CAMPUSNINJA / THE STUDY DESK

JAMB Christian Religious StudiesStudy notes & practice

Study biblical themes, compare accounts and practise interpretation with original questions.

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Foundation revision notes and original practice. These are thematic revision notes with selected passage-based exercises. Read the specified biblical passages as well.

What these revision notes cover
  • These are thematic revision notes with selected passage-based exercises. Read the specified biblical passages as well.
  • Individual miracles, parables and Epistles need more detailed comparison than this survey provides.

01 Creation to the divided kingdom

Creation, sovereignty and covenant

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain sovereignty in the biblical accounts
  • Compare the covenants and their signs

Understand it

In Genesis 1–2, creation expresses God’s authority and the ordered place of human beings within the world. Sovereignty means supreme authority. The curriculum connects this with human responsibility and the image of God as creator and controller.

A covenant is a binding relationship involving promises and obligations. Genesis 9 connects Noah’s covenant with the rainbow; Genesis 17 connects Abraham’s covenant with circumcision; Exodus 19–24 presents Israel’s covenant at Sinai and its commandments.

Jeremiah 31 describes a new covenant through inward knowledge and changed conduct. Compare the participants, promises, responsibilities and signs instead of treating every covenant as identical. These explanations describe the biblical texts’ theological claims.

Work through an example

Which comparison helps distinguish Noah’s covenant from the Sinai covenant?

Explanation: Noah’s covenant concerns preservation after the flood; Sinai concerns Israel’s covenant relationship and commandments.

Watch out: Do not confuse the rainbow with the sign associated with Abraham in Genesis 17.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

In Genesis 9, the sign associated with the covenant after the flood is the

  1. rainbow
  2. stone sling
  3. burning bush
  4. golden calf
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: rainbow

Genesis 9:12–17 identifies the rainbow as the sign of the covenant after the flood. The burning bush belongs to the account of Moses, and the golden calf is an object of worship in Exodus 32. The stone sling is not the sign named in this covenant.

Question 2

Sovereignty in the syllabus theme refers to

  1. physical height
  2. a method of farming
  3. supreme authority
  4. membership of a tribe
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: supreme authority

Sovereignty means supreme authority. In this biblical theme, it concerns God’s authority over creation and human affairs. It does not describe a farming method, a person’s height or membership of a particular tribe.

Link to this topic

02 Creation to the divided kingdom

Leadership, guidance and provision

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Compare the roles of Joseph, Moses, Joshua and judges
  • Connect leadership decisions with the narrative setting

Understand it

Joseph’s interpretation of dreams and management of food in Genesis 41 connect leadership with foresight and responsibility. His later meeting with his brothers also raises forgiveness and reconciliation. Moses’ call in Exodus links leadership with liberation and dependence on divine guidance.

Joshua succeeds Moses and leads Israel into a new stage of its history. Deborah, Gideon and Samson are different examples in Judges; compare their circumstances, strengths and weaknesses rather than treating every judge as the same type of ruler.

Exodus presents the pillar, the sea crossing, manna and water as forms of guidance, protection and provision. The Elijah and Daniel narratives extend these themes. The lesson is about how the texts portray provision, not a promise that every present problem ends in the same way.

Work through an example

What leadership quality is illustrated by storing grain before famine?

Explanation: Foresight: preparation uses available resources to respond to a future crisis.

Watch out: Do not merge events from Joseph, Moses and Joshua into one biography.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Which leader organised grain storage before famine in Genesis?

  1. Gideon
  2. Joseph
  3. Jonah
  4. Saul
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: Joseph

Genesis 41 presents Joseph administering preparation for the coming famine.

Question 2

Deborah is presented in the book of

  1. Revelation
  2. Judges
  3. Philemon
  4. Romans
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: Judges

Her leadership narrative appears in Judges 4–5.

Link to this topic

03 Creation to the divided kingdom

Parental responsibility and obedience

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Assess parental responsibility in the named narratives
  • Compare obedience and disobedience

Understand it

The accounts of Eli and Samuel examine the conduct of leaders’ children and the responsibility to correct wrongdoing. David’s family troubles show the wider effects of unresolved conflict. Asa’s reforms provide a contrast in the syllabus discussion of family and religious responsibility.

Abraham’s test in Genesis 22 and the refusal of the three Hebrew youths to worship the image in Daniel 3 illustrate obedience within their narrative settings. Identify the command, response and outcome rather than extracting only a name.

Adam’s disobedience, the golden calf, the manna instructions, Moses at the rock and Saul’s rejection of instruction involve different circumstances. Their consequences are not interchangeable. The texts connect responsibility with hearing and responding to instructions.

Work through an example

How should a comparison of Saul and Moses be organised?

