God's Fullness
BEFORE THE INCARNATION
Part II – The Son As God
Introduction
One has a tendency to think of Jesus in terms of His ministry on Earth. The announcement by the angel Gabriel reminds us that this male child was not one of ordinary birth. His birth was accompanied by the good news that God's Messiah had arrived. It was an occasion for praise and glory to God. All the surrounding details of Jesus' birth come to mind.
It was a time when wise men paid homage to One Who was wiser than they. The one glimpse of Jesus' boyhood reveals to us His innate wisdom as He amazed the experts of Judaism with His questions and answers in the temple. The one concise statement of His human growth from childhood to manhood emphasizes His wisdom and favor with God and man.1
Have we ever pondered the implications of this stress on the wisdom of Jesus? Have we caught His profound insight when He stated at the beginning of His personal ministry that His baptism was "to fulfill all righteousness"? Have we noticed that His method and ability to withstand all of the temptations at Satan's disposal was through marvelous knowledge and instant use of God's Word? Have we been taken aback by the lofty wisdom – wisdom rising above human capacity – that is expressed in Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount"? Of course we have! Jesus' wisdom shines in His every word, action, and attitude.
This demonstration of wisdom by Jesus was inevitable. Can water cease being wet? Can fire cease being hot? Can God cease being wise? Of course, the answer to these questions is, "No!" It is the nature of water to be wet and fire to be hot. It is also God's nature to be wise. In all eternity and time, God has never committed a foolish act or said a foolish word.
As we continue our study of the Trinity, we will see how Jesus – God the Son – manifested the wisdom and power of the Father, even before His birth into our world.
The Son as the Wisdom of the Father
Introduction
To appreciate fully the wisdom of the Son, we must first see Him as the wisdom of the Father. The wisdom of the Father is first made manifest to us in creation. Out of infinity came God the Son, the expression of God that brought into being the universe, our world, and time.
It is necessary for us to pause and remind ourselves that it is beyond the limits of the human mind to probe into what lies behind creation and time. The highly developed human intelligence has an intense curiosity and considerable capability to work with available data. This effort often brings wonderful benefits to humanity. However, if data are lacking, speculation may lead to wrong conclusions and dire consequences. Speculation is ill-advised concerning what may lie beyond creation and time.
Does this mean we are insulated in a capsule of ignorance regarding what may lie beyond creation and time? Yes, if we insist upon relying solely on our own limited resources and capabilities. No, if we will humble ourselves and accept what God has revealed to us in His creation, Son, and Word. In nature, Jesus, and the Bible, we find evidences of God's power, person, and will. These evidences come from "beyond" and give us insight into the significance of reality and the eternal nature of what lies outside history and time.
We look back to the primordial state. We do not use a huge telescope. Allan Sandage has probed deep space as far back as 6 billion light-years.2 However, our reference points to infinity: We reach for what was before the "beginning" of our universe and time.
As Taught in the New Testament
We do our search for what was before the "beginning" by examining what God revealed "last" in order to understand better what He revealed "first." We will do this by examining the New Testament perspective of Jesus as the wisdom of God before the creation.
The New Testament points out that the wisdom of God existed before time began and was inseparable from the crucified "Lord of glory":
"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery; the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, 'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.' For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:6-10).
This amazing truth was not known until the Apostolic Age because it was God's revealed "mystery" that had been "hidden" in the past. This revealed secret opens up windows of wonder for us. The preceding passage points out a bridge extending from before time to the cross of Christ. When this bridge had its "grand opening," the wisdom of God was made apparent in Jesus.
Further identification of Jesus as the wisdom of God is pointed out in Paul's letter to the Christians in Colossae. They were being troubled by some teachers advocating a "wisdom" that minimized the Person and work of Christ, especially in creation and redemption.3 Paul responded by insisting that the mystery of God, now revealed, is "[Christ,] in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3; emphasis mine).
