Created In The Image of God

Phil Benedict

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

United Indian Mission

Greeley, Colorado

These guides are designed to help you to study, to learn, to understand, and to live what God teaches us in his Word, the Bible. God gave us the Bible to teach us how to know and to walk with Him. We can enjoy God’s blessings forever, rather than experiencing his judgement. His Word is eternally true. Take time to carefully read and think about the Scriptures used in this guide. Meditate on them and the truths they teach. Learn to love God and his Word. Regularly ask God for a right understanding of Scriptural truths and then make them part of you. Absorb them. If you go over the material too quickly without much thought, it will have little or no lasting impact on your life. Commit yourself to making Biblical truths the foundation of your life and to putting them into practice every day of your life.

In these verses are some of the most profound truths in all of Scripture. You and I are created in the image of God. Being created in God’s image gives every human, both men and women, a value far beyond all the rest of creation. Even with all of our sin and our weaknesses we are very special to God. We have great value to God and nothing can take it away. This is true about all of us. No one is left out.

Read Matthew 6:26 and Matthew 10:31.

Both of these verses indicate that we have more value than____________. Do you think this truth is limited to sparrows or do we have more value to God than anything else in creation?

What would have more value to God than people?

Read Hebrews 1:14 and Psalm 34:7. In these verses, what is the purpose of angels?

What does it say about our value to God if He assigns angels to serve and protect us?

Do you feel valued by God?

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness... Genesis 1:26(a)

In Genesis 1 God reveals to us the seven days of creation. On the first five and one half days God follows a similar pattern of creation. However, when He comes to the creation of man on day six, the pattern completely changes. This change in the pattern is a strong indication that something different is about to happen. What we discover is that God is now ready to create man, the most important part of his creation.

In Genesis 1:26, how does God say He will create man?

In Genesis 1:27, what else is said about the creation of man?

The emphasis on male and female here makes it clear that both men and women are created in the image of God. Often when "man" or "men" is used, it is used in a generic sense, referring to all people, not just males. This verse makes it clear that both men and women are created in the image of God.

In verse 26 and in verse 28, what authority or responsibility is given to men and women?

After creating man and woman, God gave them dominion over the rest of creation. This is without question an indication that they are distinct from the rest of creation and in a place of superiority over the rest of creation. In the first five and a half days of creation God created an earthly paradise specifically for man to live in. Man is not just another part of creation, but the reason for the rest of creation.

In Genesis 1:26, it uses two phrases, "image of God" and "likeness of God", to describe how we are created. The words "image" and "likeness" mean the same thing. The two phrases repeat the same truth. Repeating is a way of emphasizing an important truth. It’s as if God is saying, "This is important, I want you to listen and to understand it". In Genesis 1:27, this truth is restated and again the truth is repeated twice. God doesn’t want us to miss it. Being created in the image of God is the foundation of our life and what we think about our self. This truth should permeate every aspect of our lives.

How important is it that you are created in the image of God?

How does being created in the image of God make you feel about yourself?

How should being created in the image of God make a difference in the way we live and act?

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis 2:7

In Genesis 2:7, we are given more information about the creation of man. In this verse we learn that God used a three step process. This three step process was only used in the creation of man.

Again this sets man apart from all the rest of creation.

What are the steps God used in creating man?

There was something special about how God went about creating man. First, He formed him. God, the master craftsman, with skill and great care, formed his most treasured work. He is the potter who puts a lump of clay on the wheel and with great skill and care forms that clay into a valuable masterpiece. We are God’s treasure, a masterpiece formed by his loving and caring hands.

What does Isaiah 64:8 say about us?

What does Isaiah 29:16 say about our response to the One who formed us?

Are you willing to be a piece of clay in God’s hand and let Him continue to mold you?

The second phrase in Genesis 2:7 states that God breathed into man the breath of life. From God’s inner being He breathed his own breath of life into man, who was his most treasured creation. The nature of this action by God indicates that man is very special to Him. His relationship with man will be much deeper and more personal than with any other part of his creation. The climax of this special creation of man is in the third phrase, "and man became a living soul". God not only formed our bodies, but He also created our soul and spirit.

What does Zechariah 12:1 say about our spirit?

Read Psalm 33:13-15. In verse 15, what does God form? What is "heart" referring to?

How much of us has God formed?

