God Makes Adam and Eve
Scripture: Genesis 2:4-25
Theme: God made us to walk with Him
Age Group: High School (Ages 15-18)
Overview
This lesson explores the profound theological truth that humans are created in God’s image (imago Dei). Students will examine what this means for human dignity, purpose, relationships, and the Gospel. We’ll see how Jesus Christ is the perfect image of God and how the Gospel restores what sin damaged.
Bible Story
Genesis 1:26-27 records God’s decision to create humanity: ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.’ So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
God blessed them and gave them a purpose: ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature.’ Humanity was given stewardship over creation.
Genesis 2 provides a more detailed account. God formed man from the dust and breathed life into him , a personal, intimate act of creation. God planted a garden and placed man there to work it and care for it.
God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone.’ This is the first thing God called ‘not good.’ God brought the animals to Adam, but no suitable helper was found among them.
God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, took one of his ribs, and made a woman. Adam recognized her as ‘bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.’ The text concludes: ‘A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.’
Activities
Imago Dei and Human Dignity Discussion
Supplies: Bibles, Whiteboard or large paper, Markers, Printed discussion prompts
- Write on the board: ‘If every person is made in God’s image, how should we treat them?’
- Break into small groups and assign each group a topic: racism, care for the elderly, treatment of the disabled, poverty, or human trafficking.
- Groups discuss: How does the imago Dei apply to this issue? What does the Bible say?
- Each group shares their findings with the class.
- Discuss: How does the Gospel address these issues at the root level?
- Close in prayer for people around the world who are treated as less than image-bearers of God.
Jesus: The Perfect Image of God
Supplies: Bibles, Large paper, Markers, Colored pencils
- Read Colossians 1:15-20 and Hebrews 1:3 together.
- Create a two-column chart: ‘Humanity (damaged image)’ and ‘Jesus (perfect image).’
- Fill in the chart with qualities: love, obedience, creativity, relationship with God, purpose, etc.
- Discuss: How does Jesus restore the image of God in us? (See 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Colossians 3:10)
- Challenge: How can you reflect God’s image more clearly this week?
Discussion Questions
- What does it mean to be made in God’s image? What are the practical implications?
- How does the imago Dei give every human being inherent dignity and worth?
- In what ways has sin damaged the image of God in humanity?
- How does Jesus perfectly reflect the image of God?
- What does it mean that we are being ‘restored’ to God’s image through the Gospel?
- How should the truth that all people are made in God’s image shape how we engage with culture, politics, and social issues?
- The Aeta people of the Philippines value community. How does being made in God’s image explain why humans need community?
Prayer Focus
Thank God for making us in His image. Pray for the Aeta people of the Philippines. Ask God to help you see every person as an image-bearer of God. Pray for courage to stand for human dignity in a world that often devalues it.
Missions Spotlight
Among the Aeta people of the Philippines, one of the oldest indigenous groups, missionaries have found that the concept of being ‘made by God’ resonates deeply. The Aeta have a strong sense of community that opens doors for sharing about the God who made us for relationship.
To the Cross
God made us to be like Him, to love, create, and have fellowship with Him. When sin broke that image, Jesus came as the ‘image of the invisible God’ (Colossians 1:15) to restore us. Jesus lived the perfect human life we could never live, died the death we deserved, and rose again to make us new. Through Him, the image of God in us is being restored.
Teaching Tips
- Prompt Critical Analysis of the Narrative
- Assign Specific Roles for Group Dynamics
- Focus on the ‘Imago Dei’ rather than Just ‘Sin’
- Connect the Text to Modern Identity Formation
Family Take-Home
This week we explored what it means to be made in God’s image. Every person has inherent dignity and worth because they bear God’s image. Sin damaged that image, but Jesus, the perfect image of God, came to restore us through His death and resurrection.