JAMB UTME - Christian Religious Studies - 2025

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The fruit of the Spirit is listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Love appears first in this list and is widely regarded as the foundational virtue from which the others flow.

Among the options given, love is the one that appears in this list. Tongues and miracles are not fruits of the Spirit; they are gifts of the Spirit, listed separately in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. The distinction between fruits and gifts is important: fruits are qualities of character that the Holy Spirit produces in a believer's life, while gifts are supernatural abilities given for service in the church.

Righteousness, while a central biblical concept, does not appear in the Galatians 5 list of the fruit of the Spirit. It is associated with justification and holy living but is categorised differently from the specific fruit Paul enumerates.

Exam tip: Memorise all nine items in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and be able to distinguish them from the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12).

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In Ezekiel 18:4, God declares: "Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine." According to this prophecy, all souls belong to God.

This declaration is foundational to the teaching of Ezekiel 18, which addresses the principle of individual moral responsibility. The Israelites in exile had been quoting a proverb: "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (Ezekiel 18:2), meaning they blamed their suffering on the sins of their ancestors rather than their own wrongdoing.

God rejected this reasoning. By declaring that all souls belong to Him, God established that He is the sole judge of every individual. Since every soul is His, He holds each person accountable for their own actions: "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). A righteous person will live, regardless of their parent's wickedness, and a wicked person will die, regardless of their parent's righteousness.

Souls do not belong to individuals themselves, to families, or to angels. God's ownership of every soul is the basis for His authority to judge each person according to their own conduct.

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Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha, which is an Aramaic word meaning "the place of a skull" (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, John 19:17). In Luke 23:33, the same location is referred to by its Latin name, Calvary (from calvaria, also meaning skull). The site was outside the city walls of Jerusalem.

While Golgotha was geographically near Jerusalem, it is identified as a distinct named location, not simply "Jerusalem gate." Sinai is the mountain in the desert where Moses received the Ten Commandments, far from Jerusalem. Bethlehem is the town where Jesus was born, located about 10 kilometres south of Jerusalem. The Gospels are unanimous in naming Golgotha as the specific place of crucifixion.

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The three disciples who witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus were Peter, James, and John. This is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36.

Jesus took these three disciples up a high mountain (traditionally identified as Mount Tabor or Mount Hermon), where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white. Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with Jesus, and a voice from a cloud declared, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

Peter, James, and John formed an inner circle among the twelve apostles and were present at several key events that the other disciples did not witness, including the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:37) and Jesus's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). Andrew, though Peter's brother and one of the first disciples called, was not part of this inner group at these events. Matthew was also not present at the Transfiguration.

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According to Matthew 3:13-17 (and parallel accounts in Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22), Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The Gospel of Matthew specifies that Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. After the baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

The River Jordan is the most significant river in biblical geography. It flows from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, running through the Jordan Rift Valley. It was also the river the Israelites crossed under Joshua to enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3), and the river where Naaman the Syrian was healed of leprosy by washing seven times (2 Kings 5). John the Baptist conducted his ministry of baptism along the Jordan, particularly near Bethany beyond the Jordan (John 1:28).

The Euphrates and Tigris are major rivers in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), associated with the Garden of Eden and ancient civilisations. The Nile is the great river of Egypt. None of these rivers is connected to the baptism of Jesus.

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According to Matthew 4:1-2 (and parallel accounts in Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-2), after His baptism by John in the River Jordan, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of this period, He was hungry, and the devil came to tempt Him.

The number 40 carries significant symbolic weight in the Bible. Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai receiving the Law (Exodus 34:28). Elijah travelled 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus' 40-day fast echoes these Old Testament precedents and establishes a parallel between His experience and that of Israel.

During the temptation, the devil presented three specific challenges: turning stones to bread, throwing Himself from the temple pinnacle, and accepting dominion over all kingdoms in exchange for worship. Jesus resisted each temptation by quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy. The duration of 40 days is consistently stated in all three Synoptic Gospel accounts.