When Paul spoke this way about Christ, he was not saying that Christ is merely the repository for God's wisdom. Paul was proclaiming that as God, Jesus is God's wisdom now fully revealed. Paul had already pointed out that Christ is the very image of God. In addition, Paul had stressed the preexistence to creation of God's Son. In one of the most exalted passages about Christ in all the Bible, Colossians 1:16-17a, Paul stated the following:
"For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things . . ."
The Son described in Colossians as the creative wisdom of God is not merely the Son of God; He is God the Son. As such, "in [Christ] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word pleroma ("fullness") is found earlier in the Colossians letter: "For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him [Christ]" (Colossians 1:19).
In other words, the essence of God dwells in Christ. The essence of God is spirit (John 4:24). Colossians 2:9 is the one and only place in the New Testament where the Greek theotes ("Godhead," KJV; "Deity;" NIV) appears. The full nature (essence) of deity in the totality of God is seen in Christ. This, of course, is an eternal relationship, which, in the context of Colossians, includes the historical Jesus.4
As Reflected in Redemption
To consider Jesus as the wisdom of God is not our usual beginning point. Most of us were first introduced to Jesus as the Son of God, Who, in Person, manifested the love, mercy, and grace of God the Father. The extent of the Father's love for us was demonstrated in His offering His Son on the cross for our redemption. Then, as we surrendered to Jesus, He became our Savior as we were raised with Him in baptism through faith in the power of God, Who raised Jesus from the dead (Colossians 1:21-23, 2:12). This was the good news, the gospel of Christ. As we look further concerning Christ, we find that He shows us more than God's love, mercy, and grace. He is also God's wisdom made clear for us.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he reminded them that the wisdom of God is not apparent to many because they are not looking for it in the right place. The Jews were infatuated with signs. They wanted to see miracles (Matthew 12:38-39). The Greeks were indeed seeking wisdom, but largely through the medium of philosophy; which Paul described as "the wisdom of the world." Against this background Paul then stated: "But we preach Christ crucified . . . the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23-24); emphasis added). Thus, through God's plan of salvation for us, Christ "became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30b; emphasis mine). Therefore, in His redemptive work, the Son reflects the wisdom of the Father.
As Displayed in Creation
God has never performed a foolish act or said a foolish word, because He is omniscient, all-knowing. It is His nature to be all-wise, just as it is His nature to be all-powerful. Therefore, it should not surprise us to see God's wisdom in Jesus, His Son. He is the appearance (revelation) of God's wisdom that was with Him in eternity in creation, and is now revealed in history.
Now that we have observed the wisdom of God "up close" in Jesus, let us look "far back" to that momentous event of creation. Wisdom was there! Does that surprise us? Certainly not. In view of God's nature (being all-wise) and in light of the later revelation of God's wisdom in Jesus (the New Testament), we would indeed be astounded if we did not find wisdom present even before creation.
As Described in Proverbs 8:22-31
Proverbs 8:22-31 makes the following points:
1. Out of the vast expanse of space the wisdom of God began to stir and take "center stage" (v. 22).
2. Wisdom has eternally been at the forefront of God's deeds, including the creation (v 23).
3. God's wisdom was eternally actualized even before creation (vv. 24-26).
4. As an active participant with the Lord, wisdom characterized the various phases of creation (vv. 27-30a).
5. The harmony of God's wisdom and work in the creation of the world and mankind brought forth delight and joy (vv. 30b-31).
This passage gives a breathtaking picture of the Lord, wisdom, eternity, time, and creation. In this passage, do we see Jesus as an active participant in creation? Does the wisdom of Proverbs 8:22-31 equal that of Jesus of Nazareth? Consider the following:
The Son of God was to be called Jesus at His birth (Matthew 1:21, 2:23). Therefore, one would not expect to find the name Jesus in Proverbs 8. Biblical writers are very cautious with their words when writing about God's creation. For example: How long does one read before one finds any biblical writer using the name Jesus to describe the role of God's Son in creation? The activity of God's Son in creation was a mighty work He performed ages before He was called Jesus.