Explanation: Identify the instruction each received, the action taken and the consequence in the relevant passage.

Watch out: Do not assume that every story of disobedience has the same penalty.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The golden calf narrative is found in the period of

  1. Paul’s journey to Rome
  2. the rebuilding of Jerusalem under Nehemiah
  3. Jesus’ trial
  4. Israel’s wilderness journey
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: Israel’s wilderness journey

Exodus 32 places it during the wilderness and Sinai events.

Question 2

A central issue in the account of Eli’s sons is

  1. the building of Noah’s ark
  2. abuse of religious responsibility and failure of correction
  3. the choice of seven church helpers
  4. the birth of John
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: abuse of religious responsibility and failure of correction

The narrative criticises misconduct connected with priestly office and Eli’s response.

Link to this topic

04 Creation to the divided kingdom

David, wisdom and political decisions

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain David’s wrongdoing and repentance
  • Compare decisions by Saul, Solomon and Rehoboam

Understand it

David’s anointing and early conflicts with Saul do not present him as incapable of wrongdoing. Second Samuel 11–12 recounts his conduct involving Bathsheba and Uriah, Nathan’s confrontation and David’s acknowledgement of guilt. Repentance does not erase every consequence in the narrative.

Solomon’s request for wisdom in 1 Kings 3 centres on the ability to govern and judge. The disputed-child judgement illustrates discernment. His later policies and religious choices are assessed differently from his early request.

Rehoboam’s rejection of the elders’ advice and threat of harsher burdens contributed to the division of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12. Saul’s consultation of a medium provides another example of decision making under fear and pressure.

Work through an example

Why is David’s repentance different from denying the wrongdoing?

Explanation: He acknowledges guilt after confrontation; denial would avoid responsibility. The account still describes consequences.

Watch out: Do not use the phrase a man after God’s heart to imply that David never sinned.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Who confronted David through a story about a rich man taking a poor man’s lamb?

  1. Philip
  2. Nathan
  3. Elijah
  4. Gamaliel
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: Nathan

Nathan’s parable exposes David’s abuse of power in 2 Samuel 12.

Question 2

Rehoboam’s response to requests for lighter burdens was to

  1. abdicate before any reply
  2. appoint Joseph as king
  3. immediately abolish every burden
  4. threaten greater burdens
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: threaten greater burdens

His harsh response contributed to the kingdom’s division.

Link to this topic

05 Divided kingdom and prophets

Greed and the contest on Mount Carmel

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Compare Ahab’s and Gehazi’s greed
  • Identify the purpose of Elijah’s confrontation

Understand it

First Kings 21 presents Naboth’s vineyard as an inheritance that Ahab desired. Jezebel arranged false accusations leading to Naboth’s death. The narrative connects greed with abuse of royal power and injustice, rather than treating the affair as a fair purchase.

Gehazi sought gifts from Naaman after Elisha had refused them. Second Kings 5 links his deception and greed with punishment. Compare the different acts: one involves royal seizure and another dishonest pursuit of reward.

The Mount Carmel account in 1 Kings 18 contrasts Elijah’s appeal to God with the prophets of Baal. Its purpose within the narrative is to challenge divided loyalty and demonstrate divine supremacy, not to describe an ordinary contest for entertainment.

Work through an example

What connects the Ahab and Gehazi accounts?

Explanation: Desire for material gain leads to deception or abuse, followed by prophetic judgement.

Watch out: Naboth’s refusal must be understood within the inheritance context of the story.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Naboth’s vineyard was taken through

  1. a Roman tax decree
  2. a freely completed sale
  3. an inheritance from Gehazi
  4. false accusations and abuse of royal authority
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: false accusations and abuse of royal authority

The narrative describes an unjust process arranged by Jezebel.

Question 2

The prophet associated with the Mount Carmel confrontation is

  1. Ezra
  2. Stephen
  3. Elijah
  4. Jonah
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: Elijah

Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.

Link to this topic

06 Divided kingdom and prophets

Josiah, exile and rebuilding Judah

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain reform and covenant renewal
  • Distinguish the work of Ezra and Nehemiah

Understand it

Josiah’s reforms follow the discovery of the book of the law during temple work in 2 Kings 22. The king’s response leads to covenant renewal and measures against practices condemned in the text. Reform involves action as well as hearing the document.

The fall of Jerusalem and exile form a crisis of political and religious life. Study the destruction, displacement and condition of those remaining alongside prophetic explanations. The return did not immediately remove every difficulty.

Ezra is associated with religious instruction and reform, while Nehemiah is especially associated with rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and organising the community amid opposition. Their work overlaps in the broader restoration, but their particular roles should remain distinct.