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According to 1 Samuel 9-10, Samuel the prophet anointed Saul as the first king of Israel. God directed Samuel to anoint Saul, a tall young man from the tribe of Benjamin, after the Israelites demanded a king so they could be "like all the other nations" (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel privately poured oil on Saul's head and declared that God had anointed him ruler over His people Israel (1 Samuel 10:1). Saul was later publicly presented to the people at Mizpah.

The other prophets named in the options served in different periods. Nathan was a prophet during the reign of King David, not before the monarchy began. He is known for confronting David over the sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). Elijah was a prophet who served during the divided monarchy, primarily opposing King Ahab and Queen Jezebel in the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 17-19). Elisha was Elijah's successor and continued prophetic ministry in the northern kingdom (2 Kings 2-13). None of these three anointed Saul.

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Solomon built the first temple in Jerusalem, as recorded in 1 Kings 5-8. The construction began in the fourth year of Solomon's reign (approximately 966 BC) and took seven years to complete. The temple, often called Solomon's Temple or the First Temple, was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.

King David, Solomon's father, had desired to build a permanent house for God to replace the portable Tabernacle that had served Israel since the wilderness wandering. However, God told David through the prophet Nathan that because David was a man of war who had shed blood, he would not build the temple; instead, his son would do so (2 Samuel 7:12-13, 1 Chronicles 22:8-10). David did, however, make extensive preparations by gathering materials, funds, and plans that Solomon later used.

Saul was the first king of Israel but had no connection to temple construction. Hezekiah was a later king of Judah known for religious reforms and restoring temple worship, but the temple already existed in his time. David is a common incorrect choice because of his strong desire to build it, but the biblical text is clear that the actual construction was carried out by Solomon.

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The miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee is recorded in John 2:1-11. When the wine ran out during the celebration, Jesus' mother informed him of the situation. Jesus then instructed the servants to fill six stone jars with water and draw some out to take to the master of the banquet, who found it had become excellent wine.

The Gospel of John explicitly states the purpose of this miracle in verse 11: "This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him." The miracle served as a revelation of Jesus' divine nature and power, leading his disciples to place their faith in him.

While Jesus did respond to his mother's concern and did meet a practical need at the wedding, these were not the primary purpose John recorded. The theological significance was the manifestation of divine glory and the strengthening of the disciples' faith. Supporting the institution of marriage, though a worthy purpose, is not stated in the text as the reason for the miracle.

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In John 8:12, Jesus declared: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." This is one of the seven "I am" statements in the Gospel of John, each revealing a dimension of Jesus' identity and mission.

By calling himself the light of the world, Jesus was teaching that he is the source of the knowledge of God, leading to salvation. In biblical symbolism, light represents truth, understanding, and divine revelation, while darkness represents ignorance, sin, and separation from God. Jesus' claim was that following him brings knowledge of God that leads to eternal life - spiritual illumination that rescues people from the darkness of sin and spiritual death.

While holiness and faith are important Christian virtues, they are not the direct subject of this particular statement. The statement does imply that darkness leads to spiritual death, but Jesus' emphasis was on what his followers gain (the light of life, knowledge of God, salvation), not merely on what they escape. The positive content of the metaphor - light as divine knowledge and salvation - is the central teaching.

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God sent ten plagues on Egypt to compel Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery, as recorded in Exodus chapters 7-12. The ten plagues were:

1. Water turned to blood (Exodus 7:20)
2. Frogs (Exodus 8:6)
3. Gnats (lice) (Exodus 8:17)
4. Flies (Exodus 8:24)
5. Death of livestock (Exodus 9:6)
6. Boils (Exodus 9:10)
7. Hail (Exodus 9:23)
8. Locusts (Exodus 10:13)
9. Darkness (Exodus 10:22)
10. Death of the firstborn (Exodus 12:29)

Each plague demonstrated God's power over the Egyptian gods and intensified the pressure on Pharaoh. The tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn, directly led to the institution of the Passover and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

The number ten is specific and well-established in Scripture. The other numbers offered (7, 5, and 12) do not correspond to the biblical account.

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The account of Zechariah and the angel Gabriel is recorded in Luke 1:5-25. Zechariah was an elderly priest married to Elizabeth. While he was serving in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and announced that Elizabeth would bear a son, to be named John (later known as John the Baptist).

