UNIT 2: EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM ►

UNIT 1: HUMAN SALVATION IN GOD’S PLAN

  • UNIT 1: HUMAN SALVATION IN GOD’S PLAN

    Key Unit competence: Explain God’s plan for the salvation of humanity and

    values related to God’s revelation.

    INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY 1
    Read the following scenario and answer the questions
    A ship was about to capsize in Lake Kivu in 2016 after developing a mechanical
    problem. This happened after it had moved few kilometres from the shore. It
    needed a fast rescue agent to be contacted to save the lives of the travellers.
    Fortunately, there was fast communication by the crew to the Rwandan
    Ports Authority. The concerned authority responded immediately by sending
    rescue team in two aircrafts who managed to save all the travellers in that
    ship.
    Questions:
    1. Suppose you were one of the travellers in that ship, what will be your
    attitude towards the rescue team?
    2. What is the importance of team work in saving those travellers?
    3. What moral lessons can you derive from this scenario in connection to

    God’s salvation?

    1.1 Creation and Fall of Human kind
    LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.1

    Basing on your understanding and using available resources, discuss
    the meaning of creation, redemption, the fall and other terms that are
    used in human salvation history then identify features that show that

    man is created in God’s image.

    1.1.1 Creation


    Creation
    According to the Biblical dictionary, the word creation refers to God’s act of
    bringing into being all that exist; the act of causing to exist; and especially, the
    act of bringing this world into existence.

    Redemption or Salvation

    The dictionary defines redemption as: the action of saving or being saved from
    sin, error, or evil or the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in
    exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

    Redemption is used in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament,
    redemption involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price
    by a redeemer.

    In the New Testament, redemption refers to the announcement that Jesus of
    Nazareth is the fulfillment of Israel’s messianic hope and that, in him,
     the long awaited redemption has arrived.
    • Sanctification: it refers to the subject of the working of God in the life
    of a Christian after salvation, making him more like Christ.
    • Justification (by faith as taught by Paul): it is the declaration by God
    that a person who believes in His gift of Christ is released from the guilt

    and punishment due to his or her sins. 

    • Rebellion: it refers to opposition to one in the authority or going
    against a given instruction or order. In the Bible, it is demonstrated
    by Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit against God’s
    instruction.
    • Exodus: the deliverance of the 12 tribes of Israel, under the leadership
    of Moses, from slavery in Egypt, by God, through the miraculous parting
    of the Red Sea. It is the great salvation event in their history, recorded
    in the book of Exodus.
    • The fall: the event of Adam and Eve’s self-focused disobedience which

    broke their relationship with God.

    The Bible presents to us two different creation accounts. The accounts are
    similar in that both describe the creation of animals, plants and human beings.
    The First account (Genesis 1:1-31) describes how God created the world in an
    ordely manner from the first to the sixth day as given below:
    Day 1 - God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling
    light «day» and darkness “night.”
    Day 2- God created a wide and open space to separate the waters and called it
    “sky.”
    Day 3 - God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry
    ground «land,» and the gathered waters «seas.» On day three, God also created
    vegetation (plants and trees).
    Day 4 - God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and
    to govern and separate the day and the night. These would also serve as signs
    to mark seasons, days, and years.
    Day 5 - God created every living creature of the seas and every winged bird,
    blessing them to multiply and fill the waters and the sky with life.
    Day 6 - God created the animals to fill the earth. He also created man and
    woman (Adam and Eve) in his own image to commune with him. He blessed
    them and gave them every creature and the whole earth to rule over, care for,
    and cultivate.
    Day 7 - God had finished his work of creation and so he rested on the seventh
    day, blessing it and making it holy.

    The second creation story ( Genesis 2:1-25),assumes that the creation of heaven
    and earth had already taken place. God creates human beings, plants, then

    animals and later he divides the human into female and male. 

    In the creation of man and woman, God creates man first then from him he
    created the woman.

    Creation answers fundamental questions on human life, such as, where do we
    come from? Where are we going? What is our origin? What is our end? Creation
    is so important for all human life that God in his tenderness wanted to reveal to
    his people that His is the origin of everything that exists.

    Man is the only one created in God’s image and likeness among all God’s
    creatures. The Fact that Human beings were created in the image and likeness
    of God, does not suggest any kind of physical reality. Rather, suggests a deep
    spiritual reality. It shows that Human being is capable of profound covenant
    relationship with God. Below are some important dimensions concerning

    Human beings created in the image and likeness of God.

