Trut h Ti m e Te a c h e r L e s s o n P l a n 0 60 2
CORRESPONDING LEVEL WEB #s
Defenders: 040602
Detectives: 030602
Developers: 020602
GOD’S VIEW OF YOU
MATERIALS NEEDED
Bible; Teacher Preparation Guide (optional supplements: K4T songbook and PowerPoint files of lyrics)
SUGGESTED ORIGINAL KIDS 4 TRUTH SONG
“And Yet God Loved Us”
SUGGESTED HYMNS
“Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy,” “God, Be Merciful to Me”
OTHER SONG SUGGESTIONS
Older kids: “Abba, Father,” “For God So Loved the World”
Younger kids: “Standing in the Need of Prayer,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “Only a Sinner”
THE BASICS
PRIMARY TRUTH
God created man “in His image.”
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
Genesis 1:27
WHAT THIS DOCTRINE REVEALS ABOUT GOD
Like a good mirror reflects a right image of whatever it’s facing, human beings were created to reflect some of God’s
characteristics. Whenever we think or feel anything good, whenever we do or make anything great, we are reflecting
in a small way some of God’s own attributes of goodness and greatness. The reason why man is the crowning
achievement of God’s Creation is that, of all the creatures and wonders that God made, we are the ones best able
to point back to Him and say, “He did this!” God Himself is the most glorious Being ever, and we could never reflect
Him perfectly, because we are only human. But He created us to reflect a little bit of Who He is and what He wants
to do.
KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES – By God’s grace...
• The child will learn what the Bible means when it says we are made “in the image of God.”
• The child will recognize that all people of all ethnicities, all ages, both male and female, are made in God’s image.
• The child will see that although human beings are created in God’s image, we are not equal to God Himself.
ATTITUDE OBJECTIVES – By God’s grace...
• The child will feel a God-centered rather than self-centered sense of self-worth, with a realization that his/her life
is valuable based upon God’s unchanging and unchallenged merit, rather than merely the child’s own merit.
• The child will desire to glorify God by emulating God’s character and by trying to resemble Him more and more.
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P R AY E R
TEACHING PHASE – INTRO
(about 10-20 minutes)
OPENER* / Q & A
God says that human beings are made in His image.
Q. What does it mean to be “made in the image of God”?
A. To be “made in the image of God” means to resemble, or be like, the Creator.
Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them.
ILLUSTRATION
Do you look like your mom or dad? Many children look a lot like one of their parents. Some children might not look
so much like their parents as they act like them! After spending lots of time with his dad, a boy might start walking
in the exact same manner that his dad does. A girl might take on a facial expression similar to the one her mother
wears when somebody says something silly at the table. Children naturally become like their parents – maybe not
in every single way, but in some ways. If you resemble your mom or dad, some people might even describe you as
the “spittin’ image” of your mom or dad. To be the “image” of your parents means that when people look at you,
they can see a reflection of your parents in you.
*NOTE: In the intro, we want to recap the primary truth and set the stage to use the primary truth to point the learners back to God.
INSTRUCTION & REINFORCEMENT
(about 10-20 minutes)
COMMENTARY
All humans – past, present, and future – are created in the image of God. But does that mean we are perfect
mirrored images? Are we supposed to look like God looks? Since God is a Spirit, being “in God’s image” must
mean something different than just being like Him in our physical appearance. Christians believe that God created
us to resemble Him in three main areas:
Mind – God gave us intelligence and the capacity to think and respond to circumstances and communication.
Will – God gave us a will to choose and to act upon our own desires.
Emotions – God created us with affections and the ability to feel things like joy, sadness, anger, and delight.
According to God Himself, all of His Creation was “very good” from the first moment. All God’s workmanship
is valuable. Human beings, however, are especially valuable. Our lives are special to God, not because we are
anything unique or because we can offer Him anything new that He cannot get for Himself. We are important
to God because of all that He has put into us. We are His wonderful workmanship, and He loves us for His
own name’s sake. Everything we can do or be is given to us by God, and our highest purpose is to give back by
reflecting back glory to Him for all He is and all He has done. More than any other creature God made, human
beings are best able to imitate God’s goodness and God’s greatness. Our self-worth is not based on things we
can get for ourselves or things we can do for ourselves. Every human being – from the healthiest billionaire to the
poorest crippled person – is extremely valuable, not because of himself or herself, but because every human being
is specially designed by God to bring Him great glory (see Romans 10:12).
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DISCUSSION
Has any human being ever reflected God’s image perfectly? [Yes: Jesus did.]
How was He able to do that? [Because He was and is God!]
