WAEC SSCE - Christian Religious Studies - 2002 (Essay)

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(a) The Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

Jesus said there was a man who had two sons. The younger son said to his father, "Father, give me the share of property that falls to me." So the father divided his living between them. Not many days later the younger son gathered all he had and journeyed into a far country, where he squandered his property in loose living.

When he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country and he began to be in want. He joined himself to a citizen of that country who sent him into the fields to feed swine, and he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to himself he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants." So he arose and came to his father.

While he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, ran and embraced him and kissed him. The son made his confession, but the father said to his servants, "Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him, put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet, and kill the fatted calf, and let us eat and make merry, for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." And they began to make merry.

Now the elder son was in the field, and as he came near the house he heard music and dancing. On learning that his brother had returned safely and the fatted calf had been killed, he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered, "Lo, these many years I have served you and never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a kid that I might make merry with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf." The father said, "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead and is alive; he was lost and is found."

(b) Three character traits exhibited by the elder brother

• Anger and resentment / jealousy: He was angry and refused to join the celebration, jealous of the welcome given to his returned brother.
• Self-righteousness / pride: He boasted of his long years of faithful service and obedience, contrasting himself favourably with his brother.
• Lack of love and unforgiveness: He showed no compassion for his brother, disowned him by calling him "this son of yours," and dwelt on his sins instead of rejoicing at his return.

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Joseph's talents and how he applied them as a leader (Genesis 37; 39-47).

Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, rose from being a slave and a prisoner to become the prime minister of Egypt. The account of his life reveals several God-given talents which he applied wisely in leadership.

1. The gift of interpreting dreams. Joseph had received prophetic dreams himself and could interpret the dreams of others. In prison he interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker. When Pharaoh dreamed of the seven fat and seven lean cows, and the seven full and seven thin ears of corn, Joseph interpreted them to mean seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. He applied this talent to warn and prepare the nation for the future.
2. Wisdom and administrative ability. After interpreting the dream, Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint a discreet and wise man over the land and to store up one-fifth of the produce during the years of plenty against the years of famine. Pharaoh recognised this wisdom and set Joseph over all Egypt. Joseph applied it by organising the gathering and storage of grain throughout the land.
3. Diligence, faithfulness and integrity. In Potiphar's house Joseph was so trustworthy that his master committed everything to his care, and in prison the keeper put all the prisoners under his charge. As governor, he faithfully managed the resources of Egypt without corruption.
4. Self-control and moral discipline. When Potiphar's wife tempted him, Joseph refused, saying he could not do such a great wickedness and sin against God. This moral strength made him a trustworthy leader.
5. Foresight and planning. Joseph used his understanding of the coming famine to plan ahead, so that Egypt had food to feed its people and to sell to surrounding nations, including his own family.
6. Forgiveness and reconciliation. When his brothers, who had sold him into slavery, came to buy grain, Joseph forgave them, telling them not to be distressed, for God had sent him ahead to preserve life. He provided for them and settled them in Goshen.
7. Reverence for God. In all his dealings Joseph gave glory to God, acknowledging that interpretations belong to God, and that God had turned the evil intended against him into good.

Thus Joseph combined spiritual gifts, wisdom, integrity and compassion, and applied them to save many lives and to lead Egypt successfully through a national crisis.

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(a) Jesus and the Samaritan woman: the living water (John 4:1-26)

On his way from Judea to Galilee, Jesus passed through Samaria and came to a town called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, wearied from the journey, sat down by the well about the sixth hour, while his disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." The woman was surprised, for Jews had no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus replied, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." The woman noted that he had nothing to draw with and that the well was deep, and asked whether he was greater than their father Jacob who gave the well.

Jesus answered, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst nor come here to draw."

Jesus then told her to call her husband, and when she said she had none, he revealed that she had had five husbands and the man she now had was not her husband. Amazed, she perceived he was a prophet and raised the question of the right place of worship, whether on the mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem. Jesus taught her that the hour was coming when true worshippers would worship the Father neither on that mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and truth, for God is spirit. When she spoke of the coming Messiah, Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." Thus he used the ordinary water of the well to lead her from physical thirst to the spiritual, ever-satisfying gift of eternal life which he alone gives.

(b) Two lessons from this episode

• Jesus is the source of eternal life and true satisfaction: Only the living water he gives can permanently satisfy the deepest thirst of the human soul, unlike material things which leave one wanting again.
• The Gospel breaks down barriers of race, gender and sin: Jesus reached out to a Samaritan, a woman, and a sinner, showing that salvation is offered to all people without discrimination, and that God seeks true worshippers who worship him in spirit and in truth.

