Apostolic One God Scriptures

Thank you so much for these great questions about the oneness doctrine. I am sorry for taking some time to get back with you but I wanted to really lay out the biblical answers to the questions you have posed. Since those answers would be too long to fit in a comment here, I have written another article to answer your questions. My hope is it will bless you and anyone else who may share these very same questions. You can see that article by following this link http://everydayapostolic.com/?p=1867 . I hope to hear from you again soon. God Bless!

Jesus was himself God incarnate. He humbled himself and came down here in flesh as a servant. He left his throne to redeem us to him. As he was flesh, he felt like us. So the incarnate was talking to the spirit within him which is himself if you know what I mean. When they say that he sat at the right hand of the father is because he became the father in his glory. The bible is all symbolic. You need to understand from the spirit, not from flesh if you know what I mean.

John 1:1

This is a great question and one that we are often asked as oneness Apostolic’s. Honestly I see why many who hold to the trinity go here before anything else as it is a very difficult question to answer. In fact, it’s hard to give a definitive explanation but that doesn’t mean there are no factual explanations for God using the plural pronoun “us” when creating man.

For instance, In the article that you have committed on you read many of the verses that clearly define God as one. We must ask ourselves, does one verse in Genesis discount every other verse that sets the foundation for oneness? Of course not, we can clearly see that God wanted to make it very clear to His people that He alone is God. That there is no other beside Him and no one like Him.

It must also be pointed out that the very next verse scripture uses singular pronouns. A fact that is often avoided by those who hope to use Genesis 1:26 to prove the trinity. In that verse we read “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 ESV).” So we must reconcile the two verses. If we look at ourself as the creation being spoken about we were not created three separate persons. Instead what you see is that we are a single person who will have many different titles in life. Just as the God who created us has many different titles but is still one God.

But all these being true then who was God talking to if it wasn’t a meeting between three separate persons? Well the Jews being monotheistic, believing in only one God, have traditionally interpreted Genesis 1:26 to mean that God talked to the angels at creation. Not that they had a part in creating man but that God informed them of His plans. We see God share His plans with the Angels as well in other areas of scripture(1 Kings 22:19). So it doesn’t seem odd that God would do so in creation. We also know from Job 38:4-7 that the Angels were present at creation.

Another view is that God counseled His own will. Which admittedly sounds a little odd on the surface. But this view is in fact supported by scripture. In Ephesians 1:11 we read that God “works all things according to the counsel of his will”. It’s like someone saying “Let’s see” even though they are alone. It could be that God was simply using a form of speech like His creation later would when talking to themselves as a single person. Most people do this all the time and we would never believe that because they do so they are more than a single entity. So why should we view God any differently?

Some others explain Genesis 1:26 as majestic or literary plural. Referring to the practice in formal writing of the writer referring to himself in the plural. Especially if the person is royal. This is a practice that can be seen in several other areas of scripture. For instance, Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar, “we will tell the interpretation before the king,” even though Daniel proceeded to give the interpretation alone (Daniel 2:36). King Artaxerxes alternatives between using singular and plural pronouns in his writing. In a letter to Ezra he referred to himself as “I” in one place (Ezra 7:13) and “we” in another (Ezra 7:24).

It is hard to provide a definitive answer when we are asked who God was talking to at creation because scripture doesn’t give us one. I don’t believe this verse can strongly disprove oneness or prove the trinity. Because of all the other scriptures that clearly proclaim that God is in fact one. Trinitarians often want to use this verse but avoid the very next verse that is singular. Ultimately destroying their own argument. What we can be sure of is that Genesis 1:26 does not mean a plurality of the Godhead because that would contradict the rest of scripture.

Sorry for the lengthy response but such a major question cannot be answered briefly. I do hope the information provided in this article is of benefit to you. Thank you for asking this question and giving me the opportunity to put what I know about this subject into words. You have helped to inspire a future article on this subject because I am sure others are asking this same question.

If you are interested in going deeper in your studies on the subject of oneness I would like to recommend a great book to you. It is entitled “The Oneness of God” by Dr. David K. Bernard. He answers many of the common objections to oneness, including this one, directly from the word of God. I would be lying if I didn’t say that his understanding has helped to shape mine and helped by writing this response. Again I hope this helps you. Let us know if we can help answer any more questions you may have. God Bless!