WAEC SSCE - Christian Religious Studies - 2004 (Essay)

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(a) Jesus' Sermon on the Mount under the given headings (Matthew 5:21-48).

(i) Adultery and divorce.

1. Jesus said that the ancients were told, "You shall not commit adultery." But He deepened the command, teaching that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
2. He stressed the seriousness of sin: if the right eye causes one to sin, it is better to pluck it out and throw it away; and if the right hand causes one to sin, it is better to cut it off, for it is better to lose one member than for the whole body to be thrown into hell. This was a call to radical self-discipline.
3. On divorce, He said it was formerly commanded that whoever divorces his wife should give her a certificate of divorce. But Jesus taught that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity (marital unfaithfulness), makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. He thus upheld the sanctity and permanence of marriage.

(ii) Neighbours and enemies.

1. Jesus recalled the saying, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy."
2. But He taught, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
3. He gave the reason: that they may be sons of their Father in heaven, who makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
4. He argued that if they loved only those who loved them, they had no reward, for even the tax collectors do the same; and if they greeted only their brothers, they did no more than the Gentiles.
5. He concluded, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect," calling for a love that goes beyond natural affection to embrace even one's enemies.

(b) Two lessons that can be derived from Jesus' teaching on adultery and divorce.

1. Sin begins in the heart and mind, so Christians must guard their thoughts and desires, not merely their outward actions.
2. Marriage is sacred and permanent, and should not be broken carelessly; faithfulness between husband and wife must be maintained.
3. Christians must exercise strict self-control and be willing to give up whatever leads them into sin.

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How James proved that 'faith apart from works is dead' (James 2:14-26).

1. James began by posing the question: what does it profit if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can that faith save him? The rhetorical question implies that such faith is worthless.
2. He gave a practical illustration. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and lacks daily food, and one of them says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, it profits nothing. Empty words without action do not help.
3. From this he drew the conclusion: so faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
4. He then answered an imagined objector who says, "You have faith and I have works." James challenged, "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith." Faith is invisible unless it is expressed in deeds.
5. He pointed out that even the demons believe that God is one, and they shudder. Mere intellectual belief, which even demons possess, cannot save; it must be accompanied by obedience and action.
6. He gave the example of Abraham, the father of the faithful, who was justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar. His faith was active along with his works, and his faith was completed (perfected) by his works. Thus the Scripture, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," was fulfilled, and he was called the friend of God.
7. He concluded from this example that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
8. He gave a second example: Rahab the harlot was also justified by works when she received the messengers (spies) and sent them out by another way, protecting them at great risk.
9. Finally, he sealed the argument with a comparison: as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. Just as a lifeless body has no breath, so a faith that produces no good deeds has no life in it.

By these illustrations, examples and the closing analogy, James established that genuine, saving faith must always be accompanied by, and demonstrated through, good works.

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(a) An account of the capture of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-27).

1. Jericho was tightly shut up because of the children of Israel; no one went out and no one came in.
2. The Lord said to Joshua that He had given Jericho, its king and its mighty men of valour into his hand.
3. God gave detailed instructions: the armed men were to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark.
4. On the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
5. When they made a long blast with the ram's horn and the people heard the sound of the trumpet, all the people were to shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city would fall down flat, so that the people could go up, every man straight before him.
6. Joshua carried out the instructions. The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant followed; the rearguard came after the ark, while the trumpets sounded continually.
7. Joshua commanded the people not to shout or let their voices be heard until the day he told them to shout.
8. For six days they marched around the city once each day and returned to the camp.
9. On the seventh day they rose early at the dawn of day and marched around the city seven times in the same manner.
10. The seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout, for the Lord had given them the city. He declared that the city and all in it should be devoted to destruction, but Rahab the harlot and all with her in her house should live because she had hidden the messengers; and the people were warned to keep away from the devoted things.
11. So the people shouted when the trumpets sounded, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
12. They utterly destroyed all in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox, sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword. They burned the city with fire, but the silver, gold, bronze and iron were put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. Rahab and her household were spared, and Joshua's fame spread throughout the land.

(b) Three lessons that can be drawn from the incident.

1. Obedience to God brings victory: Israel triumphed by following God's instructions exactly.
2. Faith in God overcomes impossible obstacles: the walls fell not by human might but by God's power.
3. God rewards those who help His people: Rahab and her family were spared for hiding the spies.
4. Patience and discipline are essential: the people had to march quietly for seven days before the victory came.

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(a) James' message on effective prayer (James 5:13-18; 1:5-8; 4:2-3).

1. James taught that prayer is fitting for every condition: whoever is suffering should pray, and whoever is cheerful should sing praise to God.
2. Concerning the sick, he said the person should call the elders of the church, who would pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
3. He gave the assurance that the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
4. He urged believers to confess their sins to one another and pray for one another, so that they may be healed.
5. He affirmed that the prayer of a righteous person has great power in its effects; it is powerful and effective.
6. He cited Elijah, a man with a nature like ours, who prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain for three years and six months; then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its fruit. This showed that fervent, believing prayer produces results.
7. He taught that whoever lacks wisdom should ask God, who gives generously without reproach, and it will be given him.
8. But he insisted that one must ask in faith, with no doubting, for the doubter is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind, and such a double-minded person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
9. He warned that people do not have because they do not ask, and when they ask amiss, to spend it on their own pleasures, they do not receive.

(b) Three factors that can hinder prayer.

1. Doubt and lack of faith: the double-minded person who wavers does not receive from God.
2. Wrong or selfish motives: asking to gratify one's own passions and pleasures.
3. Unconfessed sin and unrighteous living: sin separates a person from God and hinders answers.
4. Unforgiveness and broken relationships with others.
5. Pride and self-reliance instead of humble dependence on God.

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(a) How Jesus described himself as the 'Door' and the 'Good Shepherd' (John 10:1-18).

As the Door.

1. Jesus said that he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way is a thief and a robber, but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
2. He plainly declared, "I am the door of the sheep."
3. He said that all who came before Him were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not heed them.
4. He stated, "I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
5. He contrasted Himself with the thief, who comes only to steal, kill and destroy, saying that He came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

As the Good Shepherd.

1. Jesus declared, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
2. He contrasted the good shepherd with the hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep; when he sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches and scatters them, because he cares nothing for the sheep.
3. He said, "I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father."
4. He said He had other sheep that were not of this fold; He must bring them also, and they would listen to His voice, so that there would be one flock, one shepherd.
5. He explained that the Father loved Him because He laid down His life that He might take it again. No one took it from Him, but He laid it down of His own accord; He had power to lay it down and power to take it again, a charge He received from His Father.

(b) Two ways this teaching is relevant to Christians.

1. It assures Christians that Jesus is the only way to salvation and eternal life; whoever enters through Him is saved and cared for.
2. It teaches that Jesus loves and protects His followers even to the point of laying down His life, so Christians can trust Him fully and follow His voice.
3. It calls Christian leaders to be like the good shepherd, caring sacrificially for those under them rather than serving selfishly like the hired hand.

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(a) Paul's teaching on the dignity of labour, in Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13).

1. Paul urged the Thessalonians to aspire to live quietly, to mind their own affairs, and to work with their own hands, as he had charged them.
2. He said this was so that they might command the respect of outsiders and be dependent on nobody.
3. He commanded them, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who was living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition they had received from him.
4. He reminded them that they knew how they ought to imitate him and his companions, for they were not idle when they were with them.
5. He pointed out that he and his fellow workers did not eat anyone's bread without paying, but with toil and labour they worked night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of them.
6. He explained that this was not because he had no right to support, but to give them an example to imitate.
7. He recalled the rule he had given while with them: if anyone will not work, let him not eat.
8. He rebuked those who were living in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies (meddling in the affairs of others).
9. He commanded and exhorted such persons, in the Lord Jesus Christ, to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
10. He encouraged the rest, saying that they should not grow weary in doing what is right.

(b) Three ways the church upholds the teaching today.

1. By teaching and preaching against idleness and encouraging members to engage in honest, productive work.
2. By establishing vocational and skills-acquisition centres to train members and youths in trades and crafts.
3. By setting up schools, farms, hospitals, printing presses and other enterprises that provide employment and useful service.
4. By showing charity to the genuinely needy while discouraging laziness and begging.

