RS2Christianity: Creation and the Afterlife

Genesis 1:1-3 is a prescribed text: AQA can set questions on it. In the World English Bible (British Edition):

• “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)
• God is the creator of everything, and existed before it. Many Christians believe God created from nothing (Latin ex nihilo).
• God creates by speaking: “God said… and there was light.” His word has power.
• The Spirit is present, hovering over the waters, bringing order out of chaos.
• Genesis 1 goes on to describe six days of creation, ending with humans, and God resting on the seventh day. God sees that what he has made is good.
• Genesis 2 gives a second account: God forms the first man from the dust and breathes life into him (Genesis 2:7), and places the first humans in the Garden of Eden.

Creation

Bringing the world into existence; Christians believe the world is God’s good creation.

Genesis

The first book of the Bible, which contains the creation accounts.

Creation ex nihilo

Creation out of nothing: God made everything without using anything that already existed.

John 1:1-3 is the second prescribed text. In the World English Bible (British Edition):

• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him. Without him, nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1-3)
• The Word (Greek Logos) existed from the beginning, was with God and was God.
• All things were made through the Word: the Word was the agent of creation.
• Later in the chapter, John says: “The Word became flesh and lived amongst us” (John 1:14, World English Bible, British Edition). So Christians believe the Word is Jesus, the Son of God.
• This means Jesus was involved in creation before he was born as a human. Paul makes the same point: all things were created through him and for him (Colossians 1:16).
• The Nicene Creed also says that all things were made through the Son.

Word (Logos)

A title for the Son in John 1: God’s eternal Word, through whom all things were made, who became flesh in Jesus.

• Christians read Genesis 1:1-3 and John 1:1-3 together. They show all three Persons of the Trinity at work in creation.
• The Father: the creator, who wills creation into being (Genesis 1:1).
• The Word (the Son): God speaks and creation happens (“God said… and there was light”). John says all things were made through the Word, who became flesh as Jesus.
• The Spirit: hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2), the Spirit brings order, life and energy. The Hebrew word for spirit (ruach) also means breath or wind, as when God breathes life into the first human (Genesis 2:7).
• Why it matters: creation is the work of one God, not of the Father alone; Jesus is not a created being but was there from the beginning; and the Spirit who gave life to creation still gives life to believers.
• Influence: Christians worship God as creator, see the world as a gift to care for, and trust that the Spirit is active in their lives today.

The whole Trinity at work in creation

Spirit (in creation)

God’s Spirit, hovering over the waters in Genesis 1:2, bringing order and life to creation.

• Literal (creationist) view: some Christians, especially some Evangelical Protestants, believe Genesis is a factual, historical account. God created the world in six days, and the earth is only thousands of years old. Many reject evolution.
• Non-literal view: most Christians, including the Catholic Church and the Church of England, read Genesis as a story that teaches religious truths: that God created and why, not how. The ‘days’ may stand for long ages.
• Non-literal Christians accept the Big Bang and evolution as the ways God created. The Big Bang theory was first proposed by Georges Lemaître, a Catholic priest and scientist.
• Shared beliefs: both views agree God is the creator, creation is good and has a purpose, and humans have a special place in it.
• Why the difference? Literal readers stress that the Bible is God’s word and should be taken at face value. Non-literal readers point out that Genesis 1 and 2 are written in different styles and orders, which suggests they are not meant as science.

Two ways Christians read Genesis

Literal

Taking a text as factually true, word for word.

Creationist

A person who believes the Genesis accounts of creation are literally true.

Non-literal

Reading a text as symbolic, poetic or teaching truths rather than as a factual account.

• Genesis says: “God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Christians believe this gives every human being special value (the sanctity of life), whatever their sex, race, ability or age.
• Being made in God’s image is often taken to mean humans can reason, love, make moral choices and have a relationship with God.
• God gives humans dominion (rule) over other creatures (Genesis 1:26). Most Christians understand this as stewardship: caring for creation on God’s behalf.
• Influence of creation beliefs: awe and thanksgiving in worship; care for the environment; respect for all people; opposing discrimination; valuing life.