    • God-likeness in man means that, man can begin to understand creation.
    He is commanded to have dominion over the earth. He understands
    not only aspects of God’s wonderful creation , but also knows how to
    use that creation to build a better life for himself.

    • Human beings are cultural beings. Animals do not create a culture, they
    operate by instinct but people create cultures. For example, all dogs
    around the whole world bark the same manner, but human languages
    have immense diversity. Language is one of the significant aspect of
    culture; it is a creation of human society. Nature shows us that God also
    creates enormous variety, for example, every human being is different.
    Our cultural creativity is a dimension of our God- likeness.

    • Human beings know right and wrong. Man is a moral being. The sense
    of right and wrong is embedded deeply in the conscience. Even if
    human cultures vary greatly, everywhere there is a deep sense of right
    and wrong. For example, people everywhere seem to sense that it is
    not right to kill a fellow human being. This moral consciousness is a
    very significant aspect of our being created in the image of God.

    • Human beings sense that he should grow to become a better person.
    People in all cultures seem to have an awareness that they are not as

    good as they should be. 

    This is the witness of our God- likeness within our conscience. It is a
    persistent voice in the conscience that we should become better people.
    Conscience, that voice which calls us to do better, is the stamp of the

    image of God deep within our spirits.

    • Human beings are immortal. We know that when we die, that is not
    the end of our personal existence. We sense that there is life beyond
    the grave. This is a significant aspect of our being created in the image
    of God. God is eternal. In a similar way, God has established that we
    should not vanish when our bodies die. He also determined that man,
    whom he has created in his own image and likeness, shall experience
    eternity and immortality.

    • Man has fellowship with other human beings and with God.
    Communication is very important in the experience of fellowship; it is
    an evidence that we are personal, and that we long to relate to others
    in a deep and personal way. God desires likewise to have fellowship
    with us. Genesis 3:8-9, tells us that God had a blessed fellowship with
    Adam and Eve. He conversed with them in a cool evening. Animals are
    not personal, they are not created in God’s image. Man is a fellowship
    creature. He is personal. He is created in the image and likeness of God.

    • God created everything for man, but man was in turn created to serve,
    love God and to offer all creation back to him. This is the central mission
    of man in this world. Every human life that is conceived in this world
    has a mission to accomplish in this world. Man is the only creature that
    God has willed in for its own sake. He is called to share, by knowledge
    and love, in God’s own life.

    • Male and female, God created them. Equality and difference are willed
    by God. When he created man and woman, it is a perfect equality as
    human persons and a reality which is good. Man and woman are both
    with one and the same dignity, in the image of God. In their “being man
    ” and “ being-woman” they reflect the creator’s wisdom and goodness.

    • God gave man freedom to choose. God does not impose anything to
    human beings. He respects our freedom. God gave man and woman
    all the fruits to eat in the garden of Eden except the the middle of the
    garden. Man voluntarily chose to disobey God’s command.

    • Man is a rational being. Man is endowed with mental faculties such as
    reasoning, memory and because of this, man can make something new.
    E.g. build a house. Animals on the country, cannot make anything new

    because they have no intellect. 

    The Catechism of the Catholic Church elaborates that: Creation is the foundation
    of a saving plan of God.

    Creatio is the beginning of the history of salvation that culminates in Christ. It
    is so important for all human life that God in his tenderness wanted to reveal
    to his people. Beyond the natural knowledge that every man can have of the

    Creator, God progressively revealed to Israel the mystery of creation. 

    Thus creation is inseparable from the Revelation. Creation is revealed as the

    first step towards the covenant between God and his people.

    1.1.2 Rebellion and Consequences of Fall



    The Bible narrates how man broke his relationship with God (Genesis 3).
    Adam and Eve sinned against God by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of
    knowledge of good and evil. It was Adam and Eve themselves who decided to
    turn away from God. However, Satan was present in the form of a serpent. Satan
    tempted them to eat the fruit but was not the central figure in the drama.

    They listened to the serpent’s temptation and ate the frobidden fruit, thus
    committing the original sin. It was their personal decision to sin against God.

    Sin enters in the world through the misuse of human freedom. All of us
    participate in the sin of mankind; all of us have misused our freedom. The Bible
    says, “ All like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
    way...” (Isaiah 53:6) We are personally and collectively responsible.