All of what God created was good. Throughout the creation story, the phrase "and God saw that it was good" is repeatedly used. However, there is something a little different in Genesis 1:31.

In Genesis 1:31, what is different about the phrase when He uses it to describe the creation of man and woman?

When man takes a life, as in an abortion, he destroys a life that was created in the image God and that was specially designed and created to love and serve Him. This is an abomination to God, and those who participate are subject to the wrath of God. However, we must never forget the eagerness of God to forgive and to pick up the pieces of broken lives and restore them to a place of blessing. What a God we have!!!

In Genesis 2:18-25, it records the creation of Eve. This record begins with the potent statement that it is not good for man to be alone. What a statement! Since we were created in God’s own image by God himself, God understood our need for companionship and fellowship. He provided that for Adam with the creation of Eve, and He established a loving marriage relationship. Instead of going through life alone, we can have a marriage partner with whom a deep bond is formed. We meet each other’s deepest needs, and we encourage each other when life is hard. There is mutual support, love, and encouragement. The two can now work together to do the work God that created them to do.

There may be some humor in Genesis 2:19-23 when God reveals the events leading up to the creation of Eve. God has just made the statement that it was not good for man to be alone. Then He brings all the animals to Adam to be named. After naming the animals, it states, "But for Adam no suitable helper was found". It’s almost as if God brought all the animals to Adam for him to choose a partner, but Adam could not find a suitable helper among any of the animals. After that God may have said with a twinkle in his eye, "Okay Adam, I will create a helper just for you; let me show you what I can do". He put Adam to sleep, took a rib and created Eve. One can only imagine Adam’s reaction when he woke up and saw Eve for the first time. Perhaps his eyes got as big as saucers and he said, "Wow God, you done real good"! Apparently in the Hebrew language there is excitement in Adam’s response in verse 23. Now I (Phil Benedict–the writer of this lesson) will admit that I have let my imagination go a little bit, but I, for one, am real glad that Adam did not choose a hippopotamus for a partner.

In verse 24, God establishes marriage and gives the fundamentals for marriage. First, a couple are to leave their father and mother. The second fundamental is to be united with their wife (husband). The union of a husband and wife is profound. They become one in spirit and purpose and in their love and commitment to each other and to God. The third fundamental is to become "one flesh". This is speaking of the sexual union of a husband and wife. God put inside each of us a sexual attraction and He established marriage to fulfill that attraction. The physical sexual union was given by God for bonding (the two shall become one), for reproduction, and for pleasure.

The sexual union is between a husband and wife and is a God given design. Within marriage it is not wrong or "dirty". Sex outside of the marriage of a husband and wife is wrong. God’s standard has not changed, and it never will. Our society rejects this clear Biblical teaching and condones and promotes free sex outside of marriage; however, that does not give Christians the right to discard Scripture and follow the world. The love of a husband and wife is a picture of the love of Christ for his church. (Ephesians 5:25-33) It is also a picture of the love and unity within the Godhead itself. When we betray the love of our spouse (future spouse if still unmarried), we betray God Himself and smear the image of God in which we are created. We can be thankful that God forgives, but that does not give license to disobey God.

In Matthew 19:3-5, when Jesus was asked about divorce, He quoted Genesis 2:24. Then He went on to add, "Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate". God intended marriage to be life long. When a marriage ends in divorce, it destroys the picture of God’s never ending commitment to love and care for his church.

In Genesis 9:6, long after man’s fall into sin, while giving instructions to Noah about capital punishment, what truth does God reaffirm?

In James 3:8-12, why should we not "curse man"? (verse 9)

Both of these passages indicate that mankind is still made in the image of God. We can rejoice that God has not abandoned us and that we are still created in His likeness. What a blessing!!!

If you don’t "feel" like you are created in God’s image, does that mean that you are not created in His image?

Are you willing to accept the Biblical truth that you are created in the image of God?

Stop for a moment and thank God that you are made in His own image.

From time to time our feelings are referred to in this guide. God gave us feelings and emotions. We would not want to be without them. We want to feel love, joy, peace, etc. Without feelings, we would be robots. However, we must discipline ourselves to not be controlled by our feelings. Our foundation must be built on the truth of the Word of God, not on how we feel or how we feel about something. We need to make choices based on Scripture, not on our feelings. This is very important. Choices made on feelings alone will get us into a lot of trouble. Choices based on God’s Word will lead to long term spiritual growth and productivity.

