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ACCORDING TO POPULAR Church of God (COG) tradition, Genesis 1:26 is supposed to "prove"

that God is made up of two individual persons. (Trinitarians used to say three, now they do not use the passage.) These two persons, it is claimed, conversed with one another and agreed to do something about the world that was bereft of humanity. Evidently, they had just created animals and plants, so, it was time for Adam and Eve to make their appearance. THE TARGET PASSAGE: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness' " (Gen.1:26). This is one of the few places in the Bible where such a phrase can be found. Others are Gen.3:22; 11:7.

It is said that because the word "God" (singular) is the English translation of the Hebrew elohim, which is a plural word, and because of the two words "us" and "our," this tells us that two beings were conversing. On the face of it, taken out of context, the claim seems to hold a little water. Problem: this plurality is not confined to only two beings or entities. It could have been seventeen or 6,000 beings for all we know. The passage seems to indicate more than one, and for sure, many people have taken it that way. Trinitarians have also grabbed this passage as proof of a "3 in 1" God. Most folks agree that elohim is a sure-enough plural word. But to limit it to only two beings is to add one's belief to the Bible. But why don't we look at the line after verse 26? "So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen.1:27).

Something funny happened on the way to the next verse. Did you catch it? The original writer of the passages changed horses in midstream. He somehow switched from a plural word to a singular reading. All of a sudden, God is referred to as a single being wherein he, One God, created man! And this happens not just once, but three times in the very next line. How come nobody told us about this? He, God, created man—in his own image, he created them! What's going on? Why do the advocates of polytheism not point this out to us? These pronouns are singular, not plural. Polytheism is the worship or support of two or more gods—pluralism. It is the advocacy of more than one God. Probably one big reason why the Roman Church came up with a three-in-one god and why others support a "family of gods" doctrine: they needed to evade the charge of polytheism.

In fact, the oneness of God is testified to with thousands of the pronouns he, him, his, and I. They are legion and they are all singular in sense. You don't have to read much further. For instance: "And God said, 'See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth' " (Gen.1:29). God is depicted in the first person singular "I" (cf. Genesis 1:30-31; 2:2-3; 2:18, and hundreds more throughout the entire Bible). Why is it that when you and I speak of God, we say that "he" did thus and such or "he" blessed me? If you believe God is a multiple God, as in a family or as in more than one, why insist on calling him "he"? BE HONEST!!!

Take the 23rd Psalm. The psalmist talks about Yahweh, then he talks to Yahweh when he heads for the valley. But he refers to the Lord as a single God, not two, three, or a "family of gods." Why does not David, who was as close to God as a man could be, say "they" make me to lie down, "they" lead me, "they" restore, or "they" lead me for "their" names' sake? It is because he, like Christ, believed in the one true God, Yahweh our God. Consider the 23rd Psalm: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. HE makes me to lie down in green pastures; HE leads me beside the still waters. HE restores my soul; HE leads me in the paths of righteousness For HIS name's sake" (Psa.23:1-3). David used the singular because he believed God was a single Being. (The antecedent of "he and his" is "The Lord."). Why is it that so-called "Christian" believers in multiple gods, binitarians especially, NEVER read, "THEY make me to lie down," or "THEY restore my soul," or "THEY lead me"? These people would squirm in their seats if someone read these passages with THEY instead of HE. Why? —Because they are deceitful and know better. They know that God is one Being and that God is NOT two or more beings! They are living a lie and their consciences tell them so, and convict them, that is, they are convicted if their hearts have not yet gotten so hard that they steadfastly resist the prodding of God. Liars and deceitful workers will not be saved.

Most scholars, even trinitarian ones, have dismissed Gen.1:26 as a proof text for the trinity doctrine.

Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV, 1962: "The plural 'us,' 'our' (Gen.3:22; 11:7) probably refers to the divine beings [the heavenly host] who surround God in his heavenly court (1Ki.22:19; [2Chron.18:8];Job 1:6; Isa.6:8; cf. Psa.29:1; [Lk.2:13]) and in whose image man was made." Word Biblical Commentary: "Christians have traditionally seen this verse as foreshadowing the Trinity. It is now universally admitted that this was not what the plural meant to the original author." NIV Study Bible: "God speaks as the Creator-King, announcing his crowning works to the members of the heavenly court (see Gen.3:22; 11:7; Isa.6:8)."

Reputable scholarship denies the interpretation that "us" and "our" in these passages refer to more than one God. (Continued...)