The Nature of God
Explore what Christians believe about the nature of God: the qualities of God, the Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the problem of evil.
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What is God like?
For Christians there is one God, the creator of everything. Christians describe God with a set of qualities, believe God exists as the Trinity (three persons in one God), and think deeply about the problem of evil. This module explores what Christians believe about the nature of God.
The qualities of God
Christians use special words to describe what God is like:
Beyond or within?
Christians believe God is both beyond the world and involved in it:
Match the word to its meaning
- Omnipotent
- Omniscient
- Omnibenevolent
- Transcendent
- All-powerful, able to do anything
- All-knowing, aware of everything
- All-loving and all-good
- Beyond and outside the universe
The word for all-powerful
Which word means that God is all-powerful?
- Omnipotent
- Omniscient
- Omnibenevolent
- Immanent
The Holy Trinity
Christians believe in one God who exists as three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit. This is called the Trinity. The three persons are distinct, yet together they are one God, not three separate gods.
Match the person to its role
- God the Father
- God the Son
- God the Holy Spirit
- The creator, watching over all things
- Jesus Christ, God become human
- God at work in the world and in believers
True of Christian belief?
Select the TWO statements that are TRUE of Christian belief about God.
- There is one God in three persons
- Jesus is God the Son
- Christians worship three separate gods
- God is limited by time and space
The problem of evil
If God is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there so much evil and suffering? This is a challenge to belief, and Christians discuss it with these ideas:
Follow the argument
Put the steps of the problem of evil into a logical order.
- God is said to be all-powerful, so could remove evil
- God is said to be all-loving, so would want to remove evil
- Yet evil and suffering still exist in the world
- So evil is a challenge to belief in such a God
Complete the beliefs
Christians believe in one God who is _____, meaning all-powerful, and _____, meaning all-loving. God exists as three persons in the _____. The idea that evil conflicts with belief in such a God is the _____ of evil. Suffering caused by the choices people make is called _____ evil.
The nature of God
Tap the TWO statements that are TRUE of Christian belief.
- Christians believe in one God who exists as three persons.
- Omnibenevolent means that God is all-loving and all-good.
- Christians believe in three separate gods.
- Omnipotent means that God knows everything.
- The problem of evil is a Christian festival.
Apply the beliefs
Apply Christian beliefs about the nature of God to each situation.
- A believer says God knows every thought and event, past and future. Which quality is this?
- After someone does wrong, a Christian trusts that God is willing to forgive. Which quality is this?
- Someone asks how a good, all-powerful God can allow suffering. What is this challenge called?
Explain the nature of God
In English, explain what Christians believe about the nature of God. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Describe two qualities Christians believe God has, such as omnipotent or omnibenevolent
- Explain what the Trinity means
- Explain the problem of evil
- Give one Christian response to the problem of evil