    Below are some of the consequences of the original sin as asserted by Kateregga

    D. B and Shenk W.D (1980):

    • Adam and Eve became ashamed of themselves (Genesis 3:7). Before
    they turned against God, they were not ashamed in each other’s
    presence. They did not wear clothing.They had a beautiful and
    shameless relationship with each other. They sewed fig leaves together

    as aprons to cover themselves.

    They also hid behind the bushes in the garden. We also try to cover our
    true selves with fashionable clothing we wear or smiles we put on our
    faces. We try to pretend that we are different from what we really are. .
    Shame, pretence and insincerity are consequences of our sins.

    • Adam and Eve were afraid of each other and also of God. Man created
    in the image of God, man whose greatest joy should be right and joyous
    fellowship with the Creator, this man is hiding from God His loving
    heavenly Father.

    • Adam and Eve did not accept the blame from what they had done;
    they made excuses for their sin. God asked Adam, “ Have you eaten of
    the tree which i commanded you not to eat?” Adam answered, “The
    woman you gave to be with me gave me fruit of the tree and I ate. Then
    Eve said, “ The serpent tricked me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:11-13). All of
    them made excuses for their sin. We are all like that. When we know
    we have done wrong we blame others and sometimes even blame God
    for our sins. This common human experience of blaming others for the
    evil that we do is called psycho-projection.

    • The marriage relationship was spoiled. Before Adam and Eve sinned,
    they had a beautiful relationship, but after sin, they began to hide their
    true selves from each other. Adam began to dominate his wife, and she
    submitted to him. (Genesis 3:16) This kind of relationship in marriage
    is exploitative. The husband rules, and the wife submits. Because of
    Man’s rebellion, against God, sex became exploitive. Women dress in a
    way that attract men, on the other hand men are aggressive and try to
    get women to submit to them in marriage and even outside marriage.

    Even the experience of childbirth became painful (Genesis 3:16).
    Children should bring a great blessing in any home, but our sinfulness
    brings pain into the experience of having children. Children are born
    through pain; they also cause their parents pain through disobedience
    and rebellion.

    • Work becomes a wearisome labour for mankind (Genesis 3: 17-18).
    Before man sinned against God, work was a blessing; it was central to
    the covenant God made with Adam and Eve. They were commanded
    to work and make the earth better, but after they rebelled against God
    their realtionship to nature became difficult. Man began to exploit
    nature and the earth groaned under exploitation.

    The ground was cursed because of man. Thistles began to grow on the
    land which man cultivated for his crops.

    Man began to struggle and fight for his living.

    • Death came into the world. God is the Life-Giver. We experience life
    when we live in a joyous relationship with God, who is the eternal giver
    of life. When Adam and Eve turned away from God, they were turning
    towards death. We die because we live in rebellion against God. The
    Bible says, ‘ the wages of sin is death’ ( Romans 6:23).

    • The original sin lead to other serious sins. Cain murdered his brother
    Abel (Genesis 4: 1-16) because he was jealous of him. History is
    evidence of the sinfulness of man. History books from every culture
    and civilization are the stories of wars. History is the story of death:
    man killing man; destruction of the good things which man has built;
    the rise and fall of empires; the death of civilization; the death of

    empires; the death of people through wars and conflict.

    1.2 The Choice of Israel
    LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.2
    Read in groups Exodus 1: 8-14; 3: 1-22, then write a short summary on

    the life of Israelites in Egypt and on the call and mission of Moses.

    Abram the son of Terah was told by the Lord to leave his land, his relatives, and
    his father’s house to the land which God was going to show him. The Lord God
    promised him “a great nation (descendants), blessings, and the land (Canaan),
    Genesis 12:1-7.

    When the famine broke in the land where Abram and his wife Sarai were, they
    went to Egypt where Sarai was taken over by the King of Egypt because Abram
    had not declared her as his wife. When Pharaoh came to know that he had taken
    Abram’s wife, he gave her back to Abram and ordered them to leave Egypt with
    the immediate effect with all their possessions. That is how Abram and his wife

    left Egypt to the place called Negeb, Genesis 12:10-13:1-11.

    Since Sarai was barren and had not given to Abram any child, she advised her
    husband to take their house-girl called Hagar as the wife and she bore him as
    son called Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-15) but this was not the promised son from
    whom the promised great nation would originate (Genesis 17: 19 and Genesis
    21:12). God renews His covenant with Abram and He changed Abram’s name to

    “Abraham” and Sarai changed to Sarah, Genesis 17:1-15.

