“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:13-14).
The Bible clearly identifies God as the creator of all things. The verse above makes this personal, showing that each one of us has been created by Him. The psalmist used two words to describe this:
- Fearfully – This word signifies something that causes one to revere or to stand in awe of something. The way God has formed each one of us is awe-inspiring and is a reason to approach Him in reverence.
- Wonderfully – This word is used to describe something that is distinguished or set apart. God created us to be special among all the other things He has made.
The fact that we have been “fearfully and wonderfully made” teaches certain things about us. These are important to note, especially given certain mentalities and behaviors that are pervasive in our society.
Because each one of us is a distinguished and awe-inspiring creation of God, we have…
- Worth – Unlike the other living things that God has created, we were made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). Each one of us is valuable enough to God that He sent His Son to redeem us from our sins through His blood on the cross (1 Peter 1:18-19).
- Identity – God knew us before we were formed in the womb (Psalm 139:16; Jeremiah 1:5). From the beginning, He made us as “male and female” to complement and support one another (Genesis 1:27; 2:18-22).
- Place – When God created man, He placed him over the creation (Genesis 1:28). However, man is still lower than the angels (Psalm 8:4-5; cf. Hebrews 2:6-7), and God is infinitely higher than us (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Purpose – God made us for a reason. Our purpose in life is to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). He created us to engage in the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
It is vitally important that we are teaching these truths to those around us, as well as reminding our brethren of these things. Many ideas and practices that have become common in our society are directly opposed to our God-given sense of…
- Worth – The practice of abortion, in which the life of an unborn child is deliberately terminated, shows a complete disregard for the innocent life of one who was made in God’s image. Racism is a similar mentality in that it devalues a group of people who were created by God. This may also be manifested in elitism (the belief that we are “better” than others) or class warfare (which often promotes the hatred of the rich). All of these ideologies dehumanize others by rejecting their inherent worth as ones made in the image of God (cf. Proverbs 22:2).
- Identity – Over the last few years, transgenderism has gone from being a fringe ideology to enjoying mainstream acceptance. Yet at its core is the idea that we were not “fearfully and wonderfully made” as male and female; instead, God’s design for many of us was mistaken and confused. The practice of homosexuality is related to this. God made male and female and the institution of marriage for the fulfillment of sexual desires and to carry out the work of procreation (Genesis 2:24; 1:28). Yet homosexuality rejects God’s design and results in the practitioners of it to adopt an identity that is contrary to nature (cf. Romans 1:26-27).
- Place – Rather than seeing mankind as being over God’s creation, many have adopted the unproven and unprovable theory of evolution which rejects God and makes man out to be no different from the animals (higher evolved, but soulless just the same). This is rooted in atheism (the belief that there is no God) and leads to humanism.
- Purpose – God created us for a purpose, yet those who reject or ignore God are left to wonder what the meaning of life is. Many see this as freedom to do whatever they choose to do – whatever causes them to feel “fulfilled.” Often, this manifests itself in selfishness as people do whatever they believe will benefit them without regard for others. Eventually, those who forget God begin to feel a sense of aimlessness, just as the writer of Ecclesiastes who lamented that “all is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
When people forget God, they are lost. When a society forgets God, it leads to problems like the ones listed above.
Why does our society look the way that it does? It is because people have forgotten that each one was made by God and, therefore, each person has God-given worth, identity, place, and purpose.
Let us continue to teach these things, “holding fast the word of life” as we live “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15-16).