Work through an example

Why was hearing the law not the end of Josiah’s response?

Explanation: He acted on it through covenant renewal and reform, showing the relationship between instruction and conduct.

Watch out: Do not credit every part of the return from exile to one leader.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Josiah’s reforms were closely linked to

  1. Paul’s conversion
  2. the feeding of five thousand
  3. the discovery and reading of the book of the law
  4. the choice of Saul as king
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: the discovery and reading of the book of the law

The discovery prompted repentance and covenant renewal in 2 Kings.

Question 2

Nehemiah is particularly associated with rebuilding

  1. Noah’s ark
  2. the tower of Babel
  3. the palace of Pharaoh
  4. Jerusalem’s walls
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: Jerusalem’s walls

His narrative centres on organising restoration of the city’s walls.

Link to this topic

07 Divided kingdom and prophets

Faith under pressure and Jonah’s mission

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Distinguish Daniel’s experience from that of the three youths
  • Explain Jonah’s response and Nineveh’s repentance

Understand it

Daniel 3 describes Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refusing to worship the royal image. Daniel 6 presents Daniel continuing to pray despite a decree. The furnace and the lions’ den belong to different narratives and rulers.

The stories connect courage with commitment under pressure. Their outcomes influence the rulers’ acknowledgement of divine power within the accounts. Read the situations carefully rather than assuming faith means absence of danger.

Jonah resists his commission to Nineveh, later delivers the message and becomes angry when the city is spared after repentance. The final chapter challenges his narrow concern and develops the theme of divine compassion beyond his own group.

Work through an example

What is a major contrast between Jonah and the Ninevites?

Explanation: Jonah initially resists his commission, while the Ninevites respond to the warning with repentance.

Watch out: Do not put Daniel in the fiery furnace; that account concerns the three youths.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Which event belongs to Daniel 6?

  1. The golden calf
  2. Gehazi receiving gifts
  3. Daniel in the lions’ den
  4. The feeding of five thousand
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: Daniel in the lions’ den

Daniel 6 concerns the prayer decree and the lions’ den.

Question 2

Jonah’s anger after Nineveh is spared highlights his difficulty with

  1. divine compassion extending to the city
  2. collecting manna
  3. choosing a new king
  4. learning to build a wall
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: divine compassion extending to the city

The conclusion contrasts Jonah’s attitude with concern for Nineveh.

Link to this topic

08 Divided kingdom and prophets

Justice, divine call, punishment and hope

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Compare Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel
  • Relate prophetic judgement to ethical conduct

Understand it

Amos condemns exploitation and worship separated from justice. Hosea portrays divine love and Israel’s unfaithfulness through covenant and family imagery. The prophets’ criticism concerns conduct and loyalty, not merely the number of religious ceremonies.

Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6 connects holiness, awareness of unworthiness and commission. Jeremiah’s call addresses his hesitation and appointed task; Ezekiel’s commission likewise involves speaking to a resistant people. Compare their settings and symbols.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel link judgement with wrongdoing while also presenting possibilities of restoration. Ezekiel 18 stresses individual responsibility, and the dry-bones vision in chapter 37 represents renewed hope for the community. These images should be interpreted within their textual setting.

Work through an example

How does Amos challenge a separation between worship and daily conduct?

Explanation: He rejects ritual confidence when people exploit others and deny justice.

Watch out: Do not read prophetic symbols as if every image were a literal instruction.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Amos’s criticism of dishonest trade most directly concerns

  1. The genealogy of the kings
  2. social justice
  3. Ritual purity alone
  4. The order of temple construction
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: social justice

Economic exploitation is central to his call for justice.

Question 2

Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones chiefly expresses

  1. hope of restoration
  2. a command to build an ark
  3. a dispute over food distribution in Acts
  4. the beginning of the monarchy
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: hope of restoration

The vision symbolises renewed life and hope for the devastated community.

Link to this topic

09 Gospels and Acts

John, Jesus’ early life, baptism and temptation

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Distinguish the birth accounts and John’s role
  • Explain the baptism and wilderness temptations

Understand it

Luke links the births of John and Jesus while giving them different roles. John prepares the way through a call to repentance. Matthew and Luke contain different details about Jesus’ early life; compare the texts without assigning every event to both.

Jesus’ baptism is associated with John, the descent of the Spirit and divine acknowledgement. The account introduces themes of identity and mission. It is not presented simply as another public ceremony.

The wilderness temptations concern the use of power, testing God and misplaced worship. Jesus answers with Scripture. Matthew and Luke arrange the temptations differently, so distinguish their sequences if a question specifies a Gospel.

Work through an example

What common method does Jesus use when responding to the temptations?