COMMENTARY
Being made in the image of God and being God are two entirely different things!
God is not a man. We are not little gods, nor are we somehow made up of broken-off pieces of God.
Each human is a unique creature, included in God’s Creation by design. And of all God’s visible and invisible
Creation, humans are the creatures who are best able to resemble His character and to reflect His glory.
We are able to do this more effectively even than the mighty angels!
TRUE STORY
In the 1980s, an actress named Shirley MacLaine taught that all people are gods. She said we just need to start
believing that we are gods. One day, Ms. MacLaine took a trip to the beach, looked out over the ocean, and began
to shout out over and over: “I AM GOD! I AM GOD!” What’s wrong with this picture? (See Malachi 2:10.)
[Note: It may be humorous to imagine how God’s holy angels might have reacted when they heard this lady exclaim that she
was a god. Her voice may have sounded like the squeak of a mouse, as they looked down on someone who wasn’t much bigger
than the grains of sand on which she stood.]
COMMENTARY – About authority…
Did you know that God has given human beings a certain amount of authority over all the rest of His visible Creation?
He commanded the descendents of Adam and Eve to subdue the Earth (to govern or rule over it) and replenish it
(fill it up). Creation was not only made to point to God’s glory, but it was also designed for human beings to live in
and enjoy. One reason why the rest of Creation has been set under mankind is that we are made in God’s image. As
the ultimate Creator and ultimate King over all His Creation, God has the supreme rulership over everything. We as
humans are made in God’s image, and God is a good and great King. We cannot be equal with God, but we ought
to take care of what He has entrusted us with. The way we reflect His image best in the area of taking care of His
Creation is by being faithful governors of the world, using and enjoying all He has given us for His glory.
DISCUSSION
How should the doctrinal truth that every human being is created in God’s image affect our opinions about:
• Ethnic or cultural prejudices?
• Abortion or euthanasia? [the killing of babies before birth, or aiding or hurrying the death of an older person]
• People with disabilities? [treatment of those who are handicapped physically or mentally, or just different]
• Chauvinism or feminism? [prejudices against being female or male]
BIBLE DRILL – Look up the following verses and determine some things that God gave human beings.
• Genesis 2:8, 15
• Genesis 2:19-20
• Genesis 2:16-17
• Matthew 25:46
• Genesis 2:18
( )
(Now might be a good time to draw from the curriculum a few Q&A about the origin and sanctity of life.)
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( )
(Here would be a great place to insert what you learned from your Teacher Truth Study.)
GETTING BACK TO GOD*
{Recap WHAT THIS DOCTRINE REVEALS ABOUT GOD: Like a good mirror reflects a right image of whatever it’s facing, human
beings were created to reflect some of God’s characteristics. Whenever we think or feel anything good, whenever we do or
make anything great, we are reflecting in a small way some of God’s own attributes of goodness and greatness. The reason why
man is the crowning achievement of God’s Creation is that, of all the creatures and wonders that God made, we are the ones
best able to point back to Him and say, “He did this!” God Himself is the most glorious Being ever, and we could never reflect
Him perfectly, because we are only human. But He created us to reflect a little bit of Who He is and what He wants to do.}
Human beings are valuable because God has given us value, not because we have earned it for ourselves. We do
not have anything that was not given to us by God! There is nothing of ourselves that is worth “showing off,” but we
are able to “show off” how glorious our Creator is, and we are better able to do this than any animal or mountain or
angel or miracle or natural wonder He created! No other part of God’s Creation can exalt God the way we can. To
the degree that we are glorifying God’s greatness and goodness, that’s the degree to which we are pleasing Him
and doing what we were created to do.
*NOTE: Teachers, please remember that this section should include the fruit of your Teacher Truth Study and one or two personal illustrations or
anecdotes from the “Personalize It!” activity in the Teacher Preparation Phase.
A P P L I C AT I O N & A S S E S S M E N T
“INTERNALIZE IT!” from Teacher Preparation Phase
(about 5-10 minutes)
You might begin this section with:
“Boys and girls, as I’ve been preparing for this TruthTime Lesson, here’s what God has been showing me....”
You might continue by saying:
“Because of what God is teaching me, here’s what is going to be different in my life during this next week....”
You might conclude with something like this:
“Finally, here’s what God has taught me about Himself through these truths....”
DISCUSSION TIME QUESTIONS
• Why is human life so precious?
• How can you show that you believe mankind is made in the image of God?
• How does it make you feel to learn that you have been made to reflect the image of the one true God?
APPENDICES OR “IF TIME”
(optional)
NONE SUGGESTED AT THIS TIME
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