SUMMER 2012 www.lifeway.com/you Leader Guide Included FROM BEGINNING TO END The questions in between... BASICS FROM THE BEGINNING Where does Jesus rate in the various areas of your life? HOW CAN I... There really are some things you can count on in life besides death and taxes. DESTINATIONS Practicing forgiveness has its benefits and refusing to forgive has its dangers.
Summer 2012 VOLUME 4, NUMBER 4 CONTENTS IN EVERY ISSUE 2 How to Become a Christian 3 Staying Fit Spiritually 6 A Word From the Project Leader 7 Suggested Resources 8 To-Do Check List 99 Scripture Memory Cards 101 How to Use Leader Pages 160 Glossary of Key Words 162 Meet the Writers/Coming Next Quarter FEATURES 23 57 85 118 140 154 HIP-HOP CHURCH by Sara Shelton LIVING IN A DAY OF MANY FEARS by Henry Blackaby TRUTHS ABOUT ETERNITY by Diana Chandler BASIC TEACHING METHODS by LifeWay Staff NEW GROUPS REACHING THE COMMUNITY by Steve Stege ARE YOU LISTENING? by Matt Adams
UNIT 1 11 BASICS FROM THE BEGINNING Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 Leader Pages (pp. 102-105) 25 Truth Living Genesis 6:5-9; 7:1,13-15 Leader Pages (pp. 110-113) 17 Crouching Sin, Hidden Danger Genesis 4:1-13 Leader Pages (pp. 106-109) 31 It s Not All About You Genesis 9:7; 11:1-9 Leader Pages (pp. 114-117) UNIT 2 39 HOW CAN I... Acquiring Assurance 1 John 2:3-6; 3:14-15,24; 4:13-15 Leader Pages (pp. 120-123) 59 Enduring Salvation Romans 8:31-39 Leader Pages (pp. 132-135) 45 Defeating Doubt Matthew 11:2-6,12-18 Leader Pages (pp. 124-127) 65 Sharing Jesus John 9:7-9,12-17,24-25 Leader Pages (pp. 136-139) 51 Healing Hurts Psalm 34:15-22 Leader Pages (pp. 128-131) UNIT 3 73 79 DESTINATIONS A Wake Up Call Ecclesiastes 3:11; Luke 12:16-21; 2 Corinthians 6:2b; Hebrews 9:27 Leader Pages (pp. 142-145) Heaven Bound Mark 10:17-27; John 14:6 Leader Pages (pp. 146-149) 87 93 Going Down? Matthew 25:41,46; John 3:36; 2 Peter 3:8-10,15a,17 Leader Pages (pp. 150-153) For Believers Only 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Leader Pages (pp. 156-159) DAILY READINGS are included after each lesson.
Summer 2012 Vol. 4 No. 4 PRODUCTION AND MINISTRY TEAM NICOLE CHILDRESS Graphic Designer CHRISTINA ZIMMERMAN Editorial Project Leader DAVID APPLE Adult Ministry Specialist Special Thanks to BOB BUNN Contract Content Editor Special Thanks to LARRY DRY Contract Production Editor MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL BRET ROBBE Director, Leadership and Adult Publishing KEN BRADDY, RON KECK, DEBBIE JOHNSON Managing Directors, Leadership and Adult Publishing DAVID FRANCIS Director, Sunday School BILL CRAIG Director, Leadership and Adult Ministry Send questions/comments to: Editor, YOU One LifeWay Plaza Nashville, TN 37234-0175 Or make comments on the Web at: www.lifeway.com/you or YOU@lifeway.com Printed in the United States of America A WORD FROM THE PROJECT LEADER... My husband hails from a small area called Great Branch in South Carolina. Though he was not born there, he grew up in that little country community from a very young age. He often reminds me of his country upbringing with his stories about playing in the woods and raising pigs, chickens, and cows. On the other hand, I was born on the south side of Chicago and raised in a community close to downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Stickball (and most other games) were played on asphalt, and meat products came from the grocery store on the corner. I m a city girl and my husband is a country guy, and though our childhood experiences were uniquely different, they were the foundations on which we built our lives. That s what this issue of YOU is about foundations. Unit One will guide you to rediscover foundational truths from familiar stories in Genesis. Unit Two provides answers to a few basic questions. And Unit Three will challenge your thinking about eternity. These lessons will lead you to recall and strengthen your biblical foundation. From these studies, I pray that you take away a new resolve to commit to and obey the truths from God s Word. The journey continues! Christina YOU (ISSN 1943-6230) is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234, Thom S. Rainer, President, 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. For ordering or inquiries VISIT www.lifeway.com, or WRITE LifeWay Church Resources Customer Service, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0113. For subscriptions or subscription address changes E-MAIL subscribe@ lifeway.com, FAX 615.251.5818, or WRITE to the above address. For bulk shipments mailed quarterly to one address, E-MAIL orderentry@lifeway.com, FAX 615.251.5933 or WRITE to the above address. We believe the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our doctrinal guideline. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Contemporary English Version Copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Suggestions for pronouncing Bible names are from That s Easy for You to Say: Your Quick Guide to Pronouncing Bible Names, by W. Murray Severance, copyright 1997 by Broadman & Holman Publishers. Used by permission. NOTE: Some Internet addresses given in this periodical are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. At the time of this posting, the specific pages mentioned were viewed and approved by LifeWay editorial staff. Because information on these pages may have changed by the time of your viewing, the LifeWay editorial staff cannot be held responsible for content on pages outside their control. Specific page addresses referenced in this periodical possibly may link to inappropriate material.