Explanation: He responds with scriptural teaching rather than accepting the tempter’s proposed use of power.

Watch out: Do not assume every Gospel includes an identical infancy narrative.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

John’s role as forerunner chiefly involved

  1. preparing people through a call to repentance
  2. building Solomon’s temple
  3. replacing Moses as wilderness leader
  4. governing Rome
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: preparing people through a call to repentance

The Gospel accounts connect John with preparation for Jesus’ ministry.

Question 2

The temptation to turn stones into bread concerns

  1. a tax debate with Caesar
  2. the rebuilding of Jerusalem
  3. the use of power to satisfy immediate hunger
  4. the choice of seven helpers
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: the use of power to satisfy immediate hunger

It occurs in the wilderness after fasting and tests how power will be used.

Link to this topic

10 Gospels and Acts

Discipleship and miracles

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Identify demands of discipleship
  • Classify miracles by their narrative action

Understand it

The calls of fishermen and Matthew show different people responding to Jesus. Discipleship involves following, learning and accepting costs; the accounts warn against treating it as an effortless route to status.

The syllabus groups miracles as nature miracles, healings, raisings of the dead and exorcisms. Stilling the storm and feeding the multitude are nature-related examples; restoring sight is healing; Lazarus and Jairus’s daughter belong to raising narratives.

For each account identify the setting, people, request or problem, action and response. The texts attach meanings such as compassion, authority and faith. An ancient narrative category should not be used to diagnose a modern medical condition.

Work through an example

How should stilling the storm and healing a blind man be distinguished?

Explanation: The first concerns control over a natural situation; the second concerns restoration of health or ability.

Watch out: Do not mix details from similar miracles unless the question asks for a comparison.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The call to leave fishing and follow Jesus illustrates

  1. a ban on every form of work
  2. the demands of discipleship
  3. the founding of the monarchy
  4. a census requirement
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: the demands of discipleship

The call involves reordering priorities to follow Jesus.

Question 2

The raising of Lazarus is narrated in

  1. John
  2. Amos
  3. Philemon
  4. Nehemiah
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: John

John 11 contains the Lazarus narrative.

Link to this topic

11 Gospels and Acts

Parables and the Sermon on the Mount

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Interpret parables in context
  • Connect inner attitudes with outward conduct

Understand it

A parable uses a recognisable story or comparison to communicate teaching. The sower concerns responses to the message; lost-sheep and lost-son stories develop recovery and joy; the Good Samaritan challenges narrow ideas of neighbourly care.

The rich fool warns about misplaced security in wealth. Parables of prayer contrast persistence or humility with self-confidence. Identify the question or situation that prompted the teaching before interpreting its details.

The Sermon on the Mount connects attitudes, conduct and religious practice. Teachings on giving, prayer and treasure challenge public display and divided priorities. The Beatitudes describe the values and promises of the kingdom rather than a list of worldly achievements.

Work through an example

What makes the Samaritan’s conduct central to the parable?

Explanation: He gives practical help to the injured person, making neighbourliness an action rather than a label.

Watch out: Do not force a separate symbolic meaning onto every minor story detail.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

In the parable of the rich fool, the main warning concerns

  1. the value of careful farming alone
  2. placing ultimate security in possessions
  3. the need to avoid every possession
  4. learning how to build a larger barn
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: placing ultimate security in possessions

The man plans around wealth without reckoning with the limits of his life.

Question 2

The contrast between the Pharisee and tax collector at prayer emphasises

  1. the longest possible prayer
  2. humility rather than self-righteousness
  3. public rank as the basis of prayer
  4. wealth as proof of acceptance
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: humility rather than self-righteousness

The humble acknowledgement of need is contrasted with self-congratulation.

Link to this topic

12 Gospels and Acts

Mission, confession and Transfiguration

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Compare the missions of disciples
  • Identify the figures and meaning in confession and Transfiguration accounts

Understand it

The sending of the Twelve and the wider group in Luke involve instructions about travel, hospitality, proclamation and dependence. Compare the audience and instructions in the specified passage; manuscript traditions differ on whether Luke’s larger group is numbered seventy or seventy-two.

Peter’s confession identifies Jesus as the Christ within the Gospel narratives. It is followed by teaching that challenges expectations of a merely triumphant political role. Recognition and understanding are not treated as identical.

The Transfiguration includes Peter, James and John as witnesses and Moses and Elijah appearing with Jesus. The event reinforces identity and authority while pointing beyond the disciples’ immediate understanding.

Work through an example

Why should a question specifying Luke be answered from Luke’s account?

Explanation: The Gospel writers select and arrange details differently, so another account may not supply the requested wording or sequence.

