Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians alike. The main divergence is over the reading of Genesis (literal versus non-literal and theistic evolution), and to a lesser degree over how the two natures of Christ relate. For the exam, present the incarnation as agreed Christian belief and the reading of creation as the contested point.
Try this
Q1. What does "creation ex nihilo" mean? [a-style recall]
- Cue. Creation out of nothing: God made the universe from nothing, by his will, not from pre-existing matter.
Q2. Explain one literal and one non-literal way Christians read the Genesis creation account. [b-style short explanation]
- Cue. Literal: a real six-day creation (Young Earth Creationism). Non-literal: a theological account of who and why, compatible with the Big Bang and evolution (theistic evolution).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C120 2019 (style)2 marks[a] What is meant by incarnation?Show worked answer →
This is the 2-mark (a) AO1 definition question. Define the key term precisely: the incarnation is the belief that God became human in Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully human. A short developed phrase secures both marks; a single word risks only one. Naming Jesus and the "fully God and fully human" idea shows secure understanding rather than a vague gesture at "God coming to earth".
Eduqas C120 2020 (style)8 marks[c] Explain Christian beliefs about creation. Refer to sources of wisdom and authority in your answer.Show worked answer →
This is the 8-mark (c) extended AO1 question, and referring to sources is required for the top band. Explain that Christians believe God created the universe deliberately, out of nothing (creation ex nihilo), and that it is good. Anchor in Genesis 1 to 2 ("In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth", and "God saw that it was good"). Develop the role of the Word and the Spirit: "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2) and "through him all things were made" (John 1:3). Explain that 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 top band rewards developed points each tied to a named source.
Eduqas C120 2022 (style)15 marks[d] "Christians must believe the world was created in six days." Evaluate this statement. In your answer you should refer to religious beliefs and teachings, give reasoned arguments to support this statement, give reasoned arguments to support a different point of view, and reach a justified conclusion.Show worked answer →
This is the 15-mark (d) AO2 evaluation question, where SPaG is assessed, so use continuous prose and specialist terms. Arguments to support: the Bible is the word of God, and Genesis 1 plainly describes six days, so taking it literally honours scripture; Young Earth Creationists hold this view. Arguments for a different view: many Christians read Genesis as a theological account of why and by whom the world was made, not a scientific how; the "days" can be symbolic, and theistic evolution lets believers accept the Big Bang and evolution as the means God used; Genesis was not written as science. Use specialist terms (creation ex nihilo, literal, theistic evolution). A justified conclusion weighs whether faithfulness to scripture requires a literal six days or whether the message of Genesis is preserved on a non-literal reading.
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies specification (C120, from 2016) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)