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(a) The social life of Israel during the time of Amos

Amos prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II, a period of great material prosperity but deep moral decay. The social life of Israel at this time may be described as follows:

• Wide gap between the rich and the poor: A wealthy upper class lived in luxury while the common people were oppressed. The rich had winter houses and summer houses, houses of ivory and great mansions (Amos 3:15).
• Extravagance and ease among the wealthy: The nobles lay on beds of ivory, ate choice lambs and fatted calves, drank wine from bowls and anointed themselves with the finest oils, while caring nothing for the ruin of the nation (Amos 6:4-6).
• Oppression and exploitation of the poor: The wealthy trampled upon the needy, sold the righteous for silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, and took bribes to deny the poor justice at the gate.
• Corruption in the law courts: Justice was perverted; judges accepted bribes, turned aside the needy and abhorred the one who spoke the truth. Justice was turned into wormwood.
• Dishonest trade practices: Merchants could not wait for the Sabbath and new moon to end so as to resume cheating. They made the ephah small and the shekel large, falsified the scales and sold the refuse of the wheat.
• Cruelty of the women of ease: The luxurious women of Samaria, whom Amos called the "cows of Bashan," oppressed the poor and crushed the needy while demanding drink from their husbands.
• Empty and hypocritical religion: The people kept up an elaborate worship at Bethel and Gilgal with feasts, sacrifices and songs, but their worship was divorced from justice and righteousness, and so was rejected by God.
• Immorality and drunkenness: Sexual immorality was rife; a man and his father went in to the same girl, profaning God's name, and wine taken in pledge was drunk in the house of God.

(b) Four vices condemned by Amos still rampant in society

• Bribery and corruption in offices, courts and public life.
• Oppression and exploitation of the poor and weak by the rich and powerful.
• Dishonesty in trade, such as cheating with false measures, adulteration of goods and inflated prices.
• Perversion of justice, where cases are decided in favour of the highest bidder rather than the truth.

(Other acceptable vices include drunkenness, sexual immorality, extravagant living amid want, and hypocritical religion.)

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(a) The Temptations of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11)

After his baptism, Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.

• First temptation (stones into bread): The tempter came and said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." Jesus answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 8:3).
• Second temptation (the pinnacle of the temple): The devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will give his angels charge of you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." Jesus replied, "Again it is written, You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 6:16).
• Third temptation (the kingdoms of the world): The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, saying, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13).

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him.

(b) Two ways the Temptations were significant for Jesus in his ministry

• They defined the nature of his Messiahship: Jesus rejected the temptation to be a bread-giving, spectacular or political Messiah. He set out on the path of a suffering, obedient servant who would win people by truth and self-giving, not by miracles for show or by earthly power.
• They prepared and strengthened him for his mission: By overcoming Satan through obedience to the word of God, Jesus proved his loyalty to the Father, established his authority over the devil, and demonstrated the weapons (Scripture and complete trust in God) with which he would resist evil throughout his ministry, setting an example for his followers.

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(a) An account of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians during the reign of King Zedekiah (2 Kings 25:1-21; Jeremiah 39; 52).

1. Zedekiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made king, rebelled against the king of Babylon.
2. In the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army against Jerusalem, laid siege to it and built siegeworks all around it.
3. The city was besieged until the eleventh year of Zedekiah, and a severe famine gripped the city so that there was no food for the people of the land.
4. Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, while the Chaldeans were around the city, and they went toward the Arabah.
5. The Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him.
6. They captured Zedekiah and brought him to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, where sentence was passed on him.
7. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; then they put out Zedekiah's eyes, bound him with bronze fetters and took him to Babylon.
8. In the fifth month, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, came to Jerusalem and burned the house of the Lord, the king's house and all the houses of the city; every great house he burned down.
9. The Chaldean army broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
10. Nebuzaradan carried into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters and the rest of the multitude, leaving only the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and farmers.
11. The Chaldeans broke in pieces the bronze pillars, the stands and the bronze sea of the temple, and carried the bronze to Babylon; they also took the pots, shovels, snuffers, dishes and all the vessels of bronze and gold used in the temple service.
12. The chief priest Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and other officials and leading men were taken to the king at Riblah and put to death. So Judah was carried away captive out of its land.

(b) Four causes of social unrest today in Africa.

1. Bad governance, corruption and misrule by leaders.
2. Poverty, unemployment and unequal distribution of wealth.
3. Ethnic, religious and tribal intolerance and discrimination.
4. Injustice, oppression and abuse of human rights.
5. Electoral malpractice and struggle for political power.
6. Marginalisation and neglect of certain regions or groups.