UNIT 1, LESSON 1 Background Passage: Genesis 1:1 2:25 Lesson Passage: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 The Question: What makes me significant? The Point: I m significant because God created me. The leader pages for this lesson are found on pages 102-105. LESSON PASSAGE GENESIS 1:26-28 26 Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our a likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth. 27 So God created b man in His own image; He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth. GENESIS 2:7-8,15,18,21-24 7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being. 8 The Lord God planted a garden in c Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed.... 15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.... 18 Then the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a d helper as his complement.... 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called woman, for she was taken from man. 24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and e bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. KEY WORDS a Likeness: Quality or state of being alike, resemblance. Complements image to mean that man is more than a mere image; he is a likeness of God. [1:26] b Man: Adam. The first human created, he was made out of dust from the ground. The Hebrew word for ground (adamah) sounds similar to the word for man (adam). [2:7] c Eden: From a Hebrew word for bliss or delight, also paradise. d Helper: Not a demeaning term. Also used in the Bible to describe God. See Exodus 18:4; 1 Samuel 7:12; Psalm 46:1. e Bonds: Cleave (KJV); Is united (NIV); Embraces (Message); Be joined to [NASB]. Melt together, intimacy. For more information about key words ( ), visit the glossary on pages 160-161. Memory Verse Colossians 1:16b Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him. YOU 11
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 What makes me significant? UNIT 1 LESSON 1 His name is Regret. Really. That s how his name appears on his birth certificate. You can imagine the ribbing he took as a child. But the teasing didn t hurt nearly as much as the knowledge about how he got his name. His mother gave it to him because it described how she felt about his birth. He was an accident she regretted. So much for self-esteem! Thank goodness, God s family has no accidents. We are all significant because God made us. Focal Passage Outline I M CREATED IN GOD S IMAGE (Gen. 1:26-28) I M CREATED FOR A PURPOSE (Gen. 2:7-8,15) I M CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP (Gen. 2:18,21-24) I M CREATED IN GOD S IMAGE GENESIS 1:26-28 A child once asked her father where she came from. The father, thinking this was time for the birds and bees lecture, launched into a complicated explanation of biology. He then paused and asked, Why do you want to know? The child responded, Mary is from New York. I just wondered where I came from. This story, often told as a joke, has been around for a long time, but it s not nearly as old as the origin of people. If someone asked you how people came to be on earth, what would you say? In a world that tries to explain how we got here in a variety of ways, God s Word sets the foundation for truth. The Book of Genesis contains what we need to know about our origins. God created human beings in His image His a likeness. Of course, He created other life, as well. But He intentionally made b man (which included the first man, Adam, and every other human being) to reflect His nature. 12 YOU
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 Sometimes family resemblances are astounding. You might have your father s eyes or your mother s nose. But regardless of our physical similarities or differences, we all are created in our heavenly Father s image. (To learn more about the image of God. (See Diggin Deeper, p. 13) Diggin Deeper People search everywhere to find significance or to have their esteem reinforced. We ve got to remember, though, that what we do and what we become does not give us significance. Our significance comes from the fact that God made us and from how we are made. What are some ways people search for significance? Why is significance so important? What makes you feel significant? Some folks try to find meaning through their families or friends. Unfortunately, even our closest relationships can fail. Others think their career or talent such as athletics or music makes them important. This, too, is fleeting. The truth is, the human things from which we try to secure significance are not permanent. Being made in God s image brings us significance in ways that human efforts could never achieve. Plus, it reminds us of our potential and our responsibilities. God didn t just create us in His image to set us apart from the animals. He did it to fulfill His purposes. I M CREATED FOR A PURPOSE GENESIS 2:7-8,15 In the United States, the first Monday of September has been designated as Labor Day. The U. S. Department of Labor explains that the holiday, first celebrated in New York City in 1882, is a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The concept of labor, or work, originated long before we had a day named for it. It goes way back to when God made the first person (Adam). God made him out of the dust of the ground and gave him His own breath. God also gave him responsibility. Notice where God placed the first man in a garden. We usually picture c Eden as a lush paradise, and it was. But paradise doesn t take care of itself. If you ve ever tended flowers or vegetables, you know what s involved: constant watering, weeding, and working. Image of God During creation, God paid special attention to humans by creating them in His image. The image of God refers to the unique nature, status, and worth of all humans as created by God. Scripture isn t specific about what it is about humans that makes up the image of God. It refers to characteristics shared by God and human beings that are not present in other creatures, such as personality, morality, and spirituality. Read these passages to discover more about the image of God: Genesis 9:6 Colossians 3:10 1 Corinthians 11:7 From the beginning people had significance because they had purpose. God gave Adam the responsibility of caring for the garden in Eden. (See Did You Know? p. 14) So, rather than being part of a curse, work is a God-given assignment and came before Adam and Eve ever sinned. YOU 13
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 Did you know? Do you see your responsibilities as a gift from God or a chore? Why? Work is a biblical principle. In fact, the Bible opens with a picture of a working God. He worked in creating a universe and has been at the job of sustaining creation ever since. To be created in God s image means, in part, that people have the capacity to work and to create. Adam and Eve were given the responsibility of tending Eden. In the garden imagery, cultivation was the scope of the original pair s labor. God intends for humans to find a balance between work and leisure. He did not create humans to be lazy or workaholics. Are you more prone to laziness or workaholism? What will you do to find more balance in this area? After sin entered the picture, work became a chore. At that point, Adam and Eve became like many of today s workers. In a study conducted in 2010, more than half of U.S. workers reported being dissatisfied. That was a 22-year low and the highest number since record-keeping began nearly a quarter century ago. How will knowing what the Bible says about work affect the way you approach your job? How can a person find significance even if he or she is unemployed? I M CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP GENESIS 2:18,21-24 Relationships are rewarding and necessary aspects of life. They re also among the most complicated. Consider the number of self-help resources for relationships. Advice columns, talk shows, and self-help articles abound. When you need relationship advice, where do you turn? Why? From the very start, God created us for relationships, so it s important that we make them work. In Genesis, we read that God saw Adam was alone, and He understood that this was not good. When you read about God s reaction to everything else He created, you ll see that He said it was good. The part of creation that was not yet good was the man in his solitude. He had a relationship with his Maker, but that was not enough. God determined that a human being needed another human being, someone who matched him or her. God made Adam with a need to function in a relationship, and God met that need. What did God do? He created a d helper for Adam. Eve, the first woman, was taken from Adam s side to show she was of the same substance as the man and to underscore the unity between them. That s also why Adam described her as bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (v. 23). 14 YOU