Zechariah doubted the message, asking: "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years" (Luke 1:18). In response, Gabriel declared that because Zechariah had not believed his words, he would be unable to speak until the day the child was born. Zechariah was struck mute immediately and remained so until after the birth of John, when he confirmed the child's name and his speech was restored (Luke 1:63-64).

The punishment was muteness, not blindness, deafness, or leprosy. Blindness was the affliction that struck Paul (then Saul) on the road to Damascus. Leprosy features in other biblical narratives (such as Naaman or Miriam) but is not connected to Zechariah.

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In Matthew 22:37-39 (and Mark 12:29-31), when a teacher of the law asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, Jesus replied that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. He then added: "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.

This second commandment comes from Leviticus 19:18 in the Old Testament. By pairing it with the command to love God, Jesus summarised the entire moral law into two relational principles: vertical love (toward God) and horizontal love (toward other people). The command to love one's neighbour as oneself encompasses the ethical dimensions of the Ten Commandments, which deal with human relationships (do not murder, steal, commit adultery, bear false witness, or covet).

While "Honour your parents," "Keep the Sabbath," and "Do not kill" are all genuine commandments from the Decalogue, none of them is what Jesus identified as the second greatest. Those are individual commandments within the broader law; loving your neighbour as yourself is the overarching principle that encompasses them all.

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The sign God gave Gideon is recorded in Judges 6:36-40. After God called Gideon to deliver Israel from Midianite oppression, Gideon asked for a sign to confirm the call. He placed a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and asked God to make only the fleece wet with dew while keeping the ground around it dry. The next morning, Gideon wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl, while the ground was dry.

Still seeking assurance, Gideon asked for a second test: this time, he requested that the fleece remain dry while the ground around it was covered with dew. God did so that night - the fleece was dry, and the ground was wet. This double test, often called "Gideon's fleece," confirmed God's call and promise of victory.

A speaking donkey is associated with the story of Balaam (Numbers 22:28). Fire from a rock occurred when Gideon offered a sacrifice to the angel of the Lord earlier in the same chapter (Judges 6:21), but that was a different sign, not the confirming sign Gideon specifically requested. An earthquake is not part of this narrative. The fleece test is the sign the question refers to.

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Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the apostles, as recorded in Acts 1:15-26. After Judas' betrayal of Jesus and subsequent death, Peter stood up among the believers (about 120 in number) and proposed that a replacement be chosen to restore the number of apostles to twelve. The criteria were that the candidate must have been with the group throughout Jesus' ministry, from the baptism of John until the Ascension.

Two men were nominated: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. The apostles prayed, asking God to show which of the two He had chosen, and then cast lots. The lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26).

The other options are incorrect. Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) became an apostle through a direct encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), but he was not one of the original Twelve and was not part of this selection process. Silas was a prophet and missionary companion of Paul (Acts 15:40) but was never counted among the Twelve. Barnabas was an important early Church leader who accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) but was likewise not chosen as Judas' replacement.

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The parable of the ten virgins is found in Matthew 25:1-13. In the story, ten virgins take their lamps and go out to meet a bridegroom. Five are described as wise and five as foolish. The wise virgins bring extra oil for their lamps, while the foolish ones bring no reserve. When the bridegroom is delayed and arrives at midnight, the foolish virgins find their lamps going out and have no oil to refill them. While they go to buy oil, the bridegroom arrives, and the wise virgins enter the wedding feast. The door is shut, and the foolish virgins are left outside.

Jesus concludes the parable with the instruction: "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." The central lesson is about being spiritually prepared and vigilant for Christ's return, which will come at an unexpected time. Those who are ready will enter the kingdom; those who are not will be excluded.

The parable does not address faith without works (a theme treated in the Epistle of James), the power of prayer, or giving alms. Its focus is entirely on preparedness and watchfulness for the second coming.

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The word "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, which literally means "The Anointed One". Its Greek equivalent is Christos, from which the English word "Christ" is derived. Both terms carry the same meaning: one who has been anointed.

