“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
This is what the bible says. But what are we reading into it? The word “God” in Genesis 1:1 is the plural Hebrew word “Elohim”. The singular Hebrew word for “God” is “Eloah”. So, maybe this is where we leave it, end of discussion. However, this is not where we leave it because if we do, we create a whole new doctrine the bible does not teach. If we read the entire chapter, we will find something interesting.
The scriptural language we read in all these translations is grammatically correct. So, if the noun “Elohim” is meant to be plural, why then is the singular pronoun “He” used to refer to it?
“And God (Elohim) saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4)
“God (Elohim) made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.” (Genesis 1:16)
“Then God (Elohim) looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31)
In the English language, proper grammar demands that a plural noun would be followed by a plural pronoun. Are our Bibles following correct grammar? The Bible translators did an excellent job following proper grammar. According to the context, it appears that the grammar dictates that “Elohim” is singular. Why? The Hebrew use of this word in Genesis 1 is using a plural intensive form. This means that although the word is plural, the meaning is singular.
So, according to Genesis 1:1, how many Gods created the heavens and the earth? Only one according to the context.
“You alone are the LORD. You made the skies and the heavens and all the stars. You made the earth and the seas and everything in them. You preserve them all, and the angels of heaven worship you.” (Nehemiah 9:6)
“O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.” (Isaiah 37:16)
“The Lord says, “People of Israel, I set you free. I formed you when you were born as a nation. “I am the Lord. I am the Maker of everything. I alone stretch out the heavens. I spread out the earth by myself.” (Isaiah 44:24)
“He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.” (Job 9:8)
Throughout the Bible, we find that God (“Elohim” Plural Intensive with a singular meaning) created the universe. It was not a team of Gods that joined forces and produced matter out of nothingness. You will find no such teaching in scripture claiming that there was a plurality of creators involved in the creation of the universe. The Bible does not contradict itself. When it says, “I alone stretched out the heavens.” It means what it says. So how is it that we all believe that everything was created by multiple beings? Believing this error leads to the worship of multiple gods. The Bible has always taught that there is only one God.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Why was the above statement so important for the nation of Israel? It was important because they lived under the influence of Paganism which believed in many gods. God is a jealous God and will not tolerate the worship of anyone else other than Himself.
“For you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14)
“They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations, they provoked Him to anger.” (Deuteronomy 32:16)
The whole focus of the Old Testament is centered around the fact that God is a single being, not two, not three. There are many of us who claim we can prove otherwise. Rest assured; such proof does not exist otherwise scripture will stand contradicted. The Bible teaches only one gospel. Jesus always pointed us to His Father. He said His Father is the “Only True God”.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
We can find certain scriptural references that may seem to imply otherwise. If we look at these references closely, we will find that Scripture does not contradict itself. Truth stands firm as a rock. There is no grey matter, we just need to dig deeper and understand. For example, there are many of us who claim that when the Bible refers to the word “eternity”, it is a definition that applies equally to all scenarios. It does not. We must use the terminology that was applied in the customs of the Bible writers at the time. We make the mistake of translating the language of the Hebrews during the Bible era into our language of today. If we want to learn the meaning of anything, we need to study more than just the material we are staring at. Scripture is a treasure trove of truth. We need to dive in deep and uncover the wonderful treasures God has in His word.
Who is our creator? God, is the one and only God who created the universe. Is there another we must acknowledge? Yes! This God has a Son. We know Him by the name of Jesus. It’s a funny thing that this truth is also very misunderstood. Why is it so misunderstood? It is misunderstood because we allow ourselves to be dictated by the teachers of today who teach a foreign gospel. God had a Son before the New Testament was written. Isn’t it ironic that of all people, a Pagan king would make known this fact?
“Look! he answered, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25)
Nebuchadnezzar sentenced three Hebrew men to be executed in a fiery furnace. But instead of three men, he saw four. He claimed that the fourth appeared to be a similarity to the Son of God. How would he know this? He was a Pagan king who believed in many gods. In other bible versions, it says that he saw someone that looked like a son of the gods. Why didn’t he say he saw someone that looked like a god? Obviously, he has been talking to some of these Hebrew men who told him God has a Son.
There is another man by the name of Agur. He considers himself very ignorant regarding the things of God. Yet, he obviously knew God has a Son seeing he is asking what His name is.
“Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!” (Proverbs 30:4)
We will explore some more about who this Son is and what role He played in the creation of the universe. We will delve into what exactly does scripture really teaches about Him and why there is so much confusion regarding His real identity.