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 This passage highlights the significance of both genders. God revealed the significance of the man by meeting his need for a companion and of the woman by the care He took to create her. These verses also describes the intimacy of the first man and woman as the model for marriage. In marriage, the individuals have to leave their parents behind. Verse 24 says a man e bonds with his new wife, creating a new family. What s more, two people actually become one person in the sight of God. This does not imply, however, that everyone should be married or that single people are somehow incomplete. But even those who do not marry are not created to go it alone in life. God created each of us to function with human companionship. We can t do it by ourselves. Think of your friends, your family members, and your spiritual brothers and sisters in your community of faith. How would your life be not good (v. 18) without them? Live It! God doesn t create accidents, nor does He make mistakes. You are here for a purpose, and you are significant because He created you. Regardless of what might happen in your life, you can hold fast to the fact that God made you in His image. This week, celebrate your significance! Take a fresh look at your purpose and thank God for giving you responsibility. Focus on a couple of significant relationships. Express your appreciation to these people for their roles in your life. Learn the Memory Verse (Col. 1:16b) to help you focus on what makes you significant. SO WHAT? How does this apply to me? People try to explain how we got here in a variety of ways. Some say the account of God s creation in Genesis is a myth or fairy tale. But, as believers, we know otherwise. God created the world, period. And what was His crowning achievement? You! You are the highlight of God s creation. How will this lesson help you respond to those who challenge the fact that God created the world? If you were to sum up your purpose in one sentence, what would it be? How will focusing on your purpose make a difference in the way you live today? Recall a time you felt insignificant or unimportant. How has this lesson helped you see your value from God s perspective? YOU 15
BEFORE YOU TEACH FOR UNIT 1, LESSON 1 (pp. 11-15) STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 START WITH THE BASICS. Before you engage learners in this new unit, prayerfully think about its title. What do you consider the basics in life? Make a quick list. What basic truths do you live by? Now read through each of the lesson titles. Ponder The Question and The Point for each session. How do these basics compare with the list you just made? Pray specifically for your learners, asking God to help them get back to the basics from the beginning. FOCUS ON PROSPECTS. A new unit provides an excellent time to invite people to Bible study. Contact your church to see if any new prospects for your Bible study group have visited worship lately. Consider inviting individuals or families who have moved to your neighborhood. Remind learners to regularly invite friends and neighbors. Be aware of opportunities to invite people through work, civic, and school events. Encourage them to get in on the ground floor of the new study. SEARCH FOR YOUR SIGNIFICANCE. Spend some time with The Question for this lesson. Think about where you search for your significance and how your search aligns with the truth of God s Word. Spend time in prayer, asking God to help you understand your significance from His perspective. EXPLORE RESOURCES. Consider using your teaching time as an opportunity to introduce learners to Bible study helps such as commentaries and other teaching aids. When directing adults to explore the Diggin Deeper or Did You Know? sidebars for each session, also suggest they explore commentary sections or Bible dictionaries to aid them in their learning. Encourage them to pursue further study after class about creation or other key concepts in the lessons. BACK Welcome members and guests. Briefly review last week s session by reminding learners of The Question (What are some of the risks of delaying forgiveness?) and The Point (Don t withhold forgiveness). Refer to the Live It! challenge from last week. Allow a few minutes for volunteers to share ways they put forgiveness into practice during the week or share an example of your own. Transition into the new unit using the introductory material on page 11. YOU OBJECT LESSON BUSINESS CARD BUSINESS CARD Display a business card. Comment that some people define themselves by what they do or by what s printed on their business cards. Say: People search in all kinds of places to find significance or to have their self-esteem reinforced, but our significance comes from the fact that God made us in His image. What we do and what we become does not give us significance. Direct attention to The Question and The Point. Lead the study of Genesis 1 and 2. Close by saying: When you see a business card, remember that God is in the business of creation. You re no accident you re significant because He created you. 102 YOU LEADER PAGES
