What Theology Says About God
What Theology Says About God
Items in this lesson
What Theology Says About God
Open by linking back to the unit: pupils have already explored different ideas of God through another lens, and this lesson now uses theology. Keep the title broad and inviting so it frames the lesson as an investigation into Christian beliefs about God.
Our learning goal
I can explain what many Christians believe God is like by using theology and Bible texts about Jesus.
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What words come to mind when you hear ‘God’ in Christianity?
Use this to surface prior ideas and vocabulary from earlier lessons. Invite pupils to notice which words describe beliefs about God and which name sources, people or feelings.
Building on what we know
In this unit, we have already explored:
key words about belief and God
questions people ask about God
different ideas people have about God
how another discipline can study belief
This lesson adds a new lens: theology.
Briefly recap prior learning and any key vocabulary already taught in the unit. If pupils raised questions earlier in the unit, revisit whether any can now be answered more clearly.
From psychology to theology
Last lesson used the lens of psychology to think about why people may have different ideas of God.
This lesson uses theology. Theology asks what people can learn about God from religious beliefs, sacred texts and traditions.
A theist is a person who believes in God.
Keep the contrast simple: psychology studies people and belief; theology studies ideas about God within a faith tradition. Reuse the term theist exactly.
What does a theologian do?
A theologian studies questions about God, belief and religious meaning.
For Christians, a theologian may explore:
what the Bible says
how Christians interpret it
what this suggests about God's nature
The lesson plan mentions Dr Simeon Zahl. If pupils know his name already, connect this slide to that prior learning. If not, introduce him briefly as an example of a theologian rather than adding lots of biography.
How theology looks at God
Many Christian theologians believe they can learn about God by studying the Bible.
They do not only ask, "What happened in this story?" They also ask, "What does this show about God?"
So theology is not just reading a text. It is interpreting what the text means.
Emphasise that theology involves interpretation, not simply finding one obvious answer. Keep it rooted in Christian belief rather than general literary analysis.
Why do Christians look at Jesus?
Most Christians believe that Jesus is God.
Because of this, stories about Jesus matter greatly to Christian theologians. If Jesus shows compassion, justice, forgiveness or power, many Christians believe these stories help reveal what God is like.
This is the key theological move in the lesson. Make clear that this is a Christian belief claim: because Jesus is understood as God, Jesus' character is used to understand God's character.
Why do Christian theologians study Bible stories about Jesus?
Jesus wrote the Bible
Jesus is a prophet only
Jesus is God
Jesus replaced God
Checks the key theological claim from slides 5–6: many Christians believe Jesus is God, so Jesus' actions and words help reveal what God is like.
Reading Bible texts carefully
When Christians read stories about Jesus, they may notice:
what Jesus says
how Jesus treats people
what seems important to him
how others respond to him
This slide prepares pupils for the text work in the lesson plan. You can connect it to the class activity of reading, acting, freeze-framing or hot-seating the stories.
What might an eyewitness report?
After seeing Jesus, an eyewitness might describe:
his actions
his attitude to other people
the kind of person he seems to be
the values he shows
These details help Christian theologians talk about the nature of God.
Link this directly to the lesson task: pupils imagine what an eyewitness would report home. The purpose is to move from story details to theological meaning.
Complete the theological explanation
Many Christian theologians study the Bible to learn about God. They do not only ask what happened in a story, but also how to interpret it. Because most Christians believe Jesus is God, stories about him help them think about what God is like.
All three blanks are load-bearing terms taught explicitly in this block.
From Jesus to ideas about God
Christian reading of Jesus stories:
Story about Jesus → what Jesus is like → what God is like
This is why Christians may use adjectives from Jesus' actions and words to describe God.
Use the causal chain because the interpretive process itself is the beat here. Keep repeating the same wording: what Jesus is like, what God is like.
Words Christians might use
Depending on the text, Christians might describe God as:
loving
forgiving
just
compassionate
powerful
patient
wise
The exact words depend on what Jesus shows in the Bible passage.
Avoid presenting this as the only possible list. The point is that adjectives should be rooted in the studied texts, not guessed at randomly.
What do several texts build up?
One Bible story gives one glimpse.
Several Bible stories build a fuller picture.
By studying more than one text, Christians look for patterns in what Jesus says, does and values.
Stress that theologians look across texts, not only at a single verse or episode. This supports the move towards an overall Christian view of God.
Which detail would help an eyewitness describe Jesus most clearly?
What Jesus says and does
How long the road was
What the weather was
Where the crowd stood
Anchored to slides 7–8: pupils should focus on Jesus' words, actions, treatment of people and values, not minor scene details.
How do Jesus stories help Christians describe God?
Expected elements: pupils should explain the chain 'story about Jesus → what Jesus is like → what God is like'. Strong answers may mention actions, words, values, and using adjectives rooted in the text.
Type one adjective Christians might use for God after reading Jesus stories.
Encourage text-rooted adjectives such as loving, forgiving, just, compassionate, powerful, patient or wise. Use repeated words to discuss patterns across texts.
A Christian picture of God
For many Christians, the Bible's stories of Jesus suggest that God is not distant or uncaring.
Instead, God is understood as deeply interested in people, concerned with how they live, and active in love, forgiveness, justice and care.
Keep this carefully phrased as 'for many Christians' and 'is understood as'. This avoids overclaiming while staying faithful to the theological focus.
Why this matters for Christians today
Beliefs about what God is like shape Christian life.
If Christians believe God is loving, just and forgiving, these beliefs can influence:
prayer
worship
trust in God
how they try to treat others
Keep this in RE terms: beliefs shape religious life and practice. Do not drift into psychology or ethics as separate disciplines.
What theology helps us learn
Theology helps pupils understand that many Christians do not describe God only by guessing or by personal opinion.
They use the Bible, especially stories about Jesus, to make claims about what God is like.
This is the landing point of the lesson arc. It answers the central question by showing what theology contributes: an interpreted, text-based account of God's nature in Christian belief.
What do several Bible stories build up for Christians?
A fuller picture
A new religion
A single rule
A hidden code
Based on slide 11: one story gives one glimpse; several stories build a fuller picture.
Complete the summary
For many Christians, stories of Jesus suggest that God is not distant or uncaring. Instead, God is understood as active in love, forgiveness, justice and care. So theology helps pupils see that Christians use the Bible to make claims about what God is like.
Echoes the wording of slides 12 and 14 so pupils consolidate the lesson's conclusion.
How might beliefs about God affect Christian life today?
Expected elements: beliefs about God being loving, just or forgiving may shape prayer, worship, trust in God, and how Christians try to treat others.
What is one thing you learned about theology today?
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What helped you understand this lesson best?
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Glossary
theology - the study of ideas about God, belief and religious meaning
theologian - a person who studies and interprets religious beliefs and texts
theist - a person who believes in God
Bible - the sacred book of Christianity
Jesus - the central figure of Christianity, believed by most Christians to be God
interpret - to explain the meaning of something
Christian - a person who follows Christianity
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