In ancient Israel, anointing with oil was a ceremony performed to consecrate and set apart individuals for special roles ordained by God. Kings (such as Saul and David), priests, and sometimes prophets were anointed as a sign of divine appointment and empowerment. When the title "Messiah" is applied to Jesus, it identifies Him as the one specially chosen and empowered by God to fulfil the role of deliverer and redeemer that the Old Testament prophets foretold.

While Jesus is also understood by Christians to be a saviour, a beloved one, and a prince, none of these is the literal meaning of the word "Messiah." The term specifically denotes anointing, not saving, loving, or ruling. Examination questions on this topic are testing knowledge of the precise linguistic meaning of the title, not its theological implications.

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This event is recorded in 1 Samuel 26:7-12. David and Abishai crept into Saul's camp at night while Saul and his soldiers were in a deep sleep sent by the Lord. They found Saul sleeping with his spear stuck in the ground at his head and a jar of water beside him.

Abishai wanted to kill Saul, but David refused, saying he would not raise his hand against the Lord's anointed. Instead, David took Saul's spear and jar of water (1 Samuel 26:12) and withdrew to a safe distance. From a hilltop, David called out to Abner, Saul's commander, displaying the spear and water jar as proof that he had been close enough to kill Saul but had chosen to spare his life.

This act of taking the spear and water jar served two purposes: it proved David's presence in the camp, and it demonstrated his mercy and respect for Saul's position as king. The other options - bow and arrow, iron shield - are not mentioned in this narrative. The items specifically taken were the spear and the jar of water.

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In Acts 10:9-16, while Peter was praying on a rooftop in Joppa, he fell into a trance and saw a vision. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. Inside the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds - creatures that Jewish dietary law classified as unclean. A voice told Peter, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

Peter refused, saying he had never eaten anything impure or unclean. The voice responded: "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." This exchange happened three times before the sheet was taken back up to heaven.

The vision prepared Peter for the arrival of messengers from Cornelius, a Roman centurion and Gentile. God was teaching Peter that the distinction between "clean" and "unclean" was being set aside under the New Covenant, and that the Gospel was not only for Jews but also for Gentiles. When Peter met Cornelius, he understood the vision's meaning: "God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean" (Acts 10:28).

The other options refer to different biblical events: a burning bush appeared to Moses (Exodus 3), a ladder to heaven was Jacob's vision at Bethel (Genesis 28), and writing on the wall appeared at Belshazzar's feast (Daniel 5).

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Solomon was the king who asked for wisdom. In 1 Kings 3:5-14, shortly after Solomon became king of Israel following David's death, God appeared to him in a dream at Gibeon and said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Instead of asking for long life, wealth, or the death of his enemies, Solomon asked for a discerning heart to govern God's people and to distinguish between right and wrong (1 Kings 3:9).

God was pleased with Solomon's request and granted him not only wisdom surpassing all others but also the riches and honour he had not asked for. Solomon's wisdom became legendary: he composed 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs (1 Kings 4:32), and people from all nations came to hear his wisdom, including the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1-13). His most famous demonstration of wisdom was the judgment between two women who both claimed the same baby (1 Kings 3:16-28).

Rehoboam, Solomon's son, is notably remembered for rejecting wise counsel, which led to the division of the kingdom. Saul was Israel's first king but was not known for requesting wisdom. Hezekiah was a righteous king of Judah who prayed for deliverance and healing but did not ask specifically for wisdom.

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The Book of Ruth identifies Naomi as Ruth's mother-in-law. Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion left Bethlehem during a famine and settled in the land of Moab. There, the two sons married Moabite women: Ruth and Orpah. After Elimelech and both sons died, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem.

Naomi urged her daughters-in-law to return to their own families and remarry. Orpah eventually did so, but Ruth famously refused, declaring: "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God" (Ruth 1:16). Ruth's loyalty to Naomi is one of the most celebrated examples of devotion in the Bible.

The other options are prominent women in the Bible but have no mother-in-law relationship with Ruth. Esther was a Jewish queen in Persia. Deborah was a judge and prophetess of Israel. Leah was one of the wives of the patriarch Jacob.

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In Jeremiah 31:31-33, God announces through the prophet Jeremiah that He will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Unlike the old covenant written on tablets of stone (the Mosaic Law given at Sinai), this New Covenant would be different in a fundamental way: God declared, "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts."

The significance of writing the covenant on the hearts of people is that obedience to God would no longer depend solely on an external set of rules inscribed on stone or scrolls. Instead, God's law would become an internal reality, shaping people's desires, thoughts, and will from within. This inward transformation means that the knowledge of God and the motivation to follow Him would be personal and direct.

The other options do not match the biblical text. God did not promise to write the New Covenant on pages of a holy book, on stones, or on labels. While the old covenant was indeed written on stone tablets, the whole point of Jeremiah's prophecy is the contrast: the New Covenant moves from external stone to internal hearts.

Examination tip: When questions reference the New Covenant in Jeremiah, remember the key contrast: Old Covenant = stone tablets (external), New Covenant = hearts of people (internal).

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According to Acts 9:1-9, Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul) was travelling to Damascus with letters from the high priest authorising him to arrest followers of Jesus. As he neared the city, a sudden bright light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" When Saul asked who was speaking, the voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

This encounter is best described as a vision of Christ. Paul saw the risen Jesus in a blinding light and heard His voice directly. The experience left Paul physically blind for three days until Ananias came and restored his sight. This event was the turning point that transformed Paul from a persecutor of Christians into the most prominent apostle to the Gentiles.

The other options do not match the biblical account. There was no storm, earthquake, or angelic rebuke on the road to Damascus. The defining element was the direct, personal encounter with the risen Christ through light and voice, which Paul later referred to repeatedly as the basis for his apostleship (1 Corinthians 9:1, 1 Corinthians 15:8, Galatians 1:15-16).

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In Genesis 40, two of Pharaoh's officials were imprisoned alongside Joseph: the chief cupbearer (also called the chief butler) and the chief baker. Both men had dreams on the same night, and Joseph interpreted their dreams.

Joseph told the chief cupbearer that his dream meant he would be restored to his position within three days. The chief baker's dream, however, foretold his execution. Three days later, on Pharaoh's birthday, both interpretations came true: the chief butler (cupbearer) was restored to his position of serving wine to Pharaoh, while the baker was hanged.

The question asks specifically about the cupbearer who was restored by Pharaoh. The chief butler is the correct answer because "cupbearer" and "chief butler" refer to the same person. Joseph was the one who interpreted the dreams but was not the cupbearer himself. Benjamin was Joseph's younger brother and is not part of this narrative. The baker was the other imprisoned official, but he was executed, not restored.

Examination tip: Remember the contrast in Genesis 40: the cupbearer (butler) was restored; the baker was executed. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him before Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot until Pharaoh himself had troubling dreams (Genesis 41).

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According to Matthew 3:13-17 (and parallel accounts in Mark 1:9-11 and Luke 3:21-22), Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. The Gospel of Matthew specifies that Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. After the baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

The River Jordan is the most significant river in biblical geography. It flows from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, running through the Jordan Rift Valley. It was also the river the Israelites crossed under Joshua to enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3), and the river where Naaman the Syrian was healed of leprosy by washing seven times (2 Kings 5). John the Baptist conducted his ministry of baptism along the Jordan, particularly near Bethany beyond the Jordan (John 1:28).

The Euphrates and Tigris are major rivers in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), associated with the Garden of Eden and ancient civilisations. The Nile is the great river of Egypt. None of these rivers is connected to the baptism of Jesus.

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According to the Gospels, James and John were the sons of Zebedee. Matthew 4:21 records that after calling Peter and Andrew, Jesus saw two other brothers - James and John - in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them, and they immediately left the boat and their father to follow Him.

James and John, along with Peter, formed an inner circle among the twelve disciples. They were present at key events such as the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1) and Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33). Jesus gave them the nickname Boanerges, meaning "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17), likely reflecting their bold temperaments.

The other pairs listed are not identified as sons of Zebedee. Peter and Andrew were brothers but were sons of Jonah (John 1:42). Matthew (also called Levi) and Thomas were both disciples but were unrelated. Judas and Simon appear among the twelve but are not described as Zebedee's sons anywhere in Scripture.

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King David wrote the majority of the Psalms. Of the 150 Psalms in the Book of Psalms, 73 carry the superscription "A Psalm of David" (or similar attribution to David), making him by far the most prolific contributor. David was known as "the sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Samuel 23:1) and was a skilled musician who played the harp for King Saul (1 Samuel 16:23).

David's psalms cover a wide range of themes: praise and worship (Psalm 145), repentance (Psalm 51, written after his sin with Bathsheba), lament and petition (Psalm 22), trust in God (Psalm 23, the famous "Shepherd Psalm"), and thanksgiving (Psalm 138). Many of his psalms reflect his personal experiences as a shepherd, a fugitive from Saul, and later as king of Israel.

While other authors contributed to the Book of Psalms, none wrote as many as David. Solomon is credited with Psalms 72 and 127. Moses is traditionally attributed Psalm 90. Asaph, a Levite worship leader, is credited with twelve psalms (Psalms 50 and 73-83). The Sons of Korah are attributed eleven psalms. Some psalms remain anonymous.

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In his teaching on justification by faith in Romans 5:18-19, the Apostle Paul contrasts the effects of two pivotal acts of obedience and disobedience on all humanity. He writes: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous."

The "one man" whose disobedience brought sin and condemnation to the world was Adam, who disobeyed God's command in the Garden of Eden. The "one man" whose obedience brought righteousness and justification is Jesus Christ. Jesus's obedience - specifically His obedient submission to death on the cross (Philippians 2:8) - made it possible for sinners to be declared righteous before God.

This is the heart of Paul's doctrine of justification by faith: people are not made righteous by their own works or by keeping the law, but through faith in what Jesus accomplished through His obedient life, sacrificial death, and resurrection. Abraham is honoured as a model of faith (Romans 4), and Moses received the law, but neither is identified as the one whose obedience brought righteousness to the world. That role belongs uniquely to Jesus Christ.

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Hophni's brother was Phinehas. According to 1 Samuel 1:3 and 2:34, Hophni and Phinehas were the two sons of Eli the priest who served at the tabernacle in Shiloh. Both brothers are consistently mentioned together throughout the narrative in 1 Samuel 1-4.

Hophni and Phinehas are described as "worthless men" (1 Samuel 2:12) who abused their priestly office. They took portions of the sacrifices beyond what was permitted (1 Samuel 2:13-17) and engaged in immoral conduct at the entrance to the tent of meeting (1 Samuel 2:22). Despite Eli's warnings, they refused to listen. God sent a prophecy through a man of God (1 Samuel 2:27-36) and later through the young Samuel (1 Samuel 3:11-14) that both sons would die on the same day as a sign of judgment. This was fulfilled in 1 Samuel 4:11, when both Hophni and Phinehas were killed in battle against the Philistines, and the Ark of the Covenant was captured.

The other names belong to different biblical lineages. Nadab and Abihu were sons of Aaron who died offering unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). Eleazar was another son of Aaron who succeeded him as high priest. Abinadab appears in several contexts, including as a son of Jesse (David's brother) and as the man in whose house the Ark was kept at Kiriath-jearim.

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In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:1-5), Jesus taught about judging others with the well-known instruction: "Judge not, that you be not judged." He continued by explaining that the standard of judgment a person uses toward others will be applied to them in return: "For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

Jesus illustrated this principle with the metaphor of a speck and a log. He asked why someone would notice a speck of sawdust in another person's eye while ignoring the log in their own eye. The teaching is not a blanket prohibition against all moral discernment but a warning against hypocritical, harsh, or self-righteous judgment of others when one's own faults remain unaddressed.

The other options do not represent what Jesus specifically said about judging. "Always correct others" and "judge harshly" contradict the teaching. "Publicly expose sin" is also contrary to the spirit of the passage. The correct formulation pairs the act of judging with a reciprocal consequence, making the phrasing "Judge not, lest you be judged" the accurate answer.

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In Luke 10:1-24, Jesus appointed seventy (or seventy-two, depending on the manuscript tradition) disciples and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. This mission is distinct from the earlier sending of the Twelve apostles (Luke 9:1-6).

The number seventy carries symbolic significance rooted in Genesis 10, which lists seventy nations descended from Noah's sons. In Jewish tradition, seventy represented the total number of Gentile nations in the world. By sending out seventy disciples, Jesus signalled that his message was not limited to Israel alone but was intended for the Gentiles - all the nations of the earth.

By contrast, the mission of the Twelve symbolised the mission to Israel, corresponding to the twelve tribes. The seventy thus broadened the scope of the gospel message beyond Jewish boundaries. Judea was a single region, not the universal scope indicated by the number. The mission of the Seventy specifically prefigured the later expansion of the gospel to the Gentile world, which the book of Acts records in detail.

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This teaching comes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-4), where Jesus addressed the practice of giving alms. In verse 2, He condemned the hypocrites who "sound a trumpet" before giving, seeking praise from onlookers. He then instructed His followers in verse 3: "when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."

The metaphor of the left hand not knowing what the right hand does is a vivid expression of complete secrecy. It means giving should be so private that it is almost hidden from oneself. The underlying warning is against making a public display of charitable giving - specifically, the practice of blowing trumpets when giving alms, which Jesus directly condemned in the same passage as the behaviour of hypocrites who give "in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others" (Matthew 6:2).

The purpose of this teaching is that charitable giving should be motivated by genuine compassion, not by a desire for public recognition. God, who sees in secret, will reward such sincere giving (Matthew 6:4).

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Baal worship entered Israel through Jezebel, a Phoenician princess from Sidon who married King Ahab of Israel (1 Kings 16:31). She brought her native religion with her and actively promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah in the northern kingdom, even maintaining 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah at her own table (1 Kings 18:19).

Jehu was actually the king who destroyed Baal worship in Israel by killing the prophets and priests of Baal and demolishing the temple of Baal (2 Kings 10:18-28). Omri was Ahab's father and, while he did evil in God's sight, the introduction of Baal worship is specifically attributed to the influence Jezebel brought through her marriage to his son. Obadiah was a devout servant of God who hid and protected 100 prophets of the Lord from Jezebel's persecution (1 Kings 18:3-4).

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According to Daniel 6, Daniel was cast into the den of lions because he continued to pray to God in defiance of a royal decree. King Darius had been persuaded by Daniel's jealous rivals to sign an irrevocable decree stating that for thirty days, anyone who prayed to any god or man other than the king would be thrown into the lions' den.

Despite knowing the decree had been signed, Daniel went to his upper room and knelt to pray three times a day, giving thanks to God just as he had always done (Daniel 6:10). His enemies observed him praying, reported him to the king, and the king was compelled to enforce the decree. Daniel was therefore cast into the den because he prayed to God rather than comply with the decree.

Daniel was not disloyal to the king in any genuine sense; King Darius himself valued Daniel highly and tried to find a way to save him (Daniel 6:14). Daniel was not a criminal, and while he was of foreign origin (a Jewish exile from Judah), his nationality was not the reason for his punishment. The cause was his faithfulness in continuing to pray to God despite the royal prohibition.

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Hannah was the mother of Samuel the prophet, as recorded in 1 Samuel 1-2. She was one of the two wives of Elkanah. Hannah was barren and deeply distressed by her inability to bear children, especially because Peninnah, Elkanah's other wife, provoked her. During a visit to the tabernacle at Shiloh, Hannah prayed fervently and made a vow to God that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord's service for his entire life (1 Samuel 1:11).

God answered her prayer, and she gave birth to Samuel. True to her vow, after weaning him, she brought him to the tabernacle at Shiloh and entrusted him to the priest Eli. Samuel grew up serving God in the tabernacle and became one of Israel's greatest prophets and the last of the judges.

The other women listed are distinct biblical figures: Abigail was the wife of Nabal and later of David. Ruth was a Moabite who married Boaz and became the great-grandmother of David. Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law. None of these women was the mother of Samuel.

