Quick questions on Principal beliefs and sacred texts of Christianity: HSC Studies of Religion

Christians believe in one God who exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is monotheism, not belief in three gods. The doctrine was clarified at the early councils of Nicaea and Constantinople and is summarised in the Nicene Creed, which most denominations affirm.

Christians hold that Jesus is fully divine and fully human, the incarnate Son of God. This belief shapes Christian worship and the conviction that God entered human history personally.

The crucifixion and the resurrection on the third day are the centre of Christian faith. Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death and offering the hope of eternal life.

Christians believe humanity is reconciled to God through the saving work of Jesus. Denominations express the means differently, emphasising grace, faith, and the sacraments, but all hold that salvation comes through Christ.

Christians believe God reveals himself, supremely in Jesus and in scripture. Revelation makes God knowable and is the basis for belief and moral life.

The Christian sacred text is the Bible, made up of the Old Testament (shared in large part with Judaism) and the New Testament. Christians regard it as the inspired word of God and the primary record of their beliefs.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John record the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. They are the principal source for beliefs about his identity and saving work. The accounts of the resurrection are the textual basis for the central Christian hope.

The epistles, especially those of Paul such as Romans and Corinthians, articulate the theology of salvation, grace and the nature of the Church. They are the earliest Christian writings and provide the doctrinal record of the first communities.

Acts records the coming of the Holy Spirit and the spread of the early Church, grounding belief in the Spirit and the mission of the community.