Another feature of Proverbs 8:22-31 is that wisdom was spoken of as feminine. Why was God's wisdom described as feminine? One reason rests in the very nature of language. The word wisdom is feminine gender in Hebrew (hokmah) and in Greek (sophia). Therefore, a discussion of wisdom in biblical contexts often used feminine gender (Proverbs 9:1-6). In Proverbs 1:20-33, wisdom invited the "foolish ones" (pthayim, v. 22) to partake and warned in graphic terms against rejecting her. Proverbs 3:13-18 spoke of the blessings of wisdom, "for she is more profitable than silver, and yields better returns than gold" (v. 14). It is also noteworthy that folly, wisdom's opposite, was also spoken of in the Bible as feminine in gender (Proverbs 9:13ff.).
Personification is also a feature in Proverbs 8:22-31. In this passage, wisdom is not only described as feminine; she is personified as a being from eternity. Therefore, she predates the creation and participates in it. A personification is the representation of a being, thing, or abstraction with anthropomorphic (humanlike) traits. This is very common in the poetic literature of the Bible, such as Proverbs and Psalms.
Personification is still a favorite literary device. Joyce Kilmer's well-known poem, "Trees," is a good example. He extols a tree as an inspiring example of God's creative genius and power. He describes a tree as a female with sight to look up to God, arms to lift in prayer, hair for birds' nests, a bosom upon which snow falls, and a "hungry mouth."5
This is a straightforward personification. Trees do not get hungry. They do not have mouths. A tree cannot look, lift, or pray. However, in this poem a beautiful truth is expressed by literary feminine personification. It does not disturb the reader that practically everything said in this poem about a tree, including its gender, is impossible. We know that Kilmer was using poetic license to convey a deep truth, which he emphasized at the close.
From a literary point of view, there is a parallel between what was expressed in Proverbs 8:22-31 and Kilmer's poem. Both poets described God's creative work through a series of feminine personifications with oblique, symbolic language. In both poems, the reader sees a truth that lies beyond their actual statements. In "Trees" we are made aware of the beautiful harmony between God and His magnificent creation. In Proverbs 8:22-31 we note the joy, delight, uniqueness, and wisdom of God in His handiwork. The writer of the Proverb passage did not attempt to make God's wisdom feminine any more than Kilmer was trying to make a tree feminine!
As Affirmed in "Progressive Revelation"
New Testament teachings associate Jesus with the wisdom of God. The truths found there show that the wisdom of God is eternal and was active in the creation. Obviously, from the perspective of the New Testament writers, the eternal wisdom of God we see so actively engaged in God's creation is God the Son. How privileged we are to see through the eyes of men who were given such deep insight by the Holy Spirit! Through them we see truths that even prophets and angels could not fully discern (1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:19-21). Does this mean that God practiced "progressive revelation"? Yes, it does! If the language of the Bible means anything at all, we see God more fully in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. The progressive revelation of God and His will for us is found in the Scriptures and is restricted to the Scriptures. This is affirmed in both testaments (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19). Examples of God's concern about His revelation and His Word are frequent.
Therefore, when we read Proverbs 8:22-31 we realize what the writer expressed. He described in poetic language an attribute of God, wisdom, that characterized His creative work. We do not assume that the poet's God-inspired mind led him to think of "God the Son" or "the second person of the Trinity"! On the other hand, many Old Testament writers, including poets and prophets, expressed truths that later would be expanded to reveal even more profound truths.6
Through progressive revelation, the writings of the God-inspired writers of the New Testament enable us to see more than what the Proverbs writer saw in the passage under study. We see what he saw. We also see wisdom as the very nature (essence) of God expressed as a Person-not merely as a poetic personification of an abstract concept (wisdom). In other words, we see God the Son reflecting God's wisdom in creation. One author has said: ". . . the very origins and the authority of Wisdom suggest more than a personified order of creation. Wisdom is somehow identified with the Lord. The call of Lady Wisdom is the voice of the Lord; she is the revelation of God, not merely the self-revelation of creation."7
Christ, as the wisdom of God, reflects that wisdom in the creation and the redemption of the world. These associations are in the Bible so that we can profit from them. Christians, like Paul, can infer that Christ is God's wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24).