    At 100 years, God gave Abraham the promised son and by the names of Isaac,
    (Genesis). Isaac gave birth to two sons by the names Esau and Jacob from his

    wife Rebekah, (Genesis 25:25-26).

    When Isaac was so old, he lost his sight. When he wanted to bless his older son
    Esau, his wife Rebekah conspired with her beloved son Jacob and they tricked

    Isaac who blessed Jacob thinking that he was blessing Esau,( Genesis 27:1-29).

    This Jacob became the heir to his father Isaac in place of his elder brother
    Esau. Jacob fled from his brother to Haran and from there he married Leah and
    Rachael the daughters of Laban (Genesis 29:1-30). His wives and servants bore

    twelve sons to Jacob (Genesis 29:31-30:1-25. 35: 16).

    Genesis 35: 10-12 shows us how God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and the
    covenant made to Abraham was repeated to Israel. Thus, the descendants of
    Jacob are known as the descendants of Israel or Israelites, the chosen people

    of God

    It implied a covenant between God and the people of Israel whereby Israel
    was to be faithful to God and obey his commandments, and God in turn was to
    protect and bless his faithful people. Being chosen brought to Israel not more
    privileges but, rather, special obligations to carry out the will of God: “Obey my
    voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the

    way that I command you, that it may be well with you” (Jer. 7:23).

    1.2.1 Life of Israel in Egypt


    Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel, was sold to slave traders by his brothers.
    Yet with God’s help, Joseph rose to power in Egypt. His brothers were driven

    there by a famine which Joseph had foretold.

    Egypt was surviving the famine because of Joseph’s wisdom in storing food

    during the preceding good years.

    Joseph, having revealed his identity to his family, forgave his brothers, welcomed

    them to Egypt, and settled the family in the Egyptian territory of Goshen.

    When Jacob’s family settled in Egypt, they fared well under Joseph’s
    administration. Joseph’s power was immense in Egypt, so the Israelites

    prospered in that land under his protection, and made it their home.

    However, they would be reminded that their people’s eventual home was not to
    be Egypt but rather Canaan, the land God had sworn to give their descendants to

    possess it.

    The introduction to Exodus informs us that the sons of Israel were fruitful and
    increased greatly and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the

    land was filled with them

    After the death of Joseph, however, the descendants of Jacob were made slaves

    of the Egyptians as had been foretold (Genesis 15:13-16).

    This happened because “a new king arose over Egypt who did not know
    Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). This Pharaoh not only made Israelites slaves, but also
    took drastic steps to stem their increase. He decreed that all their male children

    be slaughtered at birth.

    In the midst of harsh treatment, the Israelites remained faithful to God’s
    command to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). That entailed bearing
    children, which in turn depended on the work of midwives. The midwives in
    this narrative possess a fear of God that led them to disobey the royal order to
    kill all of the male children born to the Hebrew women (Exodus 1:15-17). The
    “fear of the Lord” in the Bible refers to a healthy and obedient relationship with
    the covenant-making God of Israel (Hebrew, YHWH). Their “fear of God” was

    stronger than any fear that Pharaoh of Egypt could put them under. 

    1.2.2 Vocation of Moses and his Mission


    After forty years of shepherd life, Moses speaks with God. This happened at
    Mount Horeb, when Moses was tending the flock of his father in-law Jethro. A
    bush there flaming unburned attracts him, but a miraculous voice forbids his
    approach and declares the ground so holy that to approach he must remove his

    shoes. 

    Mission of Moses

    The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob designates Moses to deliver the Hebrews
    from the Egyptian yoke, and to conduct them into the “land of milk and honey”
    (Canaan) the region long since promised to the seed of Abraham, the Palestine
    of later years. Next, God reveals to him His name as “I am who I am”. He then
    performed two miracles to convince Moses, his staff changed into a snake and
    his hand got leprosy and was healed immediately. God also appointed Aaron as

    Moses’ mouthpiece(Exodus 4:16). 

    Moses then returned back the flock of his father in-law, Jethro, and took his wife
    and son. He carried in his hand the “rod of God”, a symbol of the fearlessness
    with which he is to act in performing signs and wonders in the presence of a

    hardened, threatening Pharaoh. 

    Aaron was sent by God to go and meet Moses at Mount Horeb Moses shared
    with him all what God had sent him to do.

