ARK - Assessment of Religious Knowledge The Creed and Core Beliefs Questions and Answers 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The doctrine of the Trinity, a cornerstone of Christian belief, is best described as the belief in:
- One God manifested in three different modes or roles at different times.
- Three separate gods—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—who work together.
- One God eternally existing as three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Correct answer)
- A divine hierarchy with the Father as the supreme God, followed by the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Correct answer: One God eternally existing as three distinct Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The core Christian doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God who exists in three co-eternal, co-equal, and distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is not three gods (polytheism) nor one person acting in three different roles (modalism), but one divine essence shared by three Persons.
Question 2: A member of a study group for the ARK exam explains that Jesus was a great prophet and teacher who was granted divinity by God after his resurrection. Which core creedal doctrine does this explanation contradict?
- The forgiveness of sins
- The hypostatic union (Correct answer)
- The resurrection of the body
- The communion of saints
Correct answer: The hypostatic union
The hypostatic union is the doctrine that Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures: fully divine and fully human. The idea that Jesus was a human who *became* divine contradicts this core belief, which asserts that the Son was eternally divine and took on a human nature without any change to his divine nature.
Question 3: According to the Nicene Creed, which of the following is identified as 'the Lord, the giver of life'?
- God the Father
- The Church
- Jesus Christ, the Son
- The Holy Spirit (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The Holy Spirit
The Nicene Creed explicitly states, 'We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified...' This identifies the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity who imparts life.
Question 4: The Nicene Creed describes the Church using four specific adjectives, often called the Four Marks of the Church. These are 'One, Holy, Catholic, and __________.'
- Universal
- Apostolic (Correct answer)
- Eternal
- Biblical
Correct answer: Apostolic
The Nicene Creed affirms belief 'in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.' 'Apostolic' signifies that the Church is founded on the teachings of the apostles and continues in their faith and ministry through apostolic succession.
Question 5: A candidate for ministry is explaining their beliefs. They state, 'I believe Jesus is the Son of God, but he was created by the Father before the world began, and is therefore not of the same eternal substance.' This view is a modern form of which ancient heresy that the Nicene Creed was specifically written to refute?
- Gnosticism
- Modalism
- Arianism (Correct answer)
- Pelagianism
Correct answer: Arianism
Arianism was a major theological dispute in the early church that held that the Son was a created being, subordinate to the Father, and not of the same substance ('homoousios'). The Nicene Creed was formulated in 325 AD primarily to counter this teaching by affirming that Jesus is 'begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father'.
Question 6: Which of the following creedal statements most directly addresses the core Christian belief in salvation and atonement?
- 'He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.'
- 'I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.'
- 'For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.' (Correct answer)
- 'We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.'
Correct answer: 'For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.'
The statement about the crucifixion directly addresses the means of atonement and salvation in Christian theology. His suffering and death are understood as the sacrifice for the sins of humanity, which is central to the Christian gospel message.
ARK - Assessment of Religious Knowledge The Creed and Core Beliefs Questions and Answers 1
The doctrine of the Trinity, a cornerstone of Christian belief, is best described as the belief in: