WAEC SSCE - Christian Religious Studies - 2000 (Essay)

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(a) The Synoptic account of the Resurrection of Jesus and the role of the women (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24)

Very early on the first day of the week, when the Sabbath was past, certain women came to the tomb bringing spices which they had prepared, in order to anoint the body of Jesus. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome (in Mark) and Joanna and others (in Luke).

• Concern about the stone: On the way they wondered among themselves who would roll away the great stone from the door of the tomb, for it was very heavy.
• The stone rolled away and the empty tomb: When they arrived they found the stone already rolled back and the tomb open. On entering, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
• The angelic message: They saw an angel (Matthew describes an angel whose appearance was like lightning who had rolled back the stone; Mark, a young man in a white robe; Luke, two men in dazzling apparel). The angel said, "Do not be afraid; you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples and Peter that he has risen and is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him."
• The women as first witnesses and messengers: The women, with fear and great joy (and in Mark, trembling and astonishment), departed quickly from the tomb to bring word to the disciples. They became the first to hear the good news of the resurrection and the first to be commissioned to announce it.
• The appearance of the risen Lord to the women: In Matthew, Jesus himself met them on the way, greeting them; they came, took hold of his feet and worshipped him, and he told them not to be afraid but to go and tell his brethren to go to Galilee, where they would see him.

The role played by the women was therefore central: they were faithful in coming to honour the body, they were the first to discover the empty tomb, the first to receive the angelic announcement of the resurrection, and the first to be sent to proclaim it to the apostles.

(b) Two ways the Resurrection is significant to the Christian faith

• It confirms that Jesus is the Son of God and Saviour: The resurrection vindicated all his claims and teachings, proving his victory over sin and death; without it, as Paul says, Christian preaching and faith would be in vain.
• It gives believers the hope of eternal life and their own resurrection: Because Christ rose, those who believe in him are assured of forgiveness, new life, and resurrection to eternal life; it is the foundation of Christian hope and the guarantee of triumph over death.

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(a) The return of the Exiles from Babylon during the reign of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-11)

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus. He made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing.

• The decree of Cyrus: Cyrus declared that the Lord, the God of heaven, had given him all the kingdoms of the earth and had charged him to build a house for God at Jerusalem in Judah. He therefore permitted any of God's people to go up to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, and asked God to be with them.
• Support for those who returned: Cyrus commanded that those who remained behind should help the returning exiles with silver, gold, goods, beasts and freewill offerings for the house of God.
• Those who responded: The heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, the priests and Levites, and every one whose spirit God had stirred, rose up to go and rebuild the house of the Lord. Their neighbours strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, gold, goods and beasts, besides freewill offerings.
• Restoration of the temple vessels: Cyrus also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. These he counted out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer to Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah. The vessels of gold and silver numbered five thousand four hundred in all, and Sheshbazzar brought them up with the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem.

(b) Two reasons for the positive response from the people

• God stirred their hearts: The response came because the Lord moved the spirit of those who went up; it was a work of God's grace answering the longing of the faithful to return home and restore true worship.
• Their desire to rebuild the temple and worship God in Jerusalem: After years in exile, the people were eager to return to their homeland, re-establish the house of the Lord and worship in the holy city as God had commanded, fulfilling the prophetic promise of restoration.

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(a) Main features of the Lukan account of the birth, circumcision and presentation of Jesus (Luke 2:1-40)

The birth:

• A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled, so Joseph went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem, the city of David, with Mary his betrothed, who was with child.
• While they were there, the time came for Mary to be delivered, and she gave birth to her first-born son, wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
• Shepherds were keeping watch over their flock by night, and an angel of the Lord appeared, announcing good news of great joy: a Saviour, Christ the Lord, had been born in the city of David. A multitude of the heavenly host praised God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."
• The shepherds went with haste, found Mary, Joseph and the babe lying in the manger, and made known the saying; all who heard it wondered, but Mary kept these things and pondered them in her heart.

The circumcision:

• At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

The presentation in the temple:

• When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
• Simeon, a righteous and devout man to whom it had been revealed that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ, took the child in his arms, blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace... for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." He blessed them and told Mary that the child was set for the fall and rising of many in Israel and that a sword would pierce her own soul.
• Anna, an aged prophetess who worshipped with fasting and prayer night and day, also came and gave thanks to God and spoke of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
• When they had performed everything according to the law, they returned to Nazareth, and the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favour of God was upon him.

(b) Two reasons for the rituals of circumcision and temple presentation

• To fulfil the requirements of the Law of Moses: Circumcision on the eighth day and the presentation and purification offering were commands of the Jewish law, showing that Jesus was born under the law and that his parents were devout, law-keeping Jews.
• To mark the child's dedication and covenant relationship with God: Circumcision was the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham's descendants, admitting the child into the covenant people, while the presentation dedicated the first-born son to God as belonging specially to Him.