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"If any one will not work, let him not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13): the circumstances

This statement was made by Paul in his second letter to the church at Thessalonica. It arose out of a particular problem that had developed in that congregation.

• The problem of idleness among some believers: When Paul first preached to the Thessalonians, he had proclaimed the second coming of Christ (the Parousia). Some members misunderstood this teaching and concluded that since the Lord's return was near, or had already come, there was no point in continuing their normal daily work. They therefore abandoned their jobs and lived in idleness.
• Living as busybodies at others' expense: These idle members did not merely stop working; they became busybodies, meddling in other people's affairs and depending on the labour of the hardworking members of the church for their upkeep. Their conduct was disorderly and a burden on the community.
• Paul's own example of hard work: Paul reminded them that when he was among them, he did not eat any one's bread without paying, but worked night and day with toil and labour so as not to burden any of them. Though as an apostle he had the right to be supported, he chose to work in order to give them an example to imitate.
• The command Paul had already given: Even while he was still with them, Paul had laid down the rule, "If any one will not work, let him not eat." He now repeats and enforces it because the idleness had persisted.

Against this background Paul commanded the believers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother living in idleness and not according to the tradition they had received. He urged the idle to settle down, do their work quietly and earn their own living, and charged the rest not to grow weary in well-doing. The saying therefore condemns wilful idleness and upholds the dignity of honest labour as a Christian duty.

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(a) Saul's experience on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19)

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bind them and bring them to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed and drew near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" and the voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were travelling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.

Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were open he could see nothing, so they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank.

Meanwhile, the Lord spoke in a vision to a disciple named Ananias, telling him to go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for Saul of Tarsus, who was praying. Ananias objected, having heard how much evil Saul had done to the saints, but the Lord told him Saul was a chosen instrument to carry his name before the Gentiles, kings and the sons of Israel, and how much he must suffer for the Lord's sake. Ananias went, laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight, rose and was baptized, took food and was strengthened.

(b) The significance of this experience to his future life

• It marked his conversion from persecutor to believer: The fierce enemy of the Church became a devoted follower of Christ, and at once began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.
• It gave him his divine call and commission: He was chosen as the apostle to the Gentiles, to carry the name of Christ before nations, kings and Israel, which shaped the whole course of his missionary work.
• It grounded his message in a personal encounter with the risen Christ: Having seen the Lord, Paul could confidently defend the reality of the resurrection and his own apostleship.
• It prepared him for a life of suffering for Christ: He was told how much he must suffer for the Lord's sake, and indeed he endured persecutions, imprisonments and finally martyrdom for the Gospel.
• It humbled him and made him wholly dependent on God's grace: The proud Pharisee was struck down and led by the hand, learning that his new life and mission rested on God's mercy, not his own righteousness.

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(a) Peter's concept of a good citizen (1 Peter 2:11-17)

Writing to Christians scattered as strangers and pilgrims in a hostile world, Peter taught that a good citizen is one who lives an honourable life and submits to lawful authority for the Lord's sake. His concept may be explained as follows:

• Honourable conduct before the world: Believers should abstain from the passions of the flesh that war against the soul and maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that even those who speak against them as wrongdoers may, by observing their good deeds, glorify God.
• Submission to civil authority: A good citizen submits, for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether to the emperor as supreme or to governors sent by him to punish those who do wrong and praise those who do right.
• Obedience as the will of God: Peter taught that it is God's will that by doing good, believers should silence the ignorance of foolish men. Good conduct is thus an act of obedience to God, not mere fear of the authorities.
• Right use of freedom: Christians are free, but they must not use their freedom as a cover-up for evil; rather they should live as servants of God.
• A fourfold duty: Peter summed it up in the charge, "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor."

Thus, for Peter, the good citizen combines loyalty to God with loyalty to lawful earthly authority, letting a righteous life be the answer to slander.

(b) Three qualities of a good citizen

• Obedience and submission to lawful authority and the laws of the land.
• Honesty and honourable conduct that gives no genuine ground for accusation.
• Respect for all people and love for fellow believers.

(Other acceptable qualities: reverence and fear of God; proper use of freedom without abusing it; peaceableness and doing good.)