The word "likeness" and "image" indicate that we are like God in some ways, but not an exact copy. If something is "like" something else, it is similar but not exactly like it. Jesus, however, is said to be the "exact representation of His (God’s) Being"(Hebrew 1:3). Jesus, being God, is exactly like God. However, we as humans have some characteristics that are like God in some ways but are far from being exactly like Him.

It is very important that we have a basic understanding of how we were created in God’s image. It sets the foundation for how we view ourselves and how we live in order to honor the God who created us to be like Him. Carefully consider each of the following concepts.

In Genesis 1:26, when it first states that we were to be created in God’s image, there are two plural pronouns, "us" and "our", both of which refer to God. It is not an accident that God referred to His own plural nature when He revealed that He was ready to create man in His own image. To understand how we are created in God’s image we need to have some understanding of the use of "us" and "our" in this verse.

These plural pronouns are the first indication or at least a hint of the trinity. There is only one God, but there are three, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who form that one God. Each of the three are distinct; yet together they are one. This is a Scriptural teaching that is not fully understood, yet it is true.

Within the trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all have perfect love, unity, harmony and fellowship with each other. (John 14:31, John 17) There is also the giving and receiving of glory and honor. Jesus glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies the Son. (John 17:1, 22, 24) (John 14:13). The Spirit guides our attention to the Son (John 14:26, 15:26) and Jesus submits to the will of the Father (Mark 14:36). God is a God of perfect love, harmony, unity, and fellowship and He demonstrates it all within his own trinity.

When God created man, He gave us the capacity to love and to fellowship. We can fellowship with other believers and we can fellowship with God Himself (1 John 1:4) (Philippians 2:1). This is the reason why deep in the heart of man there is a longing to know and worship our creator and Lord. This capacity to know and love God is unique to man. No other part of God’s creation has this capacity.

After creating Adam and Eve, apparently God would come down in the "cool of the evening" and talk and fellowship with them. What a demonstration of God’s desire for fellowship. His desire for love and fellowship is not limited to members of his own trinity. He created man in his own image so that He could love and fellowship with man. Man is able to love God and bring Him honor, praise, and worship. This relationship brings joy to the heart of God.

These truths boggle our minds. In spite of all our sin and all our weaknesses, God loves us and He wants us to walk and fellowship with Him!!! Can we grasp that? Can we understand that God loves us? And that sometime soon He will take us home to be with Him, and for eternity He will shower us with the riches of his grace. We are blessed and rich beyond imagination!!!

Do you believe that God loves you and wants you to love Him?

Do you feel that God is always angry and disappointed with you, so that there is not much hope for you to ever fellowship with or please God?

Do you sense a tug in your heart to know and fellowship with God?

Are you taking time to learn Biblical truth about God?

Are you willing to make your walk with God the number one priority in your life?

God is the designer and creator of man and the entire universe. Obviously, this took a tremendous amount of intelligence. God uses His intelligence to accomplish his own will and purpose. When God created us in His own likeness, He also made us with a high degree of intelligence. We can acquire knowledge, gain insight, understanding, and wisdom. We have the ability to think, to reason, to solve problems, and to design. Obviously our intelligence is very inferior to God’s intelligence, but it is far superior to any animal’s intelligence. God gave us this intelligence and these abilities so that we, empowered by the Spirit of God, can work to accomplish the will and purpose of God.

The Holy Spirit lives in and gives direction to those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that we do not need to exercise the mental abilities that God gave us. He gave us a capable brain and He expects us to use it. Many times in Scripture we are instructed to actively seek and use knowledge, understanding, discretion, insight, and wisdom.

In the Bible, wisdom is the highest form of intelligence. Wisdom is a combination of knowing the Word of God, of being led by the Spirit of God, and of faithfully serving the Lord over a significant period of time.

Read James 1:5. What are we instructed to do?

In this verse how will God respond to our prayer?

Now carefully read Proverbs 1:7.

What is the beginning of wisdom?

What does a fool do?

Carefully read Proverbs 2:1-6. In these verses we are instructed to seek wisdom. As the passage progresses, it becomes more intense.

In verse 1, how should we respond to God’s instructions?

