God Said Man Said

QandA, The Supreme Divinity

Why does God speak as if there is more than one God? He uses the phrase "one of us," which is plural, implying that there is more than one God.
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QandA, The Supreme Divinity

Article#: 942

At the time of this printing, GodSaidManSaid has posted 285 subjects on this website. Many of the questions we answer on "QandA" features have already been addressed in full or in part on this site. Due to the vast girth of GodSaidManSaid, we find it beneficial to our audience to occasionally reiterate. This ministry apologizes for not being able to answer all the questions we receive, or for answers that may come in an untimely fashion. The physical time is just not there. Your patience and understanding are needed in these issues. May the face of our God shine upon you with light and truth.

The following question was posed by Brother T:

I also have a question regarding how God speaks of Himself as shown below from the Book of Genesis. Why does God speak as if there is more than one God? He uses the phrase "one of us," which is plural, implying that there is more than one God. Genesis 3:22: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" [End of quote]

Another excellent example of Brother T’s inquiry is Genesis 1:26:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The understanding of this apparent mystery is found in the Biblical concept of the Godhead and the "of" and "by" relationship of the Father and the Son. The word Godhead is defined in the Strong’s Greek Dictionary as: "Divinity (2320), or the supreme Divinity (2316)." With that definition in mind, read Colossians 2:8-9:

8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

The Word of God states that in Christ "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." The Godhead is referred to in Matthew 28:19: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Three issues need to be addressed:

1. God is His Word.

John 1:1:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And Jesus Christ is the Word of His father. John 12:48-50:

48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

Revelation 19:13:

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Jesus Christ is the unabridged Word of His father. The fullness of the Father dwells in His son.

2. In person, Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth.

3. The fullness of the Holy Ghost dwells in Christ.

John 3:34-35:

34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

35The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Jesus Christ functioned and functions in the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He was the walking Word of God. In person, He was the only begotten Son and the fullness of the Spirit dwelt in Him.

The "of" and "by" relationship is another issue. I Corinthians 8:6:

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

The Word of God reads, "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things,..." Webster defines the word of: "From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing." [End of quote] Therefore all things are out of God—the source. Again, from I Corinthians, "and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." Webster defines the word by: "3. Through, or with, denoting the agent, means, instrument or cause; This use answers to that of the Latin per, through, denoting a passing, acting, agency or instrumentality." [End of quote] The by concept is clearly described in I Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus:" So then the operation of the Godhead would be of the Father, by the Son, through the ministry of the Holy Ghost.

The clear demonstration of the operation of the Godhead is recorded in Hebrews 1:2:

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

God speaks by His Son, and God made the worlds by Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ speaks the world into existence by the Word of His Father. Genesis 1:26:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The following question is from Brother C:

Is there any Scripture about what Jesus looked like? Hair, beard, etc.?

All the pictures you see of Christ are artists’ renderings based solely on their imaginations. The children of Israel were commanded against making any likeness of anyone or anything that might cause people, sooner or later, to worship that likeness. Deuteronomy 4:15-19:

15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:

16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

17 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

18 The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth:

19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.

Scripturally, we know that Jesus had a beard. Isaiah 50:6:

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Scripturally, we know that Jesus was not handsome and had no unusual compelling traits. Isaiah 53:2-5:

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

John 20:19-20 reads, "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord."

Judas covenanted with the Jews to betray Christ. He told them they would be able to tell who Jesus was for He would be the one whom Judas kissed.

What separated the Christ of this earth from the crowd was not His appearance. On the other side, it is an entirely different story, for He outshines the sun. Colossians 1:14-20:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.




References:

Authorized King James Version

Webster, N., American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828

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