OCR GCSE Religious Studies Christianity Beliefs and Teachings: a complete J625 overview
A complete overview of OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625) Christianity Beliefs and teachings. Covers the nature of God and the Trinity, creation and the incarnation, the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, sin, salvation and atonement, and eschatology, plus the 1, 2, 3, 6 and 15 mark question pattern and the sources of wisdom and authority OCR rewards.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Jump to a section
What this module demands
Christianity Beliefs and teachings is the first half of the OCR J625/01 paper. 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, and promises judgement and eternal life. 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 examined later in the course.
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 atonement
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 together ("faith without works is dead", James 2:26). This divide is a favourite evaluation topic.
Eschatology and the afterlife
After death Christians believe in judgement and an afterlife: most believe in the resurrection of the body, in heaven (eternal life with God) and hell (separation from God), with Roman Catholics adding purgatory. Judgement is tied to faith and action in the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25). These beliefs give Christians hope and a reason to live well.
Check your knowledge
A mix of recall questions covering the whole module. Attempt them, then check the solutions.
- Name the three persons of the Trinity. (3 marks)
- What does "creation ex nihilo" mean? (1 mark)
- What is the incarnation? (1 mark)
- On what day do Christians believe Jesus rose, and what is it now called? (2 marks)
- What does "atonement" mean? (1 mark)
- Give the Protestant and the Catholic view of salvation. (2 marks)
- Name the three (or four) possible outcomes of judgement in Christian belief. (2 marks)
- Which parable ties judgement to how we treat others? (1 mark)