(a) What does the term ‘holy’ mean? 1 mark
The term holy is used when something is special, separate and different. It is often used to describe God. (b) Describe (with examples) two types of miracles Jesus preformed. 2 marks
Jesus preformed healing miracles, in which Jesus cured people who were suffering from diseases. An example of this was when someone that was paralyzed was cured by Jesus and he was able to walk again. Another miracle Jesus preformed was nature healing, in which he Jesus affected the laws of nature, like when he is said to have walked on water. An example of this is when there was no fish and suddenly they were able to catch loads of fish in the day. (c) How do Christians believe they can know what God is like? 3 marks
Christians can feel they know what God is like from teachings of the Bible; this can be done in stories and events. Personal experiences can also play a big part. Another way in which Christians think they know what God is like is through the Doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity basically describes the 3 different roles God undertakes. It’s an understanding that shows how God can separately achieve 3 different forms/roles – Father, Holy Spirit and son. (d) Explain what Christians believe about the nature of God. 6 marks
Miracles could be freak occurrences, events that scientists can’t yet explain, or acts of immanent God. However miracles can be used to show examples of the nature of God. For miracles to happen God must be all powerful (omnipotent) this could be an example of when a crop groups tall and strong in an African draught. Christians believe omnipotent God would have made this happen. Another belief about the nature of God is omi-benevolent; this is where God is seen to be all loving. To continue, another believe about the nature of God is ominssient where God is seen to care about the people he created. God is also seen to be eternal in that without a beginning or end. He is also immanent; God in the world is close by and personal. Furthermore he is Omnipresent in that he is everywhere. This is can also been shown in God outside the world; distant and impersonal (Transcendent). Also, the Doctrine of the Trinity shows us that God has three different roles, The Father – who is the creator and omnipotent, The son (Jesus) – who is our saviour and sacrificed himself for humans, and the Holy Spirit – the ‘giver of life’ and the messenger. (e) ‘If miracles were true, they would happen all the time.’ 12 marks
Miracles are often thought as of a strong argument for the existence of God. They can be hard to define, but they are events that go against the laws of Nature, or they are Natural processes that have been speeded up or slowed down, or events that are just perfectly timed.
Christians believe that God came into the world as Jesus; his incarnation demonstrates that God cares enough about people to want to teach them, and share in their happiness and their suffering. The resurrection of Jesus shows that he had power over death; his sacrifice atoned the sins of humans to bring them back into a close relationship with God. In the Bible, there are many different stories of Jesus performing miracles these can be divided into four types: Healing miracles (when Jesus cured people who were suffering from diseases), Nature miracles (when Jesus affected the laws of nature, like when he is said to have walked on water), Resurrection miracles (when Jesus brought dead people back to life),