Watch out: Do not include every disciple among the named witnesses of the Transfiguration.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Which disciples are named as witnesses of the Transfiguration?

  1. Matthew, Philip and Thomas
  2. Stephen, Philip and James
  3. Peter, James and John
  4. Paul, Barnabas and Silas
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: Peter, James and John

The Synoptic accounts name Peter, James and John.

Question 2

Peter’s Great Confession concerns Jesus’ identity as

  1. a Roman governor
  2. the king of Egypt
  3. the Christ
  4. a temple merchant
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: the Christ

The confession acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah or Christ.

Link to this topic

13 Gospels and Acts

Entry into Jerusalem, temple and Last Supper

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain the significance of public actions in Jerusalem
  • Distinguish supper traditions and service

Understand it

The triumphal entry presents Jesus entering Jerusalem amid public acclamation. The use of a donkey and the crowd’s response carry scriptural and royal associations. The account must be read alongside the approaching conflict.

The temple action challenges misuse of the place of worship and contributes to hostility. Compare the account’s location and wording in the relevant Gospel rather than assuming an identical chronology everywhere.

The Last Supper connects bread and cup with Jesus’ approaching death and covenant language. John’s meal narrative especially develops foot-washing and service. These passages shape later Christian practice, while the exam focuses on the specified texts and their significance.

Work through an example

What value is illustrated by foot-washing in John 13?

Explanation: Humble service: the teacher performs a task associated with serving others.

Watch out: Do not treat every detail of the four Gospel meal accounts as interchangeable.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The cleansing of the temple most directly challenges

  1. the practice of farming
  2. the existence of all markets everywhere
  3. the authority of Nehemiah
  4. misuse of a place intended for worship
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: misuse of a place intended for worship

The action concerns the temple’s purpose and activities taking place there.

Question 2

Foot-washing in John 13 is principally connected with

  1. humble service
  2. a census
  3. the rebuilding of the city walls
  4. military recruitment
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: humble service

Jesus presents service as an example for the disciples.

Link to this topic

14 Gospels and Acts

Trials, death, resurrection and ascension

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Distinguish the roles of religious and Roman authorities
  • Compare the resurrection and ascension accounts

Understand it

The trial narratives involve religious authorities and Roman government. Pilate’s role differs from that of the high priest; Luke also includes an appearance before Herod. Track the accusations, responses and decisions in the account specified.

The crucifixion and burial accounts describe different witnesses and statements. The theological meaning of the death is developed within the Gospels and later writings. Avoid assigning a saying to the wrong Gospel or treating all communities as collectively responsible.

Resurrection narratives include the empty tomb and appearances to followers. Luke 24 and Acts 1 connect the risen Jesus’ departure with the disciples’ continuing mission. The curriculum examines the narratives and their Christian significance without requiring an invented harmonised timeline.

Work through an example

Why distinguish Pilate from the high priest in the trial accounts?

Explanation: They represent different institutions and exercise different kinds of authority in the narrative.

Watch out: Do not combine every Gospel detail into a quotation that appears in none of them.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The Roman governor in the trial of Jesus is

  1. Cyrus
  2. Gamaliel
  3. Pontius Pilate
  4. Nebuchadnezzar
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: Pontius Pilate

Pilate exercises Roman governing authority in the trial narratives.

Question 2

Acts 1 connects the ascension with the disciples’ responsibility to

  1. continue the mission as witnesses
  2. select a king for Israel immediately
  3. rebuild Noah’s ark
  4. return to Egypt
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: continue the mission as witnesses

The departure is connected with the promise of empowerment and witness.

Link to this topic

15 Gospels and Acts

Jesus’ self-descriptions and love

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Interpret the images used in John
  • Explain love as action and relationship

Understand it

John uses images including bread, water, light, shepherd, door and vine to explain Jesus’ role. Interpret each through its setting: the vine and branches image concerns dependence and fruitfulness, while the shepherd image concerns care and leadership.

The statement about resurrection in John 11 occurs in the Lazarus narrative. An image is not a literal claim that Jesus is a plant, doorway or ordinary food; its function is to express a theological relationship.

John 3, John 13–15 and 1 Corinthians 13 connect love with self-giving, patient conduct and care for others. In these texts love goes beyond emotion or belonging to a favoured group and becomes a standard for relationships.

Work through an example

In the vine and branches image, what does the connection illustrate?

Explanation: The disciples’ dependence on Jesus and the expectation that their lives bear fruit.

Watch out: Explain the image’s point rather than treating every physical feature as symbolic.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The Good Shepherd image most directly stresses

  1. temple architecture
  2. ownership of a vineyard
  3. Roman taxation
  4. care and responsibility for the flock
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: care and responsibility for the flock

The shepherd image develops protective and self-giving leadership.