    When Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to go for three
    days to offer sacrifices in the wilderness to their God, the angry Pharaoh not
    only refused, but he ridiculed their God. Moses divinely uses Aaron’s rod to
    cause the first plague, but Pharaoh hardened his heart. Moses causes a series

    of divine manifestations described as ten plagues in number in which he 

    humiliates the sun and river gods, afflicts man and beast, and displays such
    unwanted control over the earth and heavens that even the magicians are
    forced to recognize “the finger of God”. Pharaoh softens at times but never
    sufficiently to meet the demands of Moses without restrictions. He treasures
    too highly the Hebrew labour for his public works. A crisis arrives with the last
    plague. The Israelites, forewarned by Moses, celebrate the first Pasch with their
    loins girt, their shoes on their feet, and staffs in their hands, ready for rapid
    escape. Then God carried out his dreadful threat to pass through the land and
    kill every first-born of man and beast, thereby executing judgment on all the
    gods of Egypt. Pharaoh resisted no longer. He joins the stricken population in

    begging the Hebrews to depart.

    Prepare a detailed drama on the vocation and mission of Moses.
    1.3 Redemption of Israel from Egyptian captivity
    LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.3
    Using the religious students’ textbook, discuss about the departure of

    the Israelites from Egypt then share in the class.

    The Bible narrates departure of Israelites from Egypt in Exodus 12:31-42.
    The Israelites had followed the directions given them by God (Exodus 12:21-
    28); and while the angel of death was passing from house to house among the

    Egyptians, they were all ready for their journey.

    It came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of
    Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of
    the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh
    rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was
    a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
    And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, from among my
    people, both you and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have
    said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said.” 

    The people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading troughs
    being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders. And the children of Israel
    did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed from the Egyptians
    jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and the Lord gave the people
    favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as

    they required. 

    The children of Israel went out of Egypt with their possessions, which did not
    belong to Pharaoh, for they had never sold them to him. Jacob and his sons took
    their flocks and cattle with them into Egypt. The children of Israel had become

    exceedingly numerous, and their flocks and herds had greatly increased. 

    It came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, but God led the people,
    through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel
    went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph
    up with him: for he had strictly sworn the children of Israel, saying, “God will

    surely visit you; and you shall carry up my bones away hence with you.” 

    Liberation of Israel from Egypt was but the foreshadowing in history of the
    great act of deliverance by which history would be brought to an end. Israelites
    had an expectation of the Messiah who would be the Redeemer of Israel, and

    the great Day of the Lord would be the day of redemption.

    1.4 Prophecies on the coming of the Messiah
    LEARNING ACTIVITY 1.4
    Using different religious resources like Bibles, textbooks, internet,
    identify in groups the prophecies in the Old Testament , foretelling the

    coming of the Messiah.

    The Old Testament prophets recognized that the New Covenant would be
    fulfilled through the Messiah. The first prophecy concerning the coming of the
    Messiah was made the time when Adam and Eve sinned, God revealed that a
    child born of a woman would crush the head of evil one (Genesis 3:15). The
    prophetic development throughout the Old Testament increasingly anticipated
    that the promises of God to mankind would be fulfilled and completed in the
    Messiah. He is the one through whom God would create a new and better
    covenant with mankind (Isaiah 11:1-9). The following are some Old Testament

    prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah:

    • He would be from King David’s family (2 Samuel 7: 12-13);
    • He would be born of a Virgin (Isaiah 7:14);
    • He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5: 2);
    • He would be ‘God with us’ (Isaiah 7:14);
    • He would not be accepted by mankind ( Isaiah 53:3-9);
    • He would suffer and die with the wicked (Psalms 22:16-17);
    • He would be buried in a rich man’s grave ( Isaiah 53: 9);
    • He would rise from the dead (Psalms 16: 10);
    • He is the anointed one to bring Good News to the afflicted (Isaiah 61:

    1-3).

    Birth, Mission, death and resurrection of Jesus as the Messiah 


    Jesus was born around 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, was a virgin who
    was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter. Christians believe Jesus was born through
    Immaculate Conception. His lineage can be traced back to the house of David.
    According to the Gospel of Matthew 2:1, Jesus was born during the reign of
    Herod the Great, who upon hearing of his birth felt threatened and tried to kill
    him by ordering all of Bethlehem’s male children under age two to be killed.
    But Joseph was warned by an angel and took Mary and the child to Egypt until
    Herod’s death. After Herod’s death, Joseph and his family back and settled in

    the town of Nazareth, in Galilee.