In verse 2, what two things do we do?

In verse 3, the instructions become more intense. What are we to do in this verse?

In verse 4, the search for wisdom is more important than what?

From verse 5, what happens if we actively seek wisdom as instructed in verses 1-4?

In verse 6, what is the source of wisdom?

Now carefully read Proverbs 2:7-22. In these verses there are at least five results of seeking wisdom. List as many of these as you can find.

Now carefully read Proverbs 1:20-33. These are some very sobering verses. Here is given the results of ignoring wisdom. List several things that result from ignoring wisdom?

Carefully read Psalm 1 several times. According to this chapter, what should we regularly think about (meditate on)?

What are the results of this kind of meditation?

Carefully read Romans 12:1-2. What does verse two say about our minds?

What is the result of a transformed mind?

What does Colossians 3:2 say about our minds?

Are you using your mind to know God better?

Are you using your mind to promote the will and purpose of God?

The whole book of Proverbs is about wisdom. The first ten chapters give some very practical advice, instructions and warnings. It would be well to read these chapters several times and take their message to heart.

What is the message of Proverbs 3:5-6?

Although we normally don’t think about it, God is a very emotional or feeling God. He experiences emotions such as love, joy, hate, sorrow, grief, and anger. When God created man, He also made us to be emotional beings. Since we are to be conformed to the image of Jesus, we must learn to love the things He loves; we must hate what He hates; we must be angry at what makes Him angry; we can have joy at what gives Him joy; and we can be satisfied with what makes Him satisfied. This emotional likeness enables us to be in conformity with the very heart and feelings of God. As this happens, our very thoughts and actions also come into conformity with God’s own will and purpose.

Following are passages and questions that deal with emotions of God. Carefully digest these verses. These truths can grip your heart and give you a new understanding of God and of the kind of person He wants you to be.

In John 3:16, who does God love?

How many people are included in "the world"?

What did God do because He loved us?

If we have a love for the world, what will it cause us to do?

Psalm 22 expresses some of the thoughts and deep emotions of Jesus as He hung on the cross. Reading and absorbing this Psalm will give a new appreciation and love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you read and absorbed Psalm 22?

Read Luke 19:41-44. What caused Jesus to weep?

Isaiah 53 is talking about Jesus. What is He called in Isaiah 53:3?

Read Matthew 26:36-38. Describe Jesus’s sorrow in these verses.

Read John 11:35. When Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus died, what did Jesus do before Lazarus was raised from the dead?

What emotion does God express in Deuteronomy 12:31?

Who does God hate in Psalm 5:5?

Read Psalm 45:6-7. What does God love and what does He hate?

From Psalm 97:10, what should we hate?

From Proverbs 6:16-19, list seven things God hates.

There seems to be an emphasis on number seven in this list. What is number seven that is so detestable to God?

Do you work for unity or do you cause division among our fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Carefully read Amos 5:21-24. What does God hate or despise?

In this passage, what does He identify as noise?

From this passage (Amos 5:21-24), what would cause God to react so harshly to a "worship service"?

Does your praise and worship of God bring Him joy or cause Him anger?

What does God hate in Malachi 2:16?

Read Exodus 22:22-24. What made God angry?

From this passage, remembering that Exodus is part of the Old Testament law, what did God say He would do in His anger?

From the verses around Ephesians 4:30, what causes the Holy Spirit grief?

In Isaiah 65:19, what emotions does God express?

Carefully read Hebrews 1:8-9. In these verses God the Father is addressing the Son. How does God identify the Son? What is Jesus anointed with?

In Hebrews 12:2, why did Jesus endure the cross?

In Luke 15:7, what causes rejoicing in heaven?

How is Jesus described in Luke 10:21?

From John 17:13, what is Jesus praying that we will have?

From this passage what does "full measure of joy" mean?

All of us need to take a good look at ourselves. Do I love the things He loves?; do I hate what He hates?; am I angry at what makes Him angry?; do I have joy in what gives Him joy?; and am I satisfied with what makes Him satisfied?

No one has "arrived", but are you making progress?

God has given man an inbuilt moral consciousness. While man’s conscience can be severely hardened or altered, the fact that we innately know right from wrong separates us from the animals and gives us a resemblance to God. Man’s conscience, especially when given direction from the Word of God, leads him to act in such a way as to honor his Creator.