Question 2

According to the pattern of 1 Corinthians 13, love is shown through

  1. patient and considerate conduct
  2. envy of others
  3. boasting about status
  4. deliberate humiliation
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: patient and considerate conduct

Paul contrasts love with arrogance, envy and self-seeking behaviour.

Link to this topic

16 Gospels and Acts

Fellowship, Pentecost and mission

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain early communal living and its problems
  • Connect Pentecost with witness

Understand it

Acts describes believers sharing resources and supporting those in need. The account of Ananias and Sapphira concerns deception about a gift, not a simple statement that every believer had no choice about property.

A complaint about neglected widows in Acts 6 leads to the selection of seven helpers. The response combines practical organisation with concern for fair treatment and the apostles’ responsibilities.

Pentecost in Acts 2 presents the coming of the Spirit, public proclamation and growth of the community. Philip’s activity in Acts 8 shows the mission extending beyond one local group. The narrative joins spiritual empowerment with communication and service.

Work through an example

What practical problem prompted the appointment of seven in Acts 6?

Explanation: Unequal attention to widows in the daily distribution of assistance.

Watch out: Do not confuse the seven helpers with the original Twelve.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

The problem addressed in Acts 6 involved

  1. the neglect of some widows in daily distribution
  2. the division of Solomon’s kingdom
  3. a dispute over Noah’s ark
  4. the rebuilding of Jericho
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: the neglect of some widows in daily distribution

The community organised help in response to the complaint.

Question 2

Pentecost in Acts 2 is associated with

  1. the fall of Nineveh
  2. the coming of the Holy Spirit and public witness
  3. the birth of Moses
  4. the anointing of Saul as king
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: the coming of the Holy Spirit and public witness

The event empowers proclamation and leads to new members joining the community.

Link to this topic

17 Gospels and Acts

Opposition and mission to Gentiles

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Trace opposition and conversion accounts
  • Explain the issue at the Jerusalem Council

Understand it

Acts records the arrest of Peter and John, Stephen’s death and Saul’s persecution of believers. Opposition sometimes scattered Christians and helped spread the message, but the text does not portray suffering as harmless.

Saul’s conversion changes him from persecutor to missionary. Cornelius’s story concerns the admission of Gentiles and Peter’s understanding of impartiality. Their experiences differ in circumstances and role.

The Jerusalem Council addresses whether Gentile converts must accept circumcision and the law as demanded by some believers. Its decision and accompanying instructions shape relations within the expanding church. Study the roles of Peter, Paul, Barnabas and James rather than assigning all discussion to one person.

Work through an example

Why was the Gentile question important for the early church?

Explanation: It concerned membership and whether people from outside Judaism needed to adopt specified Jewish requirements to belong.

Watch out: Cornelius and Paul have different conversion narratives; do not exchange their details.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Before his conversion, Saul is portrayed in Acts as

  1. a king of Judah
  2. a persecutor of the church
  3. a Roman emperor
  4. one of the seven chosen in Acts 6
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: a persecutor of the church

Acts describes his active opposition before the Damascus-road experience.

Question 2

A central issue at the Jerusalem Council was

  1. requirements for Gentile converts
  2. the sale of Naboth’s vineyard
  3. the design of Solomon’s palace
  4. the choice of a new Roman governor
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: requirements for Gentile converts

Acts 15 discusses circumcision, the law and Gentile inclusion.

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18 Selected Epistles

Faith, grace, new life and inheritance

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain Paul’s language of justification and grace
  • Connect new identity with ethical change

Understand it

In Romans and Galatians, justification concerns being put in a right relationship with God through faith rather than earning acceptance through works of the law. Grace emphasises divine favour as a gift; the law retains a role in identifying wrongdoing and in the argument’s history.

New life in Christ is described through changed allegiance and conduct. Romans 6 and Colossians 3 connect leaving former practices with living differently. Paul does not present grace as permission to continue harming others.

Galatians uses adoption and inheritance language to describe believers as children and heirs. Its argument challenges status barriers within the community. Explain the metaphor in context rather than converting it into a promise of material wealth.

Work through an example

Why does Paul reject the idea that grace permits continued wrongdoing?

Explanation: New life involves a changed relationship and conduct; grace is not presented as a licence to remain in the old pattern.

Watch out: Do not equate spiritual inheritance with guaranteed financial prosperity.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Grace in Paul’s argument chiefly emphasises

  1. payment earned by social rank
  2. a Roman tax
  3. a form of farming
  4. divine favour given as a gift
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: divine favour given as a gift

Grace contrasts with treating acceptance as something bought or earned.

