Lesson 2 – God Creates Adam and Eve

God has made us in His image, provides all things for our good, and makes us rulers over the earth and everything in it.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for creating all things, including us, and for caring for us every day. Thank You that through Your Son, Jesus, You are re-creating us in Your image. In heaven, that image will be fully restored in us. Be with us now as we study Your
Word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

This lesson uses the Bible Discovery Guide and Lesson 2 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover of the Leaflet shows how the artist sees the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
For this lesson you will need your Bible, some sheets of paper and crayons or markers. If you do not have a Bible handy, you can use the online English Standard Version.

Listen to From All That Dwell Below the Skies reminding us of our worship of the triune God.

God Speaks

Review the chart at the top of page 2 of the Bible Discovery Guide that lists each day of creation. This lesson is about the sixth day of creation, when God created man and woman.

Then read Genesis 1:26-2:25. If you are not sure about how to find it, look at the Find It in Scripture on page 3 of the leaflet.

After reading the Scripture, complete the picture on page 2 of the Leaflet.

We Live

In Genesis 1:26, we read that the triune God created people in His image. This does not mean people physically look like God. It means people have the spiritual likeness of God, that they were created without sin and know Him and gladly do His will.

Also God created Adam differently from the animals and other living things. The rest of creation came into existence through the Word of God. God was more deliberate when He created man. He formed man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into him.

People are the crown of creation, the special focus of God's love. All of creation was brought into existence to serve man. God made the world for His children to live in.

Review the Bible Words (Psalm 139:14) from the back of the Lesson Leaflet.

God asked Adam to care for the garden and have dominion over the rest of creation. Being able to care for God's creation was intended to be a blessing for Adam, not a chore.

However Adam could not only do all of that by himself. And there was no companion among the animals, so God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and created woman out of his rib. Eve was created as a companion for Adam.

God brought Adam and Eve together as husband and wife, creating marriage as a blessing for them and all their descendants.

God provided for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by giving them everything they needed. They could eat of anything in the Garden except for the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God created people in holiness. He gave them free will to obey and to maintain that holiness by choice. Because people had free will, their obedience to God was a loving response to His blessings.

People have the responsibility to take care of the earth, respect creation, and use its resources wisely for the glory of God and the good of others. This is being a good steward of what God has given us. We must be careful not to view the creation to be more important than other people or the Creator. Creation is still provided by God for the benefit of mankind. Because of our sinful nature, we cannot always make the right choices. Sometimes, we are wasteful of the resources provided by God’s creation. In Christ, God offers us forgiveness when we exploit, waste, or spoil His creation, and He continues in mercy to grant all that we need in body and spirit.

People were made without sin and were given a chance to maintain that perfect condition. But that didn't happen. People sinned by disobeying God. Yet God's love for His creation was so great that He provided a way to save people from their sin. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and rise again. Because of what Jesus did for us, we will be re-created in the image of God when we get to heaven. Through our Baptism, we are washed clean from our sins, and through Jesus, God sees us without sin. We are made holy again and righteous. When we are in heaven, we will once again be in the image of God. See Ephesians 4:24 and Romans 5:18-19.

Bible Study Skills

If you have not looked at the Find It in Scripture section on page 3 of the Leaflet, do it now. Use that information and the order of the books of the Bible on page 4 of the Bible Discovery Guide to locate the scriptures in the chart at the bottom of page 3 of the Leaflet.

Last week, Lesson 1 explained that the Bible has two Testaments, the Old Testament and the New Testament. And each Testament is divided into books. Also the books are organized into sections. These are shown on the Bible bookcase on page 4 of the Bible Discovery Guide.

The Old Testament sections are:

• Historical: The Books of Moses (early history of Gods people, written by Moses) and additional history after Moses' death.
• Poetic: Poetry that show the wisdom of God.
• Prophetic: Prophets that delivered God's message to His people.

The New Testaments sections are:

• Gospels: Descriptions of the life and work of Jesus.
• Acts: A historical account of the disciples' work to spread the Gospel.
• Epistles: Letters to early Christians that teach how to understand Scripture.
• Prophecy: The vision to John, things that have not all happened yet.

Using the paper and crayons/markers – make bookmarks for the sections. Color and decorate them to make each one unique. Use the colors shown on the Bible bookcase on page 4 of the Bible Discovery Guide.

Make bookmarks for the following Old Testament sections:

• Books of Moses: Insert before the first page of Genesis
• History: Insert before the first page of Joshua.
• Poetry: Insert before the first page of Job.
• Major Prophets: Insert before the first page of Isaiah.
• Minor Prophets: Insert before the first page of Hosea.

Make bookmarks for the following New Testament sections:

• Gospels/History: Insert before the first page of Matthew.
• Epistles: Insert before the first page Romans.
• Prophecy: Insert before the first page of Revelation.

Closing

Lutherans use a creed (summary of what we believe) named the Apostle’s Creed. The first article (part) of the Apostle’s Creed is:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
This shows that we believe in God and creation. The Apostles’ Creed is explained in Martin Luther’s Catechism. Page 4 of the Leaflet provides a summary of the lesson and devotions for the week.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we thank and praise You that You have created us and that You continue to provide everything we need. Be with us now as we begin another week in Your care. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Listen to the hymn On My Heart Imprint Your Image. Print out and solve the following Creation Word Search.