    There is very little written about Jesus’ early life. The Gospel of Luke (2:41-
    52) recounts that at 12years-old, Jesus had accompanied his parents on a
    pilgrimage to Jerusalem and became separated. He was found several days later
    in a temple, discussing affairs with some of Jerusalem’s elders. Throughout the
    New Testament, there are trace references of Jesus working as a carpenter
    while a young adult. It is believed that he began his public ministry at age 30
    when he was baptized by John the Baptist, who upon seeing Jesus, declared him

    the Son of God.

    After baptism, Jesus went into the Judean desert to fast and meditate for 40
    days and nights. The Temptation of Christ is mentioned in the Gospels of
    Matthew, Mark and Luke (known as the Synoptic Gospels). The Devil appeared
    and tempted Jesus three times. All the three times, Jesus rejected the Devil’s

    temptation and sent him off.

    Jesus’ Ministry



    Jesus returned to Galilee and made trips to neighboring villages. During this
    time, several people became his disciples and twelve men were chosen as his

    his Apostles (Luke 6:12-16). 

    According to the Gospel of John (2:1-11), as Jesus was beginning his ministry,
    he and his disciples traveled with his mother, Mary, to a wedding at Cana in
    Galilee. The wedding host had run out of wine and Jesus’ mother came to him
    for help. At first, Jesus refused to intervene, but then he relented and asked a
    servant to bring him large jars filled with water. He turned the water into a wine
    of higher quality than any served during the wedding. John’s gospel depicts the

    event as the first sign of Jesus’ glory and his disciples’ belief in him.

    After the wedding, Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem
    for Passover. At the temple, they saw moneychangers and merchants trading.
    In a rare display of anger, Jesus overturned the tables and, with a whip made
    of cords, drove them out, declaring that his Father’s house is not a house for

    merchants.

    The Synoptic Gospels chronicle Jesus as he traveled through Judea and Galilee,
    using parables and miracles to explain how the prophecies were being fulfilled
    and that the kingdom of God was near. As word spread of Jesus’ teaching and

    healing the sick and diseased, more people began to follow him. 

    As Jesus continued preaching about the kingdom of God, the crowds grew
    larger and began to proclaim him as the son of David and as the Messiah. The
    Pharisees heard of this and publicly challenged Jesus, accusing him of having
    the power of Satan. He defended his actions with a parable, then questioned
    their logic and told them such thinking denied the power of God, which only

    further hardened their resolve to work against him.

    Near the city of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus talked with his disciples. According
    to the gospels of Matthew (16:13), Mark (8:27) and Luke (9:18), he asked,
    “Who do you say that I am?” The question confused them, and only Peter
    responded, saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus blessed
    Peter, accepting the titles of “Christ” and the “Son of God,” and declared the
    proclamation was a divine revelation from God. Jesus then proclaimed Peter
    to be the leader of the church. Jesus then warned his disciples of the Pharisees’
    conspiracy against him and of his fate to suffer and be killed, only to rise from

    the dead on the third day.

    Less than a week later, Jesus took three of his disciples to a high mountain
    where they could pray alone. According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ face
    began shining like the sun and his entire body glowed with a white light. Then,
    the prophets Elijah and Moses appeared, and Jesus talked to them. A bright
    cloud emerged around them, and a voice said, “This is my beloved Son, with

    whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 

    This event, known as the Transfiguration, is a pivotal moment in Christian

    theology. It supports the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God.

    Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, the week before the holiday of Passover, riding on
    a donkey. Great numbers of people took palm branches and greeted him at the
    city’s entry. They praised him as the Son of David and as the Son of God. The
    priests and Pharisees, fearful of the growing public excessive praises about

    Jesus, felt he must be stopped.

    All four Gospels describe Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus
    raised Lazarus from the dead, confronted moneychangers and merchants in the
    temple, and debated with the high priests who questioned Jesus’ authority. He
    told his disciples about the coming days and that Jerusalem’s temple would
    be destroyed. Meanwhile, the chief priests and elders met with high priest
    Caiaphas, and set plans in motion to arrest Jesus. One of the disciples, Judas,

    met with the chief priests and told them how he would deliver Jesus to them

    The Last Supper


    Jesus and his twelve disciples met for the Passover meal, and he gave them
    his final words of faith. He also foretold of his betrayal by one of the disciples
    and privately let Judas know it was he. Jesus told Peter that before a rooster
    crowed the next morning, he would have denied knowing Jesus three times.
    At the end of the meal, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, which in the Christian

    religion, signifies the covenant between God and his people.