The Son as the Power of the Father
Introduction
We have spent some time considering Christ as the wisdom of God. The preexistent Christ reflected the wisdom of God in creation. On one hand, although Old Testament men of God spoke in lofty language about the role of God's wisdom in creation, they never spoke in terms of a "second Person in the Godhead." On the other hand, the New Testament contains statements either implying or affirming that Christ is the wisdom of God Who was before all time and who participated in the creation.
We now turn to another area of study about God the Son. This probe falls into the category of Christ as the Word of God before the incarnation or before His birth in Bethlehem. As in our previous lesson, we will go to relevant passages in the New Testament. Equipped with information concerning the Word of God in creation, we will then go to the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to seek out its teaching on the subject.
The New Testament Teaching
In the New Testament, we find that the Synoptic Gospels8 of Matthew and Luke are quick to emphasize that the birth of Jesus heralded the personal arrival of God in the world. Matthew identifies the baby Jesus as Immanuel – that is, "God with us." Luke speaks of Him as "the Son of God." Both books speak of the Virgin Mary's conception of the Christ child as being from the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1; Luke 1).
"In the Beginning"
The Gospel of John takes a different approach. The prologue (1:1-18) does not deal with the details of Jesus' birth. There is no genealogy of Jesus as Matthew and Luke give (Matthew 1; Luke 3). Instead, there is an opening statement that almost boggles the mind! John 1:1 begins with a phrase that echoes across the expanse of time: "In the beginning."9 We immediately think of Genesis 1:1.10
Let us say the phrase "in the beginning" over and over. If we do, a question immediately arises: "Beginning of what?" If these two phrases in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 were all we had about God in the Bible, we could easily conclude that the writers were speaking about the beginning of God. However, the eternal existence of God is one of the major themes of the Scriptures. Therefore, we apply one of the classic rules of biblical interpretation at this point: Never interpret an obscure passage so as to contradict plain biblical teaching in another passage on the same subject. Thus we conclude that "beginning" in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 refers to God's creative work, not His existence. Hence the article the has been inserted in English translations.
Genesis 1:1b says: ". . . God created the heavens and the earth." This seems to be a comprehensive cover statement of the creation. It is followed by the unfolding activity of the creation. However, we should note the relationship of God in the creative process and the all-inclusiveness of that relationship throughout the creation.
The Term Logos
Why did John use the term logos (Word), and even more important, why did he explain its meaning so precisely? The word logos was already rich in meaning before it was used in the New Testament. Concepts imbedded in logos were especially attractive to Greek philosophers, notably the Stoics.11 Heraclitus of Ephesus, an early developer of Stoic thought, saw logos as the law of nature in the discipline of physics. Centuries later (around 300 b.c.) Zeno of Cyprus became the acknowledged founder of Stoicism. In his school in Athens he articulated logos as reason in the universe – the reason that gave all things their order, shape, and harmony. His belief in deity related this logos with creative fire, sometimes called pneuma (spirit). Thus the Stoics saw logos in nature as order and logic; in expression as reason and word; in theology as a rational spirit providing all things and relating itself to all things.12
The world of the first century a.d. witnessed the beginning of Christianity. The good news of hope and salvation in Christ was preached around the Mediterranean basin, beginning from Jerusalem. By the end of the century God-inspired men had spelled out the faith. These writings, in Koine (common) Greek, utilized that language to describe God's nature, His activity, and His will for humanity.
In the first half of the first century a.d., the writings of Philo projected logos concepts into the theological thought of both Jews and Christians. Philo was a Jewish Hellenistic philosopher and theologian. Having been reared and educated in Alexandria, Egypt, he was thoroughly steeped in the Hebrew Bible Scriptures and Greek philosophy; as evidenced by his writings. His reinterpretation of the Hebrew Bible by using allegorical and Greek philosophical principles had an impact in his day that lingered into modern times. He spoke of logos as the divine directive that moves the course of history along its assigned path until its goals are reached. Thus the effects of logos have a bearing on the cosmos and the ultimate destiny of humanity. (See the multiple-volume works of Philo on the subject in the Loeb Classical Library.)
The logos (Word) was present at the beginning of creation. Since the Word was there when creation began, the Word was there before creation began. Can a carpenter build a house without first being there? The preexistence of the Word is clear. He was present. Also, the Word was with God. This speaks of relationship.13
John 1:1-3 is a marvelous statement of what Christ did in creation: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." The Word was God; the Word was with God. Through Him all things were made. Here we have identification, relationship, and activity. In this compressed statement we have a paradox: complexity surrounds the simplicity of God.
With whom is the preexistent Word related in the creation process? Hebrews 1:2 says: ". . . [God] has spoken to us in His Son, . . . through whom also He made the world." (See also Hebrews 2:9.) Here, then, is a Father/Son relationship that existed before the incarnation. Later we see this Son referred to as Jesus in His incarnate, redemptive work. However, we should keep in mind that deity's existence as Father and Son is eternal and thus is not dependent on the incarnation.
Does the statement in Hebrews 1:2 "[God] has spoken to us in His Son" mean that the Word, in His preexistent state, was indeed deity? Does Sonship with God mean deity? The answer depends on the context. For example, in Romans 9:26 Paul used Hosea 1:10 to teach that God's people are "sons of the living God," but no one would conclude from these statements that God's "sons" are divine beings.
However, if there is any doubt that God's Son, as the preincarnate Word, was deity, we need only read Hebrews 1:8a: "But of the Son He [God] says, 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever."' This verse, like many others in Hebrews, is a quotation from the Hebrew Bible. This one is from Psalm 45 (v. 6). This is a royal wedding psalm that was used to celebrate the marriage of a Hebrew king and his bride. Three facts regarding this psalm are central for our thinking:
1. The king is obviously of the Davidic dynasty.
2. The psalm finds only partial fulfillment in David or any of his descendants.
3. Messianic application by the New Testament writer of Hebrews brings home its full impact in a startling way!
In Hebrews, Psalm 45:6-7 is applied as the supreme fulfillment of the royal line of David – the Messiah. It is framed as a personal address by God the Father (v. 5) to the Son (v. 8), calling Him God (deity)!14
Therefore, we see that the relationship between God and the Word spoken of in John 1:1-3 is in fact a Father/Son relationship. It necessitates a conclusion that both the Father and the preincarnate Son are deity Therefore, the eternal Father/Son relationship of God is implied in every biblical passage about the creation of the world. Truly, as John wrote, "the Word [logos] was God. . . . All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."
The conviction that the power of God created all things runs throughout the New Testament. However, the full realization that this power was expressed through the logos – the preexistent Son, God the Son, who later became incarnate – comes to the forefront only in the writing of John, which completed the New Testament. An overview of this development follows:
In the Gospel of Mark we find Jesus speaking of the creation as God's work (Mark 10:6, 13:19). During the early days of the church, the disciples acknowledged God as the Creator of all things (Acts 4:24). When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he spoke of God the Father, "from whom are all things," and "Jesus Christ, by whom are all things" (1 Corinthians 8:6). Here Paul was relating the Father and the Son in creative activity. Paul did not relate the Son to the logos (the Word). In Romans, Paul expressed in a moving doxology that from God and to God are all things (Romans 11:36a). Later the Ephesian letter speaks of "God, who created all things" (Ephesians 3:96). In Colossians the Son is spoken of as the image of God. He is God's firstborn; He predates the creation, has sovereignty over it, and sustains it. Colossians 1:15-17a says: "And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things." This passage reaches the heights in graphically describing the Person, the place, and the role of God's Son in creation. Here we have a breathtaking picture of the power of God displayed. In yet other insightful passages, we find that the creation occurred at God's command through His Son, whose powerful Word continues to uphold, or sustain, all things:
"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:1-3).
"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible " (Hebrews 11:3).
"For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water" (2 Peter 3:5).
It is tempting to read into these passages the clearly stated logos concept as found in the Gospel of John. After all, we usually read the Gospels first when we begin reading the New Testament. However, we should remember that, chronologically speaking, John's writings are the last of the New Testament.
This means that it was not until John's awesome pronouncement near the end of the New Testament that the full brilliance of God's creative work was unveiled. The logos/Word, the preexistent Son, God the Son, who later became incarnate, was shown to be the energizing power of God the Father. This logos/Word brought into being a universe that had not existed before; it was all a perfect display of the unsearchable wisdom and power of God.
The Hebrew Bible Teaching
We are highly privileged people as we look to the Hebrew Bible. The veil has been pulled aside for us. We can now perceive truths in many Hebrew Bible passages that were not apparent or were only dimly visible to the early readers. This is possible because of the enlightenment from the additional revelation of the New Testament passages interpreted by the writers in ways the ancient Hebrews did not discern.
When it comes to the creative power of God, the Old Testament speaks consistently and with deep insight. In the Psalms, God is praised as an eternal Being for His creative work (Psalms 90:2, 102:25-27). In the prophetic literature, God is described as the transcendent Creator Who alone rules over, and is involved in, His creation, including all humanity (Isaiah 40:21-26, 44:24; 45:12; Jeremiah 10:16).
The Hebrew Bible concept of Yahweh as Creator is full of grandeur. God is all-powerful, sovereign, transcendent as well as immanent, and concerned about His creation, especially His human creation. Is it legitimate to take these exalted expressions of God's creative activity with us as we read the creation account in Genesis 1:2? Of course.
This helps us to appreciate the exquisite literary framework, condensed simplicity, and sublime description of origins, including our own. The affirmation of a Creator God that runs through the Hebrew Bible reminds us that the creation account found in Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, is not an isolated, mythological tale.
This is not to say that the account is a scientific one. Must it be scientific to be true? Many scientists admit there are truths that fall outside of scientific guidelines!15 Neither is it necessary to hold that the revealed truth of Genesis, chapters 1 and 2, contains all that may be said about creation. In fact, we know it does not, because other biblical teachings on the same subject give us additional information.
Genesis begins by saying that God created the heavens and the Earth. This is apparently a sort of umbrella statement, covering everything else. As the Spirit of God hovered over the emptiness and darkness of this watery mass, light and order emerged at the initiative of God. The creation account continues to unfold until at last we see God saying, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . ." (Genesis 1:26-27). The summary and expansion of the account are given in Genesis 2:4-25, while more details about God's human creation are given in Genesis 2:7, 21-22.
We are not to suppose that when Moses wrote Genesis he knew the underlying details of the emerging order of the universe as we do today. Moses wrote only what was revealed to him. Was it revealed to him that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit were involved in the creation of the universe? Specific mention is made of God ('elohim) and the Spirit of God (ruah ’elohim) in Genesis 1:1-2. Other accounts tell us that God's Spirit participated in creation (Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30). Let us consider Moses' concept of the Godhead.
"Did Moses see polytheism in the use of the plural noun 'elohim for God?" The answer is "No." Moses is the one who expressed the foundation of faith for all Israel in the Shema: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). In this great affirmation the picture is clear: Although Moses used a plural form for the name of God, he was stating that God is actually one. Also, the Genesis text used a singular verb, bara’ ; meaning "He created," to describe God's creative work. This indicates singularity of thought.
Why, then, did he use 'elohim? In view of Moses' expressed faith in one God, it can be said that he was using the common name for deity that lingered long in Hebrew history. The Canaanites, with whom the Hebrews had been associated from their earliest times, had 'el (mighty one) at the head of their pantheon.16 Their pantheon was made up of many 'elohim (gods). The purging of a polytheistic concept of God from Hebrew thought proved to be a difficult task. In fact, one of the persistent sins of the Hebrews/Israelites throughout their history, at least until the Babylonian Captivity, was the sin of idolatry.
