1. Ancient Babylonian religions portrayed the gods as creating inferior beings (i.e., human beings) to do the menial work of taking care of the material world (since work was said to be beneath the gods). Ancient Greek religions placed work and productivity in Pandora's box alongside disease, pain, and death. What difference do we see in the Bible's portrayal of work in Genesis 2:2–3?
   
2. When we see the description of human roles in Genesis 2:15–17, what comparisons do we see to God's activity in God's creative work?
   
3. What is said about human beings being made in God's image in Genesis 1:26 and 1:28?
   
4. Many people say that they feel most alive when they have accomplished a significant task. Has that been true of you? Does Genesis 1–2 help explain this?
   
5. In what ways might we create and bring order to our world in ways consistent with how the God in whose image we are made did in Genesis 1?
   
6. In what ways could we "work and take care" of the world God has put us in?
   
7. What do you hope to apply to your life from this Bible passage?
   

2012 Study Series • Copyright © 2012, Lake Avenue Church