Throughout the Bible the terms righteous and wicked are continually used to describe men.

What do Psalm 45:7 and Hebrews 1:9 both say about God?

What does Ezekiel 18:20 say about wickedness and righteousness?

What does Proverbs 11:5 say about wickedness and righteousness?

One devastating truth about much of American Christianity is that we do not hate wickedness and evil. We have absorbed much of the world’s thinking and acceptance of sin. This brings about weakness and little spiritual fruit.

Psalm 1 and Romans 12:1-2 are two good passages to seriously consider when examining your own ideas and attitudes.

Do your ideas and attitudes about sin and evil come from the Bible or from someplace else?

Are you willing to let God, through His Word, give you a right understanding of right and wrong?

Are you willing to submit to what He teaches you?

God’s creation of the earth and the descriptions of heaven and the New Jerusalem all indicate that God is a creative God who loves beauty. When God created man, He gave him an appreciation of beauty and the ability to be creative. Our appreciation of beauty causes us to honor and praise the God of beauty. We are able to create music and works of art that give glory and praise to our Creator. This concept is hard to put a lot of verses to; however, when we look at passages such as Psalm 119:4 and Psalm 8, we are brought to the point of worship of God because of what He has created.

What does it say about God Himself in Psalm 50:2?

What deep desire is being expressed in Psalm 27:4?

Being in the form of God does not mean we are physically like God. We have a physical body. John 4:4 teaches that God is a spirit. As a spirit, God does not have a body. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that we are not created in a physical likeness of God.

Genesis 3 reveals the tragic fall of mankind into sin. Even though this was devastating, it does not take away from the truth that each one of us is still a special creation of God and that He has a plan and purpose for each of our lives, even from conception.

As we have seen, men and women are created in the image of God. This is true of all people. We have also seen that even though man sinned, we are still created in His image. Even though the image has been marred by sin, God still loves us and wants each and every one of us to serve Him.

In Psalm 139:13-18, we find that God is deeply involved in the creation and life of every individual human being. Before we are born, He has determined what kind of a person He wants each individual to be. He has a unique special plan and purpose for every individual. He even determines the length of a person’s life before He is born. Verse 13 states that God is in control, even in our conception. "He knit me together in my mother’s womb". Even in our conception He gives us the qualities needed to serve Him in the capacity He has predetermined.

It is God who determines where we will be born, what race we will be, our physical characteristics, our mental capabilities, etc. It is no accident that we are a man or woman, Indian, White, Black, Asian, Latin or a member of another race. Who we are and the home we are born into is all determined by God. It is all part of his plan for us to serve Him in the way He has planned. Sometimes things may seem unfair to us, but God’s promises of care and provision apply to everyone and He will provide for our needs (See Matthew 6:25-34). God will reward us according to our faithfulness, and He has all eternity to show us his appreciation for our service to Him.

Real satisfaction comes when we know God and serve Him in the way He planned. Even though we may rebel for a part of our lives, it is never too late to get on the path and walk with and serve Him.

Do you feel that for some reason or another you are not a very valuable person?

Do you feel unhappy or perhaps a little angry about who you are (or aren’t) or where you were born?

Are you willing to accept the truth that God is in control of who you are, and He has a special purpose for you?

When we combine the truths of Psalm 139 with the passages in the New Testament dealing with spiritual gifts, we find that God gives every individual spiritual gifts, or special talents and abilities, that enable us to do the work He calls each individual believer to do.

Every person who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ is given "spiritual gifts" which enable him to be a productive servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. A "spiritual gift" is a God given talent or ability to be used to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Most are used to build up fellow believers. As we use these abilities to serve fellow believers, we are actually serving the Lord and bringing honor to His name.

There are three major passages that give us the fundamental truths about spiritual gifts. They are Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-15, and I Corinthians 12. Some of the gifts mentioned are serving, encouraging, showing mercy, contributing to the needs of others, leadership, administration, wisdom, knowledge, faith, evangelism, being a pastor, and teaching. Each gift is in some way a quality of God Himself. They are all part of the image of God. When we use our gifts, we are in a very practical way demonstrating the nature of God. When we use our spiritual gift(s), we are doing the work God would do if He were personally here. We are expressing the image of God to another brother or sister in Christ, or to an unsaved person.