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The resurrection appearances of Christ as outlined in 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

In defending the reality of the resurrection to the Corinthians, Paul reminded them of the Gospel he had preached, which he himself had received. He affirmed that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He then listed the appearances of the risen Lord as proof:

• He appeared to Cephas (Peter): The first named witness to whom the risen Christ showed himself.
• Then to the Twelve: The company of the apostles saw him after his resurrection.
• Then to more than five hundred brethren at one time: Paul noted that most of these were still alive at the time of writing, though some had fallen asleep (died), so that they could be questioned as living witnesses.
• Then to James: The Lord appeared to James, understood to be the brother of the Lord and a leader of the Jerusalem church.
• Then to all the apostles: A further appearance to the whole apostolic body.
• Last of all, to Paul himself: He said Christ appeared also to him, "as to one untimely born." Paul described himself as the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle because he had persecuted the church of God, yet by the grace of God he was what he was, and that grace was not in vain, for he laboured more than all of them.

Paul concluded that whether it was he or the other apostles, so they preached and so the Corinthians had believed. He used this chain of eye-witnesses to establish beyond doubt that Christ was truly raised from the dead, which is the very foundation of the Christian faith.

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(a) The healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-19)

Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Syria (Aram). He was a great and honourable man, a mighty warrior through whom the Lord had given victory to Syria, but he was a leper. During one of the Syrian raids on Israel, a little Israelite girl had been taken captive and she served Naaman's wife. This girl told her mistress that if only Naaman were with the prophet in Samaria, the prophet would heal him of his leprosy.

When the report reached Naaman, he informed the king of Syria, who sent him with a letter to the king of Israel, together with much silver, gold and ten changes of clothing. On reading the letter which demanded that Naaman be cured, the king of Israel tore his clothes in dismay, thinking the Syrian king was seeking a quarrel, for he had no power to cure leprosy.

When Elisha the man of God heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent word asking that Naaman be sent to him, so that he might know there was a prophet in Israel. Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at Elisha's door. Elisha did not come out but sent a messenger to tell him to go and wash seven times in the River Jordan and his flesh would be restored.

Naaman was angry and went away, saying he had expected the prophet to come out, call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure him. He complained that Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, were better than all the waters of Israel. But his servants reasoned with him, saying that if the prophet had asked him to do some great thing he would have done it, so how much more when he was simply told to wash and be clean. Naaman then went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean.

He returned to Elisha with all his company and confessed that there was no God in all the earth except in Israel. He offered Elisha a gift, but the prophet refused. Naaman then asked for two mule-loads of earth so that he might worship the Lord alone in Syria, and Elisha bade him go in peace.

(b) How the name of God was glorified through his misfortune

• Naaman's public confession of the one true God: His leprosy brought him to Israel, and after his cleansing he openly declared, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel." His misfortune became the occasion of a pagan general acknowledging the God of Israel before all his servants.
• The prophetic authority of God in Israel was vindicated: Elisha healed him precisely so that Naaman would "know that there is a prophet in Israel," showing that the God of Israel, and not the idols of Syria, holds the power over sickness and life.
• The instrument of the humble was honoured: A little captive maidservant, weak and lowly, became the means through which God's saving power was made known, magnifying the fact that God works even through the humble to spread His fame.
• Naaman resolved to worship the Lord alone: He asked for earth from Israel so that he would offer sacrifice to no other god but the Lord, carrying the worship of the true God back into a heathen land.

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(a) The signs of the Parousia according to Paul (1 and 2 Thessalonians)

The Parousia is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul gave the Thessalonians teaching about it because they were anxious concerning those who had died and about the time of the Lord's return.

• It will come suddenly and unexpectedly: The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people are saying "Peace and security," sudden destruction will come upon them, and there will be no escape.
• The Lord will descend from heaven: He will come with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of the trumpet of God.
• The resurrection of the dead in Christ: The dead in Christ will rise first, before those who are still alive are affected.
• The gathering of believers to the Lord: Then those who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so they will always be with the Lord.
• The coming of the Rebellion and the Man of Lawlessness: Before that day, there will first be a great falling away (apostasy), and the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, will be revealed. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god, taking his seat in the temple of God and proclaiming himself to be God.
• The restraining power must first be removed: Something (or someone) is at present restraining the lawless one; only when this restraint is taken out of the way will the lawless one be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by his appearing.

(b) Three lessons relevant to Christian living

• Watchfulness and preparedness: Since the day comes like a thief, believers must not sleep as others do but must keep awake, sober and ready at all times.
• Holy and upright living: Christians are children of light and of the day; they should put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of the hope of salvation, living blameless lives in expectation of the Lord.
• Diligence in daily work and steadfastness: Believers should not be idle or unsettled by rumours that the day has come, but should continue their honest labour, stand firm and hold to the teaching they received.
• Comfort and hope in bereavement: They should not grieve like those who have no hope, for the dead in Christ will rise; they should encourage one another with these words.