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(a) The circumstances that led to the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

1. In the early church, the believers were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. Those who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds to the apostles, who distributed to each as any had need. Joseph, called Barnabas, was one such example, selling a field and laying the money at the apostles' feet.
2. But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property.
3. With his wife's knowledge, Ananias kept back for himself part of the proceeds and brought only a part, laying it at the apostles' feet as though it were the whole amount.
4. Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?"
5. Peter pointed out that while it remained unsold, it was his own, and after it was sold, it was still at his disposal; he was under no compulsion to give all. Ananias had not lied to men but to God.
6. When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died, and great fear came upon all who heard of it.
7. The young men rose, wrapped him up, carried him out and buried him.
8. About three hours later his wife Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened.
9. Peter asked her whether they had sold the land for so much, and she said, "Yes, for so much."
10. Peter said, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out."
11. Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in, found her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

(b) Two lessons that could be drawn from this incident.

1. God hates hypocrisy and deceit: lying to God and pretending to be more generous or holy than one really is invites judgment.
2. God sees the heart and cannot be deceived: the couple lied to men but were in fact lying to the Holy Spirit.
3. Sin has serious consequences; the fear that came upon the church shows that God's holiness must be reverenced.
4. Giving to God should be sincere and voluntary, not for show or self-glory.

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(a) Paul's advice on the right attitude to civil authority (Romans 13:1-7).

1. Paul taught that every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3. He explained that rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to bad. Whoever wishes to have no fear of the authority should do what is good, and he will receive its approval.
4. He described the ruler as God's servant for the citizen's good. But if one does wrong, he should be afraid, for the ruler does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
5. Paul therefore urged that one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath (punishment) but also for the sake of conscience.
6. For the same reason, he said, they should pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.
7. He concluded that they should pay all what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, and honour to whom honour is due.

(b) Three ways in which a Christian can demonstrate the qualities of a good citizen.

1. By obeying the laws of the land and constituted authority.
2. By paying taxes, rates and other lawful dues promptly and honestly.
3. By respecting and honouring leaders and public officials.
4. By living peacefully, doing good and avoiding crime and violence.
5. By praying for the leaders and contributing to the development and welfare of the community.

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(a) The Lukan account of the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:1-20).

1. In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled (registered). This was the first enrolment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
2. All went to be enrolled, each to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.
3. He went to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
4. While they were there, the time came for her to be delivered, and she gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
5. In the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
6. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
7. The angel said, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."
8. The angel gave them a sign: they would find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.
9. Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."
10. When the angels went away, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened." They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.
11. When they had seen it, they made known the saying concerning the child, and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
12. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

(b) Two lessons that can be learnt from the circumstances of Jesus' birth.

1. God exalts the humble: the Saviour was born in a lowly manger and revealed first to poor shepherds, showing that God does not despise the lowly.
2. Jesus is the Saviour of all people: the good news of great joy was for all people, not for one class or nation.
3. Obedience and faith bring blessing: Joseph and Mary obeyed the decree and God's will, and the shepherds responded promptly to the message.

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(a) The circumstances that led to the rejection of Saul as king over Israel (1 Samuel 15).

1. Samuel came to Saul with a command from the Lord: because of what Amalek did to Israel when they came up out of Egypt, Saul was to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites and all that they had, sparing nothing, killing man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
2. Saul gathered the people and defeated the Amalekites. He also warned the Kenites to depart from among them so that they would not be destroyed with the Amalekites.
3. However, Saul and the people spared Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and they spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs and all that was good; only what was despised and worthless did they utterly destroy.
4. The word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying that He repented of having made Saul king, because Saul had turned back from following Him and had not performed His commands. Samuel was grieved and cried to the Lord all night.
5. When Samuel met Saul, Saul claimed he had performed the commandment of the Lord. But Samuel asked, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
6. Saul blamed the people, saying they had spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord, but that they had utterly destroyed the rest.
7. Samuel rebuked him, declaring that to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams, for rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
8. Because Saul had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected him from being king.
9. Saul confessed that he had sinned because he feared the people and obeyed their voice, and he begged Samuel to pardon him and return with him.
10. Samuel refused, repeating that the Lord had rejected him. As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the hem of his robe and it tore; Samuel said the Lord had torn the kingdom of Israel from Saul and given it to a neighbour better than he. Samuel then called for Agag and hewed him in pieces before the Lord, and he did not see Saul again until his death.

(b) Three lessons that can be learnt from this rejection.

1. Obedience to God is better than sacrifice: God values complete obedience over religious offerings.
2. Partial obedience is disobedience: Saul's incomplete execution of the command amounted to rebellion.
3. Leaders should not yield to popular pressure to disobey God: Saul's fear of the people led to his downfall.
4. Disobedience carries serious consequences: Saul lost the kingdom because he despised God's word.
5. Making excuses and shifting blame does not remove guilt.

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(a) How Ezekiel was commissioned as a prophet (Ezekiel 1-3).

1. While Ezekiel was among the exiles by the river Chebar in the land of the Chaldeans, the heavens were opened and he saw visions of God.
2. He saw a stormy wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with brightness around it and fire flashing forth, and out of its midst the likeness of four living creatures, each having four faces and four wings, with the faces of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle.
3. Beside the living creatures he saw wheels within wheels, whose rims were full of eyes, and the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.
4. Above the creatures was the likeness of a firmament, and above it the likeness of a throne, and on it a likeness with the appearance of a man, surrounded by brightness like a rainbow. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When Ezekiel saw it, he fell on his face.
5. Then he heard a voice speaking. God addressed him as "Son of man" and told him to stand on his feet, and the Spirit entered him and set him on his feet.
6. God sent him to the people of Israel, a rebellious nation that had rebelled against Him, an impudent and stubborn people, and told him to say to them, "Thus says the Lord God," whether they heard or refused to hear.
7. God told him not to be afraid of them or of their words, though briers, thorns and scorpions were around him, and not to be dismayed at their looks.
8. He was given a scroll written on the front and the back with words of lamentation, mourning and woe, and was commanded to eat it. When he ate it, it was in his mouth as sweet as honey.
9. God then sent him to the house of Israel to speak His words, and warned him that he had been made a watchman for the house of Israel: if he failed to warn the wicked, their blood would be required at his hand, but if he warned them, he would deliver his own soul.
10. The Spirit lifted him up and took him to the exiles at Tel-abib, where he sat overwhelmed among them for seven days.

(b) Two lessons that can be derived from his experiences.

1. A servant of God must be courageous and faithful in delivering God's message even to a hostile and rebellious audience.
2. God equips those He calls: the Spirit strengthened Ezekiel and God gave him the words to speak.
3. Ministers of God bear responsibility as watchmen to warn people of danger, and are accountable for faithfully passing on God's message.

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(a) How Josiah reacted to the contents of the Book of the Law found in the house of the Lord by Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:8-20; 23:1-3).

1. When Hilkiah the high priest found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord and gave it to Shaphan the secretary, Shaphan read it before King Josiah.
2. When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes as a sign of grief and repentance.
3. He commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah to go and inquire of the Lord for him, for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of the book, because he perceived that God's wrath was kindled against them, since their fathers had not obeyed the words of the book.
4. These men went to Huldah the prophetess, who dwelt in Jerusalem, and inquired of her.
5. Huldah delivered God's message: that God would indeed bring disaster upon that place and its inhabitants, according to all the curses of the book, because they had forsaken Him and burned incense to other gods.
6. But because Josiah's heart was tender and he had humbled himself before the Lord and wept, God would gather him to his fathers in peace, and his eyes would not see all the disaster God would bring on the place.
7. The king then gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem, went up to the house of the Lord with all the people, small and great, and read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant.
8. The king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and keep His commandments, testimonies and statutes with all his heart and soul, and to perform the words of the covenant; and all the people joined in the covenant.

(b) Four of Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 23).

1. He removed from the temple all the vessels made for Baal, Asherah and the host of heaven, and burned them outside Jerusalem, carrying their ashes to Bethel.
2. He deposed the idolatrous priests and put away those who burned incense to Baal, the sun, moon and constellations.
3. He broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense.
4. He defiled Topheth in the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom so that no one might burn his son or daughter as an offering to Molech.
5. He removed the horses and chariots dedicated to the sun, and destroyed the altars made by Ahaz and Manasseh.
6. He defiled and pulled down the altar and high place at Bethel that Jeroboam had made, and burned the bones of the idolatrous priests on it, fulfilling the word of God.
7. He put away the mediums, the wizards, the household gods and idols, and commanded the people to keep the Passover to the Lord as written in the Book of the Covenant, a Passover such as had not been kept since the days of the judges.