Question 2

The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians concerns

  1. A list of church offices
  2. A list of ceremonial food rules
  3. A timetable of festivals
  4. qualities of conduct and character
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: qualities of conduct and character

The passage describes qualities such as love, patience and self-control.

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19 Selected Epistles

Humility and forgiveness

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain humility through the selected texts
  • Analyse restoration in forgiveness

Understand it

Philippians 2 connects humility with considering others and the example of Christ. Humility is not a claim that a person has no worth; it challenges self-importance and the use of status solely for personal advantage.

Philemon presents Paul’s appeal concerning Onesimus and the relationship between the two men. Read the appeal carefully rather than inventing details about every aspect of their later lives.

Second Corinthians 2 links forgiveness with restoring a person rather than allowing grief to become overwhelming. Forgiveness concerns a response to wrongdoing, while responsible relationships still require honesty and recognition of harm.

Work through an example

How is humility different from pretending to have no ability?

Explanation: Humility concerns how ability and status are used in relation to others, not denying that they exist.

Watch out: Do not confuse forgiveness with claiming that no wrong occurred.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Philippians 2 uses the example of Christ to encourage

  1. competition for public praise
  2. revenge against every critic
  3. humility and concern for others
  4. dependence on wealth
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: humility and concern for others

The passage contrasts self-interest with self-giving conduct.

Question 2

Paul’s letter to Philemon includes an appeal concerning

  1. Naboth
  2. Gideon
  3. Rehoboam
  4. Onesimus
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: Onesimus

Onesimus is central to Paul’s appeal to Philemon.

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20 Selected Epistles

Spiritual gifts and giving

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain diversity of gifts and common purpose
  • Distinguish generosity from display or coercion

Understand it

First Corinthians 12 uses the body to explain different gifts within one community. Diversity is presented as necessary, not as a reason for one member to dismiss another. Gifts are directed towards the common good.

First Corinthians 14 stresses intelligibility and order in communal worship. A contribution should help others understand rather than merely display the speaker’s status. This links gifts with responsibility.

Second Corinthians 8–9 presents giving through willingness, generosity and concern for need. Matthew 6 warns against giving for public admiration. These texts should not be turned into a guaranteed financial return formula.

Work through an example

What does the body image contribute to the discussion of gifts?

Explanation: It shows interdependence: different functions contribute to the wellbeing of one community.

Watch out: Do not rank a person’s human worth by the prominence of a gift.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

In 1 Corinthians 12, gifts are intended for

  1. the common good
  2. private boasting alone
  3. excluding less visible members
  4. buying political office
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: the common good

The gifts serve the community’s shared life.

Question 2

Giving solely to attract public praise conflicts with the teaching on

  1. the geography of Galilee
  2. the order of creation
  3. sincere generosity
  4. the number of the tribes
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: sincere generosity

The selected passages challenge display and encourage willing care.

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21 Selected Epistles

Civic responsibility and dignity of work

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Identify responsibilities towards authority and society
  • Explain dignity of labour without despising people in need

Understand it

Romans 13 and related passages discuss respect for authority, obligations and public order. The curriculum asks learners to identify responsible citizenship, including duties such as paying what is owed and acting peaceably.

Second Thessalonians 3 addresses deliberate idleness and disorder in its community. Its criticism of unwillingness to work should not be used to condemn people who cannot work or cannot find employment.

Colossians 3 connects work with sincerity and responsibility. Dignity of labour means honest work does not make someone less worthy of respect. Evaluate conduct and fairness rather than judging people by the prestige of an occupation.

Work through an example

Why distinguish unwillingness to work from inability to work?

Explanation: They are different circumstances; the passage’s warning should not be used to blame a person for illness or lack of opportunity.

Watch out: Do not make occupational status a measure of personal dignity.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

Dignity of labour means that

  1. manual work removes human dignity
  2. only office work has value
  3. honest work deserves respect
  4. wealth proves moral superiority
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: honest work deserves respect

The theme rejects contempt based on occupation.

Question 2

Which action best reflects responsible citizenship in the selected texts?

  1. Using office for personal extortion
  2. Refusing every social duty
  3. Spreading deliberate falsehoods
  4. Meeting lawful public obligations honestly
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: Meeting lawful public obligations honestly

The passages connect public responsibility with honest and orderly conduct.

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22 Selected Epistles

Prayer and the second coming

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Identify attitudes associated with effective prayer
  • Explain readiness without predicting dates

Understand it

James connects prayer with faith, appropriate motives and responsibility within the community. Matthew 6 warns against performance for public admiration. Prayer includes praise, request, confession and thanksgiving, depending on context.

The second-coming passages discuss hope, judgement, readiness and uncertainty about timing. First Thessalonians addresses concern about those who have died, while warnings against deception appear in the wider syllabus passages.