Image of God

The belief that humans are made like God in some way (Genesis 1:27), giving them special value.

Stewardship

The duty to look after the world responsibly for God.

Sanctity of life

The belief that life is holy and special because it is given by God.

• Christians believe death is not the end. Their hope is based on Jesus’ resurrection: Paul calls the risen Christ the “first fruit” of those who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20).
• Paul writes: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith also is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Resurrection of the body: the Apostles’ Creed says Christians believe in the resurrection of the body and eternal life. Paul says the body is raised imperishable, as a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
• Different views: some Christians believe in a physical resurrection of a transformed body; others believe in a spiritual resurrection, with the soul living on.
• When? Some believe people go to God straight after death: Jesus told a criminal on the cross, “today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Others believe the dead await the end of time, when Christ returns and the dead are raised.

Resurrection

Rising from the dead: Jesus’ rising on the third day, and the belief that the dead will be raised to new life.

Afterlife

Life after death.

Soul

The spiritual part of a person, which Christians believe lives on after death.

• Christians believe God will judge each person and decide whether they receive eternal life with him or are separated from him.
• Hebrews says: “…it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgement” (Hebrews 9:27, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Particular judgement: Catholics believe each soul is judged straight after death.
• Final (Last) Judgement: at the end of time, when Christ returns (the Second Coming), all people will be judged. The creeds say Christ will come to judge the living and the dead.
• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46): the Son of Man separates people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. Those who fed the hungry, welcomed strangers and visited the sick and prisoners are rewarded: “you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
• What are people judged on? Many Christians say on faith in Jesus (John 3:16); others stress actions (Sheep and the Goats); most say both. God is believed to judge justly and with mercy.
• The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31): a rich man who ignored a poor man at his gate suffers after death, while Lazarus is comforted.

Judgement

The belief that God will decide whether each person receives eternal life or eternal punishment, based on their life.

Second Coming

The belief that Jesus will return at the end of time to judge the living and the dead.

• Heaven: eternal life in the presence of God, with no more suffering.
• Jesus said: “In my Father’s house are many homes… I am going to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Revelation describes a time when God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death, mourning or pain (Revelation 21:4).
• A place or a state? Some Christians picture heaven as a real place; many today see it as a state of being with God, beyond space and time. Pictures such as gates and streets of gold are symbols.
• Who goes to heaven? Many Christians say those who have faith in Jesus (John 14:6); others stress living a good life; many say both, made possible by God’s grace. Catholics believe many pass through purgatory first.

Christian beliefs about what happens after death

Heaven

The state of being with God for eternity after death.

Eternal life

Life with God that has no end.

• Hell: eternal separation from God. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, those who failed to help others are sent to “the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41, World English Bible, British Edition).
• Traditional view: hell is a place of punishment for those who reject God or do serious evil without repenting.
• Many Christians today see hell as a state of being cut off from God that people choose by rejecting him. The Catholic Catechism describes it as self-exclusion from God. The writer C. S. Lewis suggested that the doors of hell are locked on the inside.
• Universalism: some Christians believe a loving God will in the end save everyone, so hell may be empty or not exist. They point to 1 Timothy 2:4: God “desires all people to be saved”.
• Purgatory: a Catholic belief in a state of cleansing after death for those who die in God’s friendship but still need to be made pure before heaven. Catholics pray for the dead.
• Protestants reject purgatory, saying it is not taught in the Bible and that Christ’s death is enough. Orthodox Christians pray for the dead but don’t teach purgatory in the Catholic sense.

Hell

A place of eternal suffering, or a state after death of being separated from God.

Purgatory

Catholic belief in a state of cleansing after death before entering heaven.

Universalism

The belief that God will in the end save everyone.

• Afterlife beliefs give life meaning and purpose: this life is a preparation for eternal life with God.
• They also shape how Christians treat others: the Sheep and the Goats links eternal life to caring for people in need.
• Some Christians say the main reason to do good is love for God and others, not the hope of reward or the fear of punishment.