1. Starter In as few words as possible answer the question. Why did God create humans?

2. What's going on in Genesis? Short answer – lots of things

3. The Human Condition 1. God seeks a loving relationship with humans who are made in His image So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27) What separates human beings from the rest of Creation? Three things: 1.Humans are relational 2.Humans are rational 3.Humans exercise Free Will

4. Human beings have been given a special place within the world by God and have been given the ability to think, make decisions and form relationships. Genesis 1:27 tells us that humanity is created in the image of God and placed at the head of God’s creations The image of God is often referred to by the Latin phrase ‘Imago Dei’. This idea has importance in the Christian understanding of the human condition

5. What does being made in God’s image mean? Humanity shares characteristics with God. For Augustine, Luther and many other theologians, the image of God is found in humanity's mind, intellect and will. Aquinas also saw the image of God in thought and reason and the ability to use language and appreciate art. Human beings form relationships. Karl Barth understood the image to be located in human relationships with God and each other. Moral decision making and consciousness are all needed for relationships. Barth also argued that just as the three persons in the one God (the Trinity) are in relationship, so humans are in relationship with each other and with God.

6. 2. Human Beings are appointed as stewards The Genesis narrative presents God creating and placing human beings in a perfect garden. The fruits of the garden supply all the human needs. God also appoints humans as stewards, to rule over the other types of living creatures. Steward – person who administers another property (Collins English Dictionary)

7. Humanity as Stewards of Creation Stewardship reminds humanity that Creation does not belong to them, but God, humanity is responsible for the environment, care and wellbeing of all created things. Humans are responsible for creation because they are made in God’s image. They possess characteristics not shared by other beings in Creation. Stewardship is often contrasted with the idea of ownership. If the world is seen to belong to and exist for humanity’s use alone, there is no reason why humanity should not ‘use and abuse’ creation as it wishes. However Stewardship reminds Christians that they are caretakers of one of God’s most valuable possessions.

8. 3. Human beings possess a moral conscience and freedom to choose good and evil God formed humanity out of the dust of the earth. The Hebrew word for man ADAM, is also the same word for ground. Humanity is low in comparison with God and should worship God because of this. Our intelligence and our unique position make us aware of God and his power. The human is placed in the garden and asked to care for and manage it. This links to stewardship. The ‘imago dei’ idea is often used to defend the original perfection of humanity. At the start in Eden, God and humanity enjoyed a perfect relationship.

9. Human beings were granted intelligence and decision making capabilities by God. Humans possess a moral conscience and have free will to choose between good and evil. Genesis 2:17 features a request from God to the human, ‘But from the tree of knowledge you shall not eat for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.” God allows humans to make their own decisions, and they have free will to obey or disobey. God knew that love and relationships do not exist without free will. One needs to be free to choose to be in a relationship with one another.

10. Free Will The term ‘free will’ comes from the Latin – liberum arbitrium. An early church Father called Tertullian brought the term into Christian circles in the 2 nd century and Augustine used it. In his writing De libero artirio, Augustine talked about free will. Humans have a moral conscience and are free to pursue whatever course of action they wish. Although Augustine also believed that God knew everything, including future events, humanity still had the freedom to choose what path to take. Humans are not robots, programmed in a certain way but free persons able to make their own decisions.

11. Homework – Letter to God Dear God…. Will it be a letter of thanks?.... Or a letter of complaint?Or both?...