Do your teenagers grasp the deep, profoundly beautiful Biblical truth that God created us to be with Him?
When someone really starts to get their mind around the personal, relational nature of the immense, all-powerful God of the universe, it should be a EUREKA moment!
So today I want to dig deeper into the theology behind this amazing truth that serves as the first letter of Dare 2 Share’s GOSPEL Journey acrostic.
God created us to be with Him.
Our GOSPEL Journey starts in Genesis when God creates all of the universe and everything in it (Genesis 1:1), including the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. I realize this is a familiar story to us, but let me highlight just a couple amazing truths about God’s original design for us that every teenager needs to know.
We humans are:
- Created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26)
- Created with purpose and mission (Genesis 1:28; 2:15; Psalm 8:4-6)
- Created for relationship (Genesis 3:8)
Profound, Deep, Beautiful Truth
The Bible tells us that humans are unique from the animals because we are created in the image of God. The purpose and mission He bequeathed to us was to “be fruitful and multiply” and to care for and rule over the earth.
But perhaps the MOST astounding of the three truths mentioned above is this: God created humans to connect with Him on the deepest, most intimate level. In fact, He created us to be in perfect relationship with Him, with each other and with His creation. His perfect plan was that there would be no sin or shame – nothing to come between us and Him (or between us and others).
This deep, beautiful truth of God’s relational intent with us is summarized in Psalm 100:3 with these words: “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his.”
Our Relational God
Many teenagers don’t understand at the deepest part of their souls that God created them so that He could pour His love out on them. Yet this truth has profound implications for them physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially – both for the believers in our youth groups and for those who don’t yet know Jesus.
Stop and think about what most teenagers (and adults) are looking for in life. And then consider how God’s original plan for Adam and Eve provided it all: physical well-being, power and influence, emotional, vocational, relational and spiritual fulfillment. That’s why we humans have a crying need for fulfillment in each of these dimensions of our personal lives – and that’s why at the core, those needs can only be met through a personal, intimate, growing relationship with God through His Son Jesus.
Help for Hurting Teenagers
In fact, I believe that much of the hurt and struggle teenagers experience today revolve around these basic needs. Needs that God had perfectly provided for in the Garden, but that became twisted and distorted when sin came walking into the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience (which we’ll be exploring in the next energize).
It’s critical your students understand the Biblical truth that they are not just mammals who happen to sit at the top of the food chain. They are uniquely imbued by God with a soul and made for relationship with Him!
So here’s an exercise for you to try this week. Communicate these foundational truths to your students. Then have each of them think about one friend who is hurting right now. Challenge them to consider these questions:
- How would knowing he/she was created in God’s image, with purpose and mission help their friend?
- How would knowing that he/she was designed for an intimate relationship with God help this friend?
- How would knowing about God’s deep longing to be in relationship with him/her help this friend?
Encourage your students to initiate some focused conversation with their hurting friend this week where they can share the profound, deep, beautiful message that “God created us to be with Him.”