    After the Last Supper, Jesus and his disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane
    to pray. 

    He implored a group of his disciples to pray with him, but they kept falling
    asleep. Then the time had come. Soldiers and officials appeared, and Judas was
    with them. He gave Jesus a kiss on the cheek to identify him and the soldiers
    arrested Jesus. After his arrest, many of the disciples went into hiding. Jesus
    was taken to the high priest and interrogated. He was hit and spat upon for not

    responding. Peter denied him three times.

    Summary of mission of Jesus

    Jesus is the firstborn of God the Father in the spirit and is the only child of
    God in the flesh. His mortal mother, Mary, carried Him before He was born and
    raised Him while He was on earth. His mission was decided before the world
    was created. Jesus’s miracles convinced many that He was a prophet, but He
    was much more than that. When He asked His disciples, “Whom say ye that
    I am?” Simon Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”

    (Matthew 16:15-16).

    He was a great teacher

    Jesus was the greatest teacher to ever live, and He still teaches us today. At age
    12, Jesus was found teaching doctors in the temple (see Luke 2:46). They were
    astonished at His knowledge. Jesus went on to teach great sermons throughout
    His life. Jesus taught that all people “might have life, and that they might have it

    more abundantly” (John 10:10). He taught using parables.

    Jesus as a Saviour

     Jesus lived a perfect life free from sin and provided a perfect example for us to

    live by. All religious things should be done in His holy name.

    Jesus did not need baptism to wash away any sins. But He did to show us that

    baptism is required by all “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). 

    Jesus is also the perfect example of love. In His life on earth He cared for the
    poor, He healed lepers (see Luke 17:12-19), and He never turned away little
    children (see Matthew 19:13-14). His love is endless and available to all who
    need it. Jesus taught that we must forgive. Even as He died on the cross, Jesus

    forgave the people who killed Him

    The Hebrew name for Jesus means “Savior.” Jesus fulfilled His role as Savior
    through His death and Resurrection.“God so loved the world, that he gave his

    only begotten Son” John 3:16

    The Crucifixion and death


    The next day, Jesus was taken to the high court where he was mocked, beaten
    and condemned for claiming to be the Son of God. He was brought before Pontius
    Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. The priests accused Jesus of claiming to
    be the king of the Jews and asked that he be condemned to death. At first Pilate
    tried to pass Jesus off to King Herod, but he was brought back, and Pilate told
    the Jewish priests he could find no fault with Jesus. The priests reminded him
    that anyone who claimed to be a king speaks against Caesar. Pilate publicly
    washed his hands of responsibility, yet ordered the crucifixion in response to
    the demands of the crowd. The Roman soldiers whipped and beat Jesus, placed

    a crown of thorns on his head and then led him off to Mount Calvary.

    The Gospels describe various events that occurred during the last three hours
    of his life, including the taunting by the soldiers and the crowd, Jesus’ agony

    and outbursts, and his final words. 

    While Jesus was on the cross, the sky darkened, and immediately upon his

    death, an earthquake erupted, tearing the temple’s curtain from top to bottom. 

    A soldier confirmed his death by sticking a spear into his side, which produced

    only water. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a nearby tomb.

    Resurrection of Jesus Christ


    Three days after his death, Jesus’ tomb was found empty. He had risen from the
    dead and appeared first to Mary Magdalene. She was sent by Jesus to inform
    the disciples, who were in hiding, and later, Jesus appeared to them and told
    them not to be afraid. After 40 days, Jesus led his disciples to Mount Olivet,
    east of Jerusalem. Jesus spoke his final words to them, saying that they would
    receive the power of the Holy Spirit, before he was taken upward on a cloud and

    ascended into heaven.


    1.5 END UNIT ASSESSMENT 1

    1. Define the terms; creation, redemption and the fall as used in
    God’s plan of salvation.
    2. Compare and contrast between the two creation accounts in
    Genesis.
    3. Identify the consequences of the original sin.
    4. Write a short summary about the vocation and mission of Moses.
    5. Analyse how the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah in
    the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament.
    6. What lessons can you draw from the life and teachings of Jesus

    Christ?


    UNIT 2: EXPANSION OF CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM ►