NOTES

WEEK 1

SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

WHO IS GOD?

God is a Spirit (John 4:24)

God is Supreme Being.

God is the Creator of the Universe (Isa. 45:12, Rev. 4:11)

God is ‘I AM THAT I AM “ (Exod. 3:14)

God is “Alpha and Omega”. The beginning and the ending (Rev. 1:8)God is the Ancient of Days.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1) God is the
Lord of all Lords, King of all Kings, the Invisible. The Miracle Worker, The Most High etc. God is also
called Yahweh, Jehovah etc.

Any time, we are referring to God, we must use capital letter to start, or else, it will mean that we are
referring to smaller gods.

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

The following are the attributes of God

1. God is Eternal: This means that there never was a time when He was not . He is, He was, and
forever more He shall be”
2. God is Omniscience: This means that God knows all things (Ps.
3. God is Omnipresent: This means that God is present everywhere, at the same time (Ps. 139:17)
4. God is Omnipotence: This means that He is Almighty God, He is all powerful. He can do all
things. (Luke 1: 37)
5. God is Immutable: This means that God cannot change. God is the same yesterday,today and for
ever more
6. God is Invincible: This means that God is too strong to be overcome or defeated.
7. God is Holy: This means that God cannot sin.
8. God is Glorious: Holy and fearful in praises, doing wonders, all the time.
9. God is Merciful and He loves to inhabit the praises of His people.

NAMES OF GOD IN DIFFERENT NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

In the Traditional religion, all the various tribes have their own names for God. For example, the Yoruba
call God Olodumare. The Igbo call God: Chineke and the Hausa call God Ubangiji. The names tell us that
God is the Supreme Being, the source of all life in heaven, and on earth.Some Nigerian names for God in
African Traditional Religions.

EVALUATION:

1. Who is God?
2. Mention five attributes of God.

WEEK 2

CREATION STORY

BIBLICAL ACCOUNT OF CREATION

According to the book of Genesis, in the beginning, God created the heaven and earth. The earth was
void, without form and dark, and the spirit of God moved upon the waters.

On the first day, God created light by saying: ‘let there be light’.

Of course, there was light. He therefore, separated light from darkness, and called the light,‘day’ and
darkness ‘night’.

On the second day, God created the firmament that is , the heaven or sky. He separated waters which
were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.

On the third day, God created the seas and the earth by separating the waters from the dry land. He
called the waters seas; and the dry land, He called the earth. He followed it up by creating grasses, herbs
and trees that same day.

On the fourth day, God created the sun, moon, and stars to give light to the earth.

On the fifth day, God created all sea creatures as well as the fowls of the earth.He blessed them and
ordered them to multiply.

On the sixth day, God created animals of different kinds. He also created man in His own image male and
female, He created them Man was made to have dominion over all the things created on earth.

On the seventh day, God rested, blessed it and and made it Holy.

THE SUMMARY OF THE STORY OF CREATION

1st day Light and darkness

2nd day Firmament

3rd day Land, seas, and Vegetation (trees and grasses)

4th day The Sun, Moon, and Stars

5th day Birds and all kinds of seas creatures

6th day All kinds of animals creeping things and man

7th day God blessed this day, called it Sabbath and rested

God commanded man to work for six days,but rest on the seventh day.

WEEK 3

WHY GOD CREATED HUMAN BEINGS?

God created man for the following reasons:

1. God created man to procreate,

2. God created man to give Him praises ,worship Him and also serve Him,
3. God created man to rule, subdue and also have dominion over all what He created,
4. God created man in His own image to reign and to also demonstrate His glory,
5. God created man to be His mouthpiece and representative on earth;who will later reign with Him
eternally in heaven.

EVALUATION

1. Why did God create man?

2. What will happen if man failed to fulfilled God’s purpose of creating him?

What will what will happen if man failed to fulfill God’s purpose of creating him?

WEEK 4

TOPIC: THE DESTINY OF MAN IN GODS CREATION

CONTENT

Man was created in the image of God after His likeness. Man is thus referred to as “the pyramid of
creation”. He is the crown of creation. God gave man power to subdue and have dominion over every
created thing. He is equally given the power to be fruitful and multiply.

The special consideration given to man at creation is dignity. When man was created on the sixth day,
God felt that man should not be alone and this made God to create a helper for him. “Then the Lord God
said, it is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Gen 2: 18).
The dignity of man in God’s creation rises every day, the Ten Commandments given to man attest to this.
In the fourth commandment, man was asked to remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Man has been
able to rise in dignity through this.

We go to church on Sabbath and many of us become priests, thereby placing us in the higher position to
worship and magnify the work of God. And the priesthood of man started in the garden of Eden which is
the garden of God.

We marry today. It is a charge from God and we are elevated in this. When a helper was created for the
first man , the man was so overwhelmed that he said “This is now the bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh, she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. For this cause, a man shall leave
his father and his mother and shall cleave to his wife and they shall become one flesh”. (Gen 2: 23-24).