(TEACHING PLAN) FOR UNIT 1, LESSON 1 (pp. 11-15) INTRODUCTION Provide a piece of paper and non-permanent marker for each learner. As learners arrive, instruct them to write I am significant because on the paper. Use tape to attach the paper to each learner s back. Invite learners to mingle around the room, writing reasons they think each person is significant on that person s paper. After a few minutes, instruct learners to write because God created me on the paper on another learner s back. Be sure each learner has this statement added to the other comments. Invite learners to remove the sheets of paper from their backs and put them aside for use later in the lesson. Say: People search everywhere for significance. Sometimes no one is around to reinforce self-esteem. And at other times, people crush our self-esteem. Invite someone to read the introductory paragraph about the boy named Regret on page 12. Repeat the last sentence: We all are signficant because God made us. Explain that, which deals with significance is the first lesson in the series Basics from the Beginning. Emphasize that the most basic place to start is our creation and how that creation should influence the way we see ourselves. DIG INTO THE TEXT I M CREATED IN GOD S IMAGE GENESIS 1:26-28 Invite volunteers to share some theories about creation. (Examples: Big Bang, evolution, physical science, intelligent design) Say: In a culture that tries to explain how we got here in various ways, God s Word sets forth the truth. Read aloud Genesis 1:26-28. Ask volunteers to share their family resemblances. (Examples: mother s eyes, father s hair, and so forth) Point out that regardless of our external appearances, we all are created in God s image. He intentionally made people to reflect His nature. Direct attention to the references about God s image in verses 26-27. Use Diggin Deeper (p. 13) to discuss the image of God. Emphasize that being made in God s image makes us significant because it primarily reminds us of our potential and responsibilities. Lead learners to consider silently: To what extent are you fulfilling your potential as God s creation? Invite a volunteer to re-read verse 28. Identify responsibilities humans should fulfill. (Samples: Caring for the environment, protecting animals, and so forth.) I M CREATED FOR A PURPOSE GENESIS 2:7-8,15 Invite a volunteer to read the first paragraph under I m Created for a Purpose (p. 13). Note that while it might seem strange to discuss Labor Day in a Bible study, work is a biblical principle. Summarize Did You Know? (p. 14) to explore work as a God-given privilege. Read Genesis 2:7-8,15. Emphasize that humans have always had significance, as shown by the responsibility God gave Adam to care for Eden. Point out that something changed after Adam and Eve sinned. Read Genesis 3:17-19,23. Say: God created work to be fulfilling, but sin caused work to be a toilsome chore. Point out that understanding we re created for a LEADER PAGES YOU 103
I M NO ACCIDENT (TEACHING PLAN) UNIT 1, LESSON 1 (pp. 11-15) I M CREATED FOR A PURPOSE (CONT.) purpose should shape our perspective on work. Invite learners to list some satisfying careers. Share that research shows that workers satisfaction does not increase with pay, but in helping others, being creative, or using their skills. Consider how this aligns with the truth of these focal verses. I M CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP GENESIS 2:18,21-24 Direct attention to Genesis 2:18,21-24. Ask a volunteer to read the second paragraph under I m Created for a Relationships (p. 14). Use the Key Word and commentary to explain the term helper. Direct: Look at verse 22. Say: Woman was taken from man s side to show she was of the same substance and to underscore their unity. Note Adam s description of bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Point out that while this is a narrative of marriage, it also represents our relationships with others. God does not call us to travel this spiritual journey alone. Ask learners to refer to the papers from the beginning of the session. Lead them to consider how the words reflect their relationships with others. SO WHAT? HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME? Share this statement from a contemporary T-Shirt: When God Made Me, He Was Just Showing Off! Comment that while the saying is humorous, it also emphasizes the fact that God created us and gives us significance. These questions (along with the questions on p. 15) will help you lead group members to apply these truths to their lives. Since you are made in God s image, how do you show others what God looks like? Recall a time you felt insignificant or unimportant. How has this lesson helped you see your value from God s perspective? In what relationship do you most need to do some work? What steps will you take to make the necessary changes in that relationship? If you were to sum up your purpose in one sentence, what would it be? CLOSE THE SESSION Genesis takes us back to the basics. How did you get here? Because God made you in His image. Why are you here? Because God created you for a purpose and for relationship. Lead learners in memorizing the Memory Verse for this lesson, Colossians 1:16b. (A memory card can be cut out on page 99.) Challenge learners to complete the Live It assignment on page 15 during the week. Close with prayer, asking God to fill each member with awareness of his or her personal significance and to give them the strength to reflect the image of God to others this week. 104 YOU LEADER PAGES
Lesson Passages: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7-8,15; 2:18,21-24 The Question: What makes me significant? The Point: I m significant because God created me. LEADER COMMENTARY UNIT 1, LESSON 1 (pp. 11-15) This commentary is designed to help you think about the question, What makes me significant? and to drive home this one truth: I m significant because God created me. FOCUS ON THESE POINTS I m Created in God s Image (Gen. 1:26-28) God gave Israel the Genesis creation account during a time when other cultures promoted their own creation stories. But God s account was unique because it rests on the truth, rather than legend. Human beings are no afterthought in Genesis. In fact, God made us the high point of His creation. While God spoke most of creation into existence, He formed humanity with His own hands. He also created people to live in partnership with Him. Through the Genesis account, God revealed Himself, His power, and His authority. In the process He produced an encouraging message for people without hope. The Genesis account highlights our creation in God s image. Scholars do not agree on the exact theological significance of this term, but humanity s unique relationship with God is affirmed. He also emphasized our significance by giving humans authority over creation. We are to show that authority in the same loving, purposeful way God rules over creation. I m Created for a Purpose (Gen. 2:7-8,15) Genesis 2:7 says God formed the first person. While formed could refer to either divine or human action, it was often used to describe an artistic activity, like a potter bending over his work, taking pains to produce something useful and beautiful. The image is even more appropriate for God s work here because He made the first person from the earth s dust. God also breathed His own breath into the first human being s nostrils, allowing the man to become a living being. While animals and birds also are referred to as living beings, God s own breath gave human beings special status. This further highlights the significance of humanity that started with the emphasis on God s image in Genesis 1. Human significance also can be found in human responsibility. God planted a garden in Eden, a place of pleasant provision. But the garden required work, and the man was told to work it and watch over it (2:15). While unproductive or unrewarding labor seems like a curse, work itself was a gift from God a way to cooperate with Him. The work God initially gave humanity was satisfying and productive. After humanity s sin marred God s creation, work became toil. I m Created for Relationship (Gen. 2:18,21-24) In Genesis 1, God has judged so much of His creation as good. The part that was not yet good was the man in his solitude. He had a relationship with his Maker, but that was not enough. God determined that a human being needed another human a helper. The exact criteria God was looking for in a helper is not clear. The word suitable simply means the companion had to correspond to the man in some way. Since God found no suitable helper for the man among the animals, He fashioned a woman from one of the man s ribs. When God completed His surgery, He brought the helper He knew would be suitable to the man. The man recognized it, as well. The text does not say how he recognized the woman as part of himself, but his designation for her says he did. That s why he called bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (v. 23). The words in verse 24 are an ongoing application of the truth of intimacy that can exist between a man and a woman. Bonds has the idea of melting together, thus reinforcing that intimacy, as does become one flesh. God s plan for the intimacy of the first man and woman is the model for marriage, but that model does not imply that everyone should be married or that single persons are incomplete. God s action does underline, though, that you and I were not created to function without human companionship. Without our friends, our family, and our brothers and sisters in Christ, life could easily be described as not good (v. 18). Need more commentary/articles to increase your understanding? Visit www.lifeway.com/you.