Again we have to stand back in awe and wonder. God uses you and me to do his work and to demonstrate what He is like. This is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. We must take it very seriously. If we don’t do our part, brothers and sisters in Christ will suffer.

All believers will be rewarded for an eternity on the basis of our faithfulness in using the spiritual gifts and abilities we have been given. We will not be rewarded based on our fame, popularity, or "success".

Many of you may be uncertain of what your spiritual gift might be. Read Romans 12:1-8 several times. Honestly evaluate yourself. Ask God for insight and direction. What do you enjoy doing? What has God used in the past? You may wish to talk with a more mature Christian who knows you and get his input.

It should be noted that there are other abilities He has given that are not listed in the lists of gifts; but they are important. Abilities such as musical talent, being a good cook, being handy with your hands, ability to do crafts, etc. can all be used to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

What are you doing that is a service to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Do you have an ability with which you can serve Him?

What steps do you need to take to begin serving Him?

Romans 8:29(a)

It is God’s plan that we be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Our response to all these truths should be to be deeply committed to being like Jesus. We are created in his image and now we are to be like Him. This is our lifelong goal and purpose. When we accept that truth and live accordingly, we will be richly rewarded now and for eternity by God who so deeply loves us.

Being like God is a growth process. Obviously none of us will ever be totally like the Lord Jesus Christ; however, we should always be growing to be more like Him.

Since you have come to know God, are you becoming more like Him?

What do you need to work on to be more like Him?

In both Ephesians 4:24 and Colossians 3:10, we are instructed to put off the old self or the old way of life and to put on the new self.

In Ephesians 4:24, how is that new self described?

In Colossians 3:10, how is the new self described?

In these verses our new spiritual nature is said to be made in the image of God. On earth we will never be perfect, but when we allow the Spirit of God to control us we can live in such a way that it reflects God. When we walk with God, we reflect his holiness, his righteousness, his justice, his love, his grace, his mercy, his patience, his wisdom, and even his anger.

As we have seen, God loves unity and harmony. One thing that is an abomination to God is to create discord and disunity among Christian people. God hates discord, and anyone who regularly causes friction causes God to be very displeased. Proverbs 6:16-19, Philippians 2:1-5, Titus 3:9-10

Carefully read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. Part of the responsibility of knowing God and being created in the image of God is to represent Him to others on earth. God has committed to us the ministry of reconciling the world to Himself. We are his ambassadors. That is a tremendous privilege and responsibility.

God loves and rewards those who live for Him. Yet most people reject Him, even though they are created in God’s own image. God, who loves deeply, also has a deep, "fierce" anger. People who reject the One who created them in His own image will face his deep anger and wrath for eternity. It is our responsibility to represent Jesus Christ in such a way that others will be drawn to Him. Every Christian should know the plan of salvation and enough Scripture that they can sit down with someone and personally lead them to put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 4:2

As we have seen, God has created us in His own image. In Psalm 139 we learn that we are all individually created by God and He has our life planned for us. In the New Testament we learn that each individual person has been gifted by God to serve Him in the way God has chosen. You have been placed in a certain place by God and individually equipped by God to serve Him in the way He has specifically chosen for you.

Each of us has been given a trust by God. Now our part is to faithfully serve Him with the talents and abilities He has given us, and to serve Him where He has put us. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and complaining about how tough things are, we should faithfully and actively serve Him where He has put us. When we do this, we will find real satisfaction and peace. We will never be happy or content if we do not serve Him in the way He has chosen.

Individuals who do not actively serve the Lord Jesus Christ totally miss their whole purpose for being created by God. What a tragedy to live and totally miss our whole reason for existence.

When we combine the truths covered in this lesson, we must conclude that we have tremendous value to God. First, we are all created in his image. God individually plans for and designs each of us, even in our mother’s womb. He puts us where He wants us to be and gives each of us the talents and abilities we need to do the work He designed us to do. As we move through life, He continually shapes and molds each individual to bring us into greater conformity with the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are his ambassadors to unsaved people.

As we begin to grasp these truths, we begin to realize how very valuable each of us is. None of us are trash. We are precious in his sight. Even if we sin and rebel against Him, He still seeks to bring us back to Himself. He wants our love and fellowship. He wants us to serve Him and to bring Him honor, glory, and praise.

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October, 2001