The image of God is shown in terms of human intelligence, creativity, love and care for others. Man is
able to reason and distinguish between bad and good in creativity because man can design and mould
image like him and many other things that are good for decoration. The love man has for one another
emanated from God and we take care of ourselves as God takes care of us from the beginning.

For man to thank God because he realizes that God put him in position of dignity, he offers sacrifices like
that of Cain, Abel and Abraham. Even now, man tends to give thanks to God for his mercy.

EVALUATION

1. What authority was conferred on man after creation?

2. What do we mean by dignity?

WEEK FIVE

TOPIC: MANS POWER IN CREATION

CONTENT

God created the first man from the dust and made a helper fit for him. Adam called her woman because
she was taken from his ribs. God gave Adam powers over all creatures. He told man to rule over the
fish,plants, animals and every other creature. God commanded man to be fruitful and multiply over the
world. Man thus shared in the creative power of God through different activities such as procreation
(bringing new life into being) and the development of material resources of the earth for the benefit of all
people.

The first man and woman (Adam and Eve) gave birth to Cain and Abel, and since then we have been
multiplying on the earth. When man and woman meet, the woman will conceive for a period of nine
month. The child will grow up (male or female) and later produce his/her own offspring, so we can see
here that man is also helping God in producing new life.

God delegated man to rule the world and this has made man intellectually aware of his environment. Man
is also conscious of life with his emotions and desires and because of power and energy, he is motivated
to act. Man has been able to cultivate the land to plant his food. After God has driven man away from the
Garden of Eden there was no more free food for him to eat.Man had to find a way of feeding himself and
his family. The same thing is happening today.
As a result of intellectual development of man, he is able to develop material resources within his reach.
Examples are food production, trees used to make fire to cook his food and other things such as chairs,
tables, buildings, books, white board marker etc.

Nowadays, there has been increase in technological development and man is now making cars, aero
planes, and trains to carry people from one place to another.

Also, through the G.S.M Phones, one can reach people far away even without physically going there,
thereby making communication easier and faster.

EVALUATION

1. In what ways does man share in the creative power of God?

2. How do you know that man is an image of God?

WEEK SIX

TOPIC: MARRIAGE: CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE

DEFINITION AND TYPES OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is a union between a mature man and woman as husband and wife to raise a family. Such union
makes them a couple. The Christians understand marriage as oneness of the man and woman that is
why they say two persons join together to become one flesh. The Holy Bible makes us to see that they
are no more two but one flesh.The Christian marriage is the voluntary union of a man and woman
according to the Scripture. It was ordained by God. The couple are said to have become one flesh after
marriage.

OTHER TYPES OF MARRIAGE

1. Common Law Marriage: This is the type of which has a legal document to back it up. The
couple will have to sign the document in a registry in their local environment in the
presence of at least two witnesses.
2. Monogamy or Monogamous Marriage: This is the marriage between a man and a
woman. Usually, a Christian marriage is expected to be monogamous.
3. Polygamy or Polygamous Marriage: This is the marriage between a man and more than
one wife. This means that the man can marry two or more wives.
4. Polyandry: This is kind of marriage which allows a woman to marry more than one
husband. This type of marriage is not common, it is only practiced in some parts of the
world
5. Homosexual: This type of marriage is arbitrary because it is absurd to common sense. It
is the marriage between a man and a man. This marriage does not produce children.
6. Gay Marriage: This type of marriage is also absurd to common sense. It is the marriage
between a woman and woman and they cannot bear children.
7. Levirate Marriage: This type of marriage occurs when a man marries the wife of his dead
brother. This is a tradition in some part or the world especially in African but the tradition
is dying down.
  Sororate Marriage: This is the type of marriage whereby a man marries the sister of his
dead wife.

EVALUATION

1. Explain five types of marriage.

2. Discuss the meaning of marriage.

WEEK 8

FUNCTIONS OF MARRIAGE

1. Marriage gives man procreation.

2. It gives continuation in the family name and tradition.
3. Marriage provides companionship.
4. Marriage brings unity among families and different ethnic group.
5. Marriage helps to curb promiscuity and transmission of sexual diseases.
6. Marriage helps the couple to have fulfillment.
7. Marriage helps to propagate and strengthen people’s religion.
8. Marriage brings about cultural development.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MARRIAGE

1. Marriage turns people to parents.

2. Marriage engenders training of children.
3. Marriages strengthen the couple’s relationship.
4. Marriage makes people decent and mature.
5. Marriage makes the couple to combine their efforts for greater results.

Problems in Marriage

Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage. In other words it is he legal separation between a husband and
his wife usually due to dispute or disagreement. Divorce is a serious problem in Christian marriage and
Christian must do everything to avoid it because it interrupts the destiny of man in God’s creation.

Infertility is another problem facing marriages. It simply means the inability of either the man or the
woman to conceive and bear children. There are many reasons behind this, it can be ill-health, accident,
drug abuse, e.t.c.

WEEK 9

TOPIC: DISOBEDIENCE: FIRST HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE. GEN 3:1-24

CONTENT

‘Sin’ means deviation from the laws of good to bad. This means that sin is deviation from right to wrong;
doing the things that goes contrary to the laws of nature and laws of God. E.g. stealing, murder, breaking
the laws of the land, fighting etc. Sin came into the world as a result of the disobedience of Adam and Eve
who disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit.Since then, sin has become a major thing in the world.

After the creation Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. God satisfied them with everything but
commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which was in the midst of the
garden. They were deceived by the serpent and ate the fruit of the tree.

God cursed them and drove them away from the garden. This is known as the fall of man. Adam was
cursed and told to eat from his sweat. The woman as well was cursed and commanded to conceive and
bear children in pain. The serpent was also cursed and commanded to crawl on his belly and eat dust of
the earth. God put enmity between the serpent and the woman. The general consequences of their sin
are death, pain and struggle.

EVALUATION

1. Discuss the consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve.

2. Read your first term’s note on “Human Relationship and the Creation of the Earth”.
3. What do you think can be done to the problem of sin in the world today?

WEEK 10

TOPIC: CALL TO REPENTANCE (RECONCILIATION)

CONTENT

 Reconciliation
 The story of jacob
 Jacob received esaus’s blessing
 Jacob’s attempt at reconciliation

RECONCILIATION

Reconciliation: This is the way of reconciling broken relationship.

In order to return to a friendly relationship after an estrangement, the Jews of old offered sacrifices to
bring about reconciliation with God. The Israelites sang to God. In the Old Testament, atonement was
made to God by means of sacrifices, offerings prayers and repentance. On the day of atonement, the
high priest performed a ceremonial rite to cleanse the people from their sins.

The New Testament used the word “Reconciliation” instead of “atonement”. Paul and other Christian
preached that Christ made reconciliation between God and man; “God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself” (2 Cor 15:19)

Man needs reconciliation with God. The story or parable of the prodigal son depicts repentance on the
part of the lost son, reconciliation and forgiveness on the part of the father,. The son represents man (the
sinner), and his father represents God, the forgiver and reconciliatory.
EVALUATION

1. Define Reconciliation.
2. Write out the requirements needed for reconciliation.

WEEK 11

THE STORY OF JACOB

Esau and Jacob were the two sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were born twins, but Esau was the elder
one. Esau was a hunter while Jacob was a shepherd. Each of the parents loved one of the sons. Esau
was much loved by his fathers while Rebekah showed greater love for Jacob. As a result of this divided
love, the children suspected each other and each wanted to prove his superiority over the other and how
better loved he was.

An opportunity came and Jacob wanted to show Esau that he was superior and more intelligent. Esau
came back one day from hunting and was very tired and hungry. He met Jacob preparing a delicious food
and begged him for some pottage. Jacob agreed on the condition that Esau must sell his birthright to him.
Esau agreed to part with his birthright because of a plate of pottage.

JACOB RECEIVE ESAU’S BLESSING

When Isaac was old, his eyes were dim and he could not see properly One day Isaac called Esau and
told him to prepare a delicious meal for him so that he would eat and bless him before he dies. Esau went
to the bush to hunt for animals.After he had left, Rebekah quickly called Jacob having heard what Isaac
had told Esau. She instructed him on what to do. Jacob was afraid and did not want to deceive their
father, but Rebekah encouraged him.

Rebekah took one of the goats from Jacob, she killed it and removed the skin and prepared the meal on
his behalf. Rebekah disguised Jacob with the animal’ skin and made him wear Esau’s clothes. When
Jacob brought the food to the father, Isaac touched his body and said that the voice was Jacob’s voice,
while the body was that of Esau. Eventually Isaac, ate the meal and blessed Jacob. Immediately Jacob
left Esau came in and went to his father for the blessings.

He wept bitterly when he discovered that his brother had cheated him He promised to kill his brother but
Rebekah sent Jacob to his brother’s house-Laban in Haran.

JACOB’S ATTEMPT AT RECONCILIATION

After twenty years in Haran, Jacob decided to go to Esau and reconcile with him. He sent messengers to
Esau in the land of mount Seir, the country of Edom telling him about his arrival. The messengers
returned to Jacob with the news that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred soldiers. Jacob
divided the people that went with him into different groups.

On the way, Jacob wrestled with an angel and his name was changed from Jacob to Israel. He called the
name of the place” Bethel” which means “I have seen the Lord face to face and my life is preserved”.
Eventually, he met his brother Esau and bowed himself to the ground seven times for him. He called him
Lord and gave him presents of flocks of cattle, sheep, oxen etc. His brother was happy, he embraced him
and fell on his neck and they reconciled.

EVALUATION

1. Explain the circumstances that led Jacob to receive Esau’s blessing.

2. Describe Rebekah’s attitudee to her two sons and how it affected them later in life.