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(a) The circumstances that brought Amos face to face with Amaziah, the priest of Bethel (Amos 7:10-17)

Amos, a herdsman and dresser of sycamore trees from Tekoa in Judah, had been sent by God to prophesy against the northern kingdom of Israel. He proclaimed God's judgment boldly, declaring in a series of visions that God would rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword and that Israel would go into exile away from their land.

Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, was disturbed by these words. He sent a report to Jeroboam, king of Israel, accusing Amos of conspiring against the king in the midst of the house of Israel, and claiming that the land could not bear all his words, for Amos had said that Jeroboam would die by the sword and Israel would go into exile.

Amaziah then confronted Amos directly and ordered him to leave. He said, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary and it is a temple of the kingdom." He accused Amos of prophesying merely to earn a living and wanted him silenced.

Amos replied that he was no professional prophet, nor a prophet's son, but a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees, and that the Lord had taken him from following the flock and commanded him, "Go, prophesy to my people Israel." He therefore refused to be silenced. He then pronounced God's judgment upon Amaziah himself: his wife would become a harlot in the city, his sons and daughters would fall by the sword, his land would be divided by measuring line, he himself would die in an unclean (foreign) land, and Israel would surely go into exile away from its land.

(b) Two reasons why those who oppose God should be condemned

• They obstruct the will and message of God: Like Amaziah, they try to silence the truth and hinder God's messengers from delivering His word, thereby fighting against God Himself.
• They mislead the people and defend injustice: By opposing God's word, they encourage the people to continue in sin and wrongdoing, protect corrupt authority, and lead others to destruction; therefore they deserve God's judgment.

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(a) The concept of New Life in Christ as taught by Paul (Romans 6; Colossians 3; Ephesians 4; Galatians 2:20)

Paul taught that when a person believes in Christ and is baptized, he enters into a completely new kind of life, a spiritual and moral transformation brought about by union with Christ. The main features of this teaching are:

• Death to sin and the old self: In baptism the believer is united with Christ in his death; the old self is crucified with Christ so that the sinful body might be destroyed and he is no longer enslaved to sin. "We were buried with him by baptism into death."
• Resurrection to a new life: Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so the believer is raised to walk in newness of life. He is to consider himself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
• A new creation: The believer becomes a new creation; the old has passed away and the new has come. It is no longer he who lives, but Christ who lives in him (Galatians 2:20).
• Putting off the old nature and putting on the new: The Christian must put away the works of the flesh, such as immorality, impurity, anger, malice, lying and covetousness, and put on the new nature, being renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator.
• Bearing the fruit of the Spirit: The new life is lived under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
• Yielding to God as an instrument of righteousness: The believer no longer yields his members to sin but presents himself to God, so that the end is sanctification and eternal life; for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.

(b) Four steps a new member must take before initiation into the New Life

• Hearing and believing the Gospel: He must hear the word of God and put his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
• Repentance from sin: He must turn away from his former sinful life and be genuinely sorry for his sins.
• Confession of faith: He must openly confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
• Baptism: He must be baptized, symbolising death to the old life and rising to the new life in Christ.

(A further step is receiving the Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides the new life.)

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(a) The Second Creation story (Genesis 2:4-25)

The second account of creation focuses on the making of man and his surroundings. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, there was as yet no plant of the field, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up and watered the whole face of the ground.

• The formation of man: The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
• The Garden of Eden: The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and put the man there. He made every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food grow out of the ground, and in the midst of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden and divided into four heads: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates.
• Man's task and the command: The Lord God put the man in the garden to till it and keep it, and commanded him to eat freely of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day he ate of it he would surely die.
• Naming of the animals: The Lord God formed every beast of the field and bird of the air and brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. But among them no fit helper was found for him.
• The creation of woman: The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, took one of his ribs and made it into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

(b) Two ways the functions assigned to man were significant

• They gave man dominion and responsible stewardship over creation: By tilling and keeping the garden and naming the animals, man was made God's steward, entrusted with the care and management of the created order, showing his superiority over other creatures and his duty to work.
• They established the dignity of labour and the moral responsibility of man: Work was given as a good and honourable duty even before the fall, and the single command about the forbidden tree made man a moral being, free to obey or disobey, and therefore accountable to God.

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(a) Main features of Peter's counsel to wives and husbands (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Counsel to wives:

• Submission to their own husbands: Wives are to be submissive to their own husbands, so that even those husbands who do not obey the word may be won over without a word by the reverent and chaste conduct of their wives.
• True inward beauty rather than outward adornment: Their adorning should not be merely outward, with braided hair, gold ornaments and fine clothing, but the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight.
• The example of the holy women of old: The holy women who hoped in God adorned themselves in this way and were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. Believing wives are her daughters if they do right and do not fear.

Counsel to husbands:

• Live considerately with their wives: Husbands are to live with their wives according to knowledge, treating them with understanding.
• Honour the wife as the weaker vessel: They are to bestow honour on the woman as the weaker vessel and as a joint heir of the grace of life.
• So that prayers are not hindered: They must do this in order that their prayers may not be hindered, showing that right relationship in marriage affects one's fellowship with God.

(b) Three consequences of instability in the family

• Broken homes and divorce, leading to separation of husband and wife.
• Poor upbringing of children, who may become delinquent, wayward or involved in crime and immorality.
• Emotional and spiritual harm, such as bitterness, insecurity and a hindered relationship with God, and the breakdown of love and trust.

(Other acceptable consequences: poverty and neglect; loss of respect and good reputation in society; and the spread of social vices.)

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(a) Paul's exposition of justification by faith in Romans (Romans 3-5)

In his letter to the Romans, Paul set out to show how a sinner can be put right with God. His teaching on justification by faith may be explained as follows:

• All have sinned: Paul first showed that both Jews and Gentiles are under the power of sin, for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." No one is righteous, not even one.
• The law cannot justify: Through the law comes the knowledge of sin, but no human being is justified in God's sight by works of the law. The law reveals sin but has no power to save.
• Justification is by God's grace through faith: A person is justified (declared righteous, put right with God) not by his own works but freely by God's grace, as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. God put Christ forward as an expiation (a sacrifice of atonement) by his blood, to be received by faith.
• The example of Abraham: Paul argued that Abraham was justified not by works but by faith; "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." This happened before circumcision and before the law, so Abraham is the father of all who believe, both Jew and Gentile.
• Faith, not works, so that boasting is excluded: Since justification is by faith and not by works, no one can boast; it is entirely of grace, that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all who share Abraham's faith.
• The blessings that follow: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, access into grace, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

(b) Four fruits derived from justification by faith

• Peace with God: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
• Access to God's grace: Through Christ we have obtained access into the grace in which we stand.
• Hope of sharing the glory of God: The believer rejoices in the hope of eternal glory.
• Reconciliation with God and freedom from condemnation: The sinner is reconciled to God, forgiven, and no longer under the guilt and penalty of sin.

(Other acceptable fruits: joy even in suffering, which produces endurance, character and hope; and the love of God poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.)

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(a) Actions of King Solomon commended as marks of his wisdom

• His humble prayer for an understanding heart: When God appeared to him at Gibeon and offered him whatever he wished, Solomon did not ask for long life, riches or the death of his enemies, but for an understanding mind to govern the people and to discern between good and evil. This request pleased God, who granted him a wise and discerning heart, and also riches and honour (1 Kings 3:5-14).
• The judgment between the two harlots: Two women came before him disputing over a living child. Solomon ordered the child to be divided in two with a sword, knowing that the true mother would rather give up the child than see it killed. When one woman pleaded that the child be spared and given to the other, he identified her as the real mother. All Israel heard of the judgment and stood in awe, seeing that the wisdom of God was in him to render justice (1 Kings 3:16-28).
• His administration and organisation of the kingdom: Solomon organised the kingdom into administrative districts with officers, and maintained order, prosperity and peace, so that Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, every man under his vine and fig tree.
• The building of the temple and his own palace: He fulfilled the sacred task of building a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem and dedicated it with a great prayer, as well as his royal palace.
• His proverbs, songs and wide knowledge: Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke of trees, beasts, birds, reptiles and fish, so that people came from all nations to hear his wisdom.
• The visit of the Queen of Sheba: The Queen of Sheba came to test him with hard questions; he answered them all, and she confessed that his wisdom and prosperity exceeded the report she had heard.

(b) Two unwise decisions taken by King Solomon

• He married many foreign wives: Solomon loved many foreign women, including Egyptians, Moabites, Ammonites and others whom the Lord had forbidden Israel to intermarry with. They turned his heart away from the Lord.
• He turned to idolatry: In his old age his wives led him to worship other gods such as Ashtoreth, Milcom and Chemosh, and he built high places for them, so that his heart was not wholly true to the Lord. As a result God announced that the kingdom would be torn from his house.

(Another acceptable point: his heavy taxation and forced labour, which oppressed the people and later provoked the division of the kingdom.)

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(a) Highlights of Paul's letter to Philemon

The letter to Philemon is a short, personal letter written by Paul while he was a prisoner (for the sake of Christ). It concerns Onesimus, a runaway slave. Its highlights are as follows:

• Greeting and thanksgiving: Paul, together with Timothy, greets Philemon, whom he calls a beloved fellow worker, along with Apphia, Archippus and the church that met in his house. Paul thanks God for Philemon's love and faith towards the Lord Jesus and all the saints, and for the way he has refreshed the hearts of the saints.
• The appeal for Onesimus: Onesimus was Philemon's slave who had run away and, in some accounts, wronged his master. He met Paul in prison, was converted and became like a son to Paul, whom Paul calls his own heart. Onesimus, whose name means "useful," had once been useless to Philemon but was now truly useful to both.
• Paul appeals rather than commands: Though bold enough in Christ to command Philemon to do what is required, Paul prefers to appeal for love's sake, sending Onesimus back and asking Philemon to receive him.
• Receive him as a brother: Paul asks that Onesimus be welcomed no longer merely as a slave but as a beloved brother, both in the flesh and in the Lord; indeed, to receive him as Paul himself.
• Paul offers to pay any debt: If Onesimus has wronged Philemon or owes him anything, Paul says, "Charge it to my account; I will repay it," while reminding Philemon that he owes Paul his very self.
• Confidence and a personal request: Paul expresses confidence that Philemon will do even more than he asks, and requests that a guest room be prepared, hoping to visit soon. He closes with greetings from his fellow workers and a benediction of grace.

The letter is a beautiful example of Christian love, forgiveness and reconciliation, and shows how the Gospel transforms the relationship between master and slave into that of brothers.

(b) The term 'Forgiveness'

Forgiveness is the act of pardoning an offender, letting go of resentment and the desire for revenge, and restoring a broken relationship. It means ceasing to hold a person's wrongdoing against him and treating him with renewed love and acceptance, as God in Christ forgives the sins of those who repent. In the letter to Philemon, Paul appeals to Philemon to forgive Onesimus his offence and receive him back as a brother, mirroring the way God forgives sinners freely and calls Christians to forgive one another.

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(a) The Mission of the Twelve according to the Synoptics (Matthew 10; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6)

Jesus called the twelve disciples together and sent them out two by two to preach and to heal. He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and authority over unclean spirits.

The instructions he gave them included the following:

• Their message: They were to preach the good news, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," and to call people to repentance.
• Their works: They were to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons. Freely they had received, freely they were to give.
• Their scope (in Matthew): They were not to go among the Gentiles or into any Samaritan town, but to go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
• Travelling light: They were to take nothing for the journey except a staff, no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, no extra tunic; they were to wear sandals and depend on the hospitality of those who received them, for the labourer deserves his food.
• Hospitality and rejection: Wherever they entered a house, they were to stay there until they left the place, and let their peace rest on a worthy house. If any place would not receive them or listen to their words, they were to shake off the dust from their feet as a testimony against it.
• Warnings of persecution: Jesus warned that he was sending them out as sheep among wolves; they should be wise as serpents and innocent as doves, and they would be delivered up and hated for his name's sake, but the Spirit of their Father would speak through them, and the one who endured to the end would be saved.

So they went out and preached that men should repent, cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.

(b) Four qualities required of today's evangelists

• Faith and total trust in God for provision, guidance and protection.
• Courage and boldness to preach the truth despite opposition and persecution.
• Simplicity and freedom from the love of money or material gain.
• Obedience and dedication to the call and commission of Christ.

(Other acceptable qualities: humility, patience and endurance, holiness of life, and love and compassion for people.)

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(a) How Philip preached the Gospel to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza," which is a desert road. Philip rose and went.

• The meeting on the road: On the way he saw an Ethiopian, a eunuch and a minister of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home, seated in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.
• The prompting of the Spirit: The Spirit told Philip to go up and join the chariot. As Philip ran to it, he heard the eunuch reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
• The eunuch's need for a guide: The eunuch replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" and he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The passage he was reading was, "As a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so he opens not his mouth..." (Isaiah 53).
• The eunuch's question: He asked Philip of whom the prophet spoke, of himself or of someone else.
• Philip's preaching: Beginning with that scripture, Philip told him the good news of Jesus, showing that the passage was fulfilled in the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ.
• The baptism: As they went along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
• The parting: When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more but went on his way rejoicing. Philip was found at Azotus and preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

(b) Two ways this episode was important to Christianity

• It marked the spread of the Gospel beyond the Jews to other peoples and lands: The conversion of an African official showed that salvation in Christ is for all nations, and it is traditionally regarded as the beginning of the Gospel reaching Ethiopia and the wider Gentile world.
• It demonstrates the importance of the Scriptures, guidance and personal witness in conversion: The eunuch was led to Christ through the explanation of Scripture and personal evangelism under the direction of the Holy Spirit, providing a model of how the Gospel is to be preached and how belief leads to baptism.