Readiness is expressed through alert and responsible living, not date calculation. Matthew 25 connects judgement imagery with treatment of those in need. No exact modern date can be derived from these lessons.

Work through an example

What distinguishes sincere prayer from prayer as a public performance?

Explanation: The intention is relationship and honest dependence rather than winning admiration from onlookers.

Watch out: Do not invent a date for the second coming.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

James 4 connects unanswered requests with the possibility of

  1. insufficient social rank
  2. failure to use a loudspeaker
  3. lack of expensive clothing
  4. wrong motives
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: wrong motives

The passage challenges requests directed towards selfish desires.

Question 2

A central response to uncertainty about the second coming is

  1. abandoning every duty
  2. selling false predictions
  3. responsible readiness
  4. calculating an unsupported exact date
Show answer and explanation

Answer C: responsible readiness

The texts emphasise alert and faithful conduct.

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23 Selected Epistles

Impartiality, community and family

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain the rejection of favouritism
  • Apply relationship themes without erasing responsibility

Understand it

James 2 criticises giving a rich visitor honour while humiliating a poor visitor. Impartiality means judging and treating people without unfair preference based on wealth or status; it does not mean ignoring relevant differences in need.

Romans 12 and Hebrews 13 discuss hospitality, peace, service and practical care. First Peter addresses conduct under opposition and urges a response that does not imitate wrongdoing. These are themes of community behaviour, not instructions to hide abuse.

The household passages discuss responsibilities of children, parents and other members in their historical setting. Read obligations in relation to care and accountability. Religious language should not be used to excuse violence or remove a person’s dignity.

Work through an example

How does the rich-and-poor visitor example expose partiality?

Explanation: Treatment depends on outward wealth rather than equal respect for persons.

Watch out: Equal dignity does not require giving everyone identical help when their needs differ.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

James’s example of seating a rich visitor prominently chiefly condemns

  1. favouritism based on wealth
  2. the use of chairs
  3. all forms of hospitality
  4. every organised meeting
Show answer and explanation

Answer A: favouritism based on wealth

The contrast exposes unequal treatment driven by status.

Question 2

Which action best illustrates hospitality in community life?

  1. Demanding praise before helping
  2. Welcoming and assisting someone in need
  3. Excluding everyone outside one’s family
  4. Humiliating a stranger
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: Welcoming and assisting someone in need

Hospitality involves practical welcome and care.

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24 Selected Epistles

Corruption and sexual ethics in the selected texts

Read this lesson

What you should be able to do

  • Explain biblical criticism of greed and exploitation
  • Describe prescribed sexual-ethics passages in their textual context

Understand it

The corruption theme connects greed, dishonesty, withheld wages and abuse of advantage. First Timothy 6 distinguishes contentment from destructive pursuit of wealth, while James 5 criticises exploitation of workers. The issue is conduct, not the assumption that every wealthy person is corrupt.

The syllabus includes passages addressing prostitution, adultery, fornication and same-sex sexual conduct. For examination purposes, explain what the prescribed text argues, identify its setting and distinguish the passage from later denominational interpretations. This is textual study, not a licence to demean people.

Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 6 connects bodily conduct with belonging and responsibility; Hebrews 13 addresses marital faithfulness. Teaching these themes should preserve dignity and avoid stigma, harassment or claims that an identity makes a person less worthy of respect.

Work through an example

How should an answer about a disputed ethical passage be framed?

Explanation: Identify the passage and explain its argument accurately, distinguishing that textual account from a personal judgement about people.

Watch out: Do not turn an examination theme into insults or assumptions about a person’s identity.

2 practice questions with answers

Try each question before opening its answer. These are original CampusNinja practice questions.

Question 1

James 5’s criticism of withholding workers’ wages concerns

  1. the number of temple pillars
  2. the naming of the apostles
  3. the order of the judges
  4. economic injustice
Show answer and explanation

Answer D: economic injustice

Withholding earned wages is presented as exploitation.

Question 2

Which approach is appropriate when studying a prescribed ethical passage?

  1. Use it to insult classmates
  2. Explain its argument and context accurately while respecting people’s dignity
  3. Invent a quotation
  4. Assume every denomination reads it identically
Show answer and explanation

Answer B: Explain its argument and context accurately while respecting people’s dignity

Responsible textual study separates accurate explanation from harassment and unsupported generalisation.

Link to this topic

Syllabus source and learning material

Scope checked against JAMB’s IBASS source on 2026-10-16. Current IBASS file; not independently labelled 2027. Notes, examples and practice questions are original CampusNinja learning material, not authenticated JAMB past questions.

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