The nature of God and Jesus in Christianity
Christians believe in the Trinity - one God, all-loving and all-powerful, in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All were present at the creation of the world and they each fulfil different roles.
Jesus – resurrection
For Christians, the resurrection is the belief that Jesus came back to life three days after he died on the cross. The Gospel of Luke (24:1–9) explains how Jesus’ followers found out that he had been resurrected:
- On the Sunday after Jesus’ death, Jesus’ female followers went to visit his tomb.
- A stone had been covering the tomb’s entrance. However, the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty.
- Two men appeared to the women in gleaming clothes. The women were frightened but the men said:
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’ (Luke 24:5–7)
. - The female followers then returned to tell Jesus’ apostles and other people that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Belief in the resurrection is very important to many Christians because:
- the resurrection shows that Jesus defeated death
- it is seen as proof of life after death
- the resurrection also proves God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence
In the biblical book called 1 Corinthians, St Paul emphasises how important it is to believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He explains that he himself saw Jesus after his resurrection, and that Jesus appeared to the apostles and over 500 other people.
Paul then tells people that Jesus’ resurrection promises the possibility of life after death:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
