In Gen .1:26 God (elohim) said “let us make man in our image, according to our likeness…” those engaged in this conversation were all the same in nature and image.
God could not have been speaking to any heavenly creatures because none of them possesses a divine nature like his. We know later there were Divine Persons.
Each person of the Godhead can think and communicate with the other. This verse shows independent thought and cooperation within a plurality of his being. This means whoever elohim is speaking to has the same power as him.
Many antti -trinitarians try to avoid the issue by saying God is speaking with the angels in Gen.1:26. The Bible teaches us that Jesus - not an angel - created all things: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). And the previous verses 1,2 teach He (the word) existed with god before anything was created.
A literal translation of what Moses proclaimed to Israel as their anthem in Deuteronomy 6:4 is "Hear, 0 Israel, Jehovah our Gods is Jehovah a unity (one – echad, a unity)." He taught that there is a plurality of divine persons who constitute a unity as the one God. Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment, said, "Hear, 0 Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one ..." (Mark 12:29). This also means a united one. Jesus said “I and my father are one, literally, WE are One. Both the Old and New Testament teach the unity of the divine personas in the being called God, YHWH. That is the Scripture in Hebrew and the Greek.
Isa. 48:16-17 "Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have sent Me."Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.
The Lord is the redeemer, and the Lord God and his spirit have sent me- Jesus, who is the one speaking, the redeemer.
Lets examine this again because this theme occurs over and over
Isaiah 48:16:“From the beginning from the time that it was, I was there: (1st person) and now the Lord GOD (2nd person) and His Spirit, (3rd person) hath sent me (1st person).” Here we have three individuals existing together, the one speaking who states that He was there from before time (John 1:1). He refers to the Lord and states that both Yahweh and His Spirit have sent me, (the speaker). This goes perfectly in line with Isa.6:8 God, speaking to Isaiah: “Who shall I send, who will go for us.” Both the singular and the plural are used in the same verse.
Isa. 42:1: “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, my Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”
God is saying He will put his Spirit on Jesus and the ministry will eventually go beyond the Jews. Yet we are told Jesus is Immanuel, the Godman, who is God with a human nature. So we have three involved, the one speaking – He will put His spirit on Jesus, his servant.
We see this event take place as the Father spoke from heaven and anointed His son before Israel. Matt 3:16-17 “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
What Jesus read for the first time before the congregation in the New Testament (lk.4:18) He explained himself as being the Son whom the Father anointed, the Messiah.
Isa. 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound”
You have the Spirit of God, the Father anointing the Son, three. This is consistent all throughout the Old Testament. There is never 4, or 5, only 3.
It was David who wrote Psalm 23, the Lord is MY Shepherd” Jesus quoting Psalm 110.
Matt. 22:43-46 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool" '? "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?" And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.
Mark 12: 37 adds “And the common people heard Him gladly”
Clearly this impacted the disciples as this was later proclaimed at Pentecost by Peter before all of Israel "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.
"For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:32-36)
The Son was sent by the Father from heaven, where he put his position aside to become man. It is fitting that He would be exalted to his former place by the Father after He had completed his mission. Acts 5:31: “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior.”
note: has made
Gr.poieo-
1) to make:
a) with the names of things made, to produce, to construct, to form, to fashion, etc.
b) to be the authors of, the cause
c) to make ready, to prepare
d) to produce, to bear, to shoot forth
e) to acquire, to provide a thing for oneself
f) to make a thing out of something
in other words what He (Jesus) produced was proof (his credentials) that he was indeed Israel's lord and Christ.
Let us Reason
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