To be sure, Moses was enlightened about God's true identity God had revealed Himself to the patriarchs as `El Shaddai (God Almighty), but to Moses He revealed Himself as Yhwh (I AM) (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 2:14-16). These forms are singular! It can safely be said that Moses was no more concerned about the origin of the plural form for God ('elohim) than we are about the origin of our neighbor's name, which happens to be Smith.
Why, then, did God say: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . ."? Note the following possibilities:
1. the "plural of majesty," as a king might use in proclaiming a decree;
2. the "plural of intensification," to express completeness or fullness, as in the phrase "the four corners of the earth";
3. "the editorial 'we,"' as a way for God to relate more intimately with his human creation. However, these possibilities fall short. While dealing with why plural forms are used, they evade the question: "To whom is God speaking?"
We know that God has a heavenly host about Him with whom He has communication (1 Kings 22:19-23; Isaiah 6:1-8). However, to suggest that any created beings, such as angels, were invited by God to participate in the creation is going beyond what the Bible teaches about God as the sole creator of the universe and humans.
Moses was speaking of the superlative nature of God as far as revelation and language would allow. Like other inspired writers we have mentioned, did he actually say more than he realized? The answer is "Yes." Although there is no indication that Moses had any concept of three Persons in the Godhead, it is in harmony with later revelation that God is to be seen as one in essence and three in Persons. We can conclude that, in terms of ultimate truth, a revelation of the fullness of God is seen in the plural pronouns of Genesis 1:26. Indeed, it could hardly be otherwise.17
The summation is that the totality of God was involved in the creation. That is, it involved God the Father, God the Son (as logos before His incarnation), and God the Spirit.
Footnotes:
1 The following are references for the statement concerning Jesus' life: Matthew 2:1-2, 11, 3:13-15, 4:1-11; Luke 1:19, 2:11, 13, 14, 42-47, 49, 52.
2 Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers (New York/London: W. W. Norton, 1978), 95. Also see William J. Cook, "How Old Is the Universe?" U.S. News and World Report (20 May 1996):60-61, for more of Allan Sandage's fantastic ideas concerning the age of the universe.
3 Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1987), 245-49.
4 Colossians 1:20. Cf. Gerhard Delling, "Pleroma," in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 6, eds. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1968), 6:302-05.
5 Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," in The Best Loved Poems of the American People, selected by Hazel Felleman (Garden City, NY Doubleday, 1936), 561.
6 Examples of this principle concerning Christ are Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23; Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14, 15.
7 Roland E. Murphy, The Tree of Life, in The Anchor Bible Reference Library, gen. ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1990), 138, 147.
8 Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they present similar overviews of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
9 En arche = "In [the] beginning."
10 Bre'shith = "In [the] beginning." The article the is absent in both John 1:1 and Genesis 1:1. We do not say "missing"; that would imply it was there at one time. The word was not used in the original texts but has been added by translators.
11 Mention is made of Stoics and Epicureans in Acts 17:18.
12 Paul Edwards, ed., The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (New York: Macmillan, 1967), s.v. "Stoicism" and "Zeno of Citium," by Philip P. Hallie.
13 Pros, when used with the accusative, has as one of its primary meanings "nearness to" or "relationship." In this text the reading is pros ton theon, meaning "with God."
14 "In a fuller sense than was possible for David or any of his successors in an ancient day, this Messiah can be addressed not merely as God's Son (verse 5) but actually as God . . ." (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews [Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1964], 20).
15 "When evidence uncovered by science itself leads to a conflict with the articles of faith in our profession, it [t]urns out that the scientist behaves the way the rest of us do when our beliefs are in conflict with the evidence. We become irritated, we pretend the conflict does not exist, or we paper it over with meaningless phrases" (Jastrow, God and the Astronomers, 16).
16 John Bright, A History of Israel, 3d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1981), 98-100.
17 Here we find the cohortative na'aseh, meaning "let us make." This grammatical form is used in Hebrew to express effort or emphasis. In this context, it is an earnest and authoritative request from God the Father to God the Son and God the Spirit to participate in the new creation of human beings in Their image.