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Paul's profession was tentmaking. According to Acts 18:3, when Paul arrived in Corinth during his second missionary journey, he stayed and worked with Aquila and Priscilla "because he was a tentmaker as they were." In the Greco-Roman world, tentmaking involved working with leather and cloth to produce tents, awnings, and similar goods.

Paul used his trade to support himself financially during his missionary travels so that he would not be a burden to the churches he was planting (1 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:8). He viewed this self-sufficiency as an important aspect of his ministry and a model for other believers. In 1 Corinthians 9:12-15, Paul explained that although he had the right to receive financial support from the churches, he chose not to exercise that right.

The other professions are associated with different biblical figures. Carpentry is traditionally associated with Joseph, Jesus' earthly father (Matthew 13:55). Fishing was the profession of several of Jesus' disciples, including Peter, Andrew, James, and John (Matthew 4:18-22). Shepherding is associated with figures like Abel, Abraham, Moses, and David, but not with Paul.

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The fate of Lot's wife is recorded in Genesis 19:15-26. When God determined to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness, two angels came to rescue Lot and his family. The angels urged them to flee and gave a clear instruction: "Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the plain" (Genesis 19:17).

As they fled the city, Lot's wife disobeyed the command and looked back toward Sodom. She was immediately turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). This transformation served as a dramatic consequence of disobedience and has become one of the most memorable images in the Old Testament.

She did not drown, was not swallowed by the earth, and did not die in Sodom. The destruction of Sodom involved fire and brimstone raining from heaven, but Lot's wife had already left the city when she looked back. Her specific punishment was being turned into a pillar of salt.

Exam tip: Jesus himself references this event in Luke 17:32 with the brief warning "Remember Lot's wife" - a caution against looking back when called to move forward in obedience.

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The parable of the drag net is found in Matthew 13:47-50. Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a large net cast into the sea that caught fish of every kind. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it ashore, sat down, and sorted the catch: the good fish were collected into containers, while the bad fish were thrown away.

Jesus then explained the meaning directly: at the close of the age, angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, and the wicked will be thrown into the furnace of fire (Matthew 13:49-50). The parable is specifically about the final judgement at the close of age, when all people will be sorted and judged.

The parable does not teach about the reward of being righteous (although the righteous are preserved, the focus is on the act of judgement and separation). The options about mosquito nets and fishing nets are clearly unrelated to the spiritual teaching of the parable.

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The downfall of King Solomon is described in 1 Kings 11:1-13. Despite being blessed with extraordinary wisdom and having built the temple in Jerusalem, Solomon "loved many foreign women" from nations with which God had forbidden intermarriage. These wives turned his heart after other gods: "For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God" (1 Kings 11:4). He built high places for Chemosh (the god of Moab) and Molech (the god of the Ammonites) and worshipped at them.

God was angry because Solomon had turned away from Him despite having appeared to Solomon twice and explicitly warned him against following other gods. As a consequence, God declared that He would tear the kingdom away from Solomon's son, leaving only one tribe (Judah) for the sake of David and Jerusalem.

Solomon's downfall was therefore caused by idolatry - the worship of foreign gods influenced by his foreign wives. Heavy taxation was a grievance raised under Solomon's son Rehoboam, not the cause of Solomon's personal downfall. Pride and failure to build the temple are not supported by the biblical text as reasons for his fall.

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Peter denied Jesus three times, as recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-27). During the Last Supper, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed. Peter protested, insisting he would never disown Jesus even if it meant death (Matthew 26:35).

However, after Jesus was arrested and taken to the high priest's courtyard, Peter followed at a distance and sat among the guards. Three separate times, different people identified Peter as a follower of Jesus: a servant girl at the gate, another servant girl, and bystanders who recognised his Galilean accent. Each time, Peter denied any association with Jesus, the third time with cursing and swearing. Immediately after the third denial, the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' prediction. He went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75).

Thomas is often called "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection (John 20:24-29), but he did not deny Jesus. John remained faithful and was present at the cross (John 19:26). Judas betrayed Jesus by handing Him over to the authorities for thirty pieces of silver, which is a different act from denial.